AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for March 22, 2026 – Full Text

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former minister Sir Bill Birch is the first to say he copped criticism over the carless days of the late 1970s and early 80s.

They’re the days that drivers, with coloured stickers on their windscreens, chose to keep off the roads during another global oil crisis sparked by events in Iran.

Sir Bill, who was Energy Minister, said the scheme “wasn’t perfect” and “wasn’t very pleasant”.

“But it sort of allowed people to have some use of their vehicles but to do it on a basis of choice in which days they used their cars and which they couldn’t use their cars.”

And it was better than the other option on the Cabinet table, he said.

“Nobody in the Cabinet was very keen on rationing, some of them could go back to the war years when rationing was a bit of a nightmare,” he told RNZ.

“So we adopted the system of carless days.”

Sir Bill believed a lot of people still criticising the scheme today were doing so political reasons.

He does not regret it, he said.

“I mean, we pulled the rug as soon as we had confidence that supply had increased but I think, and I still believe, that it was a better mechanism than rationing.”

‘Ineffective and expensive’

Basil Sharp, an energy economist emeritus professor at Auckland University, remembers the system well but said it did not work.

“And so it just became a huge nuisance for people and it was very, I’d have to say, it was ineffective and it was costly because you’ve got to enforce these things.”

Sharp likens the response to what was seen during Covid.

“Did we get 100 percent compliance with Covid? Of course not. Some people don’t follow the rules and they’re going to try to find ways around the rules,” he said.

“So in the end… it just became ineffective and expensive and so I think rightly so, the government ditched it.”

Sharp said it was a different economy at the time.

“That was an economy based on regulations – interest rates, prices, the cost of electricity, you name it,” he said.

“And so the mindset at the time was ‘well, let’s regulate driving’.”

The regulation did little to lower fuel consumption, which is said to have dropped only about 3 percent.

There were other measures too like cutting the open road speed limit to 80 km/h, and restricting when service stations could sell fuel.

Alan Webb, from the Tauranga Mini Owners’ Club, said people quickly found ways to get around the coloured stickers.

“People started doing what was referred to as portable stickers, what they would do is put the carless day sticker on a thin piece of perspex and then they could transfer it from one car to another which meant then they could use any car any day of the week,” he told RNZ.

“It was never really closely inspected, so it wasn’t that successful.

“People were quite angry, quite annoyed about it and some of them just blatantly ignored it, that’s what they did, they blatantly ignored it.”

Drivers were also able to get exemptions from the scheme, and a black market for exemption stickers cropped up.

There were also forgeries, which all made enforcement a problem.

Households with two cars could simply choose different days to be carless.

Sir Bill Birch said 1979 was a very similar crisis to what was happening now, but current conditions were “a wee bit different”.

“Any government has got to go through the options that are available today, and it sort of hangs on supply and demand,” he said.

“It’s the government’s responsibility to manage that, there’s nobody else that can have the authority to work their way through a crisis of that nature.”

He said the current crisis would be front and centre of Cabinet.

“And they’ll have to work out how much storage they’ve got, what the shortage in supply is going to mean to price, how much increases in prices we’re going to see, how damaging that’s going to be to the inflation and cost of living,” he said.

“And all of those things are very complex that he government’s got to work their way through and consider the impact on the inflation index and cost of living.”

Sir Bill said the current crisis had made him think a lot of the past.

He said the government needed a longterm energy strategy to deal with times when supplies are pinched.

“And my advice to them is to do exactly what we did and that is to engage with people outside of the government who are going to be affected.”

Sir Bill said shortages affected industry, production and jobs.

“And so there’s a whole lot of people in the community that you need to really touch base with and talk to about how it’s going to affect them and what their views are on how it’s managed by the government, so it’s not just a simple decision by the government,” he said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is backing rural New Zealand by supporting 18 community-based initiatives through its Rural Wellbeing Fund, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey say.

“We established the fund mid-last year to boost wellbeing programmes that support the rural sector,” Mr McClay says.

“These initiatives will ensure farmers and growers have the support they need to thrive.”

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says the Government is committed to delivering faster access to mental health support, including for the one in five people who live in rural communities.

“We’ve focused on supporting proposals that can have the greatest impact on the ground, as well as new initiatives targeting gaps,” Mr Doocey says.

“Partnering with grassroots organisations enables the Government funding to go further and make a real difference.”

The Ministry for Primary Industries and Health New Zealand each allocated $2 million over four years for the fund through Budget 2025.

Note for editors:

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Petrol stations across the country are seeing a surge of drivers filling up as petrol prices rises amid fears of rapidly jumping prices and potential shortages.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis have been addressing the latest on the fuel crisis, warning that NZ is now preparing for a possible ‘prolonged’ Iran conflict.

“Hope is not a plan,” Luxon said.

It comes in the wake of a global rise in oil prices following the US-Israel war on Iran. Iran’s response has included the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key transportation channel for Middle Eastern energy exports.

Strikes overnight hit Iran’s part of the world’s largest gas field. Iran has vowed revenge, listing energy targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar as potential targets.

The Automobile Association here has warned further price hikes are likely.

There have been reports of service stations running out of fuel as motorists rush to fill up.

New Zealand has several weeks’ supply in storage or on the way, the government has said.

Luxon and Willis will be speaking to the media at Parliament from 1.30pm. Watch it live at the top of this page. RNZ will also be blogging the developments as they happen.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: New Zealand Government

Global economic volatility makes the Government’s programme of fiscal consolidation more important than ever, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

“Fitch Rating’s decision to place New Zealand’s AA+ long-term credit rating on negative outlook is a reminder of why fiscal discipline is so important. 

“Over the past two years, this Government has pursued a balanced fiscal strategy – lifting investment in frontline services like health, education, and law and order, while charting a credible path back to surplus. That has required hard decisions: $43 billion of savings across the last two Budgets, with further savings planned in Budget 2026.

“The Government remains committed to achieving its three fiscal goals – reducing spending as a proportion of GDP, returning the headline operating balance measure to surplus and bending the debt curve down. 

“Treasury’s preliminary economic forecasts — prepared before the latest volatility in the Middle East — showed New Zealand’s economic recovery gaining momentum, with growth of around 3 per cent by early 2027 and a corresponding improvement in revenue that would support a more positive fiscal outlook

“Those forecasts will now need to be revised. Energy market disruption adds real uncertainty, and that is precisely why careless spending is off the table.

“My focus remains on a balanced approach: investing in frontline services like health, education and law and order and keeping debt at prudent levels.

“Increasing borrowing, spending and debt, as some political parties have proposed, would damage New Zealand’s reputation for responsible fiscal management and lead to increased borrowing costs for all Kiwis.”

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Source: New Zealand Government

Significant new features will soon roll out on the Govt.nz app, Digitising Government and Public Service Minister Judith Collins says.

“The Govt.nz App will provide New Zealanders with easy access to government digital services such as communications and proof of digital identity,” Ms Collins says.

“By the end of this month, users will be able to see their digital wallet in the app. This will allow people to store and present accredited digital credentials issued by government or the private sector.

“At the same time, the Government Credential Issuance Platform will go live, allowing all government agencies to issue digital credentials directly into the wallet. This all-of-government solution will reduce duplication and ensure better value for money.

“Hospitality New Zealand is working with the Department of Internal Affairs to be the first accredited digital credential available in the wallet, pending changes to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.

“This digital credential could be used by customers to present their Kiwi Access Card on their phone at a bar or event entrance, so staff can confirm age eligibility quickly and securely without handling a physical card.

“By July 2026, secure messaging will also be available in the app, allowing New Zealanders to receive communications directly from government agencies on things like vehicle registration reminders or travel advisories.

“These new features will give New Zealanders more choice in how they access government services through an app that is robust, secure, and widely usable.

“Use of the Govt.nz app will be entirely voluntary, and existing channels will remain available.” 

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Buller’s mayor says it’s “devastating” Westport could lose its only air direct service.

Originair said the Wellington to Westport route is not commercially viable, asking central government to step in.

Buller District Council Mayor Chris Russell told Morning Report the service was a “lifeline connection” for isolated communities.

“The reality is that the route is just not economical which is quite devastating for us here in the Buller District.”

He said air travel could be the only way to evacuate if roads were cut off after a major earthquake or flooding.

“Losing the link, puts Buller and Northern Buller at risk of losing that connection in the event that something goes wrong, and we’ve got a business opportunities here too, particularly in Reefton, also mining in the Buller area too.”

Russell said it was a critical route, and in a major event coastal shipping is too slow, and an airport is vital.

“We’ll have to talk to government about that too, because keeping an airport open is not cheap either, and we are a small ratepayer base – so if we are not getting revenue to come in to help cover that, we have to ask the question of whether we go with it.”

Russell said the former mayor and staff had worked hard to bring Originair in after Sounds Air pulled out in 2024. He said he would be meeting with ministers late next week to discuss whether government support was possible.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager said in a statement that concessionary loans for regional airlines were available, but Originair had withdrawn its expression of interest for those loans.

He said the airline had expressed an interest in an alternate form of operational funding, which would require Cabinet to reconsider funding decisions.

Originair managing director Robert Inglis told Morning Report the route wasn’t economically viable, and concessionary loans for managing debt would not help in this case.

“They’re certainly not designed to support loss-making routes, and we’ve made that very clear to associate transport minister Meager, that we see absolutely no point in borrowing money to run a loss-making route.”

Inglis said it had been challenging operating the route with Buller district’s small population, and the company has had to reduce flights and increase fares.

He said the company had tried to operate a safe and reliable route for the past 15 months.

Recent fuel price shocks had not helped the airline’s challenges.

Meager said the government was keeping a watchful eye on the conflict through the newly established Ministerial Economic Security and Supply Chains Group.

“This provides strategic oversight and co-ordinated leadership to agencies to ensure a quick and effective response to any potential disruptions to petrol, diesel, and jet fuel supplies, as well as other key supply chains.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Taxpayers who have debt for the 2023 and 2024 tax years are being given another option to avoid paying penalties to Inland Revenue.

As part of an amendment to the Taxation Bill, a pilot programme is being launched that will allow people with tax debt to settle it via tax pooling, if they meet eligibility criteria.

They will have until 1 October this year to enter an arrangement with a tax pooling provider, and then must settle the debt by 1 October 2027.

Tax pooling allows people to smooth out their tax payments and borrow from those who have overpaid their tax as required.

Tax Traders co-founder Nicola Taylor said the programme would be a big help to people with tax debt.

“There’s $1.2 billion in income tax debt across the two tax periods that this amendment is focused on. Tax debt is not about not wanting to comply. It’s actually usually about cash flow and timing.”

Inland Revenue has been chasing overdue tax hard in recent years.

If people had a tax bill they should approach a tax pooling provider with their debt, Taylor said.

“What they won’t be hit with is the late payment penalties and the use of money interest that they would have been hit with otherwise.

“Let’s say a taxpayer has a $10,000 unpaid income tax bill… by the legislation and using Tax Traders, you’ll be able to save about $800 of late payment penalties and use of money interest that otherwise you’d be hit with. And you know, $800 is not nothing.

“And the core tax gets paid … I think IRD’s been really sensitive and empathetic here and also very innovative. So I think we should, you know, I think there’s much to applaud IRD for taking this approach.”

The amendment also removes a tax issue that affects infrastructure investment.

Thin capitalisation rules stop multinational companies from allocating an excessive proportion of their debt to to New Zealand to affect the tax they have to pay.

But they can interfere in situations where there is a large amount of debt associated with an infrastructure project and some interest deductions can be denied even when the debt level is not normally considered excessive.

The Corporate Taxpayers Group told the government this was sometimes stopping foreign investment in New Zealand projects.

The new rules provide an exemption from the thin capitalisation rules for investments in qualifying infrastructure assets to the extent they are funded by limited-recourse third-party debt.

Deloitte partner Robyn Walker said it was likely that transport infrastructure, water, energy and telecommunications might be included in the projects that could opt into the rules.

Corporate Taxpayers Group chair John Payne said it was pleasing to see the rules progressing.

“We regularly see that tax rules can be an impediment to investment in important infrastructure, and these amendments help clear a barrier and that is why the Corporate Taxpayers Group has been involved in consultation on these rules.”

Revenue Minister SImon Watts said the change removed a barrier to make it easier to access capital and talent.

“New Zealand’s thin capitalisation rules limit the amount of tax-deductible debt that foreign investors can put into New Zealand investments. These rules prevent income being shifted offshore and protect our tax base.

“However, there is a risk that these rules can unduly disincentivise investment, particularly in capital-intensive infrastructure projects that are typically funded by large amounts of debt.

“The government is making changes to ensure that rules strike a balance between protecting the tax base while not discouraging investment in infrastructure.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: New Zealand Government

A new dedicated child mental health service in Counties Manukau was officially opened today by Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey, marking an important step in ensuring our young people have faster access to support.

“Mental health is one of the biggest challenges facing our youth today. Every New Zealander deserves access to support, when and where they need it. By expanding the help available, we can ensure no one is left stuck on a waitlist,” Mr Doocey says. 

The new specialist child mental health team –Te Ooritetanga oo ngaa Ratonga moo ngaa Tamariki | The Equality of Services for all Children – will operate within the Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (ICAMHS) at Counties Manukau Mental Health and Addiction Services. It has been established to support young people up to intermediate school age, along with their families, who are experiencing, or are at risk of developing, moderate to severe mental health challenges.

“We know the massive difference that early intervention can make. By identifying needs early and providing the right support before issues escalate, we can give our young people the tools they need to live the lives they deserve,” Mr Doocey says. 

Counties Manukau is home to one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing populations. Of the estimated total population in 2021, more than 20 per cent were under 15 years old, that’s around 123,400 children and young people.

“I am pleased that this new dedicated team will strengthen our specialist services, help meet the needs of this rapidly growing community, and ensure young people get support at the top of the cliff, rather than waiting for the ambulance at the bottom.” 

The multi-disciplinary team will provide wraparound support and includes a senior medical officer, registered nurses, two clinical psychologists, two occupational therapists, and two social workers. Recruitment is underway for whānau workers. 

The service is funded through the Government’s $18.7 million investment to expand and enhance ICAMHS. 

“We have all seen the startling youth suicide statistics in New Zealand and, quite simply, this is not good enough. What keeps me awake at night is knowing that some young people aren’t getting the support they need. I do not want any young person to fall through the cracks.
 
“Nationally, we have seen our focused efforts pay off. The frontline Health NZ mental health workforce grown by over 11 per cent since we came into Government. We have also seen increases in key workforces such as the child and adolescent workforce which has grown by 19 per cent.

“This is part of the Government’s plan to deliver faster access to support, more frontline workers, and a better crisis response.” 
 

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Benefit rates are set to rise on 1 April, but there are concerns that they won’t be enough to keep up with the rapidly rising cost of living.

JobSeeker for a single person over 25 will increase from $361.32 to $372.55 a week after tax.

Sole parent support lifts from $505.80 to $521.52.

Supported living for a couple with children increases from $734.12 to $756.94.

NZ Super increases from $1076 for a single person living alone per fortnight to $1110.30.

Benefits are adjusted based on the consumer price index (CPI), which lifted 3.11 percent last year.

NZ Super and Veteran’s Pension rates are adjusted based on changes in net average wages and the CPI.

Isaac Gunson, spokesperson for Child Poverty Action Group, said the increase would only cover the inflation that happened last year.

“Not the specific inflation around food, electricity, other big ticket essential items that families can’t go without, and yet those have all been rising higher than average inflation.”

He said any additional support from the government to help with the current crisis would need to take into consideration the pressures households had already been feeling.

Cost of living pressure had been a problem for many households for years, he said, and things such as food were frequently rising faster in price than other goods.

“It’s a big problem to calculate benefit rates by the average inflation because so many critical essentials that families and especially children need to grow up and live long, healthy lives are the things that are inflating even faster.

“We have called for benefit rates to be tied to wage growth to even out the picture of what sort of support that people need. But even then, bearing in mind that in the last couple of years or so, even wage growth has been quite low.

“There’s a lot of work needed from the government to lift wage growth, to keep families in a position where they’re not having to make cuts at home. And then once wage growth is in a strong place, to be able to index benefit increases to that.”

He said many families’ savings had been eroded over recent years, so a lot of households did not have a buffer to fall back on.

Green Party spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March said benefit levels were not keeping up with the increasing cost of rent, petrol and many food items like vegetables or mince.

“Benefit indexation changes are automatic and do not make up for the fact families are already behind on essential costs.

“Every time there is a crisis people already experiencing poverty disproportionately pay the price … the government needs to protect people experiencing hardship from the current fuel and cost of living crisis by lifting core benefit levels in this budget.”

Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernna said it was the way the system was set up.

“There’s always going to be a lag – if inflation is running quite hot and it’s stuff that people can’t avoid buying it’s going to cause problems.”

A spokesperson for Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she acknowledged increasing pressure on household budgets and said government was exploring options to provide support to those most affected who had no way of avoiding increasing fuel costs, but did not have the power to mitigate all the consequences of a international conflict.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand