Midday Edition: 21 August 2025

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 21 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 Susie Nordquist and this is your midday
news fix for Thursday, the twenty first of August. Security
Expert is warning against New Zealander's complacency, as despite the
country's terror threat level remaining unchanged, a Security Intelligence Service
report indicates we are in a challenging national security environment

(00:24):
keeping our threat level at low, meaning an attack is
realistically possible. Massive University's John Battisby says despite minimal detail
in the report, there is enough context to be confident geostrategic, online,
extremist and espionage threats exist.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
They know things we don't. It wouldn't surprise me if
things have got a little bit worse.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Another blow for the Nelson economy. Manufacturing company Carter Holt
Harvey is proposing to close it's Eves Valley sawmill, which
would result in the loss of one hundred and forty
two jobs. It's wanting to cons holiday to structural timber
manufacturing to one site in Bay of Plenties cowardoh Nelson
mayor Nick Smith says the proposal is all about consolidation

(01:09):
and there's nothing councils or the government can alter.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Coming on top of the series of bad storms and
the economic cluff times that sort of makes it the
worst winter in decades for our region.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
More students are turning up to school than before the pandemic.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says fifty eight point four
percent of students attended school regularly in term two. That's
five percent more than last year. It's the first time
that any terms attendance has been higher than the same
term pre covid. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is coming out

(01:44):
in support of the city's new planning rules. Councilors are
meeting today to debate the new rules, which will see
greater densification near transport humps. Policy and Planning Committee chairs
says this won't be a final decision and there will
be a chance for local boards, Man Fenewa and the
public to give feedback. At the start of the meeting,
Brown said he was backing the changes.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
There's probably a whole lot of small bitson there that
people might quibble over, but in an overall thing, this
makes a lot of sense. I'm happy to second it.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Meanwhile, Auckland's meyoral candidate Karen Leoni is hoping to hit
the ground running with transport policy. In her first one
hundred days, she is promising to get negotiations for a
shuttle to Huepie, start it and hold a summit to
discuss rail options to the Airport Council. Reporter Jacob Jones
has the story.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Leone says she will also launch a review of weekend
rail closures and negotiate with authorities to avoid full shutdowns.
She says she'd also like to guarantee travel times like
Sydney does. Leone says in the last three years, Aucklanders
have dealt with constant rail closures, canceled bus routes, and
at spending one hundred and forty seven thousand dollars on influences.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
To Sport Now and the New Zealand K four five
hundred women's crew, spearheaded by an SOS call up Dame
Lisa Carrington, have won their heat add advanced directly to
the final. At the Canoeing World Championships in Milan, Cody
Taylor is expected to become the fourteenth All Black to
play one hundred tests. During Sundays Rugby Championship match against

(03:15):
Argentina Azrael. Premier Tech have confirmed George Bennett and their
team for the final grand cycling tour of the year,
the Valta r Espunya, starting on Saturday night. I'm Susane
Nordquist and that is your latest news fix. We'll be
back with the next update at five pm from the
news Stalk Set Venues room.