Midday Edition: 27 February 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 27 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 Thursday, the twenty seventh of February. The
government's accepted all sixteen recommendations for cutting regulation from the
agriculture and horticulture sectors. The Ministry of Regulations launched a
review last year into approval processes for new agricultural and
horticultural products. Senior political reporters Sophie Trigger has.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
More recommendations include to set targets to speed up assessments
and slash application cues, and to use international regulator's assessments
to save time. Minister and Charge David Seymour says some
farmers and growers reported waiting over five years for new
products to be approved. He says the reviews found having
approval times is estimated to generate two hundred and seventy

(00:48):
two million dollars over twenty years.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
The prospect of four year parliamentary terms will be put
to referendum. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith's announced that legislation support
by all the coalition parties to Select committee stage. It's
promising it's proposing keeping standard parliamentary terms at three years,
but allowing that to be extended to four years under
certain conditions. Goldsmith says this would require the Government to

(01:15):
adjust proportionality on Select Committees to give the opposition more voice.
He says that will be looked at in Select Committee.
It may well be that a much simpler arrangement is
just to have a choice simply between a three and
a four year term, and so we're very much open
to that and that may be what comes out of
the Select Medea. The Children's Commissioner is concerned as ordering
a tomriki still falls short delivering the minimum requirements for

(01:39):
children in care. Its fourth annual report to July shows
ordering a Tomriqui still isn't meeting national care standards formed
in twenty nineteen. Issues include abuse and care rising, with
nine percent of children in custody being abused or neglected.
Chief Children's Commissioner Claire Akhmad says there's been very little

(01:59):
pros from successive governments. A Northland community is standing up
to support Farno as a large bush fire burns. Fire
and emergency were called to waypoa forest home of the
famous Cody tree Tane Mahuta about two pm yesterday. The
blaze had stretched seventy hectares by the evening. Kuiper Mauli

(02:21):
Ward councilor Pera Ponti Order says why Poa Settlement residents
are still being looked after at Wyku Why Kuta Marian
fears the public risk being dragged into murky legal fights
around apprehending people if laws on citizens' arrests are loosened.
The government's proposing letting anyone detain suspect thieves using reasonable

(02:46):
force at any time of day in the name of
retail crime prevention, but Police Association President Chris Carhill says
it's a real legal issue managing to get the right
response balance.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
We have police officers to renew the soul because the
people think it's been an unreasonable use of force.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Don't have a public again against that right. Pope Francis
has shown slight improvement after thirteen days in hospital. He's
been undergoing treatment for double pneumonia. To Sport, Liverpool have
extended their advantage atop the Premier League table with a
two nil win over Newcastle at Anfield. Nearest rivals Nottingham
Forest and Arsenal finished goalless. The Chiefs have confirmed Clayton

(03:27):
McMillan will join Irish club Munster after this season. He's
gained an early release from his contract and McLaren's Orlando
Norris has topped the opening day of Formula One pre
season testing in Bahrain. Liam Lawson, who tested in the
morning session, was eighth. I'm Malcolm Jordan. That's your latest
news fix. We'll be back with the next up date

(03:48):
at five pm from the news Talk zb newsroom.