Afternoon Edition: 20 September 2024

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 20 September 2024, 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 Rayleene Ramsey. This is your afternoon news
for Friday, the twentieth of September. Prime Minister Chris Luckson
says New Zealand could vote on a four year parliamentary
term at the next election. He made the comment at
a Q and DA session following his Bloomberg address in
Auckland Today. Asked if four year terms could be put

(00:25):
to a referendum in twenty twenty six US and says
all three governing parties of fans. He believes the opposition
parties are too.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
We haven't kicked off that piece of work yet because,
as I said, we're very, very focused on these quarterly
actions that we have each each three months to get
out the door. But that will come on to our radar,
I imagine our fairly.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Shortly eighteen million dollars. A new funding will streamline the
process for victims of crime to write their impact statements
for court. The funding will also go towards initiatives like
establishing dedicated support for people affected by youth crime and
contracting specialist restorative justice services for people who experience sexual

(01:05):
violence by youth offenders. Victim Advocate RUTH money says the
impact statements are tricky to write given the trauma and
rules behind them.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
To have a specialist helping you with a victim impact statement,
it's starting to balance the voice and so victims will
really welcome having specialist help in that process.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Six more MPOX cases have been linked to the Winter
Pride Festival last month. Health New Zealand says there have
been sixteen cases this year and eleven link to the
Queenstown event. It says all cases of the virus are
clay two, the more common and generally less severe of
the two variants. One extra case confirmed this week isn't

(01:46):
linked to the festival and was acquired overseas. With clay
testing still under way. Taxpayers are putting a one hundred
and twenty four thousand dollars security bill for three months
of monitoring tenants on lawfully occupying a Wellington social housing block.

Speaker 4 (02:03):
Ethan Minera reports tenancies ended in kying orders Dixon Street
flats earlier this year, but a number of residents are
refusing to move out, claiming no adequate alternatives have been provided.
The agency is now trying to evict those remaining through
the tenancy tribunal security measures. Have been implemented to keep
squatters away, with caying orders, spending more than one hundred

(02:24):
and twenty four thousand dollars on guards between June and
the end of August.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Belief that the government's latest bill promising to crack down
on youth vaping fall short. Legislation has been introduced this week,
with initiatives including increased fines for retailers selling to miners,
banning disposable vapes, and limiting product visibility. Public Health Communications
Center's latest briefing finds it must take a more comprehensive

(02:52):
approach to be truly effective. Researcher Jude Ball says, as
long as vapes are still cheap, young people will continue
to get their hands on them. Discounts, giveaways, two for
one deals, loyalty schemes.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
Those things mean that vakes are always going to be
available for pocket money prices.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
To sport in Scott Barrett won't say whether he'll cut
the niggle against Wallaby's players now he's All Black's captain.
Ahead of the first Bledisloe Cup test tomorrow, Wellington Phoenix
Women's captain Annalie Longo isn't sure if she'll play for
the football Ferns again after resigning for another A League season.
A British post World World War II record crowd of

(03:34):
ninety six thousand boxing fans is expected at Wendley Stadium
this weekend to see local Staniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua
fight for the IBF World Heavyweight Crown. I'm Raylan Ramsey
and that is your latest news fix. We'll be back
with the next update tomorrow morning from the news Talk
Z'DB newsroom.