PM Edition: Top 10 Business Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for May 23, 2026 – Full Text

Source: New Zealand Government

Small businesses will get practical support to strengthen performance and seize growth opportunities, with a new Government-backed training initiative announced today at the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce conference.

“In my engagement with businesses across the country, I’ve heard the need for support to manage disruption, strengthen resilience, and plan with confidence,” says Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing Cameron Brewer.

“That is why today I am announcing a new package of fully funded business resilience training for small and medium enterprises.”

The funding will support businesses to improve preparedness, strengthen continuity planning, and reduce vulnerability to disruption.

“We are committed to fixing the basics and building the future, and that’s why it is important we ensure small businesses have support they need to grow, compete, and succeed,” says Mr Brewer

“Delivered through the Regional Business Partner Network (RBPN), this training will include online webinars and in-person workshops across the country, providing practical tools without the cost barrier,” says Mr Brewer.

This work complements the existing support available through the RBPN. 

“The initial focus will be on practical tools to manage change and strengthen business continuity planning, giving businesses skills they can apply straight away,” says Mr Brewer.

“Rolling out nationwide from now until August, the programme will upload online content on business.govt.nz so businesses can access support on demand, which will be available for free for eligible small and medium enterprises,”

“In Business Continuity and Resilience Awareness Week, and in a more uncertain and volatile world, being prepared for disruption is no longer optional – it is part of building long-term business success.”

Notes to editors: 

The initiative will be delivered through the Regional Business Partner Network (RBPN). For more information, businesses can contact their local Regional Business Partner or visit: Find your local Regional Business Partner – Business.govt.nz. 
Training will be delivered as a series of workshops and webinars between May and August and content will also be available on business.govt.nz.
Business Continuity & Resilience Awareness Week (BCAW+R) is the BCI’s annual campaign equipping professionals and organisations with practical tools to raise internal awareness and strengthen organisational resilience. More information can be found here: Business Continuity & Resilience Awareness Week (BCAW+R) 2026 | BCI. 

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/22/package-to-support-small-businesses-announced/

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 May 2026 – Yeebo (International Holdings) Limited (“Yeebo”; Stock Code: 00259.HK, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Suanova Technology Limited (“Suanova”), has officially established a presence at Hong Kong Cyberport (“Cyberport”) and launched its domestic Token-as-a-Service (“TaaS”) business. This milestone marks a significant strategic step in the Group’s accelerated expansion into the fast-growing AI computing services sector.

Powered by Cyberport to Build a New AI Computing Services Hub

Leveraging Cyberport’s robust technological infrastructure and vibrant innovative ecosystem, Suanova is well-positioned to fully capitalize on Hong Kong’s role as a strategic gateway and the unique advantages of the Greater Bay Area, accelerating the rapid growth of its TaaS business. As Hong Kong’s digital technology hub and AI accelerator, Cyberport is home to a thriving community of over 2,300 companies, encompassing a diverse range of technology enterprises and industrial resources. It enables Suanova to connect seamlessly across the AI value chain and engage with a wide base of potential clients, creating a highly competitive platform for scalable business growth while further expanding its reach in the AI computing services market.

One-Stop TaaS Platform Accelerates AI Commercialization

Powered by its proprietary domestic heterogeneous computing infrastructure, Suanova has built a unified, high-efficiency API service system that delivers cost-effective, locally optimized large model solutions for enterprises. Through flexible and scalable service capabilities, Suanova empowers enterprises to rapidly develop AI applications and intelligent agents, accelerating commercialization and deployment. Its cube-router.com platform transforms AI computing resources into on-demand, ready-to-use services, ushering in a new era of “TaaS”. This significantly lowers barriers to AI adoption while enabling digital and intelligent transformation at scale.

“We are pleased to see Suanova successfully establish its presence at Hong Kong Cyberport. Backed by Cyberport’s solid resource foundation, supportive government policies and resources, and extensive corporate network, Suanova is well equipped to drive strong growth. Looking ahead, we will leverage Cyberport’s infrastructure and ecosystem to accelerate commercialization and scale our business, strengthening our footprint in the Asia-Pacific computing services market,” said Mr. Chen Da-liang, CEO of Suanova.

Sharing Industry Insights at Cyberport Forum

Today, Suanova was invited to participate in Cyberport’s “Insight Exchange”「洞察交流」forum, joining the panel discussion titled “The Future of AI Chips: Why Hardware Diversity Fuels Innovation”「AI 晶片新未來：多元硬件赋能無限創新」. During the session, Mr. Gu Meng, Senior Vice President of Suanova, shared key insights and practical experience on how AI chip hardware empowers industrial innovation and engaged in discussions on emerging AI trends with industry peers. This participation further enhanced Suanova’s market visibility while strengthening collaboration with Cyberport and ecosystem partners.

Shanghai Cube Drives Computing Efficiency and Expands Industry Applications

Suanova continues to advance high-performance computing infrastructure through its flagship product, Shanghai Cube – a fully domestic, high-density computing system engineered from the ground up. By decoupling the design and manufacturing within its integrated hardware-software architecture, Shanghai Cube consolidates innovations from leading domestic technology providers into a unified, scalable platform. It features comprehensive integration and optimization of key hardware and software components, including domestic high-performance GPU chips, network switching chips, liquid cooling systems, operating systems, and orchestration platforms, delivering a best-in-class, plug-and-play solution. Notably, Shanghai Cube features a high-density architecture capable of supporting up to 128 GPU modules within a single standard cabinet, significantly surpassing the typical domestic configuration of 32 GPUs. This makes it ideally suited to space-constrained environments such as Hong Kong. With utilization rates consistently exceeding 90%, it delivers outstanding operational efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Shanghai Cube exemplifies Suanova’s end-to-end capabilities through its “Super Integration” model, offering a one-stop enterprise solution spanning cloud and compute services, private deployments, as well as AI model and application development. Beyond AI infrastructure, Shanghai Cube is expanding into broader industries, including healthcare and banking and finance services, with solutions already rolling out. Building on this momentum, Suanova considers leveraging Shanghai Cube’s platform and ecosystem strengths to drive the next phase of TaaS growth.

“Looking ahead, we are scaling decisively in AI computing to unlock the full potential of Suanova’s integrated technology and platform capabilities. As AI adoption accelerates, computing power is emerging as the key driver of the next industrial transformation. We are not just participating – we are leading. By strengthening our ecosystem, sharpening our competitive edge, and deepening strategic partnerships, we are well-positioned to seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity – establishing Yeebo and Suanova as leaders in next-generation domestic AI computing services while helping shape the future of the global digital economy,” said Mr. Fang Yan Tak, Douglas, Chairman of Yeebo.

Hashtag: #Yeebo

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

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

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 May 2026 – At the International Hydrogen Development Symposium 2026 today (May 18), nine pioneering companies from Korea, the Chinese Mainland, France, and Hong Kong – including Hyundai Motor Group – signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on hydrogen ecosystem building, marking a major step toward advancing the city’s green economy.

This multi-party signing was officiated by Deputy Minister for Territorial and Urban Policy at Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea, Mr Jeong Eui-kyung; the Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong; the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Poon Kwok-ying; and the Director-General of Investment Promotion of Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Ms Alpha Lau.

Spearheaded by Hyundai Motor Group, the MOU establishes a collaborative framework to build a comprehensive, self-sustaining hydrogen ecosystem in Hong Kong, targeted to be fully operational by the end of 2030. The collaboration will prioritise the development of waste-to-hydrogen technologies to convert landfill gas into clean energy, along with an immediate focus on piloting a liquefied hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. To enable full value chain integration, it also targets the deployment of customised hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicles, including tour and airport shuttle buses.

Through facilitating public-private partnerships and inter-governmental collaboration, InvestHK is supporting Hyundai Motor Group and its partners to implement go-to-market strategies aligned with the shared vision for hydrogen ecosystem building.

This partnership will also position Hong Kong as a strategic base for Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen business expansion across the Asia-Pacific region.

Miss Wong said, “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in developing tangible, on-the-ground hydrogen applications to accelerate the green transition towards carbon neutrality. By combining Korea’s world-class technological capabilities with Hong Kong’s strategic urban context, Hong Kong could serve as an exceptional international demonstration platform for showcasing green and low-carbon technologies. If these cutting-edge innovations could be applied and scaled up successfully here, it will serve as a positive model and provide highly viable options for reference by modern cities worldwide.”

Ms Lau said, “Today’s multi-party signing is both a landmark moment for Hong Kong’s green economy and a clear signal that the city’s hydrogen ecosystem is gaining real traction. Over the past three years, InvestHK has helped leading hydrogen enterprises establish themselves in Hong Kong, several of which have since listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising over $2.5 billion in total. For businesses with global green ambitions, Hong Kong is where business growth takes shape.”

Executive Vice President and Head of Energy & Hydrogen Policy Sub-Division at Hyundai Motor Group, Mr Seung Kyu-shin, said, “This MOU was signed as Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to advancing Hong Kong’s proactive hydrogen policies and driving the acceleration of its hydrogen ecosystem utilising the Group’s hydrogen business capability and experience. Starting with Hong Kong, we look forward to expanding our collaboration and business opportunities across the broader Asia-Pacific hydrogen market.”

Partners entering into this MOU include Hyundai Motor Company and Hyundai Engineering & Construction from Hyundai Motor Group, China Inspection Co Ltd, Chun Wo Bus Services Limited, Chun Wo Construction & Engineering Company Limited, Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Equipment Co Ltd, JEA ENG, Templewater Limited, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, and Veolia Hong Kong Holding Limited.

This multi-party, long-term collaboration is set to establish a robust, end-to-end hydrogen industry chain – spanning production, storage, transportation, refuelling and utilisation.

New energy is vital to Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 and the national dual-carbon goals. As set out in the Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address, Hong Kong will establish public hydrogen filling facilities on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon, press ahead with more hydrogen trial projects, and develop the GBA Hydrogen Corridor in collaboration with Guangdong Province. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is actively advancing hydrogen development through technological innovation, talent cultivation, ecosystem building, and regional co-ordination. To date, over 30 hydrogen trial projects have been greenlit, paving the way not only for decarbonisation targets, but also for unlocking new quality productive forces for green economic growth.

Hashtag: #InvestHK

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

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

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 May 2026 – Phancy Group Co., Ltd. (“Phancy” or “The Company”, stock code: 6682.HK), a leading general artificial intelligence company, today announced its unaudited consolidated results for the first quarter ended 31 March 2026.

During the period, Phancy achieved revenue of approximately RMB1.458 billion, representing a 35.4% year-on-year increase. Gross profit margin remained at 35.1%. Phancy leveraged its deep expertise in full-stack AI cloud services, to capitalize on the accelerating adoption of localized computing power and strong enterprise demand for AI solutions. The Company achieved robust growth in its core businesses, accelerated product innovation, and secured several major partnerships, sustaining strong operational momentum.

2026 First Quarter Business Highlights:

Unified Enterprise AI Platform Drives Explosive Core Business Growth

Global computing resources remain constrained, while demand for both private enterprise AI deployments and API-based model calls continues to grow rapidly. Phancy’s enterprise-grade AI platform is built on a unified core architecture that seamlessly supports both API calling scenarios and dedicated private deployments. This significantly boosts AI application efficiency and resource utilization. Supported by a mature computing power supply chain developed over many years, Phancy’s deployable computing power resources have increased by over 200%. This enables the Company to effectively meet surging Token demand and consistently deliver stable, high-quality AI services to its customers.

In the first quarter of 2026, API Token call volume surged nearly 6 times compared to the same period in 2025, and already accounted for nearly 40% of the full-year 2025 total. Meanwhile, the Agentic AI business expanded rapidly, with deepening commercial adoption. Orders on hand grew nearly 100% compared to the end of 2025, emerging as a major growth driver for the Company.

AI Technology Iteration Accelerates, Commercialization Beats Expectations

Building on its continued push into digital employee applications and AI empowerment across business units, Phancy has significantly shortened the product development cycle from R&D to commercialization, enhancing overall operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

As of mid-May 2026, ModelHub XC has completed adaptation and optimization for over 70,000 AI models on domestic chips, achieving more than 70% of its full-year target – well ahead of schedule.

In May, Phancy launched PhanthyMovie, a professional-grade AI video generation platform designed to enhance creativity, control, and stability in video production, enabling standardized and large-scale content creation for the industry.

Leveraging its advanced technology and proven execution capabilities, PhanthyMovie achieved rapid commercial traction. Just days after launch, the Company entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Huanxi Media, covering approximately US$200 million in AI Token usage. The two parties will also collaborate on the development of a next-generation AI-powered film and television content production platform, further strengthening Phancy’s position in the AI-driven cultural and creative sector.

Core Products Align Closely with Policy Trends, Strengthening Compute-Model Integration

Since May 2026, China’s AI sector has seen a series of positive policy developments focused on computing infrastructure, data element circulation, and open-source compliance governance. Phancy’s core products, including HAMi vGPU and ModelHub XC, are well-aligned with national policy directions and mainstream industry trends.

In terms of computing resource allocation, policies emphasize cross-regional collaboration and broader access to computing power. Phancy’s HAMi vGPU offers unified scheduling and fine-grained resource partitioning, effectively improving utilization rates, optimizing data center energy efficiency, and supporting unified management across multiple chips to boost single-card efficiency.

In data and model governance, the government continues to promote high-quality dataset development and compliance management. ModelHub XC supports multi-model adaptation and optimization, incorporates data traceability and security certification features to help enterprises reduce compliance risks, and uses the EngineX engine for batch adaptation of domestic chips and models. This significantly improves compatibility while enhancing Token output efficiency through targeted model tuning.

Through deep integration of its computing and model layers, Phancy has built a comprehensive “Compute–Model” integrated solution. This addresses key industry needs such as efficient computing utilization, secure data supply, enterprise compliance, and domestic substitution, while strengthening its technological moat. The Company is well positioned to capture policy dividends and industry opportunities, supporting enterprises in their digital and intelligent transformation.

Hashtag: #PhancyGroup

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

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

MIL OSI

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

The move-on orders legislation has passed its first reading, following a heated debate at Parliament.

Around 80 people were sat in the public gallery to watch the debate, following a call to action from the Green Party.

Even though the legislation has passed its hurdle, a long debate on when the select committee has to report back on the bill has to be extended into next week.

The Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill would give police the power to issue move-on orders to people who are displaying disorderly, disruptive, threatening, or intimidating behaviour.

They will also apply to people who are obstructing or impeding someone entering a business, breaching the peace, begging, rough sleeping, or displaying behaviour indicating an attempt to inhabit a public place.

After being issued with such an order, the person has to leave a specified order for up to 24 hours, and what the officer deems to be a “reasonable distance” away.

People as young as 14 would be subject to the orders.

The legislation has been heavily criticised by opposition parties, homelessness organisations, and the Police Association.

Speaking at the first reading on Thursday, justice minister Paul Goldsmith said the bill was not criminalising homelessness, but would simply give police the power to issue move-on orders.

Only people who refused to follow the orders would face prosecution, and people lawfully protesting or conducting charitable or not-for-profit fundraising would be exempt.

Goldsmith said there had been “unprecedented” levels of disruption in city centres with businesses, residents, and visitors playing the price.

“Our focus is ensuring that we reclaim those streets and those town centres for the enjoyment of people who live there, who work there, who visit there,” he said.

He said many “disruptive, distressing, and potentially harmful” acts could occur before police had any means of intervention, and that was what the legislation sought to change.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find anybody who lives, works, or visits our city centres that hasn’t witnessed disorderly behaviour.”

Goldsmith insisted there were “many tools” to help people in need, including access to the welfare system, additional Housing First homes, more funding for frontline services, and expanded wraparound support.

“It’s often said, ‘oh well, what about your empathy for those who are in genuine need?’ And I’d just say this, my empathy lies particularly with those New Zealanders who have put their life savings into a small business, who get up every day to do their business, to provide for their family, for their community, and for their customers,” he said.

“And they find a number of people lined up outside their businesses abusing those who come and go, and make it difficult for them to succeed, and to live, and to provide for their families. That’s where my empathy lies.”

‘Would you like them to go sleep in a bush?’ – Opposition parties slam bill

Labour’s deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni said the bill was “purely ideological” and insisted it did criminalise homelessness.

“You stand up in this House and say you’re not criminalising, despite the fact if they don’t move on they can be fined or they can be sentenced.”

Sepuloni said it was “crazy” that the government would talk about disorderly behaviour when two of the categories that would trigger a move-on order were homelessness and begging.

“It’s not nice, and it’s hard when you have to explain it to your kids, but it’s even worse for the people that are actually living as homeless people, because they have nowhere to lay down with a roof over their heads at night time.”

Green MP Tamatha Paul said the government was misleading the public by saying it was not criminalising homelessness.

“If they comply and go home, they’re not going to be charged. The minister realises they don’t have a home, right? Where exactly are they supposed to move on? Should they go to your house?”

Paul was particularly aggrieved that the orders applied to people as young as 14.

“Where exactly are these kids meant to go? Would you like them to go sleep in a bush? Would you like them to go sleep under a bridge? They have nowhere to go, they have no parents, they have no responsible adults, and now they will be caught up in the justice system for the rest of their life.”

Paul, who had organised to get people into the public gallery, said those watching on worked on the frontline, and urged the government to listen to them.

Both Paul and Labour MP Willie Jackson mentioned that Goldsmith had advocated for a similar policy as an Auckland City councillor.

Jackson said Goldsmith had now “got his wish” almost 20 years later.

“Congratulations Minister Goldsmith, well done, what a political achievement,” Jackson remarked sarcastically.

“Hold on to anger towards the poor long enough … and you too can be a National cabinet minister.”

Bill gets coalition backing

National’s coalition partners ACT and New Zealand First voted in favour of the bill.

ACT MP Simon Court said there had been “political gaslighting” around the bill, and all it did was equip police to deal with public disorder.

“You are denying the lived reality of young people who I’ve worked with, in the central city, in K Road and other business, who told me they were afraid to come to work until it was light because of the intimidation and fear they felt from people who they could identify as being regularly occupying places in public spaces,” he said.

“The Greens and Labour are denying the reality of people who choose to live in urban centres, with all the enormous investments and infrastructure like City Rail Link in Auckland, we want people to come and live.”

New Zealand First’s Casey Costello, said as minister for seniors she wanted older people to be able to feel safe and part of the cities they lived in.

“It is returning our streets to the communities that own them, not allowing us to be intimidated and to be frightened, to just be in our own cities.”

MPs debate report back timeframe

Goldsmith wanted the Justice Committee to report back on the bill by 3 September.

“The reason for this slightly faster turnaround of three and a half months, rather than the usual period, is because this government wants to get on with this legislation, and have it enforced quickly, and because we believe three and a half months does provide plenty of time for full consideration of the issues,” he said.

It prompted a filibuster attempt from the opposition.

Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan argued it should be moved to 22 September – two days before the House is expected to rise before the election.

Xu-Nan said the bill had a Section 7 report by the Attorney-General, which had found removing rough sleepers and beggars did not appear to be justified.

The Green MP said this deserved further scrutiny, and also noted the government could have introduced it sooner, given it received a Regulatory Impact Statement in November.

“If they introduced something like this earlier in the year, they could in fact allow for a full six month select committee, without having to have a truncated process. Instead the bill has decided to introduce bills of a lesser significance, despite knowing something like this would have an impact and undermine our Bill of Rights.”

Labour agreed the report back timeframe was too short, with Justice Committee member Duncan Webb tabling his own amendment to stop the committee from meeting while the House was sitting.

Because Parliament had to rise at 6pm, the debate on the report back date was interrupted.

It means, despite the bill passing its first reading, the debate on exactly when it will next appear before the House will resume next Tuesday.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/move-on-orders-bill-passes-first-reading-following-heated-debate/

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s economy was recovering before conflict broke out in Iran, Infometrics says, although it was relying too heavily on growth in the public sector.

But it now faces disruptions for the next two years.

The economics consultancy has released its latest update on regional economies.

Provisional estimates from the Infometrics Quarterly Economic Monitor suggest economic activity rose 0.7 percent in the March quarter, and 0.4 percent over the year.

“The March 2026 quarter showed further widespread economic recovery, with 12 out of 16 regional economies expanding,” said Infometrics principal economist Nick Brunsdon.

“We were seeing further improvements in GDP around much of the country, but we were still seeing pretty weak employment.

“South Island employment growth continues broadly unabated, in contrast to the top of the country where Waikato was the only North Island region that didn’t face employment declines this quarter.

“We’re still seeing jobs being lost, particularly in construction … things weren’t perfect before the Iran war, and with the implication of higher oil prices and how that flows through everything, we’re expecting that to push recovery further out.”

He said activity was centred on a group of “high-growth regions” that grew at a rate of more than 1 percent in the quarter. That included Bay of Plenty, Waikato and much of the South Island.

“Strong primary sector returns are certainly helping, though recovery has become relatively broad based, with more industries expanding.”

He said primary sector activity was upbeat, which helped provincial economies.

“Prices for dairy, meat and horticultural exports have eased back a touch, but remain elevated. Milk solid production has lifted 4 percent per year, boosting GDP in the regions. However, farmers are also about to bear the brunt of higher costs for fuel, fertiliser, and plastics stemming from the Iran war.

“The challenge is that just because farm returns are up, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to employ more people on the farm, and so we are still seeing employment recovery lagging the broader economic recovery.

“I think the other interesting angle is that when we look at the industries that are driving growth, number one, two, and three are all sort of public sector, population-based industries, health, education, public administration, and that’s great if those things are growing, and that means that you can get better service at your local hospital, but that’s not really the underlying economy. That is us serving our own local needs, it is still taking a while for the private sector to really kick off. You can’t expect your public sector to continually drive your economic growth.”

The impact of the Iran conflict started to be felt towards the end of the period.

Brunsdon said broader business and household confidence was dented as fuel costs rose and expectations for an economic recovery have been pushed out, once again.

Marketview card spending data showed a 0.3 percent lift in retail spending in the March 2026 quarter compared to a year earlier. Early signals suggested that higher prices for fuel were being paid for by reducing overall fuel use, and with reductions in spending on apparel and hospitality.

“Softness in construction and manufacturing continue to hold the economy back, with continued higher input costs like energy, restrained demand, and work ongoing to determine what the new normal looks like for these industries,” Brunsdon said. “These two industries have an outsized impact on the economy, being the second and third largest industries for employment.”

He said the big question for the economy would be how long the disruption lasted.

“If we take what’s happened so far with the Iran war and the oil price shock that’s come through, we expect that oil price shock will have reverberations for two years or more, because it takes time for it to flow through to products that use oil an transport, bringing goods to supermarkets, and then it keeps echoing through as it knocks up the prices of other things and then dampens demand for those things as well.”

He said, at a national level proposed public sector job cuts were not enough to change the direction of the ecconomy but it would be different for Wellington.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/iran-war-could-affect-nz-economy-for-two-years-infometrics/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The opposition says the government’s social housing shake-up is “cruel” and will lead to more evictions of public housing tenants who will be “driven deeper into poverty”.

But the finance minister has defended the move, saying it’s about fixing an unfairness where those in social housing have “won the lottery” compared to others doing it tough who do not have access.

The government has announced a major shake-up of social housing beginning in this year’s Budget – which will boost weekly support for 110,000 families by almost $15 but leave another 80,000 families worse off by $30 a week.

The change will be paired with more stringent criteria for getting a social house – and possibly new tenancy duration limits and regular check-ins.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the government was “cruel and mean” to hike rents during a cost-of-living crisis.

“Make no bones about it. This is a government that does not care about people on low incomes … the people who benefit from an increase in the accommodation supplement are private sector landlords.”

He refused to say if Labour would reverse it until after next week’s Budget, but said those losing out would include 34,000 people with children, 30,000 pensioners, and 27,000 people with disabilities.

“If Winston Peters wants to boot out pensioners from social housing, he should say so. I’m astounded that Winston Peters, who claims to be a champion for super annuitants, is now basically condoning a hike in rent for the lowest income pensioners,” he said.

Many of those people would be unable to change their circumstances, he said.

“Increasing their rents by another 5 percent relative to their income is a massive blow to them. They already can’t make their ends meet … this is going to be an absolute body blow to people who already can’t keep their head above water.”

He said the answer was to build more public housing.

“We built about 18,000 new houses during the time we were in government, some of those finished after the election … by contrast, this government’s selling them off.”

Labour’s housing spokesperson, Kieran McAnulty, said it was nothing more than a plan to remove support from struggling New Zealanders to save money.

“Christopher Luxon and Chris Bishop are trying to dress up rent hikes and benefit cuts as ‘independence’,” he said, “you do not help families into independence by making them poorer”.

The Greens’ housing spokesperson Tamatha Paul said the reform “cuts costs” at the expense of “our most vulnerable”.

“The reason that people are in Kāinga Ora housing is because they can’t afford the private rental market, so it’s a stupid argument to make,” she said.

She said increasing rents by 20 percent on top of unaffordable food costs, power bills and medical bills was “simply cruel”.

“It’s totally out of touch with reality, and out of touch with the fact that there are thousands of people on the public housing wait list who can’t access a private flat, who need a Kāinga Ora flat, and that’s the only option for them.”

She said she had asked Bishop in recent weeks if he was considering adjusting accommodation supplements or the Income-Related Rent Subsidy.

“He said no – and look what they’ve done.”

Green social development spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March said the government wanted to make social housing tenants and those in poverty “pay the price for their austerity”.

“If the government is concerned about the high cost of accommodation for people in private housing, they need to build more public housing.

“They need to maybe not strip support from the accommodation supplement from those very same people. This is a government that is taking away from our poorest at a time of a cost-of-living crisis, and then turns their back on them and blames them for the very same crisis that they manufactured.”

The party warned the government’s changes would lead to more public housing tenants evicted and driven deeper into poverty.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis argued the changes were not about cutting costs, but reducing unfairness.

“If you’re in a state home and you compare how much income you have with someone in a private rental who’s got exactly the same income as you, you’re $110 a week better off,” she said.

“These changes are about making the system fairer. At the moment, people in social housing effectively have won the lotto, they get so much more support than a family with just as lower income in a private rental. That’s not fair, and our changes are about fixing it.”

She did not think social housing tenants would necessarily feel like lotto winners, but said it was unfair on the families who did not have access to social housing.

“Most social housing tenants, after the changes the government’s putting forward, will still be better off than households with similar income levels and private rentals, and in fact, 110,000 families in private rentals will be better off as a result of the budget.”

She pushed back on the suggestions the money would just go into landlords’ pockets, and said it was a different situation to when she had attacked an increase in student allowances for that reason when in opposition.

“That was quite different, because what happened there was that you had students in one fell swoop get a significant increase in income at a time in the rental market when there were simply not enough houses.

“[Social housing tenants’] income each week will be … on average $15 higher a week as a result of the government’s changes. That will not be a prompt for landlords to increase their rents, because actually what our government is doing at the same time is we are working very hard to increase the supply of housing in this country, including by fast tracking housing developments.”

She said social housing was needed in New Zealand for supporting vulnerable people, but “actually, we need it focused on those who are most vulnerable”.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/labour-and-greens-say-social-housing-shake-up-will-see-public-housing-tenants-evicted/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland Night Markets has confirmed a change of ownership.

In a social media post on Monday, Auckland Night Markets said founders Victoria Yao and Paul De Jonge, operators of the markets for 16 years, would hand over the business to an experienced event management team.

Questions emerged on social media about whether this meant the business had been sold or whether another entity was now handling the administrative aspects of the operation.

Yao told RNZ on Tuesday that she had sold the business to Oliver Crawshay.

Crawshay has previously worked with Auckland Night Markets as a supplier of power equipment, with Yao describing him as someone she trusted to take the business into its next phase.

“We’re getting old,” Yao said. “We’re all over 60. We want to pass it on to somebody we can trust.”

Yao said the founders had been careful in the selection process of choosing who would take over the business.

“Oliver and his team have more knowledge around safety because they have been involved in large-scale events,” Yao said.

“We believe they will be more organised and the business will be better managed.”

Auckland Night Markets first opened in Pakūranga in 2010, now operating seven nights a week across different locations in Auckland and Hamilton.

Market organisers have faced some criticism in recent years.

A stabbing at Pakūranga Night Market last year prompted concern among ethnic communities about safety at public gatherings.

Several media outlets have also highlighted claims by vendors of unjustified increases in stall fees, on-the-spot cash collections and unwritten agreements.

One individual also posted a video on TikTok that included allegations of aggressive treatment by organisers.

Yao denied the allegations at the time.

Asked whether the past difficulties were a factor in the recent sale of the business, Yao denied that was the case.

“I don’t care about those complaints,” she said.

“That’s why we’re here, and all the stallholders don’t care because they know what we’re doing for them. That’s why they stay.”

Crawshay said he had officially taken over the business this week.

Yao would remain involved during the transition period, working closely with the new team to help ensure operations continued smoothly, he said.

However, she would no longer be involved in the business once the transition was complete.

Crawshay said he was focused on the transition, but people could expect some changes to Auckland Night Markets in future, including plans to open more markets in Auckland and elsewhere in New Zealand.

“We’re looking to roll it out across the country,” he said.

Crawshay said vendors could also expect changes in the way the markets were managed.

“We are going to have an online vendor management platform with structured pricing for vendors going forward,” he said. “That’s something we’re implementing at the moment.

“We’re writing a very basic agreement for vendors, so they can have some clarity on that.”

Kenny Goto, owner of Karaage House Suruga, a Japanese fried chicken stall at Auckland Night Markets, said he was surprised upon learning of the change of ownership two weeks ago.

Goto has been trading at Auckland Night Markets for about a year, noting he has built a good relationship with Yao.

The change, he said, meant he would now need to establish a relationship with the new owner.

He said the market had helped him build a regular customer base since starting his food stall business.

He now operates five days a week across different locations, but said he had recently seen foot traffic decline due to the economic downturn.

“At some market locations, I can clearly see fewer people coming in,” he said. “My sales are sometimes up and down, even when the market looks busy.”

Goto said Auckland’s night market scene had become increasingly competitive, with the food truck business growing rapidly, while customers were spending less because of cost-of-living pressures.

He hoped the new owner could do more to bring foot traffic back.

B & J Kitchen, a Chinese takeaway vendor, has been trading at Auckland Night Markets since 2014.

Pan Li, one of the owners, said the night market was a good platform for small businesses to get started at a lower cost.

“Night markets are suitable for starting a business because the investment is relatively small,” she said.

“Compared with investing in a physical store, the night market is a relatively low-risk option.”

Li said she was sad to see Yao leave, as she had been trading at the night markets for more than a decade.

However, she hoped the new owner could bring more diverse food options to the markets.

Crawshay was optimistic about the future of Auckland Night Markets despite the weak economic environment.

“It’s proved to be recession-proof,” he said. “We’ve been through years of recession, and the markets are still strong.

“We’re still going through hard times in New Zealand at the moment. People can’t afford to go out to restaurants to eat, so this is an affordable night out for a family.”

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/auckland-night-markets-changes-ownership-after-16-years/