AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for May 25, 2026 – Full Text

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is investing in rural productivity by supercharging efforts to tackle the spread of wilding pines, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says.

“Wilding pines threaten productive farmland, water supplies in sensitive catchments, and native biodiversity – and they significantly increase the impact of wildfires.”

“Budget 2026 invests an additional $79 million over the next three years, taking the total commitment to $109 million, so we can ramp up control work and get ahead of the spread. This is a smart investment in rural productivity and will back those working hard on-the-ground to contain wildings.”

More than two million hectares of New Zealand are affected by wilding infestations, with untreated areas expanding by an estimated five per cent a year.

The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme has received more than $175m in government funding over the past decade, alongside more than $38m contributed by partners and communities.

“This Budget 2026 increase in funding is about boosting that momentum and backing the long-term resilience of rural communities.”

“We’re supporting regional councils, iwi, farmers, researchers, and volunteers who are making a real difference across nine priority regions, including Canterbury, Otago, and Marlborough.”

About $30m of the funding over three years will be provided through the International Visitor Levy.

“Tourism is a key part of our plan to grow the economy and create jobs, lift wages, and help kiwis get ahead. This funding will help protect our unique natural environment from the spread of wilding pines.”

The programme is led by Biosecurity New Zealand and delivered in partnership with councils, landowners, iwi, industry, community groups, and other government agencies

In addition to the significant funding boost, MPI will begin developing a National Pest Management Plan for on-going control of wilding conifers.

“This will further strengthen national coordination of wildings management, ensuring efficient and effective control work and establishing nationally consistent rules to prevent their further spread,” Mr Hoggard says.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/24/government-boosts-funding-to-tackle-wilding-pines/

Source: New Zealand Government

Construction has begun on a major solar energy project on Stewart Island/Rakiura that will reduce the island’s reliance on diesel-generated electricity and cut power prices, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson say.

Mr Patterson was on the island today to turn the first sod on the Government-backed energy upgrade.

“The Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) provided a $15.35 million loan to Southland District Council to help strengthen the Island’s energy resilience and bring real cost relief to a remote community that doesn’t have the convenience of connection to the national grid,” Mr Jones says.

“The start of construction reflects strong community support and careful local planning. It responds directly to the challenges they have identified including high power costs, supply risk, and long-term resilience,” Mr Patterson says.

Stewart Island/Rakiura has about 494 permanent electricity connections and relies entirely on diesel generators for its electricity supply. Households and businesses currently face electricity prices more than twice as high as on the mainland.

The project is being delivered by the council through the Stewart Island Electricity Supply Authority, which owns and operates the island’s electricity system.

The project involves installing a solar farm and battery system, along with electricity network upgrades and smart meters. It is expected to cut power prices by up to 35 cents per kilowatt hour and reduce diesel use for power generation by up to 75 per cent.

The project is expected to be completed in early 2027. It will support around 40 fulltime-equivalent jobs during construction, with long-term benefits for tourism, aquaculture and other local industries as energy costs come down.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/22/stewart-island-rakiura-solar-project-underway/

Source: NZCTU

The Government’s announcement that it will increase housing costs for some of the poorest families in the country is a sign that the Budget is making all the wrong decisions, says Sandra Grey, President of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi.

“This change will take $380m straight from 84,000 of the most vulnerable households and give it to private landlords. It will make people in state housing even more insecure. It doesn’t build a single new state house. It doesn’t do anything to tackle the record levels of homelessness in many of our cities. It’s balancing the books on the shoulders of those who have the least to give.”

Grey says “By signalling this increase in accommodation supplement so far in advance, landlords will have ample time to raise rents for on tenants receiving that support. They know full well that those tenants have extra income coming. The crying shame is that the money is coming from social housing tenants who often don’t have the $1,612 a year that the average tenant will be expected to find. This is Reverse Robin Hood – taking from the poorest tenants and handing it to the wealthiest landlords.”

“Adding to that is the withdrawal of $200m from the pockets of the very poorest in the country through the loss of Temporary Additional Support. These are people who are truly destitute – you must prove that you have absolutely no income left in order to claim it. Where is the $200m coming from? Is the Government so broke from its unfunded tax cuts that it must take money from those with nothing to give?” says Grey.

“Cuts to public services. Cuts to benefits. This Budget does nothing to meet the needs of working people, nothing to help grow the economy, and nothing to help the thousands more people on Jobseeker Support than were forecast just two years ago. This change is a sign of whose side the Government is on. We don’t build security in New Zealand by making tenants more insecure. We don’t build security by taking away the tiny income support our poorest receive. This package doesn’t build a single new home. The Government’s Budget policies are simply building more poverty and more expenses for the future.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/reverse-robin-hood-rides-to-government-budget-rescue-again/

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Source: New Zealand Government

A major step forward for waste reduction was marked today with the official opening of a new construction and demolition (C&D) processing facility in Porirua, Environment Minister Nicola Grigg says.

“This is a significant milestone for the Wellington region, providing practical solutions to reduce waste to landfill, while supporting a more sustainable construction sector.”

The $5.3 million facility has been supported with $2 million from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund, as well as contributions from Porirua City Council, Hutt City Council, Kāpiti Coast District Council and Waste Co.

“This project is exactly the kind of initiative the Waste Minimisation Fund is designed to support and, importantly, will make a lasting difference for waste management across Porirua, Hutt City and the Kāpiti Coast. 

Ms Grigg says the Government is committed to supporting initiatives that reduce waste and improve how it’s managed.

“By investing in infrastructure like this, we are helping to divert tonnes of waste, reduce emissions associated with waste, and build a more efficient economy.”

“This project shows what can be achieved through collaboration between councils, industry, and central government. It’s a win for the environment, the local economy, and future generations.

“We’re fixing the basics and building the future by investing in environmental tools that help councils, communities, and industry to take action where it matters most,” Ms Grigg says.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/porirua-facility-opens-to-boost-recycling-and-reduce-construction-waste/

Source: Radio New Zealand

An overhaul of the public sector is a chance to modernise it and the associated job cuts were regrettable but a fact of life, thehe head of the Public Service Commission says.

The government has announced plans to slash public service jobs by about 14 percent over the next three years in a shake-up it says will deliver $2.4 billion of savings.

On Tuesday, the finance minister revealed plans to reduce the public service headcount to 55,000 full-time equivalent employees by 2029 – or around 1 percent of the population.

There are currently just over 63,000 full-time public servants, which is a slight decrease under this coalition government from the high of approximately 65,000 in the 2024/25 year.

Implementing the changes falls on the Public Service Commissioner, who has previously warned there significant risks to the sector’s current operating model.

Sir Brian Roche told Morning Report job losses were regrettable, but a fact of life.

He said the public service currently used outdated processes and there were improvements to be made.

Sir Brian said he would work with all the other chief executives to achieve the objectives set out by the government.

It would be done through measures such as attrition and the greater use of technology and AI, he said.

“It’s regrettable that this is going to occur but change does require to be made and it’s going to have an impact on human capital, that is a fact of life, we have to manage that really well.”

The government’s deadline of three years was enough time to achieve what was wanted, he said.

“The way I see it we have got very old outdated systems, we’ve got very old outdated processes and we’re not serving New Zealanders as well as we could and must and that’s the challenge and that’s the opportunity.”

Sir Brian said he would like a modernised system which enable workers to do better work, to achieve better productivity and better outcomes.

Government department chief executives have brought into the plan, he said.

“I think the fact we have a mandate is a genuine opportunity to move out of this constant cost-cutting, cost-cutting and actually modernise the systems, the processes and the leadership.”

At the end of this process there will be several key outcomes, he said.

“One, it’ll have integrated services to the public, at the moment we run in 42 different silos. Secondly, we’ll have a very strong system orientation not an institution orientation and the third one is we will be more efficient and more productive.

“Everything that I’m suggesting and everything that the government is asking of us is happening somewhere in public administration today, so this isn’t an experiment.”

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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/public-service-commissioner-says-job-cuts-regrettable-but-sector-needs-reform/

Source: NZCTU

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi welcomes yesterday’s advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) confirming that the right to strike is protected under International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise.

The ICJ is the highest court in the world, and its advisory opinion reconfirms that the right to strike is protected by international law. The Court confirmed that the right to strike is essential in enabling workers to exercise freedom of association.

NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges says the ruling matters for working people in Aotearoa.

“The right to strike is one of the most important tools workers have to stand up for fair pay, safe workplaces, and decent conditions. Yesterday’s decision puts that right beyond doubt in international law,” she says.

“This is a win for workers, but it’s also good news for governments and responsible employers. Clear, predictable rules make for stable workplaces and constructive bargaining.”

Ansell-Bridges says the ruling is a timely reminder of New Zealand’s international obligations, given the direction this Government has been taking.

“At a time when the Government is stripping back workers’ rights through the Employment Relations Amendment Act, the gutting of pay equity, and other measures, the world’s top court has just reminded everyone that the right to strike is fundamental – not optional, not negotiable, and not something governments can chip away at without consequence.

“New Zealand has been a proud member of the ILO since it was founded in 1919, but we remain one of a shrinking group of countries that has never ratified Convention 87. The New Zealand – European Union Free Trade Agreement obliges us to ratify Convention 87. The Government has used the recent legal challenge around whether Convention 87 covers the right to strike as an excuse for stalling on this. Yesterday’s ruling removes this excuse.

“The NZCTU is calling on all political parties to commit to ratifying Convention 87 within the next parliamentary term. It would bring New Zealand into line with 158 countries and send a clear signal that this country still takes workers’ rights seriously,” says Ansell-Bridges.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/22/new-zealand-workers-right-to-strike-backed-by-worlds-top-court/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Health economists say the government will need to spend an additional $1.405 billion on health in Budget 2026 if it is to maintain the country’s current level of service.

The number is in a new report, commissioned by public health campaigners Kaitiaki Hauora, titled How much funding is needed for Health in the 2026 Budget? by Dr Jacqueline Cumming and Dr Bill Rosenberg.

Cumming, an independent health economist, said it considered factors like rising labour market costs, population growth, and the fact the population is aging.

“This is how much money we actually need to deliver the same set of services as we did last year,” she said. “If we get less than $1.405 billion for Vote Health next week, then we’re going backwards.”

Last year, the increase was $1.37b, bringing total health spending in 2025/26 to $32.7b.

Rosenberg, a former Council of Trade Unions economist and now part of Kaitiaki Hauora, explained: “So this is the amount that would just keep the current health system running at its current state, which many people would say is running down. It is enough to meet costs and population pressures.”

As Budgets tend to cover four-year periods, two previous budgets have now promised another $1.37b increase this year to cover what the government describes as “funding for core demographic, volume and price pressures for frontline health services delivered by Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora to maintain current health policy settings”.

Last year was a “record investment in healthcare”, Health Minister Simeon Brown said at the time.

But this number falls short of what these economists say is needed to fully fund the current system – and Rosenberg said it would leave any new initiatives unfunded.

How do we compare to other countries?

New Zealand usually spends less than the OECD average on health, aside from one year during the Covid pandemic, where our spending peaked later than the rest.

According to Rosenberg and Cumming’s report, Vote Health – that is, the portion of the Budget going towards health spending – was currently $1.1 billion below average.

But between 2010 and 2017, that gap was as wide as $3.2 billion per year on average (in 2025 dollars).

University of Auckland health policy professor Tim Tenbensel said when compared to other high-income countries, New Zealand used to rank quite well, up until about 2009.

“And then as the 2010s progressed, we fell behind, and we fell further and further and further behind over the course of that decade.”

There had been some significant increases in Budget 2022, Tenbensel said, “but now early indications are that the gap is opening up again”.

The UK was a useful comparator. They, too, began to drop off in the 2010s, but New Zealand more steeply. In contrast, Australia’s health spend as a proportion of GDP had increased during the 2010s.

“You see the effect of that in workers choosing to go to Australia for better salaries, for example.”

Where should we spend it?

Currently, wages made up about two-thirds of the operational cost of health.

Health economics professor Paula Lorgelly said the best bang for buck would come from investing in primary care – “putting things much further upstream to avoid any kind of downstream costs”.

GenPro, the association for general practice owners, has already called for an increase in investment in primary care from the current six percent of total health funding up to 14, in-line with international WHO/OECD benchmarks.

Cumming agreed. She said with hospitals under a huge amount of strain, “the tendency is to put the money into there, but where we really need it is in primary care and prevention services so that we actually try to keep people well, out of hospital”.

Te Whatu Ora was currently spending just 1.76 percent ($510m) of its overall budget on “population health”, Cumming said – that included things like cancer screening, vaccinations, pandemic prepardness and health initiatives involving tobacco, alcohol, food, and physical activity.

“We would like to see it move up to five percent,” she said.

In Australia, that made up about 4.8 percent – with the caveat that it was often hard to know exactly what services other countries were counting in their estimates.

Evidence pointed to “very high cost-benefit ratios of spending on population health”, Cumming said. “You get back what you put in.”

Hauora Māori service spending also needed to go up, according to the report.

Current spending was 2.68 percent of the total Vote Health – or $773m – and the authors say that needs to increase to five percent to address current inequities.

How long would it take to see a difference?

Tenbensel said increases in funding could take up to 15 years to start showing effects in health outcomes.

Cumming explained increasing vaccination rates would have almost an immediate effect, but investment in tobacco, smoking, cardiovascular disease and diet would take a lot longer.

Cancer screening programmes would take somewhere in the middle, she said. “It’s not going to happen immediately, but it’s even more reason why we need to do it, because every year we leave it is another year that our population health is not doing great.”

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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/projected-health-funding-falls-short-to-maintain-status-quo/

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