Midday Edition: 19 February 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 19 February 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 nineteenth of February. The Prime
Minister is committed to keeping New Zealand in the Paris
Climate Agreement for now. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and
the next man in the job, David Seymour, have both
expressed hesitation over our membership. They say it's lost much

(00:24):
of its relevance given that the US is pulling out.
But Chris Luxon told the country he has no plans
to withdraw New Zealand. The cabinets agreed to say, look,
it's the New Zealand' national interest at this time. Withdrawing
from and ripping up international agreements means we wouldn't be
a trusted partner on trade. The Workplace Relations Minister says
changes around employees' right to strike are about fairness. Brook

(00:45):
van Velden is changing employment legislation to allow employers to
deduct pay from their workers for partial strike action. Unions
and the oppositions say this is an attempt to take
industrial power away from workers. Van Walden says the bill
provides a more balanced response to strike action.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
I don't believe it is acceptable that an employer and
the public can experience full negative consequence while somebody who
is not working their normal hours of experiences no negative consequence.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Housing is still a buyer's market. Latest figures from the
Real Estate Institute show house prices are down fifteen point
seven percent below their peak nationally and twenty one point
five percent below their peak in Auckland. Institute Chief executive
Gen Baird says sales are increasing, but she says the
number of properties for sale now is about two and

(01:39):
a half times the number available at the market peak
in twenty twenty one.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Buyers have choice. That means if you are thinking about
selling your property, you need to be really realistic and
make your property as attractive as you can.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
Attempts to restore public trust after a Public Service Commission
inquiries identified failures around safeguarding data. The review into stat's
New Zealand Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health
followed allegations Census and COVID vaccine data was misused at
the Mona Rawa Marian. New contracting requirements will begin from July.

(02:13):
Stats ENZ acting head Mark Salden will step down. Public
Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roach says that's the right move
given concerns raised internally weren't acted on. It does send
a signal that there is a threshold beyond which public servants.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Have to actually be careful.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Moscow is continuing to push for an end to the
war in Ukraine on Russia's terms. The US has got
Russia to reach three key agreements, including reinstating ambassadors to
each other's countries. During high level talks in Saudi Arabia,
neither Ukraine nor Europe were invited. The BBC's Steve Rosenberg
says Russia has hardened its demands on the day of

(02:56):
the talks, holdly saying that Ukraine mustn't join NATOY that
NATO disabout formerly the promise it made to Ukraine in
two thousand and eight, but it could one day join
the Alliance. To sport, is Michael Checker about to receive
a second chance with the Wallabies. The former coach, who's
coming off contract in the English Premiership, has been spotted

(03:17):
meeting with Rugby Australia boss Phil War in Sydney. Novak
Djokovic's comeback tennis tournament has lasted a little over ninety minutes,
in Doha. He's been ousted and the Formula One swear
jar is about to take residence ahead of the season
starting in Melbourne on March sixteen. The first offense now
triggers a seventy three thousand dollars fine. I'm Malcolm Jordan.

(03:42):
That's your latest news fix. We'll be back with the
next update at five pm from the Newstalk ZB newsroom.