Midday Edition: 17 April 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 17 April 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
newsfax for Thursday, the seventeenth of April. Inflation is officially
on the rise again. Later stats n Z figures show
the consumer's price index rows two point five percent in
the year to March with more hairs. Business reporter Michael sergle.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
That figure is up from two point two percent in
the year to December. The numbers cover the twelve months
to March thirty one and don't reflect the impact of
Donald Trump's new tariffs and other new trade barriers. Today's
rise won't stop the Reserve Bank from cutting the OCR further,
with inflation still well within the Reserve Bank's one to
three percent target band.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Intense gales have left to tens of thousands without power
in Northland and Auckland. Ex cyclone tams damaged transmission lines,
felled trees, created huge swells, closed roads and torn off
roofs in the Upper North Island. It's moving down the
country today with orange heavy rain warnings for Corimandal, Bay
of Plenty, Gisbon and Northland. Auckland and Great Barrier are

(01:05):
under a heavy rain watch. North Power Chief Executive Andrew
MacLeod says the weather's limiting efforts to get power back
on today.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Tomorrow we should get really good run at this and
I hope we've got most people back on tomorrow, but
there will be some who'll be off for two to
three days.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Kiwi Rail appears to be already taking steps to compensate
into island to ferry customers. The rail providers entered into
a legal commitment with the Commerce Commission to compensate people
disrupted by three cancelations in early twenty twenty three. The
Commission challenged Kiwi Rail's position that delays and cancelations from
mechanical faults were out of its control. The Commission's Vanessa

(01:43):
Horn says Kiwi Rail is obligated to follow through.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
We can take them to court to enforce it undertaking.
But looking at their website this morning, they've already got
information up there about how people can get a pat
and get that compensation.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
The education sectors hope for more moneies on the way
for school building. Data shows last year, three hundred and
sixty eight state schools had more students enrolled than their
official capacity. Almost fifteen hundred are at capacity. Education Minister
Erika Stanford's announced one hundred million dollars for a new
school and classrooms in Auckland and says the South Island

(02:18):
won't be forgotten. PPTA President Chris Abercrombie says more facilities
will be great.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
We've just got to supercharge that in a sense. So
we've got to get those relocatables that she talked about.
Sorted that there's a surplus of os.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
They can be delivered to schools when they need them.
Top Trump officials could face prosecution over hurried deportation policy.
A US federal judge has found probable cause for holding
the administration in criminal contempt of court. He's criticized officials
for rushing deportees offshore before they could challenge their removal.

(02:49):
If the White House defies the ruling, it could mean
more hearings and prosecutions. A more expensive Easter this year,
with historically high cocoa prices pushing up the cost of chocolate,
eggs and Bunnies pop. Singer Lord is officially back in
the spotlight. She's taken to social media to announce her
first standalone single in four years. What was That? Is

(03:11):
dropping soon to sport Arsenal have advanced to the semi
finals of football's Champions League for the first time in
sixteen years. They face Piri Saint Germain in the last
four into Milan. Beat Barcelona, Aunt into Milan, meet Barcelona,
should I say? World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe has

(03:31):
welcomed the UK court ruling, but the term woman should
be based on biological sex. He says the decision vindicates
their transgender stance to ban those who have transitioned post puberty.
At Auckland's chances of hosting a sale GP ragatta next
year are yet to get up on the foils. Ten
regattas are already locked in. I'm Malcolm Jordan. That's your

(03:54):
latest news fix. We'll be back with the next update
at five pm from the News Talk ZB newsroom.