Afternoon Edition: 19 August 2025

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 19 August 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 Wendy Petrie and this is your afternoon
news fixed for Tuesday, the nineteenth of August. The government's
hoping a further push for structured literacy will turn around
poor school writing results. New data shows just twenty four
percent of year eight students have achieved their curriculum level
in writing. Education Minister Ericas Stanford's released a writing action plan,

(00:26):
including teacher resources and targeted intervention for some students. It's
not something I ever thought we would need to do
to help a secondary school teacher teach a child to read,
but that's the gravity of where we're at. The UK
Prime Minister says there have been significant breakthroughs. In Washington, DC.
European leaders, including Ukraine's of Voladimir Zelenski, held talks with

(00:49):
President Donald Trump the White House today. Trump says he's
arranging trilateral talks with Zelenski and Russia's Vladimir Putin. He
says the European countries, with coordination by the US, will
provide Ukraine guarantees of post war safety. Kiirs Darmer says
this is reassuring progress.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Through serious diplomacy, through planning for these outcomes, we've managed
to get to material steps forward today, The.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Foreign Minister says of former politicians like Trevor Mallard shouldn't
get diplomatic postings as he returns home early, Whinston Peters says.
Senior Foreign Affairs staffer Angela Hassen Sharp is replacing Mallard
as Ambassador to Ireland. Peter says the job should have
always gone to a career diplomat. You trained people, you
give them decades of experience to get into important jobs,

(01:40):
and all of a sudden you put a politician there
with no training at all. A christ Church Man's murder
conviction is back in the appeal court. The Criminal Cases
Review Commission has been investigating Londretti's case since twenty twenty
two that he was jailed for killing Leslie Edmonds in
nineteen ninety nine, with an appeal dismissed that year and
an unsuccess yes for hearing in two thousand and three.

(02:02):
Chief Commissioner Dennis Clifford says they have new expert evidence.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
There were aspects of his life and history that were
relevant to the way he responded at the time of
the killing.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Iman has been arrested over multiple vehicle offenses and Hastings.
This morning, thirty one year olds accused of stealing a
vehicle on Taradale Road, with multiple people calling one one
one to report dangerous driving and collisions with vehicles. Police
track the car to or Mahu Road, allegedly driving on
the wrong side before hitting another car. An Indian New

(02:38):
Zealand resident must pay thirteen thousand dollars in fines for
immigration employment breaches. Lachlan Rennie has More.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Gourav Bartra made two staff is hired to work in
Hamilton Kebarb shops do cleaning work at other sites which
wasn't allowed under their visits. Barcher also underpaid and overworked
the men over two years before sentencing. Butcher I agree
to repay them in just under twenty eight thousand dollars
in arrears.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Two Sport and the Blues are in final negotiations to
head across town to Mount Smart Stadium for two Super
Rugby games next year. All Black's lock Patrick Twipolata will
be out for six weeks after suffering a facial fracture
in the first Up Rugby Championship win over Argentina and
the Central Poulson A m z Netwilk Premiership exodus continues

(03:26):
with mid quarter Whitney Sooness departing soon as is expected
to be the latest past or present silver Fern to
take her talents to Australia. I'm Wendy Petrie. That's your
latest news fix. We'll be back with a next update
tomorrow morning. From the news Talks they'd been Newsroom