Midday Report Essentials for 26 August 2026

Welcome to Midday Report essentials with Guyon Espiner. Top ministry officials are found in contempt of Parliament after the Privileges Committee ruled they deliberately misled MPs about a bungled multi-million dollar IT project. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch had the details. Meridian Energy posts a $130m profit and is now promising to keep energy price increases below the rate of inflation for the coming year - Guyon was joined by CEO Mike Roan. Finally, we spoke to New Zealand country music legend Suzanne Prentice who performed with Dolly Parton and reflects on the life of the singer, who has died at the age of 80.