Midday Edition: 21 November 2024

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 21 November 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 Malcolm Jordan and this is your midday
NEWSFACS for Thursday, the twenty first of November. Fears the
ban on gang patches will do more harm than good.
The band kicked off from midnight and has already led
to at least one prosecution. Research from think tank ehe
Research and commissioned by police, along with an independent panel

(00:24):
of experts, has found the ban is unlikely to reduce
crime rates. It's also thought the ban will foster distrust
between gangs, families, communities and the police. EE Research co
director Katharine Leonard says to tackle crime, we need to
be tackling the underlying causes poverty and employment trauma, the

(00:44):
intergenerational nature of our gangs in New Zealand that have
come out of state here. That's evident in the Finaki
Ta Stateqere report. The Minister in charge of reducing child
poverty says a new strategy will guide government funding. Louise
Upston has unveiled priorities for the next three years, including
lifting seventeen thousand children out of material hardship. She's also

(01:07):
promising a focus on supporting children in their first two
thousand days and preventing harm. Upston says the new Social
Investment Agency has a significant role.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
They will provide a really important lens about what investments
to continue with, which ones to expand, and actually which
ones to stop funding.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
A group of economists have written to the Prime Minister
claiming government spending cuts are harming the economy. The fifteen
are led by former Productivity Commission Chair Ganesh Nana, with
More Business reporter Michael Sergel.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
The economists say cutbacks are harming people and hindering long
term economic growth. They claim there is no crisis of
government or public debt, and the government's pursuit of surpluses
is pushing up private debt. They also warn a prolonged
economic downturn could make more skilled workers leave the country.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
More works needed for New Zasland to meet its climate
change targets. New Zealand's ranked in the low category in
the Climate Change Performance Index, falling from thirty fourth to
forty first out of sixty seven countries. Australia's on fifty
second and the UK's improved the most, rising fourteen to six. Index.
Author yarn Burke says New Zealand's recent moves on renewables

(02:22):
were positive.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
However, even here, the policies to really reach the ambitious
targets of more than fifty percent renewables in twenty thirty
are not in place, and energy uses also much too high.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
A warning your power bill will rise after the Commerce
Commissions issued new guidance its allowing increased investment in the
electricity network, approving transpower and local lines companies charging more.
The average household energy bill will go up about ten
dollars a month from April POWs, which manager Paul Fuje
says it's a tough call but necessary. The West Coasts

(02:58):
State Highway six will reopen in between Hearst and Lake
Moiraki at ten am tomorrow after almost two weeks of
closures for storm repairs. To sport a sudden change in
imports for the winless Wellington Phoenix women in Football's A League.
American center back Olivia Kelly will join the club next week,

(03:18):
replacing Algerian international Imaine Schabel. European Football's governing body have
fined Romania two hundred and thirty thousand dollars for abuse
of chanting, but gifted them a three nil Nations League
win after Kosovo walked off the pitch during their weekend
match in Bucharest, and DJ Forbes and Chris Laidlaw have

(03:39):
been inducted into World Rugby's Hall of Fame. 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.