Afternoon Edition: 22 August 2025

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 22 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 and this is your afternoon
news fixed for Friday, the twenty second of August. New
Zealand's attempts at improving health and wellbeing over the last
twenty five years have been found to be patchy at best.
The Public Health Advisory Committees released it's Determining Our Future report,
the first to look at the social, economic and cultural

(00:24):
determinants of health since nineteen ninety eight, and recommends a
wealth tax and a cross party focus on well being.
Committee chair Kevin Haigs has it found a few improvements,
but most factors have stayed the same or gone backwards.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Life expectancy between PACIFICA people's and non MARII non Pacificate
people has got worse. Housing affordability overcrowded housing, those things
have got worse.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
The Prime Minister is celebrating Fonterra's sale of its consumer
arm to a foreign dairy giant, the Dairy co Op today,
in to three point eight billion dollar deal with French
firm Eluctless brands like Anchor and Mainland have been sold
to the company as part of the deal. Chris Luckson
says most of that money will be returned to shareholders
who were farming across New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
That is money that goes back into the local economies
that they gets to be spent in those economies, and
that has a big flow and effect within the economy
as well in good stimulus in the economy.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
The deal is pending shareholder approval. A possible reprieve is
on the horizon for steel, pharmaceutical and timber exporters. Trade
Minister Todd McLay is in the US meeting US trade
Representative Jamison Grea. Earlier this month, the US increased tariffs
on kiwe goods from ten to fifteen percent. Maclay says
a pair have agreed to product specific investigations covering steel

(01:44):
and aluminium, as well as medical and wood exports. The
pair will meet again in Malaysia next month. New Zealand
could end up importing all the nitrogen needed to support
the agriculture industry because of the uncertainty of future gas supply.
Fertilizer company balance Agri Nutrients has been forced to take
an eighty eight million dollar hit on the value of

(02:06):
its Taranaki facility that manufactures nitrogen UREA fertilizer chief executive
Calvin Wickham says, although we can import it, it would
be beneficial to have our own nitrogen resilience.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
Less than two years ago as told gas wab we
hit a twenty thirty five, twenty forty or here we
own twenty twenty five Facingitie. That's really just rapidly come
towards us. But we are thinking what we can do
post gas, how do you produce nights?

Speaker 1 (02:30):
In New Zealand, emergency services are getting their hands on
new technology to help locate people in need. The Device
Location Information Service can be used to locate the mobile
phone of a person who has not called one one
one themselves but are fearing for the safety Emily Anceol reports.

Speaker 4 (02:47):
Police Minister Mark Mitchell says it's a game changer as
every second counts when trying to reach those who need help.
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello says it will allow a
person to be found during a health emergency if their
location is initially unknown. The technology rolls out across services
from today to.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Sport and New All Blacks. Lucy Simon Parker is pinching
himself over making his test debut this weekend. He'll start
at number eight against Argentina and Buenos Aire's. The arrival
of young silver fern Amelia Walmsley at the Auckland based
Stars has meant the exit of another test shooter, Maya Wilson,
at a spying scandal and Aussie rules ahead of a

(03:27):
crunch game in Melbourne. As AFL cult hero Sam Nysmith,
Fremantle's rock coach was kicked out of the Western Bulldog's
training a Wendy Petrie. That's your latest news fix. We'll
be back with the next update tomorrow morning from the
News Talk seid B newsroom.