Midday Edition: 21 March 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 21 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 afternoon. I'm Malcolm Jordan and this is your midday
news fix for Friday, the twenty first of March. China's
ambassador to New Zealand appears to be accusing New Zealand
of damaging the relationship. Political reporter Azaria Halle has more.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
On the social media platform x Wang Shao Long has
commented that more often than not, it hardly serves your
best interests when you try to promote one significant relationship
by damaging another. Our Prime Minister has been in India
discussing trade and defense.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
And Foreign Minister Winston Peters has also been in the
US discussing security in the Indo Pacific. One of our
largest retailers believes it's starting to turn a corner. The
Warehouse Group is back in the black with its latest
financial results. Business reporter Michael Sergel runs through the numbers.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Operating profit across the Warehouse Warehouse, Stationary and Noll Leaving
stores is down fifty five percent, while sales are down
one point six but first half net profit is eleven
point eight million dollars, up from a net loss of
twenty three point seven million. Cheer Dame Joan Withers says
the company has been cutting costs and capital expenditure and

(01:15):
focusing on the fundamentals, but it still has work to do.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
The whole economy is expected to feel the positives coming
out of the dairy sector. Fonterra has lifted its net
profit by eight percent to seven hundred and twenty nine
million dollars. It's also announced a twenty two cents a
shared dividend, up from fifteen in the previous comparable period.
Dairy Insights consultant ste Davison told Mike Hosking fifty cents

(01:42):
of every dollar of the payout gets spent in communities.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
John rides the wave of the dairy industry and the
export channels that this opens up and earns from the
world is pretty impressive.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Napiers mayor says the community is fighting for better medical services.
A protest is still going ahead this weekend. Despite the
government going back on a leaked proposal to cut the
overnight urgent care nurse service due to a lack of demand.
There will still be no GP on site after ours,
the closest being twenty five minutes away. Mayor Napier Mayor

(02:16):
Kirsten Wise says demand is being driven by the services provided.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
People weren't going there because it was nurses who had
a very limited ability to actually assist them.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
The Prime Minister is wrapped up a visit to India
honoring our shared love of cricket. He's taken part in
a game at the home of the Mumbai Indians. New
Zealand Herald political reporter Adam Pearce says AJS. Patel and
Ross Taylor were part of the delegation.

Speaker 4 (02:42):
We heard some great tales from Taylor and Patel and
former Black Cap Jeff Alltt just about how the game
of cricket ties New Zealand and India together.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
In urgent investigations underway in New South Wales after a
threat referencing christ Church as Masaca was made against a
Sydney mosque. La Kember Mosque received a comment on its
TikTok page encouraging a repeat of the twenty nineteen attacks
to sport. New Zealand Cricket are understood to have threatened

(03:14):
legal action against the Players Association in a styshover player
image rights. Indian Panthers basketball chief executive Parveen Bartish is
adamant the resignation of coach Miles PUS has nothing to
do with their struggle to get players into the country.
Boxing has been included in the twenty twenty eight Olympic

(03:35):
program after an IOC vote, ending years of doubt over
the sports future. I'm Malcolm Jordan. That's your latest news fix.
We'll be back with the next update at five pm
from the News Talk zb newsroom.