Afternoon Edition: 08 July 2026

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 08 July 2026, straight from the Newstalk ZB newsroom - bringing you everything you need to know in news, politics, business, entertainment and sport.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Good afternoon. I'm Scarlet Swatanovich and this is your afternoon
Newspex for Wednesday, July the eighth. More hikes to the
official cash rates seem probable. After the first rise today
in more than three years, the Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy
Committee agreed unanimously to lift the OCR twenty five basis
points to two point five percent. It says more rises

(00:24):
are likely, but the timing is highly uncertain. Finance Minister
Nikola Willis says it will all depend on how things
track here on out.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Whether or not the Reserve Bank will make future decisions
to lift interest rates is too soon to determine.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
In fact, the Reserve Bank are very clear in their statement.
North Canterbury farmers face months of cleanup after heavy rain,
now easing as it moves north. Wadarappa has an orange
heavy rain warning until tomorrow morning, including man Wa two
and Thai Hapi. Kakoda is still in a state of
emergency and a heavy rain watch covers Kakoda and Marlborough
until Thursday night. Dairy farmer Adam mcmanaway says they have

(01:02):
three days warning.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
It was on its way, but like the rivers and
the creeks, around here can probably only handle eighty to
one hundred and twenty miles of rain in a twenty
four hour period, and we got three hundred, so it
was just way too much for them to be able
to contain them.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
State Highway One still closed between Wipeter and wart. Labour
says its solar policy will benefit renters and rural communities,
not just city dwellers. National and Labour's election policies would
both let homeowners pay back low interest loans for solar
through their rates, but Labour's plan announced today also lets
local lines companies provide loans repaid through power bills. Leader

(01:38):
Chris Hipkins says this is a better solution for many
regions and will save money.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
It's good for the line's companies because they don't have
to put a whole lot of extra capacity into more
isolated areas, but it's good for the people in those
isolated areas because they save Twice.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
ACT wants to expand the three strikes law, claiming judges
give burglars too much leeway. The party says arefelected. It
wants mandatory three year prison center with no parole for
those convicted of burglary three times for aggravated burglary offenders
would get a burglary strike and another under three strikes
violent crime rules. Justice spokesperson Nicole McKee says most burglars

(02:14):
released back in prison within two years and enough's enough.
We want to make sure that the victims of crime
are recognized here, especially because there are so many of
them one hundred and eighty four thousand victims. In New Zealand,
secondary teachers have voted to refuse seats on the Teaching
Council's governing board if offered through a ministerial appointment. Jamie

(02:34):
Cunningham has more.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
A PBTA balance overwhelmingly backed the boycott after the government
changed the law to let their Education Minister appoint council
members rather than them being elected. President Chris Abercrombie says
the show's teachers believe the profession should have a direct
say on who represents them on their professional body.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
To Sport and Selection manager Gavin Larsen believes having quicks
at a Miln and Lockie Ferguson on cash contracts will
offer crucial support to the fully contracted bowlers facing a
hectic summer schedule. Six European nations have made the quarterfinals
at football's World Cup, with Morocco and Argentina the only
two countries from outside the continent. New Zealand Rugby's appointed

(03:18):
former All Black Conrad Smith as its head of men's
High Performance, with his immediate boss On Tricker praising Smith's
combination of lived experience, intellect and credibility. I'm Scarlet Swatanovitch.
That's your latest news fix. We'll be back with the
next update tomorrow morning. From the news Talk setby Newsroom