Afternoon Edition: 03 August 2026

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 03 August 2026, straight from the Newstalk ZB newsroom - bringing you everything you need to know in news, politics, business, entertainment and sport.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Good afternoon. I'm railing Ramsey. This is your afternoon news
fix for Monday, the third of August. The governments decided
to retain temporary fuel price support measures for now. Finance
Minister Nikola Willis says that includes the inwork tax credit,
increased mileage rates for healthcare workers and eligible patients, and

(00:22):
reimbursement for relievers. She says the support was supposed to
expire after petrol price has stayed below three dollars a
letter for a month.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
While New Zealand did experience four weeks of national average
prices falling below three dollars between five and twenty six July,
we are advised that they rose above that point again
last week.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
The Prime Minister has said sorry for telling the ruth
to do a business owners at an event on Friday,
they had a parent child mentality and to be adult.
Chris Luckson was answering a question about the city's struggling economy.
He also said when he was in New zeal And
CEO he didn't wait for government help, but has now
taken this bak.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
I do want to take this opportunity to apologize for
my remarks at the right to rule of Business Chamber
breakfast last week. I know many small business owners are
doing it tough right now.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Councils are asking the government to help them avoid excessive costs.
Local authorities must do six yearly reviews of such things
as councilor numbers, election methods and electorate boundaries. L GNZ
says they make little sense now given plans to amalgamate
some councils and abolish regional ones. Spokesperson Ran Wilde says

(01:34):
it would waste money we.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Sent to the government just so common sense. Please, This
is a lot of costs to right paths and we'd
prefer we did not have to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
A security guard who spoke to a school teacher soon
before he fell into Wellington Harbor once waterfront fencing options considered.
A coroner's inquest is looking into twenty five year old
Isaac Leving's drowning death in twenty twenty three after a concert.
Calls to increase safety and add barriers have been a
recurring talking point in the Capitol after several deaths. Former

(02:06):
Red Badge officer Luise Torree says all events should include fences.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Inevitably mean people walking, perhaps intoxicated to and from the
event along the waterfront for certain events, dispensing with saw
people from tripping over.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
A warning a big spike, and consented homes might not last.
Statsn Z figure show approvals rose nineteen percent annually to June,
topping forty thousand, and the highest number since twenty twenty three.
Senior Westpac economist A. Sartes Ranchold says they're likely to
be built, but the future is less certain.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
The real question is how long does that strength get
sustain in an environment or with increases in build cost
and increases in interest rate. I think there is a
risk that we do see building actually flowing again next year.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Seven months of blisters and hunger didn't stop a retired
Salvation Army officers mission spotlighting Kiwi hunger. Major Gavin Baxter
labeled his trek from Bluff to Cape Rianga Marching for Meals,
using it to raise close to thirty thousand dollars. He
says growing numbers of New Zealanders are struggling with living costs.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
It's quite an amazing experience and that sense of accomplishment
just amazing to realize that we'd raised so much money
to help people out a food poverty this sport.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Silver Fan's A captain Karen Berger says controversy surrounding their
coach and netball's domestic league has helped build the resilience
that led to Commonwealth Games Gold A. Netballers claimed the
gold medal is the most attended sport at the Commonwealth Games,
eclipsing athletics and swimming by luring a daily crowd of
more than ten thousand. The All Blacks are preparing for

(03:45):
every match on the greatest rivalry tour of South Africa
like it's a test match, with tour captain Cody Taylor
saying they can't afford complacency in any of the eight matches.
That is your latest news fix. We'll be back with
the next update tomorrow morning from the News Talk zed
B newsroom