PM Edition: Top 10 Business Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for April 12, 2026 – Full Text

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington’s new water entity is under scrutiny from the Commerce Commission over proposed water bills it released last month, and charges may not reach the steep amounts initially projected.

Commerce Commission Chair John Small said the entity and the five Wellington councils had started meeting, and is looking at a revised Water Services Strategy, which includes pricing.

Last month Tiaki Wai released a set of projected charges – including bills of up to $6800 per year in a decade for residents – as it tries to upgrade old, failing infrastructure.

Chair Will Peet warned of “very steep” price increases, with average increases of 14.7 percent this coming financial year, potentially increasing by 28 percent in 2027-2028, and more than doubling by 2036.

The Commission was called to step into discussions after the Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Wellington Mayor Andrew Little expressed concern over the charges.

Small said the commission was “looking closely” at Tiaki Wai’s model.

“We will be looking at that model ourselves to make sure they are not overcharging.

“I have not got sufficient information to say they are over-charging, and if I did we would do something about it.”

Small said there were “a lot of moving parts in the model”, and one way “the pain could be eased” was how quickly the entity reached financial viability, and climbed out of debt.

“This is about the recovery of costs over time and how quickly this company gets up into a position where essentially it can borrow its money on its own account.”

Tiaki Wai is taking over $9 billion of water assets from Greater Wellington, Porirua, Wellington, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt councils from 1 July.

It’s also taking on $1.7b in debt, and has a capital spending programme of $6.8b over ten years.

Peet previously warned operating revenue in the first year or $385 million would not be enough to take on the huge back-log of failing, non-compliant plants, and a network of old, leaking pipes.

Small said it was up to both the five councils and directors of the company to agree on the financial model for Tiaki Wai.

“Everybody wants it to be set up to succeed, nobody wants to have the leaks and the failures that have been there in the past.”

The commission is regulating water services under the Local Water Done Well model, including asking organisations to publicly report on how much money is being spent on water networks.

It may also have the power to put in performance requirements or regulate pricing – as they do with Watercare and with electricity and lines companies – but they need sign off from the minister to allow that.

Prices ‘unreasonable and unnecessary’ – mayors

Wellington’s mayor Andrew Little said he personally felt the initial indicative charges were “unreasonable and unnecessary”, but detailed work needed to happen to see whether they could come down.

“I can’t predict what they are going to do, or where their thinking is at, but they should note that there is concern.

“As a consequence of that concern and with the help of the minister the meeting with Commerce Commission was convened.

“They should read into that [that] there is genuine concern, and the first draft of their pricing strategy isn’t the best one, and that things need to be re-considered.”

When asked whether Tiaki Wai has asked councils for more money to operate, Little said the entity was reserving that as an option, and every council needed to be involved in examining Tiaki Wai’s timeframes and priorities.

Porirua mayor Anita Baker said Tiaki Wai could revise its programme of work as a potential way to bring down charges.

“It’s about prioritising what they do. Do we need another set of [storage] lakes right now? Or do we need to get other things that are non-compliant going, or do we get [water] meters quickly so that people save money.

“I think the long term figures that they’ve put out for people are horrendous and not achievable for anybody.”

Lower Hutt City Council Mayor Ken Laban said the indicative charges would be too expensive for some people, but affordable for others.

“The scale of the transfer, and the scale of this model is enormous.”

Laban said the councils were debating with Tiaki Wai over what timeframe to spread the “pain” of such high costs.

“The cost is the cost, the reality is water is getting more expensive and it has to be paid for – these are the very debates we are having.”

Upper Hutt Mayor Peri Zee said she thought the Wellington region needed specific government funding help to solve the issue.

“The problem isn’t the Water Services Strategy, the problem is the scale of work required to fix the scale of the infrastructure.

“If I was the government and I was intending to spend a few billion dollars of infrastructure in Wellington, it wouldn’t be on a tunnel.”

Greater Wellington Regional council chair Daran Ponter said he was pleased the Commerce Commission had leaned into the issue.

“We acknowledge that Tiaki Wai are in a difficult situation but they must find a better way to ease consumers into the cost increases that are coming.”

Local government minister Simon Watts said he understands the opening debt position for Tiaki Wai is significant.

“This represents the legacy of model that wasn’t working and which we are correcting with Local Water Done Well.

“The government has been very clear that under Local Water Done Well the Crown will not be providing financial assistance to local government for the delivery of water services. 

“The Commerce Commission is now working with Tiaki Wai’s board, management, and shareholding councils on financial models which will manage the impact on customers. This is the most appropriate way forward.”

‘Looking at options’ – Tiaki Wai

Tiaki Wai declined an interview with RNZ, saying board chair Will Peet was unavailable.

But Peet said in a recent community webinar that he was “hearing loud and clear from the community that these charges are unaffordable – and we are looking at options”.

“But overall it comes down to what we start off, but more importantly, the state of the asset and how much is going to be required to fix it and provide the people of Wellington with the safe, clean, reliable, water, wastewater, and stormwater that we all want.”

Peet also said in a statement the board was committed to working with the councils and the commission to get to a stable financial foundation, while managing the impact on customers.

He said Tiaki Wai’s task was to charge enough to deliver improvements on essential water services, but not charge more than necessary.

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

Source: Media Outreach

TURIN, ITALY – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 April 2026 – XEV today announced the European rollout of its new Customer-to-Manufacturer (C2M) ecosystem, a direct-order model designed to lower the cost of entering the electric vehicle market by separating vehicle ownership from battery service. Through the program, customers can purchase an XEV vehicle while leasing its battery capacity, reducing upfront costs and addressing two of the biggest barriers to EV adoption in Europe: high purchase prices and concerns over battery depreciation and residual value. XEV is currently in discussions with capable partners, and many well-known large enterprises are hoping to get an early foothold in the new energy industry. This move will allow them to quickly enter the new energy sector.”

The launch marks a major shift from the traditional dealership model, which relies on costly inventory and standardized vehicle stock. With XEV’s C2M approach, drivers can configure vehicles directly online, enabling personalized production while reducing the capital burden typically built into retail pricing.

“We are not just manufacturing cars. We are redefining vehicle ownership,” says the XEV leadership team. “Our goal is to make car production as flexible as smartphone manufacturing. We give users exactly what they need for city living without the financial weight of traditional ownership.”

Built for European cities, customized by users

XEV’s vehicles are designed specifically for dense urban environments. With a compact footprint of approximately 2.5 meters, the YOYO is built to navigate narrow streets and congested city centers while still offering a high degree of personalization.

Through XEV’s online platform, customers can configure their vehicles by selecting exterior colors, interior materials, wheel designs, and other features. These choices feed into XEV’s flexible production model, which supports mass customization rather than one-size-fits-all inventory.

3 Minutes to Full Power: Solving the Charging Crisis

Range anxiety remains a critical hurdle for European EVs. This is particularly true for drivers without private home charging infrastructure. XEV addresses this with its proprietary battery swapping network.

The XEV YOYO and the upcoming XEV XPRESSION are engineered with a modular battery system. Instead of waiting hours at a charging point, drivers pull into a dedicated station. They complete a fully automated battery replacement in approximately three minutes.

This “SWAPPING” technology does more than save time. It improves operational efficiency for commercial users and ensures the vehicle is immune to battery degradation. Since the driver does not own the battery, they never have to worry about the cell’s lifespan affecting the car’s resale value. This creates a “Zero Usage Anxiety” experience for the owner.

Commercial Application: Powering the Last-Mile Economy

The flexibility of the XEV platform extends well beyond personal commuting. It is designed to serve the booming last-mile economy. The platform supports last-mile delivery vehicles and shared mobility fleets.

XEV provides specialized enclosed cargo options for logistics companies. The vehicle can even be customized for small business applications, such as mobile coffee carts or retail trucks. For small business owners, the vehicle serves as a mobile asset that can be configured for specific trades, effectively lowering the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs.

XEV has already initiated pilot projects with major European logistics firms to prove the model’s viability for high-frequency urban commuting and commercial delivery. For car-sharing services, the high utilization rates and low maintenance needs of the YOYO make it an ideal asset for time-based rental fleets. The modular design further supports this eco-friendly lifecycle by facilitating easy repair and part upgrades. This extends the product lifespan and reduces waste compared to traditional vehicles that are often scrapped when a single major system fails.

A Strategic Supply Chain for a New Era

XEV achieves this level of flexibility through a strategic manufacturing model. The company adopts a capital-light approach that relies on deep collaboration with mature Asian automotive supply chains. This ensures rigorous quality control and cost efficiency without the bloating of traditional manufacturing.

Simultaneously, XEV is committed to European localization. The company is currently establishing assembly hubs and battery swapping networks across Europe to better serve local demand. This dual approach allows XEV to combine global manufacturing power with local market responsiveness. It ensures that while the technology is global, the support and infrastructure are local.

Availability

Sales and deliveries of the XEV YOYO have commenced in whole European markets, including major countries of Italy and Germany, Spain and France and Argentina of South America, Peru of Africa etc.. The company continues to expand its infrastructure to support the growing network of users who demand a smarter and cleaner way to move through their cities.

For more information on the YOYO and the battery-swapping network, visit https://www.xev-global.com/yoyo or explore the upcoming XPRESSION model at https://www.xev-global.com/xpression.

Hashtag: #XEV

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Source: Radio New Zealand

You wouldn’t eat a sprig of rosemary, a whole spring onion stalk, or raw garlic. Some produce best serves the palette as an ingredient – like fresh cranberries.

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“Asking someone to taste them is a little bit like saying ‘well, here’s a little piece of rhubarb’ or ‘here’s a crabapple’,” cranberry farmer Kate Buckley says.

“They’re an ingredient. You use them in things, so we make smoothies.”

Buckley is one half of Cranberries Westland, New Zealand’s only cranberry farm, near Hokitika on the West Coast. The farm neighbours native forest, and workers will often spot a kererū over the fence, or hear the screech of a weka.

Most birds (bar the pūkeko) stay away from the berry beds.

“They’re too sour for them,” husband and farmer Kevin MacGregor told Country Life.

He leads the farming side of the operation, managing the experimental grow beds, and conversing with farmers in the United States to learn more about the berry.

MacGregor farmed deer in the North Island before his second job as a fridge repairman landed him in a field of cranberries.

“We moved down here,” Kate said, “and Kevin came to fix somebody’s freezer.”

Kevin and the previous owners, Marj and Tony Allan, got talking, eventually buying the business off them in 2017.

Cranberries grow on bushy beds, low to the ground. A new bed will fruit within two years, but it takes five years for them to embed themselves in the soil enough to be harvested.

The area’s climate suits the berries well, and New Zealand lacks the pests and mould that wreak havoc on farms in the US.

But there are drawbacks – the key one being that they’re on their own.

“We don’t have colleagues to work things out with,” Kate said. “[Kevin] spends quite a bit of time working with cranberry growers in sort of British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon State, so that West Coast side … so he can take that learning, and apply it here.”

It’s been almost 10 years of non-stop learning for the couple – but there’s something about the berries they can’t get enough of.

The fresh fruits are crunchy and tart, which is why Kate turns them into smoothies, jellies and relishes. They work well on a cheeseboard, when cooked with a slab of venison, or popped into a glass of gin with some rosemary.

“Cranberries are a superfruit, and they taste great when you partner them up with other things.”

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

Source: New Zealand Government

Legislation which strengthens trespass laws to make them more effective and practical for businesses has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“This government is committed to fixing the basics in law and order, and building a future where all New Zealanders can feel safe in their communities. One basic function that needs fixing, is the ability for a business owner to trespass somebody and stop them from returning.

 “The Trespass Act is not working effectively in a modern-day urban retail environment. Retailers are rightly very concerned about offenders engaging in criminal behaviour such as theft, and then just returning with impunity to do it all over again.

“These laws have remained virtually unchanged since the 1980s, when its focus was the removal of people from places like farms and private dwellings. They do not work for areas where the public freely enters, such as malls, busy shops, dairies and supermarkets. This legislation changes that.”

The Bill amends the Trespass Act by:

Increasing the maximum trespass period from two years to three years.
Allow businesses, such as franchises, to trespass individuals from multiple locations.
Increase the maximum fine for anyone refusing to leave when asked, or returning when trespassed from $1,000 to $2,000.
Increase the maximum fine for anyone refusing to give their name and address when requested, or giving false information, from $500 to $1,000.

The Bill will also close a loophole where people can avoid being trespassed by threatening the occupier, or simply walking away before they can be informed.

Under the Bill, a person will be ‘deemed’ to know they have been trespassed in retail and hospitality spaces, when the occupier has clear evidence of an attempt being made.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Solar advocates, electricians and consumer campaigners are among those calling on the government to ditch its plans for an LNG import terminal and consider other options.

The Sustainable Energy Association and six other organisations, including the Green Building Council, Master Electricians, and Consumer NZ, have joined together to present an alternative proposal to deal with the country’s winter energy problem.

The new Smart Energy Alliance says that includes rapidly rolling out rooftop solar, moving domestic users off gas, and better managing the country’s hydro lakes.

The government announced in February it would proceed with plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility in Taranaki, with whole-of-life costs spread across all electricity users through a levy.

The proposal, widely criticised at the time, has attracted renewed opposition after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz prompted the price of fossil fuels – including LNG – to spike.

Gentailer chief executives were the latest to express doubts at the energy sector’s conference last week.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said in a statement last month that the LNG terminal was selected from a shortlist of five options that it considered “timely, feasible and of sufficient scale to meet dry year needs”.

It would also be beneficial to major industrial gas users, who had been forced to limit production or shut up shop altogether in recent years as domestic gas supply dwindled, the ministry said.

It said rooftop solar would support energy resilience in the longer term, but ruled it out as an immediate solution to the dry-year risk.

A Cabinet paper said distributed solar would not supply enough additional energy during winter, when the country was most likely to experience an energy shortage.

The options the ministry seriously considered – including more diesel and coal generation – were all capable of generating 1.5 terawatt hours of generation, no matter the weather, and could be deployed with a few years.

Smart Energy Alliance spokesperson Gareth Williams said the organisation did not accept the argument that solar was incapable of supporting the dry-year risk.

“It’s correct that solar isn’t the greatest resource in winter, but the modelling that we’ve done… shows that solar is really useful in terms of dry-year because it enables the [hydro] lakes to go into autumn and winter much fuller than they do currently,” he said.

“It was a very bold statement that it’s not relevant.”

What the country really needed was for politicians to agree on a cross-party energy strategy that properly weighed up all the options, Williams said.

“This constant change as to what we’re looking to do through every election cycle is just not going to lead to a good outcome.”

However, distributed rooftop solar was among the obvious solutions that should be rolled out straight away, he said.

Countries as diverse as Australia, Hungary and Pakistan have achieved massive uptake of rooftop solar and battery installations within a few years of rolling out government incentives.

A truly meaningful roll-out here would also need financial incentives.

“[Low-cost] financing by itself has some impact but the real acceleration comes when there’s some kind of rebate,” he said.

“Once it’s moving it has its own momentum and you don’t need [incentives] anymore.”

While solar capacity was built up, coal – which was already in the country – was capable of filling the gap that LNG would otherwise close.

“There is sufficient back-up from the Huntly power station using coal,” Williams said.

“Clearly we don’t want that to be the long-term solution… but as a temporary stop-gap for the next three or four years until those other projects can be accelerated, then we’re perfectly covered.”

Incentives could be particularly targeted at domestic gas users – which would have the additional benefit of saving limited gas supply for major industrial users who had limited alternatives, he said.

“The modelling we did looked for that 2TWh of additional generation, and we modelled it by reducing the amount of gas that was being used for electricity generation down to 45 percent of what it has been over the last three years.”

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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 speed limit on State Highway 3, just north of Hāwera, will be lowered to 60km/h from Thursday.

The reduction from 80km/h will be along a one kilometre stretch of road, from north of Kerry Lane to north of Fantham Street.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi says the reduction follows a speed limit review that considered community feedback alongside technical assessments, crash history and a cost benefit analysis.

NZTA director of regional relationships Linda Stewart said Hāwera’s northern growth over the past 20 years has transformed the area from rural to increasingly urban.

She said the change took into consideration planned expansion of the local industrial area and business park.

“This change reflects ongoing and future development along the corridor and aims to improve safety and accessibility,” she said.

“While the reduced speed limit will only add a few seconds to journeys, it will make a big difference to safety.”

She said the area where the speed limit was being reduced took into account that it was a a key transport route connecting residential, industrial, and commercial areas.

“It serves a wide range of vehicles, including heavy trucks transporting agricultural and industrial goods, commuter cars, public transport, and service vehicles. The road already supports large volumes of freight and local travel, and provides access to facilities like the South Taranaki Business Park and Hāwera Racecourse.”

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

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Public Service Association (PSA) says further job cuts at Te Puni Kōkiri the Ministry of Māori Development would gut the Crown’s ability to meet Te Tiriti obligations.

The PSA said staff had recently received a change proposal which would cut 45 roles and establish 18 to meet government spending reductions.

If it proceeds 27 roles will be cut, impacting the ministry’s people capability and culture, Māori capability, health and safety, information systems, and property and finance functions.

The loss of those roles would come on top of previous restructuring at the ministry.

PSA kaihautū Māori Jack McDonald said the cumulative job cuts would decimate Te Puni Kōkiri.

“These proposed cuts would mean the overall loss of more than 100 roles, about 21 percent of the workforce, further gutting the Crown’s ability to meet their Te Tiriti obligations and deliver improved outcomes for Māori.”

In a statement to RNZ, Te Puni Kōkiri said it was consulting with kaimahi on proposed organisational changes, and no final decisions had been made.

“We recognise that this is a challenging time for our people. Our priority is to ensure kaimahi are kept informed, supported, and have the opportunity to engage meaningfully in the consultation process.

“We are committed to a fair and transparent process and will carefully consider all feedback before any decisions are finalised. We will take the time to carefully consider all feedback before any decisions are made.”

McDonald said Te Puni Kōkiri led critically important work, including advising government on kaupapa Māori and Māori/Crown relations.

“This government has slashed Māori- and Te Tiriti-focused roles, teams and programmes, and the role of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in the public service has been undermined.

“These senseless cuts will mean the work of supporting ministers and senior leaders will fall on already stretched staff. This mahi is often unseen and unpaid and will increase the risks of burnout and increased stress for staff.

“Axing Māori capability roles that support Te Puni Kōkiri kaimahi strengthening their te reo Māori and tikanga Māori will hamper the organisation’s ability to engage effectively with te ao Māori, which is critical to the work of Te Puni Kōkiri.

“Te Puni Kōkiri has a proud tradition over decades in ensuring that public services deliver for Māori. It is very disappointing that its legacy is being undermined.”

The PSA said the final decision would be announced at the end of April.

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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 Social Investment Agency is examining how it handles conflicts of interest as part of a review into millions of dollars of contracts awarded.

RNZ earlier revealed the agency had commissioned an independent external review of its procurement practices for contracts over $100,000.

The announcement followed the resignation of the deputy chief executive Kylie Reiri in February while under investigation in relation to allegations of bullying and harassment.

It also followed the resignation of former SIA chief executive Andrew Coster who quit in December following a scathing Independent Police Conduct Authority report.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

The review was announced following an Official Information Act (OIA) request by RNZ about procurement practices at the agency.

In the OIA the SIA provided a table setting out all contracts with a value of over $100,000 that were initiated or maintained between January 2025 and March 2026.

The 13 contracts, which combined are worth nearly $7m, included work by Datacom, Potentia Wellington Limited, Chapman Tripp, Olympus Consulting Limited, First Stanza Limited, Deloitte Limited, Likemind Limited, Audit New Zealand and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Following further questions from RNZ, a SIA spokesperson said on Wednesday that internal procurement processes “including requirements for managing and declaring conflicts of interest, are being considered as part of the broader review of all contracts with a value exceeding $100,000”.

The SIA earlier said that 10 of the contracts related to work within the scope of the Deputy Chief Executive – Strategy and Performance and/or the Deputy Chief Executive – Technology, Transformation and Enabling Services roles.

“While this includes all contracts within those functional areas, not all of the contracts listed involved work commissioned or directed by the former Deputy Chief Executive.”

Lawyers acting for Reiri told RNZ on Friday she had no prior personal connection to providers that were contracted by SIA and therefore no conflicts to declare.

The lawyers earlier said that Reiri was not aware of any allegations relating to financial and procurement irregularities concerning herself or any other person.

“To the extent there are any allegations of this nature, these are false and denied.”

As part of the OIA RNZ also asked for a copy of all briefings, correspondence and reports in relation to investigations into Reiri.

“SIA has identified 63 documents within scope of your request. These documents relate to employment related processes and the internal consideration of allegations, including terms of reference, correspondence, and one email relating to alleged financial and procurement matters.

“The documents concern sensitive employment and internal matters and contain personal information. It is necessary for SIA to be able to manage employment issues and assess allegations effectively, including by enabling staff and other parties to communicate freely and candidly in the course of such processes.”

In an earlier OIA released to RNZ, the SIA confirmed there had been two employment investigations over the last 12 months.

“I am also able to confirm that there has been one investigation in response to four formal reports of bullying and harassment. In the interest of privacy, we cannot provide a breakdown as to what each allegation was concerning.”

RNZ understands the investigation, which is ongoing, relates to Reiri.

“As a responsible employer, SIA takes these matters seriously and all complaints are investigated and followed through to the end. We have robust policies and procedures to manage disclosure of any allegations including protected disclosures (speak safe) and bullying and harassment policies, which provide informal and formal options for staff to raise concerns of serious wrongdoing and bullying and harassment.”

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