Afternoon Edition: 20 August 2025

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 20 August 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 Wendy Petrie. This is your afternoon news
fix for Wednesday, the twentieth of August. The Reserve Bank
is signaling further ocr cuts, but making no promises at
slash the cash rate at twenty five basis points today
to three percent. The Central Bank says spending is being
constrained by global uncertainty, falling unemployment, declining house prices, and

(00:28):
higher prices for essentials like energy and food. Governor Christian
Hawksby says things could track in one of two ways.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Cautious behavior by households and businesses could further dampen growth. Alternatively,
the hoovery could accelerate as the full effects of interest
rate reductions flow through the economy.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Serious injuries after another apparent shooting and live in in
the Lower North Island on top of others this week,
a person wounded on Bartholomew Road around midday has been
taken to hospital. Lachlan Renni has more.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Police have already been investigating shootings on Hennymower Street on
Monday evening in on Mabele Street early on Tuesday, a
man also turned up to a healthcare center with a
gunshot wound to his thigh this week. One or two
Area Commander Ross granthamsays police are looking for possible links
will have a visible presence.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
The Prime Minister says any peace discussions needed to include
Ukraine and is reiterating he's open to having Kiwi peacekeepers
on the ground. Chris Luxon and Defense Minister Judith Collins
phoned into a coalition of the Willing online call overnight
that included leaders of Britain, Australia, Italy and France. Luxon
says we're open to doing all we can to support

(01:43):
peace plans.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Details of that are not specific or work through, and
that's why we're participating in these calls.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
But at the end of the day we'll bring that
to cabinet.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
Insurance premiums could rise or fall under changes to tower
insurance risk assessment. The company is using new mapping to
ensure will premiums directly reflect the risks of landslides and seasearch.
As Business reporter Michael sergle.

Speaker 4 (02:06):
Ninety percent of customers will see their premiums drop by
an average seventy dollars a year, but the remaining ten
percent will see their premiums rise. Say what the average
price like for those customers will be as It will
vary widely, but the median rise will be about two
hundred and thirty dollars a year.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Start dates for hundreds of graduate nurses will be delayed
by a nationwide strike. More than thirty six thousand nurses.
Organization members planned two days of action next month over
staffing shortages. Lachlan Rennie has more.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Health New Zealand National Chief Nurse na Dean Gray says
it means over three hundred graduate nurses who are due
to begin work at the first September were delayed by
a week. She says they have to put patient in
staff safety first, including for the graduates. They'll still be
paid for the week.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Health New Zealand says the strike will delay more than
ten thousand procedures and appointments. Two sport Now and the
champions of last month's Softball World Cup are under a
doping cloud after Venezuela pitcher Mike Kerpermantel returned a positive
drug test. The International Testing Agency is currently prosecuting the case.

(03:16):
All White's A captain Chris Wood has become the first
New Zealander to be named in the Professional Footballers Association
Premier League Team of the Year. I'm Wendy Petrick. That's
your latest news fix. We'll be back for the next
update tomorrow morning. From the news Talk Zby Newsroom.