Morning Edition: 20 November 2025

The Morning Edition of News Fix for 20 November 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 morning, I'm never ready, Manu, and this is your
morning news fix for Thursday, twentieth of November. In this update,
a prominent youth health expert says health issues should not
be politicized. As the government bans puberty blockers for young people,
no child or young person will be able to start
taking Gonna DA tropin releasing hormones from December nineteen. Health

(00:28):
Minister Simeon Brown says Cabinet has agreed to new settings
until the outcomes of a major clinical trial in the UK.
But Otago University's senior clinical lecturer, Dame Sue Bagshaw told
Ryan Bridge the drugs have been used very safely for
twenty years. She says there's evidence to show they're safer
than things like aspirin, which can be bought over the counter.

(00:51):
The Maritime Union says a full cost breakdown of the
new fairies is needed before it can be satisfied with
the government savings claims. Minister Winston Peters has announced two
new Corkstrait fairies and port infrastructure upgrades will cost less
than two billion dollars. Union spokesperson Victor Billow says they're
please the vessels will be rail enabled and have some

(01:14):
form of public ownership, but he says there needs to
be an independent cost analysis which factors in the break
fee and sunk costs from the previous bin Ferry contract.
Taking phones out of classrooms has done more than cut distractions.
It's also making classes calmer and kinder. From two two
last year, students were required to keep their phones away

(01:36):
during the school day. An Education Review Office report shows
three quarters of secondary school teachers believe this has improved
student behavior, and two thirds say bullying has decreased. Teenagers
could be proving the point as to why a social
media ban for under sixteens should be rolled out. A
new Public Health Communication Center briefing finds that twenty two

(01:59):
percent of thirteen to seventeen year old surveyed we're using
social media in a problematic way. It also shows sixty
two percent first joined social media between ages ten and thirteen,
a critical stage of brain development. The minister responsible for
the road cone hotline calls it useful. Written parliamentary questions

(02:20):
show only seven point five percent of work sites visited
by Road Controlling Authorities or RCAs actually had excessive road
cone use. It also found two and a half percent
of sites seen by Councils and NSTA were under compliant.
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister brook Vin Valden says contractors
have been following the rules in front of them. I

(02:42):
think that also shows then that what people are perceiving
as too many cones is actually the issue of the
RCAs and the councils. Almost a third of krewe's plan
to cut back on spending on presents this Christmas, with
only fifteen percent planning to spend more. The average Christmas
food and drink budget is four hundred and fifteen dollars

(03:04):
and the average gift budget is one hundred and forty dollars.
In Sport, New Zealand have clinched the three match One
Day International cricket series over the West Indies two nil
with a game to spare, after securing a five wicket
victory in the second fixture at napier Otago University. Sports
Management professor Sally Shaw believes basketball's anbl can do more

(03:28):
to raise awareness around gay rights after the Breakers have
opted against wearing the rainbow flag during the Pride Round.
Starting January twenty first, twenty time Grand Slam winner Roger
Federer will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame
next August. I'm Nevaretti. Manu that your latest news fix.
We'll be back with the next update at midday from
the newstalg ZB news room.