Midday Edition: 20 May 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 20 May 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 FIGX for Tuesday, the twentieth of May. The government
says it plans to turn around our rail service, describing
it as run down. In a pre budget announcement, Transport
Minister Chris Bishop and Rail Minister Winston Peters have announced
four hundred and sixty one million dollars we'll go into
the freight network and one hundred and forty three million

(00:25):
into metro trains in Auckland and Wellington. Bishop says he's
concerned about the drop in passenger numbers in Wellington. It's
an important connector of people.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
It's a vital service for the Wellington region. I grew
up taking the train to and from school every day.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
The finance ministers promising no nonsense in Thursday's budget. Nikola
Willis says it lays out sensible decisions needed to secure
in New Zealand's future. She says it's a contrast to
inconsistency from Labour and the Green budget, which includes wealth
and inheritance taxes.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
We've had all sorts of chaos from the opposition parties
about how they would manage the books. We're offering an
OBUs budget that sticks to the sensible things that New
Zealanders know need to happen.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
President of Voladimir Zelenski of Ukraine has had two conversations
with Donald Trump within ours. The US President says his
talks with Zelensky bracketed a two hour call with Russian
President Vladimir Putin. Trump says Ukraine and Russia will immediately
start working towards a ceasefire and more importantly, an end
to war. Hopefully were did something. We also spoke to

(01:31):
the heads of most of the European nations and trying
to get that whole thing wrapped up. A former Speaker
of the House has been worried that Parliament's standards have
been slipping over the past few years. It comes as
the Privileges Committee report on to Party Maldi's behavior during
last year's Treaty Principle's Bill vote will be debated and
voted on this afternoon. It proposes a twenty one day

(01:53):
suspension for the party's leaders and a seven day suspension
for MP Hannah Raffiti Mighty Clark. Former Speaker Sir Lockwoodsmith
told Mike Hosking a decision to close the public gallery
is wise.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
I think will be a test of Speaker Brownley, because
this is one where the speaker's judgment is actually going
to be critically important.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
A continuing squeeze on natural gas supply with little hope
for a quick solution, production fell twenty percent in the
first quarter compared to the year before, to twenty two
point eighty five petidules. Industry spokespeople say available gas is
depleting and exploration of new fields is banned. A ministerial

(02:34):
advisory group has warned Family and Sexual Violence Prevention Minister
Karen Chaw of declining police responsiveness, but Police Minister Mirk
Mitchell says officers aren't transitioning away from attending family violence
events that require a police response. He is Senior political
reporter Sophie trigger.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Much document from tepuk Or Tahitanga summarized of recent hue
for Minister Karen Chaw, saying the work was increasingly falling
to community, with some NGOs now providing tactical defense training
and some providers considering issuing stab vests. Labor says concerns
should raise alarm bells with Chaw, who said a five
year action plan aims to help government agencies collaborate better

(03:14):
on the issue to sport.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
All Black Wallace Stiti has resigned with New Zealand Rugby.
The twenty two year old's contract extends until the end
of the twenty twenty seven World Cup, and Scott McLaughlin
has is back behind the wheel of a backup vehicle
at Indianapolis Speedway, a day on from a crash in
practice ahead of Monday's Indy five hundred. I'm Malcolm Jordan.

(03:36):
That's your latest news fix. We'll be back with the
next update at five pm from the newstalk ZB newsroom.