Midday Edition: 28 February 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 28 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 Friday, the twenty eighth of February. A
conviction against Faikari Management Limited over the twenty nineteen White
Island disaster has been quashed. The volcanic eruption killed twenty two.
The company was fined more than a million dollars in
twenty twenty three in order to pay nearly five million

(00:25):
in reparation after being found guilty of breaching its health
and safety obligations. It's now successfully appealed the conviction at
the High Court in Wellington, just as Simon Moore has
ruled the company had no active management duties over the
walking tour site as landowners, nor any responsibility to ensure
it was without risk. Conditions of a Ukraine ceasefire have

(00:50):
been at the forefront of the British Prime Minister's meeting
with Donald Trump. The two leaders met at the White
House as Trump also prepares to welcome Ukraine's Voladimir Selink
so Keir Starmer has stressed any deal must be long
lasting and has committed to helping the US ensure there
are no breaches. Trump says they'll work to ensure that

(01:11):
Ukraine gets its annexed land back. We're going to certainly
try and get as much as we can back, but
on the NATO that's not going to happen. Confidence this
morning that firefighters are on top of a blaze in
Northland's White Powa Forest. Three helicopters and about eighty people
on the ground have been battling the fire since Wednesday afternoon.

(01:32):
Kaiper and Mayor Craig Jepson says he understands the fires
well under control. A lot of confidence there this morning
amongst the fikers that inity that fire was tremendously threatening.
In you when it's at a certain point, there's not
much you can do to put it out. But now
they've got a beaten nothing. Police have acknowledged the family
of murdered eighteen year old Ariki Rigby after guilty please by.

(01:53):
The thirty two year old accused, Jimmy Heremaier, has pleaded
guilty to killing Rigby after her body was found in
a burnt out car in Hawks Bay in September twenty
twenty two. Police say the far Nooh have waited a
long time to see justice for the tragic killing, and
the man accused of murdering Nelson Police Senior Sergeant Lynn

(02:14):
Fleming has entered his please. The thirty two year old
has pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder and grievous
bodily harm. He has admitted guilt to drink driving and
driving while disqualified. The government says it's doing everything it
can to ensure the country has the power it needs
this winter. Energy Minister Simon Watts says the situation is

(02:37):
now acute. Meridian, the country's largest power firm, is calling
for generators to be able to lower hydro lake levels
below levels allowed in current resource consents. What's told Mike
Hosking He's met with Meridian and he's asking regulators to
look into what can be done. We're leaving Nelstone unturned

(02:57):
into secure energy this winter. That's going to include contingent
hydro storage if needed. Watts hopes are proposed to changes
giving independent companies the same wholesale access will also help
drive down prices. Questions over how US actor Gene Hackman
and his wife Betsy Arakawa died in their New Mexico home,

(03:18):
with the situation deemed suspicious despite no signs of foul
play to Sport. The All Blacks twenty twenty five schedulers
complete with confirmation of their matches against Argentina in the
Rugby Championship. The first match will be played in Cordoba
on August seventeenth, before the second a week later in
Buenos Aies. The Black Sticks women have come from a

(03:41):
goal down to beat Scotland three to one and secure
passage through to the Hockey Nations Cup semi finals. Leicester
City's slide towards English to Premier League relegation continues after
a two neer loss to west Ham in London. I'm
Malcolm Jordan. That's your latest news fix. Will be back
with the next update at five pm from the news

(04:02):
Talk ZB newsroom. M