Morning Edition: 07 July 2025

The Morning Edition of News Fix for 07 July 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 morning. I'm never ready, Manu, and this is your
morning news fix for Monday, seventh of July. In this update,
the governments asked Inland Revenue to look into whether income
tank settings are being correctly applied across banks. Finance Minister
Nicola Willis has told our newsroom a range of options
are being weighed up ahead of next year's budget to

(00:26):
ensure banks pay their fair share of tax. She's noted
Australian banks are making large profits from New Zealand customers.
Widespread devastation through Central Texas following sweeping flash floods west
of San Antonio. At least sixty seven people have been
killed and eighteen adults and four children are pending identification.

(00:47):
Eleven camp Mystic campers and one councilor remain unaccounted for.
More than eight hundred and fifty people have been rescued,
including some who were clinging to trees. Cneds Boris Sanchez
says the flash floods were a wall of water taking
out trees and buildings. It was up to twenty four feet.
This is a Guadalupe River which overcame its banks and

(01:10):
just tore through this area. In this country. A Key
State Highway in Nelson has reopened as the cleanup continues
in the flood hit Upper South Island. A local state
of emergency remains in place for Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman
due to the damage scene in the last two weeks.
Met Service is forecasting a sunnier week for the region,

(01:30):
but more rain is expected on Friday. The Government isn't
ruling out stricter rules around sentencing, just as Minister Paul
Goldsmith says, Parliament is sending a strong message to the
judiciary to make consequences tougher. Judges currently have discretion to
discount sentences based on aggravating or mitigating circumstances, but Goldsmith

(01:53):
says there could be more minimum or mandatory sentences in
the future. More Key we children are disengaging from school
than ever before. Education Ministry data shows three and a
half thousand kids have been missing from the education system
for more than a year since twenty twenty two, and
that figure is higher than the seven years before that combined.

(02:14):
The second phase of the COVID inquiry starts today and
the chair expects it to be illuminating. The public. Hearings
will be held in Auckland and will be chaired by
CA C Grant Illingworth. Phase two will look at aspects
of the COVID response like vaccine safety, the approval process
and vaccine mandates. A thirty six year old Wellington man

(02:35):
who groomed and sexually exploited two preteen girls online while
pretending to be a child himself is going to prison.
Benjamin Woods has been sentenced in the Wellington District Court
to six years and five months jail time. Our newsroom
can reveal Woods obtained and shared hundreds of images and
videos depicting explicit child sexual abuse and boasted about his

(03:00):
abilities while talking to other online predators. The courts heard
his victims felt broken, scared and unable to trust others
as a result of his offending. In sport, Liam Lawson
has failed to reach the end of the first lap
of Formula one's British Grand Prix at Silverstone due to
an accident. Mclarence Lando Norris won the race. Golfer Kazumika

(03:23):
Bori has produced the best result of his career, finishing
third at the latest European Tour of vender Munich and
earning two hundred and forty two thousand dollars. Top seed
Arena Sablenka has advanced to the women's quarter finals at Wimbledon.
India have leveled the five Test cricket series against England
with a three hundred and thirty six run victory at Edgeburston.

(03:45):
I'm never Retti Manu and that's your latest news fix.
Will be back with the next update at midday from
the newstalk ZB News Roup.