Midday Report

On today's episode, employees of Oji Fibre Solutions' mill in Penrose will lose their jobs when the mill closes in December; new NIWA data shows New Zealand is likely to be hotter in the coming decades than previously thought; Palmerston North City Council votes to oppose a proposal for a new toll road near Woodville; and new research shows te reo Maori skills are on the up.

New research shows te reo Maori was considered on the path to extinction four years ago. Today it's a different story with increasing numbers having basic and conversational te reo skills. Michael Miller is a PhD Candidate at the School of Information Management at Victoria University of Wellington. He spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Hundreds of locals met in Woodville last night opposing NZTA's tolling plan for the Manawatu Gorge road replacement. Palmerston North City councillor Lorna Johnson spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Synlait's hoping farmers will stay with the company.

It's been a while between tests for the NZ men's cricketers.

Shareholders in embattled dairy company Synlait Milk have voted overwhelmingly to approve a range of measures to restore its finances and save the company.

New climate projections show New Zealand is likely to be hotter in the coming decades than previously thought. By 2090, the projections show the country could be between 0.8°C and 3°C warmer, depending on how quickly and effectively the world acts on climate change. Dr Andrew Tait, Chief Scientist for Climate, Atmosphere and Hazards at NIWA, spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Work at the Oji Fibre Solutions mill in Penrose has been paused for 24 hours to give workers the chance to digest the news of its closure. The company announced today the mill would close for good in December, with the loss of 75 jobs. Worker Maurice Upton spoke to Charlotte Cook.

On today's episode, our correspondent in the USA provides the latest on an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump; Workplace Relations and Safety Minister, Brooke van Velden, says planned changes to clarify whether a worker is an employee or a contractor will be good for both workers and employees; a coalition of leading academics, health professionals and road safety experts have issued an open letter to the Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, urging them to reconsider plans to increase speed limits; and international flights are returning to Dunedin, with flights to the Gold Coast launching next June.

Disney's latest te reo Māori film, Encanto has reached 2nd at the box office in the first week. 

Encanto Reo Māori is the fifth Disney film producers Tweedie Waititi and Chelsea Winstanley have recreated in Māori

Coinciding with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Chelsea Winstanley says this week will show the level of commitment people have to te reo Māori

She says it's not only Māori rangatahi who are hungry for te reo speaking movies, but pākeha children as well

Māoriland productions will be releasing a te reo Māori dubbed version of Shrek next year. 

Chelsea Winstanley spoke to Charlotte Cook