Midday Edition: 12 August 2026

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 12 August 2026, 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 (00:02):
Good afternoon. I'm Malcolm Jordan and this is your midday
news fixed for Wednesday, the twelfth of August. Sir John
Key says he isn't sure if Chris Luxon will remain
Prime Minister beyond today. The Prime Minister and National Leader
has called his MPs to an urgent caucus meeting at
Parliament following recent speculation about his leadership. The Herald reports

(00:22):
both Chris Bishop and Erica Stanford are angling for the
top job. Speaking at the Financial Services Council conference in Auckland,
Key of Friend and predecessor of Luxen, says the decision
is entirely up to the forty nine National MPs. He
says those MPs will have to live with whatever decision
they make. Whatever they decide, I mean, you know, I

(00:43):
kind of believe Blue, So whoever emerges out the other end,
I'll be cheering it on the Government's putting thirty million
dollars towards growing New Zealand's hydrogen industry. Resources Minister Shane
Jones has today announced the investment at a hydrogen sector
who he and Christchurch. Rosie Leshman reports.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
The money will come from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, supporting
projects that grow the sector and attract private investment. Jones
says hydrogen could help cut emissions in heavy transport and
industries where switching to electricity isn't practical. He says the
gas could also strengthen the country's energy security and create
new opportunities for regional economies.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
In New Zealand and Air Chathams have expanded their partnership,
allowing people to travel to and from the Chatham Islands
and Huanganui on a single Air New Zealand ticket. It
comes after Fakatano flights were added to Air New Zealand's
domestic network earlier this year. The governments supporting the partnership
with four hundred and sixty five thousand dollars in funding

(01:41):
from the Regional Infrastructure Fund. It's also investing nine point
four million dollars into a major wharf upgrade and five
point six million into upgrading the island's fuel storage and
distribution network. The government's attendance crackdown is tracking record numbers
of children who have all and out of the school
system and getting more back into class. Associate Education Minister

(02:05):
David Seymour says almost twelve thousand non enrollment cases have
been recorded this year, more than at this point in
any year since records began in twenty sixteen, Jamie Cunningham reports.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Seymour says more children are also being referred to attendance
services with tailored plans to tackle barriers to attendants. He
says the approach is working as the government looks to
have eighty percent of students attending school ninety percent of
the time.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
A water outage lasting multiple days and Ohokune could illustrate
and issue many other councils. Effacing Ruapehu District Council is
urging residents in the town to still boil tapwater before
drinking it. Water's supply was restored to homes yesterday after
it went offline Friday due to a pipe breakage. Water
in New Zealander Chief executive Jillian Blythe says aging water

(02:55):
infrastructure is a countrywide problem.

Speaker 4 (02:57):
To put it into contacts like more than fifty thousand
kilometers of drinking water pipes around the country, which means
there's enough to go round the earth to sport.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
All Blacks coach Dave Renny admits they'll need to make
an adjustment at scrum time. After two wins from as
many matches on their tour of South Africa. New Zealand
copped two penalties at the set piece during their fifty
four nil route of the Sharks in Durban. Two competing
bids might emerge for an NRL League team in christ Church,
with the city Council distancing itself from a leading private proposal,

(03:33):
and New Zealand's professional netball ranks continue to face the
biggest shakeup in a generation, with a private investor in
talks to take over the a n Z Premiership license.
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.