Afternoon Edition: 20 May 2025

The Afternoon 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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Good afternoon. I'm Rayleen Ramsay. This is your afternoon news
fix for Tuesday, the twentieth of May. The Government's voted
to adjourn today's debate on suspending to Party Marii MP's
opposition MP's all voted to continue. Political editor Jason Walls
was there.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
There were scenes of confusion in Parliament this afternoon after
Leader of the House Chris Bishop moved a motion that
the debate should be suspended until June fifth. It was
expected that the debate would run well into the night,
but after just two speeches, Bishop stood up to argue
the house's time was better spent focusing on the budget
this week. National New Zealand First and Act all agreed

(00:44):
to the adjournment motion, facing fierce opposition from Labor, the
Greens and Tipati Madi, who all attempted to shoot the
motion down.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Labor leader Chris Hopkins says the government has made itself
look like a kangaroo court now. They approached us this
morning and said, look, we wanted to furthest debate.

Speaker 3 (00:59):
We want to put it on until later on. We
would have been open to having that conversation.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
We've been trying to talk to them for the last
forty eight hours.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
They haven't even bothered to return phone calls. And then
they do this. They just look like they're out of
their depth. I don't know what they're doing.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Kiwi Rail's happy about a government commitment to improving freight
and passenger rail. More than six hundred million dollars will
go into fully funding investment in the network until twenty
twenty seven. Freight network will get four hundred and sixty
one million dollars and one hundred and forty three million
will be spent on Auckland and Wellington's metro trains. Kiwi

(01:31):
railhead Peter Reder says they want more road freight to
move to rail.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
When domestic frate or exporters move freight on rail, it
does lower the supply chain.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Coos Railway changes in Waikato's Matamata after a teen's death
in March, thirteen year old Mutamutter College student Sari Morton
was hit by train near the Firth Street intersection after school.
Claudia O'Neill reports.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Matamata, Piaco District Council and Kiwi Rail will install fences
and remove or trim more than seventy trees blocking train
driver's view of people approaching KWI rails is a suggestion
of stopping or slowing trains between three and three point
thirty pm is not viable. Acting Chief Operations Officer Paul
Ashton says people should only cross at the Tainey Street

(02:15):
Pedestrian crossing.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
No magic solution for our falling supply of natural gas
production fell twenty percent in the first quarter compared to
the year before. Industry spokespeople say available gas is depleting,
exploration of new fields is banned. On Resources CEO Andrew
Jeffreys solutions will take time.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
We'll probably have to encourage explorers to come in and
have a go.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
You can also import natural gas. Australia's opposition has split,
officially ending the Liberal National Coalition. National leader David Little
Prantz confirmed his party will stand apart from Susan Lee's Liberals,
but he's leaving the door open. The coalition had an
election thrashing this month. Leader Peter Darton lost his seat

(03:03):
and Labour Prime Minister Anthony Albanizi scored a second term
to Sport and Wallace. Citti has remained loyal to the
Chiefs until the end of twenty twenty seven schooled in Auckland.
Last year's All Blacks Player of the Year admits he
considered a move to the Blues before deciding to stay
with their Hamilton based rivals. Sonny Bill Williams Field's upcoming

(03:27):
boxing opponent, Paul Gallon's disappointment at not being the A
side is behind his no show at their press conference
in Sydney. Striker Max mart remains in doubt with a
hamstring issue as Auckland FC prepare to seal their place
in the final of Football's A League. That is your
latest news fix. Will be back of the next update

(03:49):
tomorrow morning from the News Talk said B Newsroom.