Morning Edition: 25 July 2025

The Morning Edition of News Fix for 25 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 books for Friday, twenty fifth of July. In
this update, the government's redesigning the country's passport to put
English text before tedeel. The current passport says udulfenua altedora
prior to the words New Zealand passport confirmation comes as
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters questions why the term

(00:27):
altaed or is used on official government documents and is
said in parliament. Minister of Internal Affairs Brook van Walden
says the government stance is English first, but not English only.
While the security upgraders are underway and the new design
of the new passport will have English first, we need
to get through the backlog of those older passports. Perse

(00:49):
fairs changes to the way we vote will impact our democracy.
Just as Minister Paul Goldsmith is planning to stop election
date enrollment, ban prisoner voting and band free food and
entertainment offered their boots, he says the changes will stop
the vote count holdups once poll booths close, But Labour's
Justice spokesperson Duncan Web says there are many reasons people

(01:12):
forget to change enrollment details He says every single vote
counts and they'd rather have a system where everyone gets
a crack. New Zealand drug dealers have been openly advertising
the sale of Class A drugs on Facebook marketplace, despite
requests for them to be removed. In a single day,
our newsroom found fifty six different ads for psychedelic mushrooms

(01:34):
being promoted over the North Island, alongside cannabis and what
appeared to be LSD. An anonymous bay of plenty men
says it made hundreds of reports to Meta notifying it
of the accounts. However, it was only when our newsroom
made inquiries about the issue that it removed the listings
and initiated a review. A call for a grounded discussion

(01:54):
on high strength bears, with some calling for a ban.
The products have been sold as singles in supermarkets and
liquor stores and are stronger than RTDs, ranging from seven
to sixteen percent. Communities against Alcohol Harm have been raising
the issue of the bears at a number of public hearings. Brewers'
Association Executive director Dylan Firth says highest strength bears only

(02:17):
make up eleven percent of all beers sold in the
last year to March. He says stronger products a typically
specialty or craft offerings intended for moderate consumption. Hul Hogan,
one of the biggest names in wrestling history, has died. Hogan,
real name Terry Bolayer, was an iconic figure in professional
wrestling during the eighties and nineties. He continued wrestling well

(02:41):
into his fifties. Fox News Jeff Paul says Hogan's wife
had recently denied rumors that he was in a coma,
saying his heart was strong. However, there had been mounting
speculation about his health in recent weeks. Hul Cogan was
seventy one. In sport, the World Boxing Organization has ordered
KIWI heavyweight Joseph Parker and Alexander Usak to begin negotiations

(03:03):
for about New Zealand golfer Stephen Elke has a one
stroke lead at the Senior British Open at Berkshire. Kirwe's
halfback Jerome Hughes NRL season with the Melbourne Storm is
in the balance after dislocating his shoulder in a thirty
four to thirty win over the Roosters in Sydney. The
black Caps have claimed a sixty run win over Zimbabwe

(03:24):
to wrap up group play in the T twenty tri
series in Hirari. I'm never ready, Manu. And that's your
latest news fix. We'll be back with the next update
at midday from the newstalk ZB newsroom.