Midday Edition: 13 August 2024

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 13 August 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 Jody Gill and this is your midday
Newspecs for Tuesday, the thirteenth of August. The Prime Minister
sees ending a ban on gene technology outside the lab.
We'll let New Zealand catch up with the rest of
the world. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament this year
and a regulator will be established to manage potential health
and environment risk. It'll be based on an Australian model.

(00:27):
Chris Luxen sees the long standing ban as trap New
Zealand in the nineteen nineties.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Sort of like having a nineteen ninety six Nokia phone
and an iPhone world and the reality is what we
have mentioned. This area was about in nineteen ninety six
and in two thousand and two. The technology advancements have been.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Massive concern from the Prime Minister about the tens of
thousands of young people currently out of work. The government's
introducing new rules for those on the benefit and sanctions
for those who don't follow them. Chris Deluxeen says he's
worried about the twelve point eight percent of young people
not currently in employment, education or training. He says the
government's putting four thousand more phone case managers in to

(01:04):
help eighteen to twenty four year olds look for work.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
We've got twenty one hundred extra community organizations plugged in
with job support and we've got to get these kids
off welfare and into work.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Kiwi Rail is cutting more than sixty roles, including in
health and safety, although creating twenty one new ones. Ethan
Minera has details.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
It's part of a restructure of the state owned enterprise
after increased government scrutiny of its Inter Island of Ferry service.
Its aging fleet has hit a number of recent notable issues,
including auditory running aground last month and last week hitting
a link span docking in Wellington. KiwiRail says this will
improve efficiency and meet the government's expectations.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
A man is due in court on a kidnapping charge
after a suspected hostage situation and Nelson release. They have
fifty six year old was taken into custody just before
two am after a tense standoff lasting more than fifteen hours.
Make Benny reports emergency services were first called to reports
of a family harm related incident at a multi water
street home just after ten am yesterday. Two people were

(02:07):
able to safely leave the home late yesterday afternoon. Officers
say the other person inside the address is safe and
uninjured and all cordons have now been lifted. The Police
Watchdog has found a dog handler was justified and kicking
and punching a fleeing burglar in the head in Hastings
last year. The handler recognized the burglar on the street

(02:28):
and knew he reportedly carried weapons. During the following struggle,
the suspect put the dog in a headlock and held
it by the jaw. Jacob Jones reports.

Speaker 4 (02:37):
The officer used a punch to the head to break
his grip on the dog, then kicked him in the
head when he thought he saw a knife. The IPCA
says the punches and kicks were justified in the extreme situation.
It says the man was given adequate care before he
was taken to hospital.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
In Sport and new Lock. Commonwealth Games as poised for
Glasgow in twenty twenty six. New Zealand Olympic team chef
to Michon Nigel Avery's confirmed reports that a scaled back
event will feature in the Scottish city. Two time Olympic
champion Eric Murray has questioned cycling New Zealand's handling of
the men's program at the Paris Games. The women won

(03:12):
five medals, but their male counterparts did not contribute to
the tally. Five time Olympic medalist Tom Daly has announced
his retirement from diving. I'm Jody Gill and that's your
latest news facts. We'll be back with the next update
at five pm from the News Talk z B newsroom.