Midday Edition: 05 June 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 05 June 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 Malcolm Jordan and this is your midday
newsfix for Thursday, the fifth of June. Chris Luckson says
Internal Affairs will do a deep dive after a senior
staffer in the PM's office resigned over revelations of serious allegations.
Stuff reports that acting Deputy Chief Press Secretary Michael Forbes
allegedly recorded audio and took compromising photos of women without consent.

(00:28):
In a statement, Forbes says he's apologized to the women
and recognized as the harm he caused. The Prime Minister's
Office says it was told of the allegations on Tuesday
and after discussion it was clear the staffer's employment was
untenable and they resigned. Luckson says the matter won't end
with Forbes's resignation, and Internal Affairs will be looking at

(00:49):
how the agencies worked together. Three people have been charged
with manslaughter over a fatal fire at Wellington's Loafers Lodge
in twenty twenty. Three people died and twenty others were injured.
Two men aged seventy five and fifty eight and a
seventy year old woman will appear in the District Court today.
Emily Ancell reports.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Authorities have been investigating whether the state of the building
and its fire safety systems contributed to the tragedy. Police
say that three people charged were involved in managing and
operating Loafer's Lodge. A fifty year old man has previously
been charged with murder for allegedly deliberately lighting the fatal fire.
Police say another man is also expected to be charged

(01:32):
with manslaughter in the coming days.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Parliament today resumes its debate on proposed sanctions for three
to party marimps who did a haker in the House
last year protesting the treaty Principal's built The Privileges Committees
recommended twenty one and seven day suspensions, the harshest penalties
in Parliament's history. He is Senior political reporter Sophie Trigger.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
The House still needs to vote on the suggested sanctions.
After the debate began and then was abruptly suspended last
month due to the upcoming budget. Governing parties support the
suspensions proposed by the committee, while opposition parties are advocating
for lesser punishment, but with none indicating a shift in position,
the debate could run late into the night.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Parts of the country continue to be affected by severe weather.
Lines crews are working to restore power to hundreds of
North Island households. State Highway too Muttawai Road is closed
between Gisbon and or Portugue because of multiple slips in
the eastern bay of plenty. State Highway two is closed
by flooding at Waimana. Mackenzie Country roads have reopened after

(02:35):
snow overnight, but Acting Mayor Karen Morgan says driving could
still be hazardous. The temperature is actually dropping and if
it's coming from the south, all of that rain that
we saw is now going to become black ice. A
new prison facility at Waikiria near Hamilton will add almost
six hundred new prisoner spaces. The twenty eight buildings have
five hundred high security beds and ninety six for prisoners

(02:57):
with mental health and addiction needs. Corrections has recruited three
hundred new frontline staff in preparation for an influx of
prisoners in coming months. Another eight hundred and ten beds
will be added by twenty twenty nine. To sport, the
French Tennis Open semifinals have been decided. The men's matchups
are Novak Djokovic and Janick Sinner and Lorenzo Muzetti and

(03:20):
Carlos Alcaraz. The women's duels are Lois Boisson and Coco
Goff and Arena Sablenka and Igish Fiontec. Indian authorities have
confirmed eleven deaths from a crush in bengalaroo during a
parade at the City Stadium to celebrate the Royal Challengers
made in Indian Premier League Cricket title and two time
champion Paul Coles through to the quarterfinals at Squash's British Open.

(03:44):
I'm 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.