Afternoon Edition: 17 June 2025

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 17 June 2025, 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 (00:04):
Good afternoon. I'm Raining Ramsey. This is your afternoon news
fix for Tuesday, the seventeenth of June. A large fire
still burning in Auckland has left a supermarket charred and
studded with holes. Smoke's been pumping up from New World
Victoria Park since late this morning. Shoppers and staff fled,
abandoning trolleys as alarms rained through the building. Fire and

(00:27):
Emergency Incident Control of Vaughn Mackareth says the fire started
in the mezzanine and roof space, but it's too soon
to know the cause.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
We have it completely surrounded, but it's just until we
can contain it to certain area before we can get inside.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Staff and shoppers cars have been stuck in the parking
area under the store. The Finance Minister's called out the
previous government's plans to get New Zealand to one hundred
percent renewable energy. Nikola Willis fronted up to the Economic
Development Select Committee this afternoon as part of Lutany Week.
Willis set back against the Green Party, criticizing the government's

(01:04):
climate record, particularly around renewabile energy.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
But is very simplistic to say that oil and gas
is bad. I put to you, absolutely, let's go for
renewable energy. But one hundred percent, well, that is joke science.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
The infrastructure required for achieving one hundred percent renewabile energy
is a stumbling block for many countries. Immigration Minister Erica
Stanford's face scrutiny over recent visa waiver changes. The government
announced in April a twelve month trial waiver for Pacific
Islanders traveling trans Tasman on Australian visas, and from November

(01:40):
it'll allah visits up to three months. Last week, the
same waiver was announced for Chinese visitors. Facing the Education
and Workforce Committee, Stanford says these speedy changes circumvent the
time it'll take to work on policy for permanent waivers.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
It is it short and easier for us to make
sure we take these initial steps and not have so
much policy work. We put them in place immediately.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Claims New employee contractor arrangements will give businesses more clarity.
Minister Brook van Velden's introducing her Employment Relations Amendment Bill
James to make employment processes more flexible. The Public Service
Associations calling the changes radical and warns they'll lead to
less secure employment. Business and ZI Advocacy Director Catherine Baird

(02:27):
says the bill will provide more certainty around contract based work.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
Very good to get that tidied up and for businesses
to know that a contractor is a contractor and not
an employee.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Warnings changes to regulations could help create a disposable vape
black market. The laws to curb youth vaping apply to retailers,
including stricter advertising restrictions and banning disposal bills. Pod style
devices will still be sold. Industry Association chair Jonathan Devery

(03:00):
it'll take strong enforcement to work.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Bodies must act quickly and decisively to ensure that a
black market for disposable products doesn't gain momentum as it
has another regions globally where the bands are just sport.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
A one season Crusaders cameo for former Wallabies playmaker James
O'Connor will come to an end in Saturday Super Rugby
Final against the Chiefs. The Thunder have moved within one
game of the title. In Basketball's NBA. I've taken a
three to two lead in the final series with a
one twenty to one oh nine win over the Indiana

(03:34):
Paces in Game three in Oklahoma City, and all Blacks
vice captain Ardi Sarvia is set to miss next year's
Super Rugby Pacific campaign, instead taking up a second sabbatical
in Japan. And that is your latest news fix. We'll
be back with the next update tomorrow morning from the
news Talk zb newsroom