AM Edition: Here are the top 10 politics articles on LiveNews.co.nz for October 31, 2026 – Full Text
1. Amnesty International – Cambodia: Politically connected security companies enabled slavery and rape in scamming compounds
October 30, 2026
Source: Amnesty International
29 October 2026
- Five private security companies identified where guards committed or facilitated abuses
- Members of political elite, military and police linked to security companies at multiple scam compounds
- Accountability lacking despite government crackdown
Cambodian private security companies connected to the country’s military, police and powerful business networks have helped sustain a scamming industry built on trafficking, forced labour, torture and slavery, Amnesty International said in a new report published today.
Official Business: Security companies and authorities at scamming compounds in Cambodia (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2026/10/cambodia-scam-security-firms/) identifies five private security companies that provided services at scamming compounds – and details their links to members of Cambodia’s military, police and business elites. Amnesty also identified multiple members of the military and police who worked as security guards, trained or supervised guards at more than 20 compounds.
“For years, survivors of these nightmarish compounds described encountering members of the Cambodian military or police inside. These accounts could not be independently verified – until now,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“This report demonstrates Cambodian corporate actors’ direct involvement in scamming compounds. Our findings also begin to expose the long-suspected links between Cambodia’s billion-dollar criminal scamming networks and politically connected figures who have remained largely beyond scrutiny.
“At the heart of these connections are security companies whose guards controlled compound exits, hunted down people who escaped and enforced compliance through fear and violence. Without them, this system of mass exploitation could not have functioned.”
Guards central to confinement and abuse
Building on its previous investigations that exposed slavery, human trafficking, rape, forced labour and torture inside Cambodia’s scamming compounds (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/06/cambodia-government-allows-slavery-torture-flourish-inside-scamming-compounds/), and documented the failures of the government’s subsequent crackdown (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/06/cambodia-evidence-suggests-scamming-compounds-bypassed-despite-high-profile-crackdown/), Amnesty’s latest investigation examines the security infrastructure that allowed the compounds to confine and control trafficked people and forced them to scam people globally.
Between January 2023 and September 2026, Amnesty International interviewed 151 scamming compound survivors and reviewed records concerning more than 400 additional victims. Researchers identified 86 compounds, visiting 82 of them, and found security guards at every compound.
In this latest report, Amnesty identifies the private business companies responsible for guarding the compounds and abusing the victims. We also geolocated videos from more than 200 security guards’ TikTok accounts to 23 compounds across Cambodia until August 2026. The new evidence collected by Amnesty links more than 20 members of the military and police to the private security companies that guard scamming compounds and to at least 22 of the 86 compounds.
Amnesty’s report also connects various prominent business and political figures to these security companies – including a former bank CEO, a property developer and the son of a former deputy prime minister.
Survivors consistently described guards as responsible for preventing escape, while many reported guards beating people who attempted to flee. Survivors also described guards administering electric shocks and beatings, detaining people in “dark rooms” and standing guard while compound managers raped women.
At the compound Park 8, also known as PV01, “Maia”, a woman from Cameroon, said guards restrained her on arrival and later took her to a dark room where managers raped her while guards stood outside. “Gabe”, a Ugandan survivor at the same compound, described being chained above basins of water, beaten for hours and shocked with an electric baton.
Most of the 151 survivors interviewed said guards carried or had immediate access to electric shock batons. Several reported seeing guards or other people carrying firearms.
“When guards escort trafficked people to punishment rooms or stand watch during rape and torture, they are enabling these abuses – and so too are the supposedly legitimate corporate actors who employ them,” Agnès Callamard said.
“Investigations must assess and follow responsibility from the lowest ranks all the way upwards to the companies, including the managers and owners who recruited, deployed and controlled security guards at scamming compounds.”
Five companies linked to at least 23 compounds
Amnesty International identified five private companies that guarded compounds where serious human rights abuses were documented. Three had links to Cambodian authorities.
Leap Somnang had the largest footprint of the companies identified and was linked to at least 15 compounds across eight provinces. Twelve survivors identified the company’s guards, uniforms or logo. All said its guards stopped them leaving compounds under threat of violence, while several described guards participating in beatings, electric shocks and keeping the victims in prolonged isolation.
Security Response, a company with close links to the Panda Bank and Huione corporate network, was linked to five compounds, including Park 8 (PV01).
ZD Security, formerly BIC Security, was linked to two compounds in Botum Sakor, including Long Bay (BS04), where survivors described torture and other ill-treatment, forced labour, unlawful confinement and violence against people trying to leave.
Dara Security was linked to two compounds in Sihanoukville, while Best Security was linked to a Bavet compound where Amnesty documented human trafficking, forced labour and child labour.
Amnesty’s report finds that at least three high-ranking military and police officers had links to compounds, strongly indicating involvement with the industry:
The company Leap Somnang is controlled by Ban Sophat , who publicly served as its chairman while also being a Colonel in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
Amnesty’s analysis showed phone numbers for Deputy Police Chief Lay Channy listed on an advertisement for Best Security. Channy was involved in the crackdown in Bavet, where Best Security guarded a compound.
Brigadier General Tek Bunthoeun has a direct, and potentially controlling, interest in the property development comprising the BM02 compound, where Amnesty documented torture, confinement and forced labour.
Amnesty also identified multiple prominent figures with apparent business connections to compounds, without making any finding as to their personal responsibility for the abuses documented in the report. Amnesty International wrote to each corporate actor and individual identified in this report, and the full responses received are included in the report.
Links to military and police demand investigation
Amnesty International analysed official uniforms, insignia, identification numbers, public records and social-media timelines to help pinpoint precisely where and when military and police personnel were present at compounds.
In three compounds, apparent active military personnel were seen training, leading or supervising guards. In other cases, Amnesty identified apparent state personnel carrying firearms or occupying guard positions.
“The evidence suggests military and police involvement in a number of scamming compounds that helps explain how abuses at these sites persisted despite years of public reporting and repeated law-enforcement operations,” Agnès Callamard said.
Closure without accountability
Following a government crackdown launched in July 2025, large-scale scamming compound operations currently appear to be dormant. However, Amnesty International is unaware of investigations into the five security companies profiled in the report, their owners and managers or the wider commercial and state connections documented.
Prior to the publication of Amnesty’s report, Cambodian authorities responded on 15 October noting that 77 police officers had been disciplined in connection with scamming compounds.
Meanwhile, in response to Amnesty’s findings, Sophat Ban denied holding any ownership, director or management role in Leap Somnang, stating that he had “served as an advisor to the company owner”.
Best Security denied Lay Channy had any control over the company despite acknowledging that his phone number appeared on a company sign. Security Response denied all allegations made in Amnesty’s report, and Best Security responded that it “has no history of providing services at location BA06” and said would consider “legal action if someone has stolen (the) company’s uniform.”
Amnesty International is calling on the Cambodian authorities to establish prompt, independent and adequately resourced investigations into private security companies connected to compounds; investigate apparent serving military and police personnel involved in compound security; suspend company licences while credible allegations of serious abuse are investigated; and ensure victims have access to effective remedies and reparations.
Many of the abuses documented could constitute serious crimes under international law and Cambodian law. This includes by security guards who participated in abuses, as well as managers, executives and directors of the security companies who were aware of them.
“Even if scamming compounds are dormant at the time of publishing this report, our findings clearly show that the infrastructure of impunity has not been dismantled,” Agnès Callamard said.
“Largely in response to international outcry over the scamming compounds, the Cambodian authorities have announced a range of crackdown measures. But a crackdown measured only in raids, arrests and deportations risks leaving the architects and enablers untouched. Cambodia will not have ended this abusive industry until it has held to account those who staffed, managed, financed and protected this abusive system.”
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2. One Earth Summit Unites Global Leaders to Advance
October 30, 2026
Source: Media Outreach
Collective Flourishing in the Intelligent Age
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 October 2026 – The third One Earth Summit (the Summit), jointly organised by the Institute of Sustainability and Technology (IST) and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), took place today at Regala Skycity Hotel. The Summit brought together more than 40 speakers and over 700 participants from government, business, academia and philanthropy to explore how human wisdom can guide technological progress towards a shared vision of “Collective Flourishing in the Intelligent Age”.
Guests, VIPs, and Speakers pose for a group photo at the opening ceremony of the One Earth Summit 2026
At the heart of the Summit was a clear conviction: in the age of AI, human wisdom, intention and values must guide the development and application of technology. By connecting leadership, capital, research and entrepreneurship, the Summit sought to harness innovation to deliver impactful solutions that benefit businesses and humanity, safeguard our mother Earth, and reach the communities that need them most.
The opening ceremony was officiated by Mr Leung Chun-ying, Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Mr Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China; Ms Poman Lo, Founder of One Earth Initiatives; Professor Harry Shum, Council Chairman of HKUST; and Dr Eric Cheng, Chairman of Environment and Conservation Fund Committee.
In his video welcome address, Mr John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, he said: “Climate research and technological progress in spurring concerted global action. Accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss demand results. That means bridging the gap between green capital, innovation and governance. In each of these areas, Hong Kong has much to contribute. Like the One Earth Summit, Hong Kong is committed to turning dialogue into impact. Working together, we can mobilise capital, technology and people to power sustainable growth across Asia and the world.”
In her welcome remarks, Ms Poman Lo said, “As AI agents and systems become more autonomous, the window to guide their development with human wisdom is narrowing. The Intelligent Age must go beyond smarter machines—it must advance collective flourishing, where innovation serves humanity, prosperity is shared, and no one is left behind. Through One Earth Summit and our initiatives, our mission is to advance purpose-driven innovations and scale their impact through a global ecosystem of leaders across sectors, ensuring that their benefits are shared equitably in communities that need them most.”
Ms. Poman Lo, Founder, One Earth Initiatives, delivers Opening Remarks
Professor Harry Shum stated, “Technological progress is not measured by capability alone, but by its capacity to foster collective flourishing, elevate human lives, and protect the planet we share. At HKUST, our responsibility is to translate that ambition into practice—through research, education, and partnerships that turn innovative ideas into real-world solutions. That means moving cutting-edge green technologies, from clean energy to climate resilience, out of the lab and into everyday life. Above all, it means nurturing the next generation by equipping them with the skills and judgment required in the era of artificial intelligence. While AI can accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, human wisdom must ultimately decide where it goes. We are preparing our people not just to master the Intelligent Age, but to become its stewards.”
“Planetary health and human health are inseparable,” said Mr Leung Chun-Ying. “Climate change is already putting public health at risk—from extreme heat and the spread of infectious diseases to mounting pressure on healthcare systems. We must accelerate the green transition through international cooperation, not fragment it with tariffs and market barriers. China’s large-scale manufacturing of solar panels, electric vehicles and other clean-energy technologies has helped bring down costs worldwide. By keeping markets open and sharing innovation, we can make these solutions more accessible—especially to the communities most vulnerable to climate change.”
Minister Huang Runqiu noted that the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises are intensifying, making the green transition an irreversible global trend. He said China has achieved the world’s fastest improvement in air quality and, as the largest supplier of clean-energy equipment, is bringing affordable clean-energy solutions to the Global South through the Green Belt and Road Initiative.
He described Hong Kong as an important contributor to China’s environmental progress and the global green transition and called on the city to leverage its role as an international financial centre to mobilise cross-border investment, expand international cooperation in green technology and finance, and share expertise with the Global South.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said that finance should support innovation, and innovation should serve people and improve lives. Hong Kong will leverage its roles as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” to bring together capital, technology and talent, advance sustainable development through green and transition finance, and promote the translation of research into practical applications. The city will also provide a platform for testing and demonstrating innovative solutions, including AI, to accelerate their adoption in markets around the world. He stressed that investment in technology must go hand in hand with investment in people. Through its “AI Training for All” initiative and cross-sector collaboration, Hong Kong will help people acquire new skills and ensure that the benefits of technological progress are more widely shared.
Featuring twelve keynote addresses and eight panel discussions, the Summit brought together more than 40 speakers across three core themes: AI for Good, Energy and Climate, as well as Oceans and Nature.
Technology for Good
This theme explored how education can nurture AI literacy, human wisdom and responsible leadership, and how young innovators can turn ideas into practical solutions. Discussions highlighted that AI’s contribution to collective flourishing depends not only on technological advances, but also on responsible deployment, equitable access and talent development. Speakers examined how education, research partnerships and cross-sector collaboration can translate innovation into wider societal benefits.
Speakers and guests included:
- Professor Yang Bin, Vice-Chairman of the University Council, Tsinghua University;
- Mr Kevin Choi, Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government;
- Mr Alfred Chuang, Co-Founder and General Partner, Race Capital;
- Mr Feng Deng, Founder, Northern Light Venture Capital;
- Mr Elliott Donnelley II, Vice Chair, Synergos;
- Mr Boon Heong Ng, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Temasek Foundation; and
- Professor Ya-Qin Zhang, Chair Professor of AI Science, Tsinghua University.
Energy and Climate
Discussions focused on how clean technologies, energy efficiency and investment can work together to accelerate the green transition. Speakers explored the infrastructure, partnerships and local capabilities needed to turn climate ambitions into practical projects and build more resilient communities.
Speakers and guests included:
- Ms Vivian Cheung, Chief Executive Officer, Airport Authority Hong Kong;
- Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer, Council on Energy, Environment and Water;
- Mr Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China;
- Mr Leung Chun-ying, Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference;
- Mr Liu Xueliang, Vice President, BYD Co Ltd.;
- Mr Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman of the Board, Schneider Electric;
- Mr Terry Wong, Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation; and
- Mr Arthur Yuen, Deputy Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority.
Oceans and Nature
This theme examined nature’s essential role in sustaining prosperity and community resilience, and the importance of integrating environmental considerations into investment, education and development. Speakers also discussed how long-term stewardship and partnerships responsive to local needs can safeguard the foundations of wellbeing for future generations.
Key speakers and guests included:
- Mr Aziz Abdukhakimov, Adviser to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- Her Royal Highness Princess Esméralda of Belgium, President, King Leopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation;
- Ms Irina Bokova, Former Director-General, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);
- Dr Youssef Nassef, Director, Adaptation Division, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat; and
- Mr Fred Tsao, Chairman, Tsao Pao Chee Group.
From Dialogue to Action
Throughout the Summit, speakers shared their visions, progress and practical experience to advance collective flourishing in the intelligent age. IST provides a platform for exchanging ideas, connecting resources and building partnerships, helping solutions move from discussion to implementation and fostering collaboration for the wellbeing of people and the planet.
One Earth expressed its deep gratitude to every speaker, partner, supporter and participant contributing to this movement. Beyond a single gathering, the Summit serves as a catalyst for year-round collaboration, aligning human intention with technological capability to create lasting value for business, humanity and the planet.
For photo download, please visit: https://bit.ly/3UkC1kc
Hashtag: #HKUST #IST
About the One Earth Initiatives
Now in its third edition, One Earth Summit is one of Asia’s leading forums advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Up to date, the Summit has convened over 1,600 investors, business leaders, innovators, philanthropists, policymakers and academics from around the world. Recognised by the United Nations as a platform for building lasting impact and trust, it sets the direction for year-round collaboration. One hundred young entrepreneurs and founders of tech-for-good solutions from One Earth NextGen Innovators Program, coming from over 20 countries, join the Summit as youth delegates each year, as part of their week-long bootcamp in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. One Earth Alliance further fosters partnerships across the public, private and philanthropic sectors.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.
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3. Driver licensing support in schools could unlock jobs for young New Zealanders
October 30, 2026
Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is calling on political parties to fund a school-based pathway connecting young people with free, accredited driver training and licensing support.
More than one million New Zealanders aged 16 and over do not hold a full Class 1 driver licence, including almost half a million who hold no driver licence at all.
Transporting New Zealand, the peak industry body for the road freight sector, recommends that political parties commit to a future where schools play an active role in helping students with the licensing process and referring them to free, accessible driver education programmes.
Research by the Driving Change Network (https://drivingchange.nz/what-we-do/research/) estimates that up to 90,000 people struggle to access the Graduated Driver Licensing System or stall part way through every year.
“These people are often not accessing existing driver support schemes as they don’t meet eligibility criteria or potentially don’t know what is available,” says Transporting New Zealand Policy and Communications Advisor Rowan Everton.
“This is where schools can better connect young people – who may not have family support or a car to practice in – and the many organisations who are doing good work in this area. But this will require a greater funding commitment from the Government,” says Everton.
Existing community programmes have demonstrated strong public value by unlocking employment opportunities and avoiding the legal and safety risks of driving without the appropriate licence. Social-return assessments found that every dollar invested produced an estimated return of $3.26 through the Howard League driver programme, $5.10 through Drive My Life-Taraiwa Mataora, and $7.20 through Blue Light’s Youth Driver Navigator Programme.
“Around 70 per cent of all jobs require a driver licence as a prerequisite, and this figure could be up to 85% (https://drivingchange.nz/) for entry-level jobs,” says Everton.
“At a time when people aged 16-24 are facing high unemployment and underutilisation rates, ensuring this group is not facing unfair disadvantages in gaining their licence is one way the incoming Government can level the playing field.”
Transporting New Zealand also says the trucking industry faces an ageing workforce, with recurrent shortages requiring supplementation by overseas drivers.
Research (https://www.transporting.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-Road-Transport-Workforce-Report.pdf) commissioned for Transporting New Zealand shows one in ten truck drivers are aged over 65, and one-third of transport businesses expect up to 25% of their staff to retire or leave the industry within five years.
“We have a group of people in great need of career opportunities, and a road transport sector that is crying out for skilled, capable drivers. Bridging this gap should be a priority for both the Government and for the industry,” says Everton.
“Even if you don’t need a licence for work, the chances are you’ll need it to get to work. Schools are well-placed to normalise licence attainment and safe driving behaviour as part of the transition to adulthood, and should be better enabled to help facilitate this for students,” Everton added.
Transporting New Zealand’s election platform (https://www.transporting.nz/books/election-platform-2026/) is calling for several initiatives to support a future driving workforce, including expanding funding for Class 1 driver licence training and support programmes, and reducing the time to obtain a heavy vehicle licence by recognising supervised work experience and competency-based assessment.
The association will also release the Teletrac Navman Supporting New Drivers report in November, examining barriers to getting a licence and policy recommendations to overcome them.
Read Transporting New Zealand’s election platform here. (https://www.transporting.nz/books/election-platform-2026/)
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4. Lower-income households continue to bear the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis under Luxon’s Government NZCTU
October 30, 2026
Source: NZCTU
“Data released today by Stats NZ shows that low-income, beneficiary, and superannuitant households are bearing the brunt of ongoing price rises and the failure of Luxon’s Government to address the cost of living”, says Sandra Grey, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi President.
Annual household living-costs inflation for the ‘all households’ category was 3 percent in the September 2026 quarter. Households in the lowest fifth of the income distribution experienced living-costs inflation of 3.4 percent and superannuitant households 4 percent. By contrast, households in the highest fifth of the income distribution experienced an increase of 2.7 percent.
“Over the last three years, living costs have gone up 11.5 percent for low-income households and 12 percent for superannuitants. Incomes simply haven’t kept up”, says Grey.
“This is because the cost of essentials has been driving inflation under Luxon,” says Grey. “Electricity, council rates and services, and healthcare services have all continued to increase unsustainably in cost. The smaller your income, the larger the proportion of it that must go on essentials”.
Annually, electricity is up 9.3 percent, council rates and services 6.2 percent, medical services 3 percent, and petrol 19.1 percent. Some grocery staples have exploded in price, with bread up 8 percent, breakfast cereals 7.1 percent, and milk 7.7 percent.
“Lower- and fixed-income households are having to decide which essential items they will go without each week – it’s no wonder we are seeing high levels of food insecurity and rising hardship and deprivation in our communities”, says Grey.
“The Luxon Government has clearly failed to get on top of rising prices. Equally, it has failed to support adequate wage growth. NZCTU analysis published this week has shown that real wages have fallen for low-income households over the past three years”, says Grey.
“We’ve had three years of real-term cuts to the minimum wage. Depending on the price deflator used, the real minimum wage has fallen by between 4.3 and 6.7 percent over this term of Government. In 2026, minimum-wage workers are earning at least $2,000 less than they would need just to keep up with rising prices”, says Grey.
“The Luxon Government has completely failed on the cost of living, and it is those who have the least in our society who have borne the brunt of this failure”, says Grey.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/10/30/lower-income-households-continue-to-bear-the-brunt-of-the-cost-of-living-crisis-under-luxons-government-nzctu/
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5. Election 2026 – CPAG welcomes Labour’s benefit indexation policy
October 30, 2026
Source: Child Poverty Action Group
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) welcomes the New Zealand Labour Party’s commitment to index the annual change in main benefit rates to whichever is higher out of wage growth or CPI inflation.
“This lays an important foundation in the fight to ensure the living standards of the poorest families stop slipping a little further behind others every year,” said CPAG executive officer Lyn Amos.
If elected to government, Labour would reverse the National-led coalition’s decision to index main benefit rates to inflation alone. Labour’s proposal will help families keep pace with rising living costs and share in improvements in living standards.
“In the last year, the cost of petrol and electricity has risen substantially faster than average inflation. These pressures make it harder for families on the lowest incomes to keep up with the cost of living,” said Ms Amos.
“This policy will make a difference for children living in poverty, and is one we’ve advocated for in our Manifesto to Reduce Child Poverty, and in particular, along with replacing Working For Families with one, non-discriminatory Child Tax Credit so that all children in low income families benefit equally.”
Labour was among the parties who engaged with CPAG’s manifesto, through its Child Poverty Reduction spokesperson Jan Tinetti, and Social Development spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime.
“Child poverty persists because of failures in the labour market, housing, health and disability, education, welfare and tax settings. These are political choices, and though this one policy doesn’t address all of those areas by any means, it is an important foundational step,” said Ms Amos.
Nonetheless, CPAG maintains that accountability to end child poverty needs to be much stronger.
“There is no single policy silver bullet to end child poverty. It requires a wide-ranging suite of policies, coordinated across government, with strong cross-party accountability for meeting our child poverty reduction targets.”
“New Zealand remains off-track to meet its statutory child poverty reduction targets. Any future government must do more than make individual policy changes. It must commit to a coordinated plan to reduce child poverty and be held accountable for delivering it.”
Notes for editors:
- CPAG is an independent charity that has researched and advocated on child poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand for 32 years.
- In August, we released
- A Manifesto to Reduce Child Poverty
- , with 20 organisations pledging their public support of its recommended policies. Those organisations are: Action Station, Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers, Auckland Women’s Centre, Brainwave Trust, Better Taxes/Tax Justice Aotearoa, Disabled Persons Assembly of NZ, KidsCan, LifeWise, Methodist Alliance, NZ College of Public Health Medicine, NZ Council of Christian Social Services, NZ Council of Trade Unions, NZ Nurses Organisation, NZ Psychological Society, Parents of Vision Impaired NZ, Paediatric Society of New Zealand, Project Gender, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Save the Children, Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa
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6. Work begins on Warkworth to Te Hana motorway
October 30, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
Breaking ground on one of New Zealand’s most important transport infrastructure projects – Warkworth to Te Hana – marks a significant step towards greater economic growth for Auckland, Northland and the upper North Island, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.
Mr Bishop joined project partners, mana whenua and stakeholders today to turn the first sod on the Warkworth to Te Hana section of the Northland Expressway, kicking off construction on the first Road of National Significance in the wider Northland Corridor.
“The Warkworth to Te Hana motorway will create a safer, more resilient and more reliable connection between Auckland and Northland, improving freight efficiency and making journeys easier for the thousands of people who use this corridor every day.
“The motorway is expected to prevent 145 deaths and serious injuries over its lifetime, save motorists between seven and ten minutes per journey, and take around 1,000 heavy vehicles a day off the existing SH1 route through Wellsford and Te Hana.”
The motorway will connect directly to the 18-kilometre Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway, which opened in 2023, via a free-flow interchange at Woodcocks Road, providing an alternative to the existing State Highway 1 (SH1) route through the Dome Valley.
The new route will begin west of Warkworth, pass east of Wellsford and Te Hana, and reconnect with SH1 near Waimanu Road. It will feature 15 bridges, two underpasses, numerous large culverts, 12 wetland stormwater treatment basins and twin tunnels through Kraack Hill above Dome Valley.
“Northland’s economic success depends on reliable transport links. This investment will help unlock growth opportunities, improve productivity and give businesses greater confidence that people and goods can move efficiently between Northland and Auckland,” Mr Bishop says.
“The project is expected to cost $3.65 billion in Net Present Value terms, covering NZTA management costs, design and construction, financing, maintenance and operations. It has a positive Benefit Cost Ratio of 1.6, including wider economic benefits, meaning the economic benefits are expected to outweigh the costs.”
Delivered through a Public Private Partnership, the project will be designed, built, financed, operated and maintained by the Northway consortium, alongside New Zealand partners including Downer New Zealand and AECOM.
“The construction of this motorway will also provide a significant boost to the local economy, with around 60 per cent of physical works expenditure expected to flow through local supply chains.
“The project will support around 400 site-based roles, growing to approximately 1,000 people during main construction.
“Northway has also committed to supporting workforce development through internships, apprenticeships, graduate roles and school-to-work pathways, with a particular focus on opportunities for local communities, Māori and Pasifika.”
Initial work will focus on detailed design, site preparation and enabling works before major construction activity ramps up next year. The motorway is expected to open to traffic in 2033.
“This project delivers on the Government’s commitment to build the infrastructure New Zealand needs. Today’s sod turning demonstrates progress on a motorway that will provide lasting benefits for generations to come,” Mr Bishop says.
Notes for editors:
The Northway consortium comprises Acciona Concesiones SL, Aberdeen Investments, Global Sustainable Infrastructure GP IV Ltd and Acciona Construction New Zealand Ltd.
The Project Agreement between the Crown and the Northway consortium was signed in July 2026.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/10/30/work-begins-on-warkworth-to-te-hana-motorway/
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7. Economics – Piketty endorses NZ research showing very wealthy pay half tax rate of middle NZers, costing billions in revenue and increasing inequality
October 30, 2026
Source: Better Taxes for a Better Future
New research reveals billions in lost tax revenue and growing wealth inequality in New Zealand.
A research report, endorsed by globally renowned French economist Thomas Piketty, released today shows that between 2021 and 2024 the very wealthy* in New Zealand paid an 8.1% effective tax rate, less than half the rate of the median-wealth adult of 17.4%.
For every dollar of tax paid on the income of middle New Zealanders, the very wealthy paid only 47 cents on their income.
“For most working New Zealanders, what you earn and what you’re taxed on are very nearly the same thing. For the very wealthy, whose income flows predominantly from owning assets, the gap between their income and what they are taxed on can be vast, and it can be engineered.
Roughly two-thirds of the comprehensive income of the very wealthy is never taxed, and what is taxed is mostly taxed at the companies tax rate – the combination of which decreases their effective tax rate,” said report author Tayla Forward.
“…Had the very wealthy earned the same balance of taxed and untaxed personal income as the median, the group would have paid about $605m more a year over 2021-2024, and the same calculation applied to the larger group of the top 1% would have generated an additional $7 billion a year in tax revenue.”
This research sheds light on how this works, how this is costing New Zealand billions in foregone revenue and increasing wealth inequality, and what can be done about it.
*a smaller, richer subset of the top 1%; equivalent to the 311 wealthiest families studied in the IRD’s 2023 research project.
See below for more comment and key points
BACKGROUND
In 2023, research conducted by the Inland Revenue Department (https://www.ird.govt.nz/-/media/project/ir/home/documents/about-us/high-wealth-research-project/hwi-research-project/final-report-april-2023/report-high-wealth-individuals-research-project.pdf?modified=20230423203807) gave radical new insight into the tax paid by high wealth individuals in New Zealand. The survey data that underpinned that work have been destroyed, as per the privacy conditions surrounding their collection, and the legislation that enabled it has been repealed by the current Government.
This new report reconstructs and extends the insights of the original report, using publicly available sources, and was supported by Tax Justice Aotearoa (https://www.tjanz.org/) and the Better Taxes for a Better Future Campaign (https://www.bettertaxes.nz/), as well as the World Inequality Lab, co-directed by Piketty.
COMMENT FROM REPORT AUTHOR, TAYLA FORWARD
“Since IRD’s 2023 report, the top personal rate returned to 39 percent in 2021, and the trustee rate was aligned with it from 2024. This research shows that while both changes were aimed squarely at the top, yet the gap between effective tax rates has widened. This is because income at the top is slippery; with our current tax settings, top incomes have the flexibility to move to avoid tax increases,” explained Forward.
“But those who earn their income as salary or wages don’t have the flexibility to move their income into lower-taxed forms. Had the very wealthy earned the same balance of taxed and untaxed personal income as the median, the group would have paid about $605m more a year over 2021-2024, and the same calculation applied to the larger group of the top 1% would have generated an additional $7 billion a year in tax revenue.”
“In the absence of policy reform, there is increasing pressure at the middle. If we take up tax reform actively we can relieve middle incomes by defining what is taxed in ways that can reach those with greater ability to pay.”
“If we’re going to address the problems with our tax system we need to look at our tax base, or in other words what we tax, not just the rates on existing sources of tax revenue. Taxing income comprehensively, including income from capital gains, would bring more of top incomes into view, but it is an incomplete solution” says Forward.
“Taxes on realisation-based gains can be deferred indefinitely and manipulated. This is why taxing wealth is a necessary and powerful complement, because it targets accumulated wealth directly rather than easily manipulated flows of reported income.”
COMMENT FROM BETTER TAXES, KATE STONE
“This new research shows not only that changes to income tax rates since IRDs 2023 report hasn’t addressed the increasing gap between the tax rates of the very wealthy and the middle New Zealander, but also the impact of not fairly taxing the very wealthy on increasing wealth inequality. As the endorsement of this work by Thomas Piketty highlights “the bottom 50% of the population barely owns 3.5% of aggregate net private wealth, while the top 10% owns 68% of the total.” said Kate Stone, Better Taxes for a Better Future Campaign.
“Successive governments have made choices about our tax system that have led to the wealthy paying lower effective tax rates than middle New Zealanders, increasing wealth inequality and forfeiting billions of dollars in much needed revenue. Revenue that would pay for more nurses, teachers aides and emergency housing. This is not inevitable. The question is whether the political will to do so can be assembled before the costs of inaction become even harder to address.”
Key points
The very wealthy pay less than half the effective tax rate of middle New Zealanders: Between 2021 and 2024, the very wealthy paid an effective tax rate of 8.1%, compared with 17.4% for the median-wealth adult. For every dollar of tax paid by the median-wealth adult, the very wealthy paid just 47 cents.
The current tax system allows wealth inequality to grow: The top 10% own around 68% of NZs net private wealth, while the bottom 50% own just 3.5%. Low effective tax rates allow the wealthiest to accumulate and reinvest more of their wealth/returns, further widening the gap.
Billions of dollars in potential tax revenue is being missed: Had the top 1% ‘s household income been as taxable as that of the median-wealth adult, the report estimates an additional $7 billion a year in tax revenue between the 2021-2024 period.
Raising existing income tax rates alone will not fix the problem: The very wealthy have great flexibility to shift income between personal, trust and company structures, while most wage earners have little ability to change how their income is taxed.
A fairer tax system could help ease pressure on the average New Zealander: Reforming what we tax, rather than relying solely on changes to tax rates, could ensure those with the greatest ability to pay, contribute more towards the public services New Zealanders rely on.
Endorsement
“Tayla Forward demonstrates how unequal New Zealand really is. According to her latest estimates, the bottom 50% of the population barely owns 3.5% of aggregate net private wealth, while the top 10% owns 68% of the total. Very well documented, highly rigorous, the work by Tayla Forward uses state-of-the-art research methods. A must-read”
Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the 21st Century, Professor of Economic and Economic History at the Paris School of Economics, and Co-director of the World Inequality Lab
About the report author
Tayla Forward (Ngāpuhi), is a researcher in economics and political economy, Fellow of the World Inequality Lab, postgraduate at the Paris School of Economics, and research associate at Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Canterbury.
This report was supported by Tax Justice Aotearoa and the Better Taxes for a Better Future campaign, the World Inequality Lab, the Paris School of Economics, and the Royal Society of New Zealand Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship.
Better Taxes for a Better Future is a coalition initiative supported by over 25 organisations. We aim to promote ideas for better taxes for the public good and a better future for everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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8. Manage My Health phase two report
October 30, 2026
Source: Privacy Commissioner
30 Oct 2026, 06:00
This page has the Executive Summary of the Manage My Health phase two report.
Download a copy of the Executive summary: Inquiry into the cyber security breach affecting the Manage My Health Limited patient portal (opens to PDF, xxxKB)
Download a copy of the full phase two report: Inquiry into the cyber security breach affecting the Manage My Health Limited patient portal (opens to PDF, 901KB)
The breach and this inquiry
Our Office has undertaken an inquiry under section 17(1)(i) of the Privacy Act 2020 into the cyber security breach of Manage My Health’s patient portal at the end of 2025. The inquiry has been conducted in two phases.
Our report into Phase 1 of the inquiry was published on 27 May 2026. That report contains a full description of the breach, the timeline, and our conclusions. We also issued compliance notices to Manage My Health Limited (“MMH”) and to Health New Zealand (“Health NZ”). Read further information.
This document is our report into Phase 2, which concludes the inquiry.
What this report covers
Phase 1 of the inquiry focused on security and legal accountability. Phase 2 therefore focuses on the remaining aspects of how patients came to be affected by the breach and what the impact of the breach was, both on affected people and on their wider communities.
We specifically comment on issues relating to:
- authorisation for portal accounts to be set up
- authorisation for detailed patient information to be stored
- the quality of the information that users received about the portal
- retention of accounts and information in the portal
- breach notification and quality of communications.
The impact on people and their communities
This breach affected many people around New Zealand. However, around 91% of affected people were Northland hospital patients: a massive majority. No other hospitals in New Zealand were sharing information through MMH. In fact, the only other patients affected appear to have been those who had uploaded their own records to MMH.
This means that, while the incident has created significant anxiety and difficulties around the country, it is the people of Northland and the GP practices that support them that have borne the brunt of the fallout. Inevitably, therefore, there has been a disproportionate impact on Māori patients, whānau and health services. We have actively considered those impacts under section 21(c) of the Privacy Act (“the Act”) which requires us to take into account cultural perspectives on privacy when performing statutory functions or exercising statutory powers. Here, the relevant cultural perspective is a Māori perspective.
Our consideration goes beyond mere numbers of affected people: there are features specific to that region that aggravated the impacts, especially for Māori. Some key comments made to us were that, as well as creating the distress experienced by many patients affected by the breach, it also:
- exacerbated existing problems in Northland, especially existing distrust of health and government systems among already marginalised whānau
- was not simply a stand-alone event, but added to the cumulative experience of systemic failures in the region
- taxed the resilience of whānau, who are “sick of being resilient”
- undermined the reliance that Northland patients and health practitioners need to be able to have on digital and virtual services, to cope with resource constraints
- extended beyond health portals into other unrelated areas of healthcare
- made government services harder to deliver in non-health fields such as emergency response.
Findings about Health NZ
On 27 May 2026, Health NZ announced that it had cancelled the contract to supply hospital information to patients through MMH. It has temporarily reverted to supplying information in paper form (except for laboratory test results which are not supplied but held within the hospital).
Subsequently, on 24 July, Health NZ published its action plan to respond to the OPC inquiry and additional independent reports. As part of that action plan, Health NZ intends to roll out a new vendor-agnostic digital solution. Initially that solution will be offered in Northland. If successful, it might then be extended to other areas of the country.
We consider that this proposal creates both a challenge and an opportunity. The success of any new solution is likely to depend in large part on rebuilding trust in health services in general, and public health services in particular. To rebuild trust, it will be important to both hear and acknowledge the hurt experienced by the Northland community, and to ensure that the community has full input into the design and implementation of the new solution. This is particularly important if Health NZ is to support the Crown’s commitments under the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi and fulfil its statutory responsibilities in relation to Māori health.
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We recommend that Health NZ ensures that direct engagement with the Northland community and health providers is a central aspect of its action plan. This includes direct engagement with Māori (both end users and Māori health providers). |
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We also recommend that Health NZ should expressly include Māori data governance considerations as part of its procurement processes and in the terms of any contracts that it enters into with vendors who want to offer health portal services in Northland as part of the new solution. |
Findings about MMH
It has been apparent from the start of this inquiry that large numbers of patients were unaware that they had an MMH account at all, or that MMH still maintained an account for them despite the fact the patient had moved practices or their practice had ceased to use MMH. They were therefore taken entirely by surprise to find that they were affected by the breach.
We have investigated how MMH accounts came to be created and how information came to be saved into those accounts. Our key findings are as follows.
Many people had active MMH accounts and were aware that their health information was stored there.
However, some Northland hospital information was saved into accounts that patients had never activated. As we commented in our phase 1 report, we consider this to be the result of a flaw in the technical ‘match’ process that both agencies should have known about. That flaw was corrected in January 2026, when MMH amended the match criteria so that hospital information would only be imported into activated accounts.
Another flaw in the match process resulted in Northland hospital information being saved into the portal in situations where patients did not have an account at all. Instead, it imported information when the hospital details matched patient records that had been set up to transfer shared electronic healthcare records (“SEHR”) between health practitioners, or to enable patients to use the Easy Booking service. Health NZ did not ask for hospital information to be matched against such records, as patients would not be able to view the information in the portal. By making a decision to include these records in the match criteria, MMH was therefore legally acting on its own account and needed to comply with the collection rules in the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 (“the Code”). While we accept that MMH did not use the information in any way, we consider there was clearly no valid purpose for importing information into the portal when patients could not access the records, and we also consider that MMH did not have consent of patients to do so. We have therefore found that it collected information in breach of rule 1 and 2(1) of the Code.
We were aware that MMH had already deleted all Northland hospital discharge information in non-activated accounts. However, it was not initially clear whether MMH continued to hold other types of information (including other hospital information such as lab test results) in any situations where information had been imported as a result of a match against SEHR or Easy Booking records. MMH formally confirmed to us that all information has been deleted except information held in activated accounts. This includes deleting the information from backups and storage systems. We are therefore satisfied that MMH has fully remediated the problem.
Some patients had activated their accounts at one time but had since forgotten that they had the account. Others had moved to a GP practice that did not use MMH or were enrolled with a GP practice that stopped using MMH, and did not realise that their account would remain live.
At the time of the breach, MMH only triggered a “dormant account” process after 24 months of inactivity. We have found that this is too long a period, and that it breached rule 9 of the Code. MMH is not required to retain information under the Health (Retention of Health Information) Regulations 1996, and there was no ongoing purpose for retaining the information for that length of time.
The problem has been partially remediated. MMH has already taken the initiative to improve its process for managing “dormant” accounts for patients who are not with medical centres that are MMH users (“active practices”). It has reduced the time to 12 months before contacting patients to see whether they still want to maintain their account. We support this improvement.
However, MMH still has a 24-month dormant account process for patients that are registered with active practices. While we acknowledge that not all patients would visit their GP during a year, we consider this is too long for health information to remain on the system without patients being given a choice about whether they wish to maintain an account.
In addition, we consider that MMH retains contact and other details in non-activated accounts for too long. Patients should have a reasonable opportunity to decide whether to activate their accounts, with a couple of reminders, but if the account is not activated after three months, we consider that it should be deleted.
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We recommend that MMH’s ‘dormant’ account process for patients attached to an active practice should be reduced to 12 months, to match the process for other dormant accounts and to comply with rule 9 of the Code. |
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We also recommend that MMH implement a process to remove any non-activated accounts after three months (using a process similar to the ‘dormant account’ process), to comply with rule 9 of the Code. |
At the start of phase 2 of our inquiry, there was no readily accessible information for representatives of people who have died about how to find out about and manage their MMH accounts. We recommended that MMH needed to update its information for representatives, including ensuring that they can access records in MMH accounts if required, as they are legally entitled to do. It accepted our recommendation. MMH has now provided additional information in its privacy policy for representatives of deceased people (see para 3.10), allows access to representatives (para 9.1) and has a process to delete information within 30 days of becoming aware that a person is deceased.
MMH updated its terms of use, privacy policy and business terms and conditions in June 2026. On our recommendation, it has made further amendments which were published on 30 September 2026. We agree that these amendments have improved the documents and have addressed the points we specifically mentioned. However, we have not reviewed the rest of the documents more thoroughly or provided further comments, as it is not our role to provide ongoing advice.
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Instead, we recommend that MMH does full user-testing with patients and practitioners to ensure that the documents now provide clear information about people’s rights and obligations. |
Breach notification
We consider that both MMH and Health NZ met their obligations under section 114 of the Act to notify our Office about the breach. MMH notified the Office within our expected timeframe of 72 hours of discovering the breach had occurred, and Health NZ also notified our Office as soon as practicable once it realised that the Northland hospital information had been affected by the breach.
While MMH did in fact notify our Office, it initially categorised the breach as not involving serious harm. MMH told us that this was an administrative error and it was promptly corrected after advice from our Office that this was clearly a breach that met the serious harm threshold.
We have reservations about the length of time that it took to notify some individuals, as required by section 115 of the Act. Final notifications were not completed until March.
The timeframe for notification (“as soon as practicable”) is based on what a reasonable agency in this situation should have been able to do, not only on what the agency found itself able to do. Here, if contact details had been more readily available and if the agency systems, processes, contracts and breach planning had been better, we consider it should have been possible to notify some individuals more quickly. However, this does not automatically mean that MMH or Health NZ breached the Act, especially as notifications were completed at different times. Whether any delay in notification in fact resulted in a breach of section 115 would have to be determined in the context of an individual complaint.
Recommendations for wider agencies
Every major breach creates lessons that other agencies can and should learn from. The MMH breach is an excellent example. We highlight the following points that others may find useful.
- The MMH and Health NZ compliance notices provide valuable information to all agencies about our regulatory expectations for security. We advise agencies to review them for points that are relevant to them.
- If an agency which is processing information on behalf of another agency makes a design decision that goes beyond its instructions, it will be seen as acting on its own account (whether or not it actively uses the information) and will be independently liable under the relevant privacy principles.
- If a customer does not complete a registration process (for instance by setting a password or activating their account), they have not authorised any further collection and storage of information in that account.
- GP practices and specialist health practitioners should take this opportunity to check that patients are properly informed about how the SEHR system operates and, where necessary, obtain patient authorisation to transfer information.
- GP practices should also check that they have accurately specified the age at which MMH should de-link a child’s portal accounts from the account belonging to their parents or guardians (at the latest at age 16, unless there is ongoing legal authority to keep the accounts linked). This will ensure that parents or guardians do not have unauthorised access to the health records of young people.
- All agencies that operate customer accounts should have a process to identify and manage ‘dormant’ accounts. What that process is, and whether information can be kept will vary between agencies. It will be determined by any laws that require retention of information, and by any lawful ongoing purpose for retaining it. Unless there is a specific law or reason requiring retention, we consider it is general best practice to check in with an account holder after 12 months of inactivity to see whether they wish to retain the account.
- Any agency that is relying on authorisation as a legal basis for collecting, using or disclosing personal information should ensure that information provided to individuals is clear and precise so that they fully understand what they are being asked to agree to.
- Agencies should have a clear process for personal representatives to follow when an account holder has died, and should make sure that representatives can find information about what to do.
- All agencies should have a proper breach (or crisis) management plan in place that includes:
- whether they have ready access to contact details for people whose information they hold, and if not, who would have those details
- how to distribute information (for example, anticipating that they will need to partner with client agencies that have a direct relationship with affected people)
- who will handle media and regulator queries
- how they will ensure that public statements or messages to affected people are accurate, or be clear when they have only incomplete information and when a clearer picture might emerge
- how they will ensure that communications are focused on the harm the breach has caused affected people, even when the company’s staff are under significant stress and themselves feel victimised by the breach
- having good internal processes to report breaches up to appropriate staff quickly so that those breaches can be promptly assessed, managed and notified to OPC and to affected people as soon as practicable (failure to have good processes to identify affected people and assess and manage breaches is not a ‘reasonable’ excuse for delaying notification)
- making sure key people can be contacted at all times including over holidays
- ensuring that the agency can scale up legal and technical support if required to manage a major breach, including having external support available
- ensuring the agency has planned access to support services which can assist affected people (e.g. call centre support, health and wellbeing services, identity protection services and so on), including culturally relevant support where needed.
Agencies should consider whether proposals or breach responses may have a particular cultural impact, and ensure that that impact is properly assessed. For projects, direct engagement with affected communities will provide valuable insights, and techniques such as completing Māori data governance assessments can also assist. For breach responses, direct engagement can restore trust and confidence more quickly and effectively than dealing exclusively at arm’s length.
Agencies should ensure that their contracts do not contain clauses that purport to oust or limit liability for compensation under the Privacy Act, or that purport to limit Privacy Act liability if personal information held by the agency has been compromised by criminal activity. Any liability or remedies in such circumstances will be determined by the normal application of the Act (or applicable Code).
Next steps
We have issued compliance notices to MMH and Health NZ following our findings in Phase 1 of this inquiry. These will be managed as stated in the notices. We have also received around 50 complaints, which we will also manage as part of our normal dispute resolution processes.
However, this Phase 2 report now concludes the inquiry itself, and the inquiry is now formally closed.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/10/30/manage-my-health-phase-two-report/
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9. Business Canterbury Celebrates a Strong Year for Canterbury at its AGM
October 29, 2026
Source: Business Canterbury
Business Canterbury has celebrated a strong year for Canterbury, its members and the business community at its Annual General Meeting today, which was hosted at capacity with a crowd of more than 100 members in the room, and others joining online.
Business Canterbury Chief Executive, Leeann Watson says, “This is the year we shifted gears, for Canterbury, for our members, our business community and for Business Canterbury itself.”
“Canterbury is in a strong position right now. Despite global uncertainty, cost pressures, and a general election, businesses haven’t put their plans on hold. They are continuing to invest, hire and back themselves.
“Our focus has been making sure the settings around them keep pace. Rather than responding after decisions are made, we are taking our members’ experiences directly to ministers and officials and shaping the outcomes.”
That work includes the Canterbury Ambition, a private sector-led vision for the region, with a clear set of priority asks to take to the government after the election. Business Canterbury also joined the seven other South Island Chambers of Commerce to launch a shared policy platform, Growing New Zealand from the South, and host the inaugural South Island Election Conference in August.
“We are giving government real clarity on what Canterbury and the South Island need to keep growing and provide the right environment for our members to grow, innovate and be more productive.”
Watson says Business Canterbury’s own financial position has also turned a corner, with revenue up more than $200,000 and a return to an operating surplus following a significant investment in its transformation over the last few years.
“A strong Business Canterbury means we can do more for our members and continue to deliver support that has real impact.”
The AGM also welcomed two new directors to the Business Canterbury Board, Damian Lynch and Paul Coughlan.
Damian Lynch is General Manager Merchandise at Foodstuffs South Island. He has held executive roles across retail, agribusiness, international business, economic development and technology commercialisation, and governance roles across education, industry and research.
Paul Coughlan is Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Director of Christchurch-headquartered manufacturer Bremca Group. He brings experience in financial leadership and strategic planning across manufacturing and energy, and has served as Event Director and Trustee of the International Track Meet since 2009.
Business Canterbury Board Chair, Paul Deavoll says, “Damian and Paul bring strong commercial, financial and governance experience to the Board, and a real understanding of what Canterbury businesses need to grow. We’re delighted to welcome them as Business Canterbury continues its next stage of growth.”
“After more than 165 years of backing business, Business Canterbury is well positioned for long-term success over the next 165.”
Watson adds, “When business succeeds, Canterbury succeeds. And when Canterbury succeeds, New Zealand is stronger for it.”
Business Canterbury, formerly Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, is the second largest Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand and the largest business support organisation in the South Island. It advocates on behalf of its members for an environment more favourable to innovation, productivity and sustainable growth.
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10. RIF funds new Gisborne medical research centre
October 29, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
A new building at Mātai Medical Research Institute will expand medical research, specialist healthcare and education opportunities in Tairāwhiti, supported by a $20 million loan from the Regional Infrastructure Fund.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/10/29/rif-funds-new-gisborne-medical-research-centre/
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