Midday Edition: 29 April 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 29 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
News for Tuesday, the twenty ninth of April. Ministers have
found more than a billion dollars in cost cuts in
budget twenty twenty five. Finance Minister Nikola Willis has revealed
details in what she's calling the Growth Budget, to be
released on May twenty two. Its operating allowance has been

(00:24):
slashed from a two point four billion dollar estimate to
a one point three billion dollar total. Willis says they've
had to be disciplined and careful.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
We have focused in on the investments we know New
Zealanders want to see so that we can increase spending
in areas like health, like education, like our defense course,
like infrastructure for the future.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
And the move means government expects the books to go
into a small surplus by twenty twenty nine. Meanwhile, charities
have been spared from tax changes in this year's budget.
Nikola Willis has been proposing revisions to tax rules that
could see charities taxed on their business activities, but she
says there are still complex issues that need to be

(01:06):
worked through. Tax expert Jeff Nightingale told Mike Hosking it's
likely too hard. We've had several goes at this over
the last twenty years.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
I mean, the main problem I think they've identified as
was not the tax revenue there that they.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Thought he was. Health New Zealand is defending its decision
to slash the number of intensive care beds at Dunedin's
new hospital from thirty to twenty at least initially. Ferry
operator full As three sixty says a passenger's been rescued
after jumping overboard from its Auckland wy Hecke service around
seven am. It says search and rescue operations were immediately

(01:41):
launched and the passenger was brought safely back on board.
Torri Farno's rating her mayoralty a nine out of ten
and says she'd potentially be keen to be Andrew Little's deputy.
She's announced she's quitting the Wellington merrial race to make
way for Little to have an easier run, and you'll
run for the multi ward instead, Farno told Nick Mills

(02:04):
on News talk Edb's Wellington Mornings. While no deal has
been done, should be interested.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
I will say early on, Hey, feel free to consider
me when you know if he's elected next year.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
That'd be great, but the best stuck until the city
is much more important. Labor is concerned more people could
be put at risk as the government allows builders to
sign off on their own work. The government's introducing an
opt in scheme through legislation to allow approved tradees to
check their work. Labour leader Chris Hipkins says we should
be careful when removing rules so we don't allow more

(02:36):
scope for things to go wrong.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
I don't think any New Zealanders want to see a
repeat of leaky buildings.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
I think it's really important that any regulatory changes in
this area still have sufficient safeguards in place. State of
emergencies have been declared in Southwest Europe as grid operators
struggle to restore electricity before nightfall. Powers slowly coming back
in parts of Spain and Portugal after the iba Burian
Peninsula experienced an unprecedented blackout. The cause is still unknown,

(03:05):
but Portugal authorities say it's likely an atmospheric phenomenon, with
no evidence so far of a cyber attack. To sport,
Mark Talia will miss three weeks of Super Rugby following
his dangerous tackle in the Blues loss to the Reds.
Former Maury All Black and British and Irish lion Ricky
Flute will join the Black Ferns coaching group ahead of

(03:27):
this year's World Cup as Backs and Skills coach and
a boy wonder has created history in the Indian Premier League.
Vibe Ha shu Yavanshi, who only turned fourteen at the
end of March, has smashed one hundred and one of
thirty eight balls to steer the Rajasthan Royals to an
eight wicked win over the Gujarad Lions or Titans. I'm

(03:49):
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.