AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for March 24, 2026 – Full Text

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Citizens Advice Bureau says people are going to need significant support as fuel prices continue to rise, and is hopeful whatever relief the government is set to offer will include support for those not in paid work.

Cabinet has signed off on what support the government will offer, with details to be released later on Tuesday.

The Finance Minister has hinted it would be targeted towards low and middle income families.

“It must be targeted, it must be timely, and it must be temporary and not drive inflation or debt higher, because as we steer New Zealand through this immediate challenge, we must also continue to look to the future and bend the debt curve down,” Nicola Willis said on Monday.

The fact the Inland Revenue Department and Treasury had been tasked with going over the options, and a previous admission from the government it would use existing mechanisms, indicated it could be looking at changes to Working for Families.

The In-Work Tax Credit (IWTC) was paid out depending on someone’s income, the weeks they worked, and how many children they had.

In April, the government would raise the abatement threshold (the income level at which the credit would reduce) from $42,700 to $44,900.

There was also the Independent Earner Tax Credit (IETC) for people earning between $24,000 and $70,000.

The IETC was designed to help people on lower to middle incomes that were not eligible for Working for Families.

People earning between $24,000 and $66,000 received a tax credit of $10 per week. It decreased by 13 cents for every dollar someone earned over $66,000.

Asked on Monday whether the abatement thresholds would be temporarily changed, Willis said she would wait to comment until the details of the package were announced.

The Citizens Advice Bureau’s national policy advisor Louise May said there were already “high levels of stress” amongst the client base, and the latest hike in the cost of living could plunge people further into hardship.

“We’ve got a lot of clients coming in for help who are just unable to make ends meet. That includes clients with work and those without, and we are really concerned that those clients are going to be in even more dire financial and material hardship situations,” she said.

May hoped both people in work and people receiving income support who did not have paid work were offered relief, and also called for relief for support services such as food banks and emergency accommodation.

“Any measure to increase money coming into the pockets of people who are struggling should definitely be looked at. One thing we’re really concerned about is the fact that there hasn’t been mention of families who don’t have paid work,” she said.

“We think it’s really important that any relief package that’s introduced as a result of this latest crisis also includes families and people who don’t currently have paid employment. They are the ones who are going to be most affected.”

May said it was not just about what people were paying at the pump, but rent and food prices were also high, and people were struggling.

Infometrics chief executive and principal economist Brad Olsen said changes to the IWTC or IETC would be quick and effective.

He said the difficulty of using the tax system was it would not be as easy for households to see the money come into their back pockets compared to a helicopter payment such as the 2022 Cost of Living Payment, but it would mean the government could run it out quickly and then run it back quickly.

“It does seem like probably the best way to move things through is to use the tax system. Whether or not it’s enough, any little bit will help at the moment, given the sorts of pressures that some households are under. I guess the most workable thing using the tax system around the Independent Earner Tax Credit and the In Work Tax Credit is that they can be targeted to those on lower incomes already, and so you are getting the support there through to people who probably need it most.”

Olsen said the government would be trying to balance providing support and limiting the costs.

“There’s no extra money in the system, and to fund whatever package the government is coming out with either requires an increase in debt or something else in the government system to be cut back on,” he said.

“They want to provide as much support as possible, but keep the limitations tight so they’re not sort of spending a huge amount. And for some people, that does mean that they will feel that they’re not getting the support they might expect from government. But equally, the wider you go, the more money it costs, and therefore at some point, the more the country has to repay.”

Olsen said one of the risks of using tax system changes was they were sometimes “so fiendishly complex” that households may not know what they were entitled to, and sometimes neither did the government.

“They get too much or too little, and then you only find out after the fact that they actually either deserve more, or sometimes in the worst case, they have to start paying this money back, which would almost be the complete opposite of what the government wants to try and support at the moment.

“So you want to, from a government point of view, try and balance these changes, to make them as absolutely blunt and simple as possible, to get that money out the door, to support those who need it, but also have it go through enough of a workable system, which is a more complex tax system that we have to try and provide that sort of targeted focus.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins was reserving judgement on what the government would offer until he had seen the details, but said the “principle” was that it should be offered to all people on low and fixed incomes.

“Anyone on a fixed income or a low income is going to be suffering at the moment because of the high price of fuel. That includes superannuitants, it includes people living on benefits, it includes people caring for others and not currently earning an income, not just those who are on low incomes in the workforce.”

Hipkins would not, however, offer up what Labour would do differently if it was in power, saying it was up to the government to present a plan.

“At the moment, the onus has to be on the current government to lead the country through that,” Hipkins said.

The Green Party has proposed an urgent support package including free public transport, relief payments for low income and rural people to help meet additional transport costs, temporarily expanding eligibility for school buses and reversing cuts to school bus routes, reversing planned cuts to the Total Mobility Scheme, increasing mileage rates to care and support workers who receive well below standard IRD mileage, and a windfall profits tax.

Asked why the Greens could propose policies but Labour could not, Hipkins said minor parties could “promise a lot of things” during election campaigns.

“They get a lot more luxury to promise whatever they want, compared to the bigger parties,” Hipkins said.

In a post on social media on Monday night, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he had spoken with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong about what more they could do to deal with difficulties in fuel and other supply chains.

Luxon said about a third of New Zealand’s fuel was refined in Singapore and the two leaders agreed it was important to keep the trade of essential goods flowing between the two countries.

“We’re working hard to ensure New Zealand’s fuel needs are met amidst the conflict in the Middle East, which is causing disruption to supply and higher prices at the pump,” he said.

“When I visit Singapore in May, we will sign the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies, a deal that will help keep supply chains flowing for fuel, food and other products.

“Building on the great platform we’ve built with one another, we also talked about what further work our Governments can do together as we navigate through these supply chain challenges.”

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

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government will be hearing from officials later this week on possible steps towards “demand restraint”, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.

Petrol prices have increased by almost $1 per litre on average in the past month, according to price tracker Gaspy, and diesel even more, as global energy markets react to Iran’s military grip on the Strait of Hormuz following the war launched by the US and Israel.

Around 20 percent of the world’s supply usually transits through the strait.

The government is expected to unveil a support package later on Tuesday which it says will be highly targeted and temporary. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has regularly stated there have been no plans to restrict usage, with stockpiles remaining healthy and supplies still arriving as scheduled.

The latest data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed stocks for about 47 days of fuel, including about 50 days worth of petrol, 46 days of diesel, and 45 of jet fuel.

Jones, speaking to Morning Report on Tuesday morning, said New Zealand consumed 24 million litres a day – nearly half of which was diesel, a third petrol and the rest aviation fuel.

Towards the end of the week… we’re going to be briefed at a granular level by the officials who are in contact with different industry groups as to the steps we would take if we move towards demand restraint.

“I am focused more on enhancing advancing, broadening and simplifying access to greater levels of supply.”

Reports from importers such as Z Energy were coming in daily, he said.

“We have never once been told that they are unable to deliver, or contracts are being terminated. Naturally, we’re watching that with a pair of hawk eyes. The challenge remains… the access of the refineries owned by Exxon and other such global giants to enough feedstock so they can produce the fuel in suitable quantities.”

New Zealand no longer refines crude oil, with the Marsden Point facility shutting down a few years ago.

“The fuel import companies are operating exactly within their statutory envelopes. They are observing what they promised to bring to New Zealand.

“If we are to increase and store more diesel fuel in New Zealand, we need to increase the storage. And I keep saying, the reason we can’t do that at scale is because they closed down the refinery, and I don’t care if you get annoyed with me saying that. I want New Zealanders to bear that in mind. This is the consequence of closing down the refinery.”

Jones has falsely claimed the Labour government closed the refinery down, repeating that claim again on Morning Report. Refining NZ (now Channel Infrastructure), a private company, made the call to end refining at the Marsden Point site and transition to being an import-only hub. The government considered stepping in, but decided against it, with advice to ministers being that risks to fuel security were “very low”, because any event that cut off the supply of refined oil would likely cut off crude as well.

Jones said the government was working with Channel to “enhance” how much product could be stored at Marsden.

“That will give us additional diesel storage. However, I don’t want any Kiwi this morning to doubt whether there’s diesel in the country on its way. There certainly is.”

Speaking to Morning Report after Jones, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was a “private decision made by the fuel industry” that would not have hindered New Zealand’s fuel security.

“Marsden Point was refining crude oil that was imported from overseas, so the same supply constraints would be hitting us now whether MarsdenPoint was operating or not.”

He suggested it was ironic that coalition MPs were criticising Labour for having spent “too much money” during the Covid response, yet were now saying “we should have kept a refinery that was going out of business because it was obsolete technology and because it wasn’t economic”.

Asked whether the crisis had shifted his thinking on electrification and moving away from fossil fuels, Jones said it was a “fair point” to stay open-minded.

“There is a source of hydrogen energy in New Zealand. It’s called white hydrogen. It’s called natural occurring hydrogen. I met last week with the Auckland University who are doing extraordinary work in Wairarapa, and they believe they’ve tapped into a vein of infinite power of a hydrogen character, of all places in the hills and the valleys of the Wairarapa coast.

“So I think it’s a fair point that you’re making that we need to be open-minded. And then I say to Kiwis, OK, how do you imagine we’re going to pay for it? To do that, certain things, if we are to underwrite this electrification journey, will have to go by the way.

“And that’s why we have an election. No doubt people will be contesting all of those ideas.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Almost 150,000 families will receive an extra $50 a week for up to a year to help ease the pain from soaring petrol prices driven up by the war in the Middle East.

Speaking at a media conference at the Beehive on Tuesday, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the relief would come through a boost to the in-work tax credit – part of the Working for Families scheme.

That means only low-to-middle-income workers who have children are eligible. It excludes beneficiaries, superannuitants and those without children.

“The policy is carefully targeted to families in the squeezed middle – parents who are working hard for a living, are not eligible for main benefits, and yet have modest household incomes with which to support their children,” Willis said.

“We know these families will be hit particularly hard by the global fuel-price shock. We are delivering them timely relief.”

The temporary increase would last for as long as one year, or until the price of 91 octane petrol dropped below $3 a litre for four weeks in a row, Willis said.

About 143,000 households would start seeing the full benefit in their bank accounts from 7 April, if they were paid weekly, or 14 April, if they were paid fortnightly. A further 14,000 households would receive the support but at a lesser rate.

In the current tax year, the cut-off for receiving the tax credit was around $89,000 of annual household income for a family with one child, $112,000 for a family with two children and $135,000 for a family with three children.

The policy was estimated to cost $373 million if it ran for a full year, or less if it did not, Willis said.

Willis said that cost would come out of the government’s operating allowance for this year’s Budget, meaning it had already been factored into Treasury’s fiscal forecast.

“Funding the policy this way will not add to forecast debt or inflationary pressures. It is consistent with the government’s fiscal strategy which seeks to balance the books and bend the debt curve down.”

Willis said the government could not relieve price pressures for all businesses and families who were feeling price pressures. She said “large, untargeted government spending programmes” could make the situation worse by driving up inflation and debt.

“The government is conscious that a careless response to this crisis could have long-lasting and painful consequences. We saw this in the aftermath of Covid, where excessive spending more than doubled debt and sent inflation soaring and mortgage rates skyrocketing. Kiwis are still grappling with the effects of that today.”

More to come …

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

It will be 100 days of hiked up fuel prices at the pump even if the conflict in the Middle East was to end today, according to government officials.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins and finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds were briefed by officials from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the mega-ministry, MBIE, on Tuesday morning.

“They indicated to us they’re expecting, and the government is expecting this to go on for months … that the escalated price in fuel is going to go on for months,” Hipkins told media on his way to caucus.

The officials were asked to brief the Opposition and gave a number of 100 days when asked how long the pain at the pump would continue beyond the conflict ending.

Hipkins said there were a number of questions officials were unable to answer.

“They weren’t able to tell us anything about the changes in fuel specifications that they agreed to yesterday, they couldn’t tell us what that actually means in practice, they weren’t able to tell us how much storage there might be available, they weren’t able to tell us what might trigger an increase in the government’s alert level framework,” he said.

“We’re very much relying on publicly available information.”

Hipkins used that as his defence for not having an alternative plan for what Labour would do to help New Zealanders feeling the pinch, if it were in government.

He ruled out any wage subsidy support for employees but has indicated Labour would go further than the government in other support.

However, when pressed on what that means he was unwilling to give details.

The Prime Minister and Finance Minister Nicola Willis are due to announce a “temporary, timely, and targeted” support package at Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

Later this week Willis is expected to give an update on the national fuel plan and what the various alert levels would practically mean for New Zealanders.

*RNZ will be streaming the fuel support announcement from 12.30pm and blogging the updates as they happen.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government announced almost 150,000 families will receive an extra $50 a week to help ease the pain caused by soaring petrol prices, but who can expect to see that money show up in their account next month?

Speaking at a media conference on Tuesday, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the relief would come through a boost to the in-work tax credit – part of the Working for Families scheme.

People would start seeing the full benefit in their bank accounts from 7 April, if they were paid weekly, or 14 April, if they were paid fortnightly.

Who will get $50 a week?

Only low-to-middle-income workers who have children would be eligible for the payments, Willis said.

It excluded beneficiaries, superannuitants and those without children.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Willis said for beneficiaries, there would be usual increases on April 1 which “working families” did not automatically get.

“And I’d also note, working families face the obligation to get to and from work each day. Beneficiaries do not face that obligation,” Willis said.

“The policy is carefully targeted to families in the squeezed middle – parents who are working hard for a living, are not eligible for main benefits, and yet have modest household incomes with which to support their children,” Willis said.

“We know these families will be hit particularly hard by the global fuel-price shock. We are delivering them timely relief.”

In the current tax year, the cut-off for receiving the tax credit was around $89,000 of annual household income for a family with one child, $112,000 for a family with two children and $135,000 for a family with three children.

Willis said the government could not relieve price pressures for all businesses and families who were feeling price pressures. She said “large, untargeted government spending programmes” could make the situation worse by driving up inflation and debt.

She said while families that missed out would also have welcomed support, the government was “limited by the big increase in debt that occurred in the aftermath of Covid”.

“If it’s not you getting the support today, just know it might be your friend, it might be your family member, it might be the person serving you at the cafe today. Working families who cannot easily avoid higher fuel costs.”

How long will it continue?

The temporary increase would last for as long as one year, or until the price of 91 octane petrol dropped below $3 a litre for four weeks in a row, Willis said.

How do you get it?

Families who were already receiving the in-work tax credit (IWTC) payments, would not need to do anything to receive the money, the government said, with Inland Revenue automatically delivering the increase.

For people who didn’t receive the IWTC payments who thought they might be available, they needed to contact Inland Revenue.

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

Source: New Zealand Government

Around 1,500 new homes are set to be built as part of the new Te Awa Lakes development thanks to the Government approving the use of an Infrastructure Funding and Financing (IFF) Act Levy for this development, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop.

“To make New Zealand’s housing more affordable, our cities need to grow both up and out – we need bigger cities, and we need more houses. Te Awa Lakes is one of many developments that is making our growth agenda a reality,” Mr Bishop says.

“One factor holding back new housing is infrastructure. We’ve heard loud and clear from developers and councils that there are significant bottlenecks when it comes to the provision of enabling infrastructure, including local government authorities’ financing constraints.

“Councils are responsible for delivering infrastructure such as water and roading but have maximum levels of debt that they’re allowed to take on. These borrowing constraints can delay investment in infrastructure for new, otherwise commercially viable housing developments.

“Developers with viable housing projects should not be held back by this.

“The IFF Act was originally enacted to make it easier for developments to get off the ground through innovative approaches to funding infrastructure that bypass these constraints.

“The model works by establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for a project – separate from council’s balance sheets. The SPV then repays any finance raised by charging a levy to homeowners and landowners who benefit from the infrastructure.

“Essentially, the IFF Act model allows growth to pay for growth.

“The Government has approved an IFF Act levy for Te Awa Lakes, an approximately 2,500-property development northwest of Hamilton. The Levy will fund up to $50 million of water and roading infrastructure, supporting 1,500 of these new properties. The first homes are expected to be delivered as early as 2029.

“This is a fantastic outcome for Hamilton, one of New Zealand’s fastest growing cities.

“The Levy will be administered by Hamilton City Council and will be repaid over a 30-year period beginning 1 July 2027. The levy will be fully disclosed to potential buyers, allowing them to factor it in before making any decisions.

“To date, only two IFF Act Levies have been authorised, and neither were for new housing developments – falling well short of the intent and ambition of this legislation.

“While the Te Awa Lakes development is a good start, we know there are other viable, developer-led projects that are being held back by these constraints.

“That’s why in November 2025, the Coalition Government introduced the IFF Act Amendment Bill, which enhances the Act’s usability, removes unnecessary barriers to uptake, and broadens project eligibility.

“We are making the Act more viable and flexible so developers, councils, and other infrastructure providers can get on with building the infrastructure our growing communities need. We expect to pass this Bill into law before the election.

“In addition to the IFF Act Levy, Te Awa Lakes is also being supported by this Government’s Greenfield Model, which we established in Budget 2025. The Greenfield Model is administered by National Infrastructure Funding and Financing Limited and supports development by lowering financing costs during the project’s construction period – which will ultimately flow through to lower levies for future homeowners.

“This Government is committed to housing growth by freeing up land for development, improving infrastructure funding and financing, and incentivising growth. The IFF Act model is just one of several tools in our Going for Housing Growth toolkit to ensure that infrastructure is not an excuse to prevent growth.”

Notes to Editors

What this means for future buyers:

For people looking to buy in Te Awa Lakes, the levy means part of the cost of the enabling infrastructure is paid gradually over time rather than being built into the upfront purchase price. The levy is transparent and disclosed early and only applies to properties that benefit the most from the new infrastructure. This approach helps brings new housing options to the market at different price points sooner, while ensuring the development has the essential services it needs from day one.

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

Landlords and tenants will be better off with effective regulation of residential property managers and organisations under a new Government-backed framework, Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka says.

Under the proposed regime landlords and tenants will be able to check if a residential property manager and organisation is registered. There will be a clear pathway to raise complaints, so that property managers can be held accountable if something goes wrong.

“The changes are designed to improve consistency and accountability across the rental sector, while keeping compliance simple and practical.

“A well-functioning rental market depends on trust. Landlords need confidence their funds and assets are being managed properly, and tenants need to know they can rely on their residential property manager to act lawfully.”

The proposed regime will introduce a public register of residential property managers and organisations, alongside clear standards for financial management, conduct and training.

“I have heard concerns from across the sector about poor practices and mishandling of funds. These changes put in place the basic safeguards people expect, including stronger protections for client money and a clear way to raise complaints.”

The regime includes a dedicated Residential Property Managers Regulatory Authority and an independent Residential Property Managers Disciplinary Tribunal to support transparent, consistent handling of complaints.

The framework will:

• establish a registration system for residential property managers and organisations
• introduce minimum eligibility, training and experience requirements, that would be set out in secondary legislation
• set clear requirements for renewals, suspensions, expiries and cancellations of registration
• require all client funds to be held separately from business accounts, and
• create a formal complaints and disciplinary process

“Many in the sector support a light-touch model that lifts standards without overburdening the industry. This strikes that balance.”

Strengthening the performance of the rental sector is part of the Government’s wider focus on housing stability and economic growth.

“When the system works well, it delivers better outcomes for tenants, greater certainty for landlords, and a more stable housing market overall.”

Work is underway to progress these proposals into legislation, with further detail to be released in due course.

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Explainer – Regional airlines across New Zealand are warning key air links are under growing pressure, as rising fuel and operating costs force tough decisions.

Westport is the latest town at risk of losing its only air connection and industry leaders warn it might not be the last.

Here’s what’s happening.

What changes have regional airlines made?

Originair is poised to scrap its Westport to Wellington route, unless it gets more government support, leaving the town without flights.

Air Chathams has introduced a $20 fuel surcharge per ticket citing “recent events in the Middle East impacting global fuel markets”.

Golden Bay Air chief executive Richard Molloy said his airline had reduced the number of flights between Tākaka and Wellington in May.

The airline was also the first recipient of a loan from the government’s $30 million package supporting struggling regional routes.

Sounds Air cut two routes and sold six aircraft last year with managing director Andrew Crawford warning that might not be the end of cuts.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic he said small airlines had been grappling with “spiralling, absolutely out of control costs”.

“Airways, airports, fuel, parts, finance, everything. Since Covid it’s just been an absolute nightmare trying to keep the costs under control in regional aviation,” Crawford said.

“The pressure on these airlines is extreme. Regional aviation in this country has been decimated and there’s more to come, I would say, if things keeps going like this.”

How much extra pressure is coming from fuel price rises?

Barrier Air chief executive Grant Bacon said the conflict in the Middle East had prompted sharp price shocks for regional airlines – sometimes with very little notice.

“After receiving a 95 cents per litre increase [last week] we have now also received a 12 cent increase… so it just goes on and on. Funny enough, I’ve just received another notification email from BP stating potentially more price rises. I’m too scared to open it,” he said.

“The issue is we sell tickets months in advance and we price in fuel and we consider perhaps that the fuel may increase, it may decrease and it’s a game of averages. But when you’re talking a 60 percent move in one bound it is certainly difficult to cope with.”

Molloy said fuel price rises so far equated to about $15 extra per passenger on an average Wellington to Tākaka Golden Bay Air flight.

Airlines simply could not rely on customers to pay that, he said.

“There’s a subtle equation there with fares and demand. Obviously if you increase your fares then eventually you will start to lose potential bookings,” he said.

Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford said he expected fuel prices would eventually double.

“This is a big problem what’s going on here – big problem. And I don’t think we’ve quite got the brunt of it yet,” he said.

Why do regional links matter?

Bacon said regional airlines, like Barrier Air, not only carried passengers and leisure tours, they also carried “freight, medical supplies, doctors, passengers that are visiting Auckland in order to receive treatment such as ongoing chemotherapy”.

“These links are just vital to communities,” he said.

Ruatoki resident Lisa Rua said she had been flying from Whakatane to Auckland for treatment of a pelvic mesh injury.

She had taken the trip about six times in the past year and could not imagine what she would do without flights.

“Driving is definitely not an option and I haven’t got a family member who is able to do that for me either… It would definitely be very difficult for my recovery if I can’t catch a plane,” she said.

“It is our only in and out of the area unless we catch a bus, which if you’re not well is not really a good option.”

New Zealand Airports Association chief executive Billie Moore said there had been a trend towards larger aircraft in New Zealand, making it harder for regional routes to be commercially viable.

“That’s why you saw some time ago, for instance, Air New Zealand withdrawing their Beechcraft fleet. Some of those routes were then picked up by smaller regional airlines.

“That overall trend – most major airlines moving to larger aircraft – means that the role of these smaller operators around New Zealand becomes more and more critical. They’re the only ones flying the types of planes that are going to work for these kinds of routes,” she said.

“What you need is a system that allows those larger airlines to grow, to support whatever regional networks they can, but also allows smaller operators to continue operating efficient fleets that serve regional New Zealand.

“At the moment that is getting harder and harder.”

What government support is available for regional airlines?

The Regional Connectivity Fund provided $30 million in concessionary loans to allow some regional airlines to consolidate debt, refinance loans and invest in aircraft maintenance or upgrades.

Associate Minister of Transport James Meager said the fund, announced last August, was designed to “stabilise the regional sector” and give airlines more headroom.

Moore said it took a lot of work and commitment from senior ministers to get off the ground but it was not a perfect fix for the current pressures.

“While the loan funding will be extremely useful and valued by these airlines, as they look to try and restructure some of their operations, it’s not going to deal with the ongoing operational cost and making some of these routes more commercial,” she said.

“There may well be points where the economics of it all make it too hard for some of these routes to operate.”

Golden Bay Air said it was yet to receive lending it had secured.

“We’re still going through the quite considerable due diligence attached to that being approved. But look, it will be good timing for sure,” Molloy said.

Bacon said the Regional Connectivity Fund appeared to be “incredibly slow moving”.

“I wouldn’t want to rely on continuity of services based on that package at this time… And I wouldn’t want to get into debt to fund loss-making routes,” he said.

What more support do airlines want?

Bacon said the most effective support would be relief from government-imposed costs.

“Probably the most valuable thing that the government could do… is that we need to see some relief on levies such as airways charges and also CAA levies,” he said.

It might also be time for the government to consider ongoing subsidies to keep regional routes operating, Bacon said.

“Overseas that’s a very regular occurrence especially in North America, Canada, a lot of routes in Europe. We bought an airplane from France a couple of years ago from an operator and that airplane was 100 percent subsidised – and they were servicing an island probably not too dissimilar to one of our main routes, which is Great Barrier Island,” he said.

Moore said that also made sense to the New Zealand Airports Association.

“Intervention now shouldn’t be seen as a point of failure but we should recognise that we’ve had a lot of decades of success where we haven’t had to intervene with government funding.

“We’re at the point now where we should think carefully about how to make sure the system is resilient for the future,” she said.

“Most countries provide some kind of foundation of support for regional routes. And there’s a reason for that.”

However, Molloy said longer-term support should focus on reducing compliance and airport costs rather than directly subsidising routes.

“For us what the government has done is quite fitting over the longer term. From our perspective the route should be inherently viable and the government – by reducing sort of compliance costs, limiting landing fees – these kind of things are more appropriate measures rather than underwriting certain routes.”

What is the government planning?

Meager said the government was doing a lot of work to try to reduce cost pressures across the board.

Criticism the Regional Connectivity Fund was slow was probably fair, he said.

“With increasing pressure on prices with the conflict in Iran it’s timely that we’ve got that fund but it’s also timely that we look at what other things we can do to support regional connectivity,” he said.

While that was unlikely to include cuts to Civil Aviation Authority levies or airways charges, Meager said he had tasked the authority with a wider rules reform programme “to make sure that we aren’t putting any unnecessary regulation and costs on the aviation sector”.

“We’re looking at what the range of options are depending on how long this conflict goes.

“So in a similar way that ministers are looking at what are the triggers and scenarios for interventions on the fuel price, similarly for me in the aviation sector what are the triggers for intervention when routes are at risk particularly routes to vulnerable areas?

“We’ll be considering those options in the coming few days or weeks and making some decisions as things change.”

As the part-owner of some airports, the government was continuing to invest in capital upgrades and maintenance “to make sure that they are viable and continue to operate”, Meager said.

“I understand the arguments for more intervention. At the moment, where we are placed is that we prefer to make investments around infrastructure.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Both the previous government and the current one kicked the can down the road on making ‘sensible’ changes to road rules, but now the changes are back on the agenda

Every day, across the country, kids break the law by riding their bikes on the footpath.

Every now and again they might get a growling from a grumpy passerby, but for the most part, Kiwis recognise that it’s a safer alternative to a child riding where they’re technically supposed to – in a cycle path, or on the road.

“I think most parents who have got kids riding their bikes will probably be doing it on the footpath,” director of greater Auckland Matt Lowrie said.

But now, the government has proposed changes to road rules that would mean children 12 and under are free to ride where it’s safest – on the footpath.

In a press release, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the changes were aimed at “fixing the basics” for big and small forms of transport.

They come in two packages with the first including:

• Allowing e-scooters in cycle lanes
• Kids 12 and under being allowed to bike on the footpaths
• Mandatory passing gaps around cyclists and horses
• Drivers in 60 kilometres or under speed zones to allow buses to merge into traffic
• Better signage for berm parking

The second package relates to heavy vehicles.

This article is focused on the first package and what it means for drivers, riders and pedestrians.

These changes aren’t a new concept.

National announced similar rules in 2025 and the previous Labour government proposed changes to footpath rules in 2020.

Matt Lowrie, who is an avid cyclist, said these changes had been a long time coming.

“A lot of these are quite common sense changes and so the government are now getting back to it again and looking to get them approved.”

New Zealand director of road safety charity BRAKE, Caroline Perry, said the organisation welcomed the changes, but would like clearer guidance on some aspects.

“There are some small parts to it that we would like some clarification on in terms of things like children up to the age of 12 being able to cycle on footpaths. What about their parents or guardians?”

Currently e-scooters are allowed to ride on the footpath and the road, but it’s illegal to ride in the cycle lanes, but this would change under new rules.

“In legislation, only bikes can be on cycle lanes, whereas actually in terms of the speed that e-scooters are generally going, they actually match more appropriately the speeds that are on the cycle lanes, so that makes sense that e-scooters could use those lanes rather than footpaths,” Perry said.

The proposed change to this rule could help improve safety for e-scooter riders – especially important with e-scooter-related ACC claims on the rise.

Between 2022 and 2025, new ACC claims involving e-scooters increased by 55 percent across all age groups.

Young people under the age 25 made up close to half of ACC claims between the beginning of 2026 and early February.

Perry said more could be done to minimise riding risks.

“We need more investment in infrastructure, particularly for active modes.

“Part of making it safer to walk and cycle is to have more of those dedicated facilities for them such as bike lanes.”

Despite all the negative commentary that can come with e-scooters, Lowrie says the positives do outweigh the negatives.

“What e-scooters do is open up the first mile, last mile connection.

“E-scooters can really help with addressing those issues and making public transport – walking, cycling – more attractive and [allowing people to] get around our city easier, and often faster.”

These proposed road rules are currently open for consultation and close on the 25th of March.

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