Morning Edition: 04 May 2026

The Morning Edition of News Fix for 04 May 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 morning. I'm never ready, Manu, and this is your
morning news fix for Monday, fourth of May. In this update,
Health New Zealand spending more on locum doctors than ever before.
Figures released to news dog ZB under the Official Information
Act shows it's spent two hundred and sixteen million last year,
up from about two hundred and nine million spent in

(00:23):
twenty twenty four and about one hundred and eighty six
million in twenty twenty three. H n Z says locums
play an important role in ensuring safe staffing levels, particularly
in hard to staff specialties and regions. It says it's
taking a range of steps to strengthen the permanent workforce
and reduce the need for locums, that includes both international

(00:47):
and domestic recruitment, expanding training pipelines, and initiatives to improve retention.
Disgraced former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevin mcskimmings awards were revoked
after a wrongly worded email from the commissioner. Top cop
Richard Chambers wrote to Police Minister Mark Mitchell in November
saying mcskimming's actions were disgraceful and made it untenable for

(01:11):
him to keep his awards. Mcskimming was given a Long
Service in Good Conduct medal in twenty ten and CLASPS
years later for his service to police. Those have since
been collected and destroyed. Labour's criticizing Act's new six point
immigration plan. It includes greater use of deportation, a one

(01:31):
year expiry on accredited employer visa categories, creating a dedicated
enforcement unit for overstayers, and a six dollars daily infrastructure
surcharge on temporary work visas. Labour's filled twife and says
one of our biggest challenges is holding on to the
skilled migrants filling our work for shortages. And he says

(01:51):
we're already trying to compete with the likes of Australia
and Canada and this risks driving them away. News Eleden Singapore,
while at teaming up as conflict in the Middle East
reverberates across the globe. Prime Minister Christopher Luxen's meeting counterparts
in Singapore this week to discuss trade, defense and security,
and he'll also sign an agreement on trade and essential supplies,

(02:14):
beefing up our exchange of food for fuel. Geopolitical analyst
Jeffrey Miller says strengthening the relationship makes sense. He's in
New Zealand and Singapore are both small states and with
so much geopolitical competition between bigger states at the moment,
it's crucial to work together. The fuel crisis is scuffering
optimism in the retail sector. Its latest quarterly Retail Radar

(02:38):
report shows rising confidence at the end of last year
has turned into anxiety about the future. Retailings Chief executive
Carolyn Young says sixty six percent of retailers don't expect
to make their sales targets in the next quarter. She
says twenty nine percent uncertain they can survive the next year.

(02:58):
In sport, Liam Lawilson is out of Formula ones Miami
Grand Prix after his brakes locked and he crashed on
the sixth lap of fifty seven. The Wellington Phoenix have
lost the opening A League Football semi final leg two
to one to the Brisbane raw Manchester United have solidified
third on the Premier League table after beating fourth ranked

(03:19):
Liverpool three to two. The Panthers have defeated the Sea
Eagles eighteen sixteen to stay top of the NRL League
table after round nine. The Warriors remain second, I'm never
retty Mano, and that your latest news fix. We'll be
back with the next update at midday from the news
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