Afternoon Edition: 23 October 2025

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 23 October 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 railing Ramsey. This is your afternoon news
fixed for Thursday, the twenty third of October. Dozens of
houses of lost roofs. There are widespread power cuts and
trees uprooted by fierce winds still buffeting the South Island
and Lower North. A red wind warning lifts about now
for Southland, Cluther, Stuart Island, christ Church and the Canterbury Plains.

(00:26):
It continues until six pm for Marlborough, Wellington and Southern
Wide at upper and one more hour that's five o'clock
in the Canterbury high Country. Kluther, Southland and Gray districts
say residents need to conserve water. Cluther and Queenstown have
stood up emergency operations centers. NZTA's Marco and says crucial

(00:47):
roads are closed, with the West Coast fully isolated and
State Highway one shut between christ Church and Blenheim. In
further south, it's probably more of the rain that's at
the impact sort of surface floating on some of the
highways through the seat in a big slip on Stataway
six on the West coast. Polisa par lines are down
in Bellcluther, forcing road closures. Wellingtonians appear to be hunkering

(01:09):
down as asked. As regional gusts top one hundred and
sixty kilometers an hour, Metlinks canceled train services until six
pm tonight. Power is out across North Canterbury, Southland and Marlborough,
as well as wide a Wellington, Wided Upper and Mana
with tu huang Nui regional emergency Managements. Daniel Neeley is

(01:29):
urging people to make provision for any issues pure He
in that warning of not traveling unless they absolutely need to,
And I guess the other thing I'd encourage people is
to prepare for potential power outages. Salaried medical specialists warn
the health system could crumble if the government doesn't meet
their demands. Strike action is raping up across the country,

(01:49):
including an Auckland where more than ten thousand health and
education workers marched. They are pushing for fully funded systems
that will let them do their job effectively. Union Vice
president Sylvia Boyce says twenty five percent of members are
considering quitting in the next five years. We're already short staffed.
This would be a disaster for health if we suddenly

(02:11):
lose that in any more. Health Minister Simeon Brown says
he's keen to resolve long standing disputes, but the Union
rejected binding arbitration. We've been looking for ways through this,
but ultimately requires both parties, which includes the Unions, to
also be prepared to settle. Parliament looks set to debate
potentially banning social media to under sixteens, a move already

(02:33):
embraced by Australia. A member's bill from Nationals Catherine wedd
has been pulled out of Parliament's biscuitton and will be
up for consideration in the House. It calls for ways
to prevent under sixteen's making accounts, as well as verification
measures and stronger penalties. Jim Bolger's son says he was
a man who felt at home anywhere. The Prime Minister

(02:55):
died last week. Dan Bolger told mourners at his funeral
in puttaput U today his father went from leaving school
at fifteen to leading the nation. He says it all
started from living in a rural community. Farming life can
be solitary, but he wasn't a solitary person. He loved people.
He got stuck into all the activities you find in
a rural community and kind of began a life of

(03:15):
service to sport and assistant coach Jason Holland sees he's
absolutely focused on helping the All Blacks on the upcoming
Grand Slam Tour. Despite stepping down from the roll at
the end of the season, All Blacks vice captain Arde
Savia says winning the collisions is the key work on
ahead of their opening Grand Slam Tour test against Ireland

(03:37):
in Chicago on Sunday week. And the Super Opecky season
window is changing, moving from March to April to June
through August, although the number of matches stays the same.
And that is your latest news fix. We'll have another
update for you tomorrow morning from the news Talk zb
news room