Midday Edition: 09 October 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 09 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 Malcolm Jordan and this is your midday
news Fix. Four Thursday, the ninth of October. A person's
in hospital with a dog bite and a house has
been gutted by fire following an incident in west Auckland.
This morning. Police were conducting inquiries on Massey's coal Will
Road when a fire took hold at a property of interest.
About five point thirty. Fire crews were already close to

(00:25):
the scene when the house reportedly exploded. Herald reporter Jamie
Lyth says neighbors saw the Armed Defenders squad before the
fire started.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
They heard lots dog parking in the morning. They heard
also explosions from inside the house.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
One person's in a moderate condition in White Tuckery Hospital.
A major Drug Foundation report says drug laws need to
change and claims there are major risks from not doing so.
The Foundation says use should be decriminalized and significant investment
made in health and harm reduction services. It says the
Misuse of Drugs Act is unsafe and has compounded harm

(01:03):
rather than preventing it. Foundation executive director Sarah Helm says
the status quo is untenable.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
We cannot arrest our way out of drug harm. We
cannot shame our way out of disorder, and we cannot
wish away the global black market, which is moving faster
than we can respond.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
The Finance Minister believes that too many New Zealand businesses
have missed out on government contracts. Nikola Willis says new
rules will give Kiwi businesses a better chance. It'll apply
to goods, services and refurbishment contracts worth more than one
hundred thousand dollars and construction contracts topping nine million. Will
It says until now MB hasn't even collected data on

(01:44):
the proportion of contracts and spending going to local firms.
It's startling fact and to me that shows the level
of indifference that government has had about the impact its
own spending can have. Further home loan cuts are far
from guaranteed. Banks are lowering floating and flexible home loan
rates after yesterday's fifty point OCR cut, having already lowered

(02:05):
fixed term offerings. Squirrel Mortgage's David Cunningham says rates could
drop more if the OCRs cut again next month, but
he says term deposit deposits, which make up half of
all banks funding, would also need to move lest those
four and we're not going to see mortgage rates four
much further.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
So they're already four in afair.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
But yeah, the floating rate will come down, but everyone
in New Zealand has fixed rates. Israel's military has again
intercepted global activists in international waters trying to take food
and medical supplies to Gaza. The nine boat flotilla included
former Shorten Street actor William Alexander and his partner Ava Muller.
CBC News as Mary Anne Domain says passengers have been

(02:47):
taken to an Israeli porch.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Israel's Foreign Ministry confirming that these boats were intercepted seeing
another futile attempt to breach the legal naval book head
and enter a combat zone ended in nothing.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trum claims progress is being made
as mediators in Egypt work towards a ceasefire deal with
Gaza or four Gaza to Sport. The International Rugby Players
Association is backing the eight unions that have refused to
endorse the proposed R three sixty Saudi funded competition, at

(03:19):
least until more details are presented. Our second international cricket
debut for Ross Taylor. The forty one year old former
New Zealand representative has made twenty two for Samoa in
their five wicket defeat to hosts aman at a T
twenty World Cup qualifier. Ash's fever is already rife with
news Australian captain Pack Cummins could miss the series with

(03:41):
a back stress fracture. I'm Malcolm Jordan. That's your latest
news fix. We'll be back with the next update at
five pm from the news Talk zb newsroom.