Afternoon Edition: 28 August 2025

The Afternoon Edition of News Fix for 28 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 Max told. This is your afternoon news
fix for Thursday, the twenty eighth of August. Unemployment appears
to be easing slightly. Stat Zenz figures show the number
of filled jobs row zero point two percent last month.
Here's business reporter Michael Sergel.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Almost five hundred manufacturing jobs were lost last month, but
more than five thousand extra service jobs were created. The
employment picture has been getting worse for young people and
for those in Auckland and Wellington, but it's been getting
steadily bitter in some regions like Otago in Waikato.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
West Pac says more employers should be making kiwisaver contributions
for employees over the age of sixty five. Nearly a
quarter of kiwis are working past retirement, but there's currently
no mandate for their employer contributions to continue. West Pac
nzed's Nigel Jackson says more than half of their older
customers still contribute to their Kiwi saver, but just a

(00:56):
third receive employer contributions.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Difficult to lead a dignified retirement based on New Zealand
superannuation alone, and they need this supplement to their income
or the retirement takes. It's really about ally of life.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
N Z Post says it's at the front of the
queue in resuming deliveries to the United States. The Postal
Service joined at least twenty four countries in suspending shipments
to the US as tariffs were being finalized. It's now
recommenced to commercial deliveries for its business account holders. Spokesperson
Jared Hancock says the global postal community is racing to

(01:30):
deliver solutions. The government hopes businesses will be in favor
of its alcohol regulation shakeup. It is allowing breweries and
wineries to have both an on and off license, and
is also letting businesses respond to objections regarding them having
a license. Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee is confident she's
got the balance right, but.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Also give them a reduction of red tape, but not
an influx of ham as a result.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
The Whole Beverages Council spokesperson Virginia Nichols welcomes the move.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, I think that'll make a huge difference. So you
can manufacture your spirit there on site, and you can
all press jello as well, and you can have a
restaurant as well.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
A call to support congestion charging, with the Greens suggesting
there may be missed opportunities. Parliament's Transport and Infrastructure Committee
supports passing a bill on the matter. His senior political
reporter Azariah Howell.

Speaker 3 (02:26):
Legislation would mean councils and the Government can work together
on potential charges for people on busy roads at peak hours.
Emergency vehicles would be exempt, as well as certain public
transport services and school buses. The Greens are calling for
the revenue from the scheme to go towards additional public
transit services or reducing fares.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Both major political parties are bringing in money from getting
Parliament to pay the rent on electorate offices they own.
The cost to the year to July was more than
two hundred and twenty two thousand dollars. Parliamentary Service often
rents properties for MP to use, and when a building's
owned by an MP or a party, they can rent
it out to the service. Prime Minister Christopher Luxen owns

(03:06):
the electorate office Parliament pays rent on and gets approximately
forty five thousand dollars a year for it. Administer for
Rail Winston Peters has announced the Rail Heritage Trust will
get a boosted annual contribution for its work from one
hundred and twenty five thousand, two half a million dollars.
Arena Sabayenka has eventually shrugged off the challenge of sixty

(03:27):
seventh ranked Paulina Kudemtova to advance to the third round
at tennis's US Open. Being closer to family is the
primary reason for silver fern in waiting, Martina Salmon shifting
from Christchurch back to Auckland, and Manchester United boss Reuben
Amorim has cut a disconsolate figure after a shock defeat
to fourth tier Grimsby Town in English Football's League Cup.

(03:50):
Imax told that your latest news Fix will be back
with the latest update tomorrow morning from the news Talk
zb newsroom