Midday Edition: 16 July 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 16 July 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 for Wednesday, the sixteenth of July. The Electricity
Authority is changing up systems to give consumers more choice
on using, buying and selling supply. It's hoping to drive
down prices over time. Business reporter Michael Sigel runs through
the details.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Energy companies will need to pay a fair price to
households that send back solar and battery electricity to the
grid at peak times. Large companies will have a year
to introduce time of use plans to offer customers cheaper
power off peak. The Government's welcoming the move, saying kiwis
should be able to benefit from smarter energy use.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
The Reserve Bank says New Zealand's aging population could pressure
interest rates downwards. It suggests the fact that older people
save more than younger people could ultimately suppress inflation. It's
exploring possible future solutions, including lowering interest rates and printing
more money. Simplicity Chief Executivemobil Yakib says the changing demographic

(01:02):
could reduce the Reserve Banks and government's powers to act.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
The government will be spending more of its money on
healthcare and superdnation. Those things are fixed, so it won't
have a lot of extra capacity to be able to
prop up the economy when things are bad.

Speaker 1 (01:15):
Meanwhile, inflation is rising around the world, in the US
reaching two point seven percent, seemingly pushed by Donald Trump's tariffs.
UK data is due out tonight and latest figures from
New Zealand on Monday next week. The community of Wayuku,
just south of Auckland, is reeling after a crash has
claimed three lives. Police say an adult and two children

(01:37):
were killed when a vehicle went off Masters Road into
a pond yesterday afternoon. Franklin local board member Gary Holmes
says the community is always ready to wrap around whoever's
been impacted.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Well. Who is a very close knit town.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Everyone knows everyone and I'm sure when the details come
out about which family has been affected, it will hit
this community hard. Alarm bells. How many people don't know
the symptoms of our second deadliest cancer, Balcnson New Zealand
research shows one in four adults can't name a single
sign of the disease. Symptoms include abdominal pain, blood and stools,

(02:14):
unexplained weight loss, and fatigue. Early onset rates are rising
among young adults, but awareness is even lower in that group.
Chief executive Peter Huskinson says these statistics are shocking and
desperately need addressing. Even more shocking because this is incredibly treatable.
Nineteen ten people will get their treatment to move on
with our lives if we catch it early. Our workplace

(02:36):
safety expert is warning sleep deprivation is worse at work
than feeling a bit groggy, as Kiwi Rail issues a
ban on safety critical workers using sleeping medications. In New
Zealand has dropped to tenth on punctuality in the prestigious
Airline Ratings dot Com scoreboard, but has been named the

(02:57):
world's safest airline. New Zealand's favor for It adds survey
results are out. It seems we value humor and consistency,
with the top three places going to Turners ASB and
A m Z, with runner up gongs to Tucks Lotto
and KFC to Sport. Marna College's first fifteen coach Darren Piewy,
claims he's been wronged over a postmatch altercation with a

(03:20):
referee which saw all hot of Fenowa Company Rugby called
off for a week. The Phoenix have filled the first
gap in their depleted men's team coaching group ahead of
the new season in Football's A League. Brazilian Calli Guimaraz
has been appointed Giancarlo Ataliano's lead assistant and world golf
number one Scotti Scheffler has opened up on what he

(03:42):
describes as the unsatisfying venture of being a professional athlete
on the eve of the Open Championship. I'm Malcolm Jordan.
That's your latest news fix. We'll be back with the
next update at five pm from the newstalk ZB newsroom.