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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Health NZ (HNZ) is sending more eye operations to the private sector under longer-term contracts without first working out how much that is likely to save compared to short-term outsourcing.

It is moving to set up a “panel” of private providers of ophthalmology it can draw on, though it does not appear to be using all options to boost public care.

One option was for more weekend and evening surgeries in public hospitals.

“Health NZ has not added more evening and weekend operating theatre sessions for ophthalmology,” it told RNZ this week.

Also, it had aimed to add more types of surgery at hospitals in Auckland and Christchurch; however, asked by RNZ if it had added ophthalmology, it did not say.

The tender for the panel has just closed.

The tender said the country’s four health regions could not meet demand for eye care so it would outsource some of the work for five years to start with, with a further five-year right of renewal.

Other related “commitment” contracts would be three years long.

HNZ said the panel would not set a volume for outsourced surgery and more complex procedures would usually still be done in public hospitals.

A coalition of health sector organisations, Kaitiaki Hauora, accused it of going further than ever towards privatisation.

“If the public system is struggling, the answer should be to rebuild it, not hand more of it over,” the group said.

HNZ’s director of hospitals funding Rachel Haggerty pushed back.

“There has been no decrease in public hospital provision for elective treatments in ophthalmology, rather outsourcing has enabled Health NZ to treat the unmet needs of our patients requiring elective treatment intervention. This in part is reflective of our aging population growth,” she said in a statement.

Health NZ already had a mini ophthalmology panel in Auckland and Northland of eight private clinics on three-year contract terms, a table released to RNZ by HNZ showed.

It also had panels set up for outsourcing “surgical”, radiology, endoscopy and cardio procedures, among the 16 clinical specialities.

The five-year duration of the new ophthalmology panel would deliver “better value for money through stronger commercial leverage”, Haggerty said.

Yet when asked if the agency had analysed how much the long-term deals might save compared to the short-term ones, she said no.

“Health NZ has not completed a standalone analysis quantifying savings from longer-term versus previous short-term outsourcing contracts, including for ophthalmology,” Haggerty said.

“This work is currently in the planning stage.”

The agency’s savings programme was among the areas ranked weakest in a recent report to a committee working to decentralise Health NZ.

Outsourcing hits 19 percent

The share of outsourced elective procedures versus those done in public hospitals had climbed steadily, from 8.6 percent of public-funded treatments in 2011-12, to 12.5 percent halfway through the Labour-led government’s term in 2020, to 16.7 percent in 2023-24.

The government’s introduction of its ‘Elective Boost’ policy last year would likely push that share higher.

The boost was an attempt to hit a target of 95 percent of patients getting their elective surgery within four months.

HNZ told Health Minister Simeon Brown last year hitting that would take two things: more outsourcing and more insourcing.

For the latter, to increase operations in public hospitals required “better use” of the country’s newest surgical hospital Tōtara Haumaru, which had a delayed start in 2024 due to staff shortages, and also of Burwood “by expanding the elective treatments they are funded to provide”.

Asked if it had done this, Haggerty said, “Service additions at individual facilities (including Tōtara Haumaru, Manukau Health Park, and Burwood) are set regionally based on workforce, theatre capacity, and demand.

“Any ophthalmology expansion is coordinated with national clinical and capacity planning.”

She did not make clear what if any speciality procedures had been added where.

In Waitematā, she said, ophthalmology procedures increased from about 19 a month before April 2025 to about 125 a month now in public facilities.

As for the second must-have – more outsourcing – Brown was told this demanded setting up longer-term agreements such as of two-to-three years.

HNZ told RNZ the longer terms provided more certainty for patients and clinics and a more stable market to build a workforce and infrastructure plus better commercial leverage.

It told Brown last year the main risks to upping volumes both in- and out- sourced were around how to increase the availability of senior specialists and still safely manage public hospital clinical workloads; and that the private workforce might be “insufficient” to take on the extra work.

Health commentator Ian Powell, who used to head the senior doctors’ union, said in a column the new panel plan would hit the reality of ophthalmology’s small number of clinics that faced huge technology costs to set up.

There were only 175 ophthalmogists countrywide, 85 of those primarily in private clinics, Powell said. “Already stretched, it is unlikely that there is the workforce capacity.”

Ophthalmology elective treatments had risen from 23,000 five years ago to 31,600 last year, said Health NZ. Five years ago, about 7700 were outsourced, versus 11,600 now with several months yet to run in the financial year.

Kaitiaki Hauora contended the panel tender signalled a clear shift to privatisation.

Its chair – and ex-chair of HNZ – Rob Campbell – said the move was qualitatively and quantitatively “significant” for community eye-health.

He called the panel a case of “contract fishing … cast it out and see what we catch. It is very dangerous as the bidder can start to control the process”.

Haggerty said outsourcing was a long-standing part of planned care.

“Volumes are managed so outsourcing complements public services, improves access, and supports elective targets.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: New Zealand Government

Construction of a long-awaited, purpose-built specialised rehabilitation centre will proceed at Manukau Health Park, significantly improving care for people with spinal cord injuries, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“I’m pleased to confirm that a new 30-bed facility will be delivered, providing the certainty the community has been waiting for following earlier delays and cost pressures that began under the previous government,” Mr Brown says.

“The current Ōtara Spinal Unit is one of the most outdated and high‑risk facilities in the country, and limited rehabilitation capacity has been placing ongoing pressure on Middlemore Hospital’s acute services for many years.

“This $128.5 million investment addresses both challenges by replacing an ageing facility and expanding rehabilitation capacity, ensuring patients receive quality care in the right setting, at the right time.”

Once complete, the centre will replace the existing 20‑bed unit and increase spinal rehabilitation capacity to 30 beds. This expanded capacity will improve access for patients with complex rehabilitation needs and support faster transitions out of acute hospital care.

Rehabilitation services will be further strengthened through the refurbishment of Middlemore Hospital’s adult rehabilitation ward under Health New Zealand’s National Remediation Programme. This will allow the ward to continue operating safely as a 28‑bed adult general and neuro rehabilitation unit.

“Together, these facilities will deliver a total of 58 rehabilitation beds, supporting rising demand through to 2040 while easing pressure on acute services at Middlemore Hospital.

“This is about ensuring our health system has the capacity it needs, both now and into the future. Expanding rehabilitation services helps patients recover sooner and frees up acute beds for those who need them most.”

The new Manukau facility will feature modern therapy spaces, stronger integration with clinical services, and a design aligned with the new Model of Rehabilitation. Its direct connection to the Manukau Surgery Centre will support patient privacy and provide convenient access to radiology, outpatient clinics, and theatre services.

“This project has been a long time coming, and I know how much it matters to the community. I want to acknowledge the dedication of staff, clinicians, and community partners who helped shape this project and ensure rehabilitation services are modern, responsive, and centred on patients and their families,” Mr Brown says. 

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Pharmacists are calling on Pharmac to be more transparent about medicine shortages caused by the Iran war.

The agency had listed isosorbide mononitrate, an angina medication, as the first drug to have shipping delays because of the conflict.

Clive Cannons from the Independent Community Pharmacy Group said it was a common medication that a lot of people depended on and the shortage was very serious.

“Isosorbide is mainly used for angina. It opens up the arteries so that more blood flows through and more oxygen gets to the heart muscle. So, if you have angina, that’s an essential medicine for stopping the angina attacks,” he said.

Cannons said pharmacists had written to Health New Zealand about medicine supply concerns when the Strait of Hormuz closed, but had received no response.

“There hasn’t been any communication, that I’ve seen, coming directly to pharmacy. What I would’ve hoped to have seen from Pharmac is a plan with different scenarios, like the fuel plan the government’s got, so we can assure our patients when they come in, because they are beginning to ask about it. That would be very helpful to us to allay some of the concern that’s out there in the community right now.”

Pharmac’s acting director pharmaceuticals Claire Pouwels said the Ministry of Health was leading the health sector’s response to the Middle East conflict as part of the all‑of‑government approach.

“Pharmac is working closely with the ministry, Health NZ, and suppliers, wholesalers and distributors to identify any emerging risks early and ensure consistency of supply of medicines to New Zealand,” she said.

The agency regularly worked with suppliers to manage supply issues, managing around 100 supply issues related to medical devices and medicines each month, Pouwels said.

“If we become aware of a supply issue, we create a management plan. We assess the risk of each supply issue on a case‑by‑case basis. This looks at how long the supply issue could last, if another funded medicine can be used, how much stock of the alternative medicine there is, if we need to get the medicine from a different supplier and how clinicians use the medicine in practice.”

Pouwels said the most up-to-date information about Pharmac’s response to the Middle East conflict could be found on its website.

“When we think there may be an impact on patients, we communicate this through our website. Our medicine supply notices page is up to date with information about supply issues that may affect people. There is a filter for those issues that are affected by the conflict,” she said.

”We also notify those relevant clinicians, suppliers and prescribers, and when relevant, advocacy groups in the health sector. Pharmac is receptive to feedback on the information provided in the medicine supply notices we communicate.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Researchers have identified “te reo trauma” as a barrier to the revitalisation of the Māori language.

Dr Raukura Roa (Waikato, Maniapoto, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Korokī Kahukura, Ngāti Raukawa) told RNZ the working definition for te reo Māori trauma is “a person’s emotional, psychological, spiritual distress and or physical injury caused by harmful events or by association to harmful events, which directly impacts their ability and or willingness to learn and or speak te reo Māori”.

One of the things that had her start research on this topic, which became the report Te Reo Māori Trauma Literature Review authored with Professor Tom Roa, was the fact that despite it being widely talked about on social media especially, there was no definition for Māori language trauma.

“The fundamental thing I wanted to accomplish, though, with this particular research is identifying exactly what it is we’re talking about when we say te reo Māori language trauma and also to be quite specific. So language trauma is across all languages, te reo Māori language trauma is specific to te reo Māori, so I wanted to get those things distinct.”

Research was expanded in a second report, Everyday Experiences of Te Reo Māori Trauma by Dr Mohi Rua, which saw a small number of participants share their experiences anonymously.

Roa said when learning a language there were both internal and external barriers that needed to be overcome. External barriers included time, money, government policy, but other people’s attitudes and comments could also be perceived as external barriers.

“So other people’s behaviours, other people’s attitudes, comments can be perceived as an external barrier. The other people, however, the comments, the judgments, it points to an internal barrier around fear.

“Fear of being judged because you made a mistake or just plain fear of making mistakes. Fear of being embarrassed or humiliated because you mispronounced some words, or you used the completely wrong word for the wrong context and in that moment was either judged or experienced embarrassment by being judged or publicly humiliated based on the way in which you were corrected.”

The physical injuries and emotional scars experienced by the generation of Māori who experienced corporal punishment at school for speaking te reo was also a barrier, she said.

“Even by association, so even if you yourself weren’t caned for speaking te reo Maori, if you saw someone who was caned, that would stop you as well. Our brains do a quick calculation. Te reo Māori equals pain. Te reo Māori is bad. Don’t speak te reo Māori.

“What’s missing is just there’s no freedom to just kōrero. Just kōrero. If it’s on social media, if it’s, you know, in person, on the phone, on Zoom hui. Kaore te iwi i te tino wātea ki te tuku i te reo kia rere, he wehi.”

Can we reach 1 million speakers by 2040?

In 2019 the government pledged to ensure one million people in New Zealand were able to speak basic te reo Māori by 2040. Roa said reo trauma would be a big barrier to that goal.

Te reo was New Zealand’s most widely spoken language after English, data from Stats NZ showed there were 213,849 te reo Māori speakers in 2023, up from 185,955 in 2018, an increase of 27,894 people (15 percent) since the 2018 Census.

Roa said that was a huge increase, but if the number of speakers continued to increase at a pace of 30,000 every five years, the country would reach approximately 303,000 speakers by 2040, quite a shortfall.

“The thing is, until now, we haven’t really started dealing with Māori language trauma as a barrier. We’ve talked about it. We know about it. We know that there’s a barrier there. We know that there is trauma there. We know that people experience fear, they experience embarrassment. We haven’t actually come up with a strategy to combat that barrier, to dismantle that barrier.”

In order to reach that goal, New Zealand needed to find new strategies and be committed to not only identifying the barriers, both external and internal, but also be willing to work on dismantling those barriers, she said.

‘It gives a very clear message’ – Te Mātāwai on trauma research

Chair/toihau of Te Mātāwai’s Komiti Rangahau, Teina Boasa-Dean, said it made sense that there be further research from Te Mātāwai into te reo trauma.

While the themes and issues raised by Roa’s research were not new, they brought new insight into the contemporary experiences of te reo speakers, she said.

“It gives a very clear message that what is still deeply embedded inside communities, Māori communities in particular, is the notion that a number of different forms of distress, anxiety, even discriminatory, I think, attitudes towards te reo Māori has exacerbated lots of different forms of anxiety around language learning, language revitalisation.”

Boasa-Dean said te reo trauma had “without question” been a hindrance to language revitalisation over the last 50 years.

Referring to it as “trauma” was a very pointed and accurate way of describing what people were experiencing, what learners were experiencing in terms of encountering their language and their cultural knowledge, maybe for some of them for the first time, she said.

Māori needed to design innovative strategies to cope with the different forms of trauma, whether that was anxiety or distress, she said.

“Much of that sits on the shoulders of skilled and talented facilitators to ensure that they are conscious, number one, that … many, many of our people will walk into the door, the language learning door, with different levels, different shades, and different degrees of fear.

“Kei te nui anō hoki te aupēhitanga i tō tātou reo me ōna tikanga i roto i a Aotearoa i tēnei wā tonu. Nō reira, he wā tōtika tēnei wā ki te kawe haere anō hoki i ō tātou taiaha ki te turaki anō hoki i ērā taiapa ki raro, kia mauri tau ai te ngākau, te wairua, te hinegaro o te tangata e kuhu mai ana ki te ako i tāna reo me ōna tikanga tonu.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: New Zealand Government

Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced today that replacement of an aging culvert on State Highway 36 between Tauranga and Rotorua will begin this month. 

“State Highway 36 is a vital connection between Tauranga and Rotorua. The current culvert on SH36 north of Hamurana, while safe to use, is over 80 years old, at the end of its useful life, and it needs replacing,” Mr Bishop says.

“I’m pleased NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is prioritising delivery of a fit for purpose bridge replacement. At a total cost of $10-12 million, the new wider and stronger bridge is being delivered by Isaac Construction Ltd and will utilise prefabricated bridge components to speed up delivery. 

“The work to repair or upgrade nine priority bridges and culverts was given the green light in July 2024 as part of the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP). Since then, a further five priority locations have been added, and NZTA is progressing design, consenting, and contracting so work can start.

“Fixing the basics of our roading network is a priority for this Government, and with many bridges across the country requiring speed and weight restrictions due to their age and condition, it is essential priority bridges are replaced when funding is available with more modern and resilient structures.

“Our state highways are critical routes for freight and tourism and serve as important lifelines for communities around New Zealand. We expect our state highway bridges to be well maintained and properly managed, which is why this replacement and maintenance work is so important.

“I look forward to construction of the new SH36 Hauraki Stream Bridge getting underway this month and thank road users and local communities in advance for their patience. Construction is expected to be completed in early 2027.”

Notes to editor:

Bridges/culverts set to be replaced in the 2024-27 NLTP period:

•    SH3 Mangapepeke No. 1 Culvert, Taranaki (new addition for 2024-27 period)
•    SH3 Mangapepeke No. 2 Culvert, Taranaki
•    SH43 Kururau Stream Water Drive, Whanganui
•    SH25 Pepe Stream Bridge, Coromandel
•    SH82 Elephant Hill Bridge, South Canterbury 
•    SH82 Waihao North Bridge, South Canterbury 
•    SH6 Coal Creek Overbridge, West Coast 
•    SH25 Ramarama Stream Bridge, Waikato 
•    SH27 Ohinekaua Bridge, Waikato 
•    SH36 Hauraki Stream Culvert, Bay of Plenty

Bridge maintenance renewal works:

•    SH25 Boundary Creek Bridge, Coromandel (new addition for 2024-27 period)
•    SH35 Mangahauini No. 1 Bridge, Gisborne (new addition for 2024-27 period)
•    SH38 Frasertown Bridge, Hawke’s Bay (new addition for 2024-27 period)
•    SH50 Ngaruroro River Bridge, Hawke’s Bay (new addition for 2024-27 period)

Other announcements recently made:

•    SH2 Pekatahi Bridge, Bay of Plenty. Design and pre-implementation work for a two-lane replacement is underway. Construction is expected to be within the 2027-30 NLTP once funding is approved and a contractor is appointed.

This programme excludes bridges being replaced due to weather event damage. 
 

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

A total lack of public charging infrastructure, high upfront costs and strict weight regulations are behind sluggish uptake of EVs in New Zealand’s heavy fleet, operators and advocates say.

Some trucking firms say their fuel bills have more than doubled as the cost of diesel skyrockets past $4 per litre.

But steep hurdles are preventing many of them electrifying their fleets, with full battery EVs making up less than three percent of new heavy vehicle registrations since 2021.

Drive Electric advocacy group chairperson Kirsten Corson said heavy vehicles only make up four percent of New Zealand’s total fleet, but account for 20 percent of transport emissions.

“It’s quite staggering, so it’s really one that we need to look at some mechanisms to increase the electrification, because right now we can see the vulnerability with fuel prices as they are.”

Rubbish collection company Waste Management was among early adopters, introducing the first electric truck to its fleet a decade ago.

Senior project engineer Ashley Davenport said the company’s heavy EV fleet had since grown to 60, most of them mid-sized bin collection trucks.

“We’ve just completed three million kilometres,” he said. “Two million litres of diesel was saved but that equates to 5000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, so that’s a big win, in our eyes.”

The drivers loved the trucks, too, he said.

“Once we get them in an electric truck we find it very hard to get them out of it. They enjoy [that] it’s smooth and quiet.”

The road to electrification had not been straightforward, though.

There were no off-the-shelf models available when Waste Management first introduced EVs to its fleet, and even today, most were conversions.

Funding available – but still low uptake

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) delivery and partnerships manager Richard Briggs said many more models, with updated technology and long-range batteries, were becoming available, but cost was among the hurdles for many operators.

“Many operators in this industry are in survival mode, and so it makes uptake of new technology like these trucks much harder, even if it makes sense.”

EECA’s low emissions heavy vehicle fund, announced in the 2024 Budget, had so far co-funded 120 full battery electric heavy vehicles and four hydrogen hybrid conversions.

“That’s probably less than we would have liked to have seen at this time,” Briggs said.

“It is growing rapidly – the last couple of months there’s been quite a spike in applications to the fund, which is quite interesting to see but not surprising given the rise in diesel price.”

About $3.5 million from the fund had been spent so far, with $24.2m remaining.

The availability and cost of charging infrastructure was the other side of the financial equation.

“One of the main barriers to the uptake of the low emissions heavy vehicle fund was the lack of charging, particularly journey charging,” Briggs said.

There were no dedicated public charging stations for heavy vehicles in the entire country, he said.

To help with that, EECA had just launched a $10m pilot fund to assist with setting up charging hubs, either at shared depots or at key points along highways.

Waste Management’s Ashley Davenport said charging was an important consideration as businesses scaled up their electric heavy fleets.

“Most sites would be able to support one or two trucks but, as you scale up from there, it would be really good to see the sector have a little more support.”

There were good examples from overseas of partnerships between companies that charged their vehicles at different times of day, Davenport said.

“They’ve actually made charging hubs where several companies will charge at the same site… and that really helps to spread the load of that initial upfront capital [cost].”

Call for updated weight regulations

Foodstuffs North Island sent its first long-haul battery-electric truck and trailer unit out on the road two weeks ago, just as diesel prices started to crunch.

Fleet safety compliance officer Chris King said the truck slotted into a run that a diesel vehicle used to do, starting with a morning trip from Palmerston North to Kāpiti before returning to charge up.

“Whilst that’s being charged up we’re able to load the trailer and we do a PM run which goes down to… our depot in Grenada in Wellington, and it’s a full load of milk that goes down there.”

In order to operate the truck though, Foodstuffs had to seek an exemption from Waka Kotahi, as the extra battery weight pushed it above normal axle weight limits.

The weight limits exist to limit the damage to roads from heavy freight, but were “a bit of a bone of contention” for operators wanting to go electric, King said.

“We’re relatively lucky [because] we don’t cart extremely heavy loads. Other operators that might cart a lot of heavy freight… that would be a real constraint for them.”

Briggs said those restrictions – known as the vehicle dimensions and mass rule (VDAM) – were a problem many operators had encountered.

“They either have to have a smaller battery, which then reduces the range, or carry a smaller payload, which then obviously reduces the revenue for each trip.”

Kirsten Corson said the UK and Europe had increased their limits slightly to accommodate heavy EVs, and her organisation supported operators’ calls for New Zealand to do the same.

“The government could look at a business-as-usual exemption… and put that in place now until they get time to review that, because there’s trucks that could come into New Zealand if we could review those VDAM rules faster.”

She also wanted to see the road user charge exemption for heavy EVs, which is due to end on July the first next year, extended out to 2030.

“[Operators] are buying their trucks with a 10, 20-year total cost-of-ownership model. So having some certainty around RUCs is super-important because we aren’t seeing significant growth in our heavy transport sector.”

In a written response, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said Cabinet has already decided the RUC exemption would end because all road users should contribute to maintaining the network.

Axle weight limits were already on the work programme, and the government was considering whether aspects of that programme could go ahead more quickly, he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Described as a visionary leader and a builder of belonging – former Manukau City Mayor Sir Barry Curtis was celebrated at his funeral service in Manukau on Friday.

Sir Barry died last week, aged 87.

He had a career of nearly 40 years in local-goverment, and was one of the longest serving mayors in New Zealand.

He led Manukau City from 1983 to 2007 at a time when the city was expanding rapidly, and has been remembered in eulogies by colleagues and politicians as a mayor with a love for community, equity and inclusion.

Hundreds gathered at the Dew Drop Events Centre for the service, including family, former and current mayors, councillors and members of parliament.

Sir Barry Curtis’s casket was carried into the venue that he played a key role in envisioning for Manukau, with Kapa Haka by students from Otahuhu College – his old high school.

Colin Dale, former chief executive of Manukau City Council who worked alongside Sir Barry for two decades, said he was the best leader.

“He was an icon, a legend, I think he was the best mayor,” he said.

Dale said Sir Barry’s legacy in Manukau reflects not only in the many infrastructure projects he pushed for – including the Manukau Rail Link and the Te Irirangi Drive project – but also all the community and sporting groups he promoted, such as Enterprising Manukau, City Manukau Education Trust, Counties Manukau Sports Trust, the Māori Wardens in Ōtara, and other Pasifika groups across the city.

He also “hammered forever” for the courthouse in Manukau, and the Manukau police station, which both became a reality, said Dale.

Dale praised Sir Barry’s relationships with Iwi and Hapū and his enduring bonds with Waikato-Tainui.

He said during Auckland’s 1994 drought, it was Sir Barry who struck the long-term agreement with Tainui for the city to access water from the Waikato River.

Former MP Aupito Su’a William Sio says for many Pasifika and Māori communities, Sir Barry’s leadership was special, carrying warmth and affection.

“He made us feel welcome and valued, it was powerful to see a palangi of his stature, mingling at our gatherings, shaking our hands, speaking our language, even when he stumbled in pronunciation,” he said.

Aupito said he travelled with Sir Barry to Samoa in 1993, where Sir Barry was bestowed the Matai title of Seiuli at the request of the Samoan diaspora in Ōtara, in recognition of his contribution to the community here.

Sir Barry led by example to show palangi leaders that inclusion was not a matter of negotiation, but an obligation, said Aupito.

Aupito described Sir Barry as a “builder of belonging”.

“He made Manukau not just a city, but a family, his legacy lives on not in the echoes of speeches, but in every smiling face at the part, in every child learning in the library, in every family who swims in water made free for all,” he said.

For Anne Candy, who worked alongside Sir Barry as his deputy mayor for nine years, Sir Barry’s leadership was one that championed equity and diversity.

“Manukau, New Zealand’s most progressive city was also Manukau – the face of the future. This was Sir Barry’s command that whatever was happening in Manukau would eventually be happening in the whole of Aoteaora.

“Manukau was the face of the future, it was the face of Pākehā, it was the face of Māori, it was the face of Asians, it was the face of Middle Easterns, it was the face of every country in the world who found Manukau was their home,” she said.

Candy said Sir Barry had a vision of infrastructure that would benefit the whole community.

His passion to have mana whenua as a status of uncompromising respect was a foundation upon which many treaty activities took place in Manukau City, she said.

Former Waitākere City Mayor Sir Bob Harvey said Sir Barry has a legacy second to none in New Zealand.

“Sir Barry was a giant in local politics and King of Manukau of course, and the success of the South was really his child, he adored the South,” he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Media Outreach

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 April 2026 – Within the context of a new global growth cycle, Vietnam is cementing its position as a strategic hub for global institutional capital. At the ‘Inbound Capital Flows’ forum, analysts underscored that Vinhomes is making a significant contribution to shaping the next generation of urban development and also addressing critical mass challenges in the Asian property sector. Through ‘urban marvels’ like Vinhomes Green Paradise, Vietnam is effectively repositioning itself as a leader in large-scale, infrastructure-led real estate on the world map.

Vietnam’s Macroeconomic Resilience Amid Global Volatility

Amid global volatility, geopolitical fragmentation, and monetary tightening cycles, Vietnam has distinguished itself as a rare convergence of macroeconomic stability and long-term growth potential. International analysts now recognize the country as a strategic hub for institutional capital.

Political consistency is the bedrock of Vietnam’s appeal. The country’s high-growth trajectory is underpinned by strong governance coherence, with a unified government that minimizes execution risk. Over the past five years, a series of legal reforms have strengthened land valuation transparency, financial discipline, and environmental compliance. These regulatory improvements systematically align Vietnam’s real estate market with international institutional standards.

Infrastructure investment serves as another structural catalyst. With public investment reaching approximately 7% of GDP, Vietnam is undertaking one of the region’s most aggressive infrastructure expansion programs. Flagship projects such as Long Thanh International Airport, Cai Mep deep-sea port, and metropolitan ring roads are not merely improving connectivity, they are fundamentally reshaping spatial economics and unlocking new real estate frontiers.

Urbanization further amplifies this trajectory. Unlike many regional peers that have reached saturation, Vietnam remains in an early-to-mid stage of urban transformation, creating a sustained demand pipeline for residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments. From a capital markets perspective, Vietnam demonstrates stronger growth across key indicators compared to neighboring countries, with robust FDI inflows and a favorable demographic profile positioning it as a top-tier emerging market in Asia’s real estate investment landscape.

Vinhomes Green Paradise (Can Gio): A New Urban Wonder of Asia

As global investor preferences shift from fragmented, single-asset developments toward integrated urban ecosystems, Vinhomes has emerged as a master developer capable of delivering internationally competitive megaprojects. At the center of this evolution is Vinhomes Green Paradise in Can Gio, a coastal development that international experts describe as unmatched in Asia.

Infrastructure plays a catalytic role in unlocking such projects. The transformation driven by Long Thanh Airport and Cai Mep Port significantly improves accessibility to Can Gio, redefining peripheral land into high-value development corridors. Vietnam’s coastal real estate, long overlooked, now offers a unique opportunity to develop globally competitive destinations, provided they are master-planned and executed at scale.

The defining factor is achieving critical mass. A large-scale integrated development that combines education, healthcare, entertainment, and residential zones within a single master plan is what truly differentiates a project. This philosophy is embedded from inception in Vinhomes’ development model. From an international vantage point, investors are increasingly looking for “urban wonders”, destinations that act as economic engines and catalysts for regional development. Vinhomes Green Paradise is regarded as truly a wonder, featuring world-class infrastructure and amenities.

Stephen Higgins, representing Cushman & Wakefield, emphasized the project’s unique positioning: “There is currently nowhere else in Asia delivering a project like Vinhomes Green Paradise in Can Gio, located adjacent to an existing major city.”

When benchmarked against global icons such as Marina Bay Sands and Palm Jumeirah, the project signals Vietnam’s emergence as a new frontier for landmark urban developments. In this paradigm, Vinhomes transcends the role of a conventional developer, positioning itself as a place-maker that engineers destination ecosystems, an increasingly critical concept in global real estate investment strategy.

Competitive Advantages of Scale, Pricing, and a Strategic Entry Point

A defining characteristic of Vietnam’s real estate market is the rare combination of high growth potential and relatively attractive pricing at scale. With a population of 100 million and a median age of 32, ideal within the region, Vietnam benefits from a demographic dividend that underpins long-term housing demand, absorption rates, and market liquidity.

Vietnam’s strategic geographic positioning near major economic hubs such as China, Singapore, and Hong Kong enhances its role within regional supply chains and capital flows. Importantly, the country can deliver world-class developments at a much more competitive price point. This pricing arbitrage creates significant upside potential as the market continues to mature and converge toward regional benchmarks.

Scale is another decisive factor. Mega-scale developments exceeding 1,000 hectares provide a rare opportunity to design entirely new urban environments. Globally, such large contiguous land parcels are increasingly scarce, making Vietnam one of the few markets capable of delivering next-generation master-planned cities. Within this landscape, Vingroup stands out as a dominant force, with Vinhomes at the forefront of executing these large-scale visions. By integrating residential, commercial, and smart-city infrastructure within a unified master plan, Vinhomes is not merely supplying real estate, it is institutionalizing a new asset class for global investors.

Highlighting the requirements for market competitiveness, Troy Griffiths from Savills stated: “Vietnam must compete through pricing, quality, and the value delivered within a master-planned estate.“ When these three pillars converge, real estate evolves from a transactional asset into a long-term value platform.

With global capital increasingly reallocating toward markets with structural growth and scalable opportunities, Vietnam is transitioning from an emerging destination to a strategic investment hub.

As a central figure in this transition, Vinhomes is playing a significant role in evolving Vietnam’s urban landscape and elevating the nation’s standing within the global real estate sector.

https://vinhomes.vn/en

Hashtag: #Vinhomes

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• DOC staff on Rakiura have logged 75 security incidents in the past year, including threats, harassment and verbal abuse linked to predator-free work
• Local groups opposed claim community concerns about 1080 and other toxins have not been properly heard
• DOC says no further drops are planned this year but the project is continuing – and it cannot succeed without community support

Department of Conservation staff on Stewart Island are logging about one security incident a week linked to predator-free work, including harassment, threats and verbal abuse.

The Department is one of several partners working on an ambitious goal to make Rakiura fully pest-free, but residents say the project – and in particular the use of toxic baits – has proven deeply divisive.

Security incident reports from DOC, revealed to RNZ under the Official Information Act, show tensions reached a boiling point on 75 occasions from September 2024 to December 2025.

Among a string of incidents linked to predator free work were two involving damage or theft on boats, one involving hazardous substances, and another of “obscene behaviour.”

Some of the threats, harassment and verbal abuse was aimed at contractors or volunteers, and some came via email or social media, the records showed.

In August, a group of people opposed to Predator Free Rakiura held a protest.

DOC’s Southern South Island Operations Director Aaron Fleming said it was not unusual for DOC staff to encounter harassment or security incidents at work, but there had been a particular increase over the past year as staff on Rakiura worked through 1080 operations.

“We have had to work with [staff on Rakiura] to support them in how to deal with situations which might be a bit confronting, and ensure that we’ve got measures in place to keep them safe,” he said.

The incidents were linked to a “vocal minority”, he said.

“It’s not just been people on the island. It’s been people that we’ve heard from around the country as well, who have particular views around that methodology. We have really tried hard to work with those people. And it’s really important when people have views, which may differ to our own, that we can have constructive dialogue and really productive sessions with them to help them understand their questions, for us to hear their feedback.”

Environment Southland reported last month that it too had encountered “emerging tensions” on Rakiura linked to recent animal control work.

DOC and Zero Invasive Predators, the key delivery partner for Predator Free Rakiura, had held a number of public meetings from the outset of the programme, Fleming said.

“We have set up engagement sessions for this project over the last year and a bit. We have brought in experts, so it’s not just the DOC voice or the contractor’s voice, so they can hear from other people and other perspectives,” he said.

‘We do not really have a say’

In Oban, one of the groups opposed to the project was the Protect Rakiura Trust, a community group headed by resident Furhana Ahmad.

Ahmad said she would never condone threats or harassment, but she felt the engagement sessions had been rushed and her group’s perspective had not been fully acknowledged.

She estimated about a third of the island’s residents were members of her group, and said they were worried about the seemingly “indiscriminate” use of toxins including 1080.

“I think it is sad that there is this divide and it has not been helped by the attitudes and the way that DOC have dealt with this whole agenda, which is unfortunately going to carry on and on because there is a mindset that this is the best thing for Rakiura,” she said.

“This is our life. We are not their experiment. And it’s absolutely arrogant for them to treat us like this.”

The hunter-led Rakiura Whitetail Trust had also raised concerns with the project, saying DOC needed to take more care to manage the risks of toxic baits.

Trustee Antony Simpson said DOC should have carried out more rigourous trials before an August 1080 drop that killed more deer than expected – though DOC maintained hunters had been warned in advance that the effectiveness of deer repellent on whitetail deer was unknown.

He said the conversations between his group and those leading Predator Free Rakiura had felt like a box ticking exercise.

“We feel like this island isn’t our island – we do not really have a say as such. It has been run from the other side of the Strait by people on the mainland,” he said.

That would hopefully change in the future, he said.

“We’ve been talking to the Department of Conservation and we’ve got a seat at the table and going forward. We’re going to be part of the decision making and if we can come out with a solution that helps the conservation side and the hunting side it’s going to be perfect.”

‘A big faceless government entity’

Among 13 members of Predator Free Rakiura’s Engagement and Advisory Group – tasked with representing local voices – is Riki Everest, who is also a Rakiura Māori Lands Trustee.

He said it was disappointing that opposition to Predator Free Rakiura had escalated to verbal abuse and harassment.

“I have seen slightly older people who have dedicated their lives to conservation being treated unkindly by other members of our community who throw stones and are not very kind to them…. most of them are my friends, you know, they are good fishermen, they are good hostesses, they are good chefs… but none of them dedicate their life to conservation. So I mean what gives them the right to throw stones at people and stuff and call them names?” he said.

“Do I believe that the engagement has been satisfactory? No, in some ways – but I don’t know if it ever would be for the people that are really staunchly against it. I don’t think they’d ever find peace with it. I think they’ll find every avenue that they can to stop it.”

He said he understood people’s concerns about the project because he too had reservations when he first joined the group.

“I sat at that table like most people here on the island and with my arms folded and yeah I was a sceptic, absolutely. I’m in the, I guess, maybe 70/30 or 80/20 comfortable stage of what we’re trying to do, and whether it’s achievable. We all have doubts about the longevity of things,” he said.

But Predator Free Rakiura was worth it, he said.

“I believe that it is, because no one is caring for the ngahere of Rakiura. Who is protecting the taonga species?” he said.

Shona Sangster, a Stewart Island Rakiura Community and Environment Trustee, and another member of the Engagement and Advisory Group, said people opposed to the project generally were not doing so to stick up for rats and possums.

“I am kind of a little bit embarrassed that our community has reacted that way to DOC. I would say that, I think, putting the best interpretation on it, they are reacting to what they see as a big faceless government entity, rather than somebody they see as a member of their own community,” she said.

“I think there is a lot of strong feeling. I think there is a natural resistance to change in any small community, especially small rural communities – some people would just prefer things to stay the same.”

She said another aerial operation was likely at some point, so it was important to keep open dialogue with the community.

“I think we just need to take people on the journey of why it’s happening here and how it’ll work here. We need to get people involved in the work, seeing why the choices are being made, why we’re choosing one method over another, and why things don’t work,” she said.

‘We are not going to buy into it’

Ahmad maintained that people who opposed Predator Free Rakiura had not been treated with respect, and alleged some of the incidents on DOC’s list had been blown out of proportion.

“For DOC staff to go around complaining and basically, almost like creating stories to make the opposition look bad and to make us look like we are being unkind to them or doing the wrong thing or being, you know, taking illegal or nasty tactics is really low life on their part. We’re not going to buy into it,” she said.

DOC rejected that, saying the list simply reflected the number of entries into its internal Risk Manager system.

“Incident reporting is a standard health and safety requirement and is essential to ensuring staff safety and preventing escalation or normalisation of inappropriate behaviour. It includes social media commentary relating to the predator control work which could originate from elsewhere in New Zealand or internationally,” Fleming said.

DOC said threatening and intimidating behaviour would not be tolerated.

While no 1080 drops were planned for the island this year, Fleming said background work was underway to determine the next steps for Predator Free Rakiura.

The community would not be left behind, he said.

“We are absolutely committed to working with our community on achieving this goal. We need to do this with our community. We can’t do it without them. So when we are ready and we’ve got work that we’re doing at the moment to understand how we’re going to go about this going forward… we’ll absolutely be continuing to engage with our community,” he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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