Morning Edition: 17 March 2025

The Morning Edition of News Fix for 17 March 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 Monday, seventeenth of March. In this update,
Chris Devi Luxan issign closer ties with India. The Prime
Minister's announced the launch of negotiations towards a comprehensive free
trade agreement. It comes as he arrived in the country
for several days of talks and events, including a meeting

(00:24):
with his Indian counterpartner Rendra Modi Luxe and says he's
keen for New Zealand to have a stronger relationship on
trade and security. We historically have had very little to
do with India on defense and we should do a
lot more in that regards where we want to deepen
that relationship as well. Doubt in the government's ability to
significantly address the number of job seeker beneficiaries. New data
shows twenty two thousand more people are receiving job seeker

(00:48):
payments than a year ago. In total, it jumped from
about one hundred and eighty nine thousand to two hundred
and ten thousand people in the year to February. Victoria
University of Wellington public policy professor Jonathan Boston says policy
will help but only slightly. He says. A main driver
is the state of the economy. It's thought more workers

(01:09):
needed before a national school bullying database could work. New
Zealand holds the highest level of bullying in the OECD.
According to a twenty twenty four report. Schools are required
to develop prevention in response approaches, but there's no regular
data reported to the Ministry of Education. PPTA president Chris
Abercrombie told Andrew Dickens he isn't opposed to a database.

(01:31):
The issue is of two and a half thousand self
governing schools with two and a half thousand different definitions
of bullying. So until we saw that out, you couldn't
have a national database on the issue. Almost sixty people
have died and one hundred and fifty five people are
injured after a fire at a nightclub in North Macedonia.
Fireworks let off inside the venue set the roof for
light where fifteen hundred people were attending a concert. Meta

(01:55):
news agencies goren RITZLF says police have detained fifteen people
as south after finding the club was operating with a
fake license. He told the BBC some suspects are among
the dead. Did it includes many many young people from
North Macedonia, many of who were miners below eighteen starting
from fourteen years old, calls for an outright ban of

(02:18):
engineered stone. The government's public consultation closes tomorrow on working
with materials containing crystalline silica, which can cause the deadly
lung disease silicosis. Assess your abilities is the message from
Surf Life Saving New Zealand. Now that lifeguard season is over.
Lifeguards will no longer be watching the surf during the week,

(02:38):
with only volunteers around on weekends to keep eyes on
the water until Easter. National Coastal Safety Manager Tom Kearney
says KIWI should take time to check out conditions given
advice won't be as available they are in any doubt
of their ability, or they don't understand the condition and
they're not confident they can keep safe. Day out of
the water and leave the beach visit for another day.

(03:00):
Sort Liam Lawson has to come to the wet conditions
in his first full race with red Ball at Formula
one's Australian Grand Prix. Auckland FC football coach Steve Corriger
concedes the international breaker has come at a perfect time
for his side. In the A League. They lead the
table by four points after a third consecutive draw, this
time to all with Central Coast. Paramatta's Dylan Brown has

(03:24):
been booed as his side slump to a thirty two
six Nral League defeat to West's days after signing a
ten year deal to join Newcastle next season. I'm never
ready mine. Who an that you latest news fix? We'll
be back with the next update of midday from the
news Dog ZBE Newsroom.