Afternoon Edition: 23 April 2025

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 23 April 2025, straight from the Newstalk ZB newsroom - bringing you everything you need to know in news, politics, business, entertainment and sport.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Good afternoon, Unrailing Ramsey. This is your afternoon news fix
for Wednesday, the twenty third of April. Building new public
transport options in Auckland's northwest will be staged over time.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop says NZTA is endorsing the investment
case for Northwest Rapid Transit. Subject to funding. Work on

(00:26):
the Northwest Busway could begin from twenty twenty seven. It
includes a park and ride station from Brigham Creek and
a chain of stations into the city. Bishop says it
will be complex.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
We need to be upfront about the fact that this
is an expensive project.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
It will be a time consuming project.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
It will take time to build, time to construct, a
will involve property acquisition and will involve consenting.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Earlier today, Bishop also announced progress on the Northern Expressway.
The Transport Agency will start shoulder tapping Northland Land owners
along the planned one hundred kilometers route. It runs from
Walkworth to south of Fangade, crossing the brin Durwin Hills,
east of the current road, which has suffered many slips
in recent years. Construction begins next year on the first

(01:11):
section from Walkworth to Tahana. Bishop says the first stage
should be completed by twenty thirty two. Route finalization, land acquisition,
the consenting, the designations and if we can do some
early works before the first section is done, then we
will do that. Labour's leaders says it's unacceptable to threaten
our n Z funding. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters was

(01:33):
grilled in an interview today by the public broadcaster about
his party's bill to legally define a woman as an
adult biological human female. Peters fired up after questioning or
under questioning, I should say calling our n Z an
abuse to the taxpayer which funds the station, and sooner
or later he says they're going to cut that water

(01:54):
off too. Opposition leader Chris Hopkins says axing funding would
amount to sense. You can have a feisty interview as
a minister.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Where Winston Peters crossed the line was saying because he
didn't like the interview that somehow Radio New Zealand's funding
was going to be threatened.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Winston Peters is being accused of attempting to damage the
reputation of a former New Zealand First NP. The party
leader claimed Tracy Martin passed legislation behind his back allowing
people to self identified gender on passports. The legislation passed
unanimously when Enzed First was not in parliament. Martin says

(02:30):
Peters might like to get the facts.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
I would have thought that that individual who has supposedly
lived his life by there and has defended his integrity
and his reputation again and again and again, might be
a bit hesitant to go ahead and trash mire.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Has Matt Cruz a near a building in central Wellington
after smoke was seen about one thirty Azariah Howell is there.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Firetrucks are lining Bowen Street outside the Ministry of Education
building and across the road from Parliament. Fire crews and
police have been directing traffic and closed one side of
the road. Vehicles on the scene range from standard fire
trucks to a hazmat unit, breathing apparatus and an incident
control unit. People in hivez are sitting outside the office

(03:17):
as water drips from a hydrant near the side of
the road.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
To Sport and last season's World Rugby Breakthrough Player of
the Year, Wallace Citiiti has been named on the Chiefs
bench for Friday's clash with the Force after a quicker
than expected recovery from knee surgery, but the Chiefs have
lost Amen Mackenzie, the All Blacks playmaker missing with a
hand injury. In demand fullback Charns Nicol Klukstar has re

(03:44):
signed with the Warriors for another two NRL seasons. And
that is your latest news fix. We'll be back with
the next update tomorrow morning from the news Talk ZEDB newsroom.