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

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

Good afternoon, everyone. 

I’d like to thank Raveen, Geoff and the entire team at the Infrastructure Commission for their hard work on the National Infrastructure Plan.

I’d also like to acknowledge His Worship, Mayor Wayne Brown; and Rt Honourable Helen Clark.

It’s great to see you here, because fixing New Zealand’s infrastructure system is going to take everyone, from government, to opposition, mayors, local authorities, infrastructure providers, and – quite frankly – all New Zealanders.

Today, I want to talk about:

• the realities of our poor performing infrastructure system
• work the Government has already done to fix the basics of our system – lots of which aligns with the independent Commission’s Plan, and
• building bipartisanship on the Plan.

Then, I am excited to announce decisions Cabinet has made to strengthen assurance for central government-funded infrastructure, ahead of our formal response to the Plan later this year in June.

This isn’t our first Plan, and it’s time to get on with it

Some of you may be thinking – “couldn’t you have waited a few more months before making these changes.”

Well, no.

I have been clear to officials that I want to get on with eminently sensible, evidence-backed recommendations in the NIP. 

It’s important to note that we have been here before. This is not New Zealand’s first Infrastructure Plan. It isn’t even our second or third.

We had plans in 2010, 2011, and 2015.

Some recommendations in these older plans are identical to those in the Commission’s Plan, like making better use of pricing tools and user-pays.

It’s clear previous Governments of all flavours have put issues like poor infrastructure performance, unaffordable housing, and low productivity in the too-hard basket.

Even worse – some Governments have irresponsibly thrown billions at problems or projects instead of focusing on fixing the fundamentals. 

But I’m not going to do that.

And that’s not what this Government is about.

Achieving genuine economic prosperity is the great challenge driving this Government. 

New Zealand is nowhere near as wealthy as we sometimes like to think we are. 

Currently, our GDP per capita, on a purchasing power parity basis, is about the same as Slovakia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. Now, they went through 40 years of communism. 

Our great challenge as a country is how we lift our long run growth rate and productivity – which are main determinants of prosperity.

And that is what this Government is tackling through fixing underlying systemic failures that have accumulated and festered over the last 10 to 30 years.

We are putting in a new planning system to replace the failed Resource Management Act once and for all. This is projected to save $13.3 billion in administrative and compliance costs over the next 30 years and increase GDP by at least 0.56 per cent annually by 2050. 

Our new planning system is a once-in-a-generation opportunity unleash growth. We are making the most of this by progressing Local Government reforms, and establishing the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT) – to ensure both local and central governments are easier to work with. 

19 projects have been granted consent under our Fast-Track legislation representing thousands of jobs and billions in investment.

In housing, we have found a compromise on PC120 that enables abundant development opportunities and allows our biggest city to grow. And, importantly, grow in the right areas that enjoy broad support like around train-stations, busways, and the CBD. 

The evidence officials have provided to me suggests that landing an Auckland plan where you get upzoning around rapid transit stops and central city intensification, will be one of the most significant things we can do, not just for housing affordability, but economic prosperity more broadly. 

In education, we are reversing the 30-year experiment on our kids of pretending that basic knowledge and facts don’t matter. We’re restoring standards, teaching the basics, and focusing on achievement. Minister Stanford has also driven the average cost of a classroom down from $1.2m to about $620k.

We are reversing wealth destructive earthquake prone building legislation, opening-up competition in building materials, and tackling joint and several liability.

We’re finally sorting the Holidays Act. And major reforms are underway to employment law and health and safety.

Now, these changes don’t happen overnight, nor are their benefits felt immediately. 

This approach isn’t about ‘sugar hit’ interventions, and, although it’s not always popular, it’s the right thing to do.

The changes we are making are foundational, beneficial shifts to our economy that we should have implemented years ago. They will set the country up for long-term success.

I truly believe that if we follow through, the 2030s will be New Zealand’s decade.

I came to Parliament to help make our country more prosperous and wealthier, and for all Kiwis to have the opportunities that come from that prosperity. 

It’s important we get on with fixing the infrastructure system and fixing this country.

The Plan is a wake-up call 

Now, I want to get into the findings of the Plan.

Even before becoming Minister for Infrastructure, I regularly heard that: “what New Zealand needs is a long-term infrastructure plan that transcends political cycles”.

I agree – that’s why creating a 30-year Plan was a key campaign commitment for the National Party in 2023. 

Shortly after we came into government, I asked the independent Commission to begin work on this Plan. And now, it’s delivered. 

I’d like to again thank Raveen, Geoff, and the team for their hard work. 

This is not the Government’s Plan; it’s New Zealand’s Plan. 

This independence is crucial because it will take a sustained effort across governments to turn the infrastructure system around. 

I believe the Plan is a wake-up call for many New Zealanders.

The Commission has made a compelling case for change – we face significant challenges. 

• Firstly, we have an aging infrastructure stock as assets built in the post-war investment boom of the 1950s to the 1990s wear out.
• Secondly, we have a significant backlog of maintenance and renewals. 
• Thirdly, our demographics are changing, and we have an aging population.
• Fourthly, the risks and exposure we face from natural hazard events and global shocks will continue to increase. This is a challenge all New Zealanders have felt acutely over the past few months – whether that be through the conflict in Iran, leading to the increased fuel prices and further cost-of-living pressure; or the series of extreme weather events we have faced.

At the exact time we must face all these challenges, we also must face the reality that the systems we currently use to plan, fund, build, and maintain infrastructure are underperforming. 

New Zealand is in the top 10% of the OECD for infrastructure spending, but we are in the bottom 10% for what we get for our spend. 

We rank fourth to last in the OECD for asset management. 

Half of all capital-intensive central government agencies have reported that they do not have robust asset registers or adequate plans for looking after existing infrastructure.

And around half of all proposals for investment in the last five Budgets did not have complete business cases.

On top of this, Central Government agencies often don’t follow rules on basic investment management.  

Since coming into Government, I have also been concerned about the quality and completeness of information Ministers receive to make billion-dollar decisions.

Everyone experiences the flow on effects of our underperforming system including bad value for taxpayer money; funding gaps; over-scoped, gold-plated, palace projects; delays; cost overruns, and – often – worn-down and failing assets that don’t do their job.

I can rattle off too many examples of asset failures like leaky police stations, mouldy military homes, rotting classrooms, and in 2018, a hospital with raw sewage seeping into the asbestos-filled walls.

This is not what New Zealanders expect, and government needs to do better.

Because, we are fast approaching these great, complex infrastructure challenges, but we can’t even take care of BAU. 

I’m calling this the “infrastructure twin headwinds”. 

On one front we have exogenous challenges – things that we can’t easily change like our aging infrastructure assets or aging population. 

Then, on the other front we have underperforming systems and processes for how we plan, fund, build, and look after our infrastructure – which we can and will change.

Getting this right is a must, not a nice to have, if we are serious about growth and lifting the prosperity and living standards of all New Zealanders.

And I’m serious. 

Fixing the basics 

The Government has spent a lot of time in the last two years fixing the basics of our infrastructure system.

It’s encouraging that many of the Commission’s Top 10 Priorities reflect work already underway by the Government.

I’ll quickly touch on some of those. 

Lifting hospital investment for an ageing population – Health New Zealand now has a long-term capital infrastructure plan, and this Government is providing record investment in both capital and maintenance spending for health.

Implementing time-of-use charging and fleetwide road user charges – Legislation enabling time of use pricing was passed last year, and the government is working with Auckland Council on scheme options. We have also begun the transition to Electronic Road User Charges (E-RUC) across the transport fleet.

Prioritise adequate maintenance and renewals – Last year, the Government started work on a comprehensive asset management work programme. Phase 1 of the programme has already provided practical tools and guidance to agencies so that they can up their game. 

Phase 2 is about driving more fundamental change and is being informed by recommendations in Plan like those around legislating for proper asset management plans, asset registers, and performance reporting – as well as having those products independently audited. 

Additionally, in Budget 2025, we gave education significant ongoing additional depreciation funding to maintain and upgrade schools. 

Commit to a durable resource management framework – The Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill are in the House. We know some changes are needed to reflect this Government’s policy ambitions and to get the Bills right – and we are working away on that. We have also provided many briefings to the opposition, so that, where possible, we can build consensus. 

Commit to upzoning around key transport corridors – Through what seems like many trials and tribulations, the Government has landed a compromise on PC120 that enables abundant development opportunities, gives Auckland Council greater flexibility, and allows our biggest city to grow. Importantly, it ensures Auckland upzones and grows around key transport corridors like the 15 train stations that benefit from CRL, busways, and other rapid transit hubs.

These are also the areas that benefit from significant investment from Auckland Council and Watercare – including the central interceptor project, which will be finished later this year.  

I’m grateful to have an advocate of housing and urbanism in Mayor Wayne Brown who backs density like I do. 

On top of this, the Government has done a lot of work to improve data and transparency on infrastructure through strengthened Quarterly Investment Reporting. 

Now, each quarter we know key metrics, like how much spend is going out the door and the ratio of agencies’ actual versus planned expenditure. 

New Zealand has long struggled to turn funding into construction quickly, and the market has made it clear that they want higher quality information on upcoming construction activity. 

The improved QIR now makes it clear which agencies are behind.

The Minister of Finance and I have stressed to Portfolio Ministers the need for accurate reporting and forecasting. 

It’s early days, but this year we are already seeing a reduction in underspends. And we will continue to closely monitor this. 

All of this is a good start, but there is more work to do.

Bipartisanship on the Plan

I know many people are keen to see more bipartisanship in infrastructure. To the extent that that’s possible, I’m up for it. 

That’s why all parties in Parliament were offered briefings from the Commission on the Plan, and why we held a Special Debate on the Plan once it was finalised. 

I also intend to engage with other political parties in Parliament before finalising the Government’s formal response in mid-June. 

I can’t claim to speak for all parties, but I suspect that almost all projects underway right now are supported by everyone.

It’s the high profile and high-cost disagreements that make the headlines. But it’s the low profile and often low-cost projects that make New Zealand.

I’ve long held the view that we should move away from the rhetoric of needing a bipartisan pipeline and instead build bipartisan consensus on the idea that governments of all colours should use best practice to plan, select, fund and finance, deliver, and look after infrastructure.

Problems with infrastructure assurance 

Since coming into Government, the Minister of Finance and I have been concerned by the quality of information provided on infrastructure including what we own and its condition, the forward investment pipeline, assurance on individual projects and programmes, and agency performance. 

When it comes to assurance, there are multiple project review tools across the investment system that serve slightly different purposes and have different assessors, information requirements, reporting formats, and outputs.

However, none of these tools provide Ministers with unapologetically strong, clear, and actionable assurance that is focused on substance (as opposed to bureaucracy), so that we can make well-informed investment decisions.

We want experts to give us their free and frank; is it a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. 

Instead, it seems the modus operandi is to let investments move through the system and let bad projects gain momentum – until it’s too late – wasting tens or hundreds of millions of taxpayer money on Business Cases and early design and feasibility work for phantom projects.

Multiple assurance products like the Infrastructure Priorities Programme and Gateway Reviews are also causing duplication and overcomplication for both Ministers and agencies. 

Put simply, there are too many assurance tools, but none of them do what is needed – support ministers to make good decisions. 

This is alarming considering its Ministers who ultimately make these significant investment decisions. Its clear change is needed.

Today’s announcement on strengthening assurance 

So, today, I can announce that Cabinet has agreed to strengthen assurance for central-government funded projects, with a focus on infrastructure. 

This is being progressed through five changes:

Firstly, on 1 November 2026, we will transfer responsibility for providing external investment assurance on central-government-funded infrastructure proposals from the Treasury to the Infrastructure Commission. This will allow Government to leverage the Commission’s expertise and independence.  

This means the Commission will analyse all major infrastructure investments funded by central government including hospitals, schools, prisons, courthouses, and more. 

Treasury will continue to lead policy across the Investment Management System and provide holistic advice to Ministers on investments – including on prioritisation, sequencing and fiscals.

I know people will ask if this independent assurance applies to NZ Transport Agency projects.

The answer to that is yes, under certain circumstances. Independent assurance will apply to NZTA where funding for a project is sought from central government, outside of the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF). This goes for other entities too. 

Secondly, Government has agreed to establish a formal assurance function for asset management and long-term investment plans, which will apply to capital-intensive central government agencies and other entities. The Commission will be responsible for running the ruler over these plans when it comes to infrastructure, and the Treasury will be responsible for policy.

Thirdly, going forward, External investment assurance will be focused on what Ministers need to make good decisions on behalf of New Zealanders. 

This means simplifying the external assurance space by consolidating existing products like the Commission’s Infrastructure Priorities Programme (IPP) and Treasury’s Gateway Review – taking the best elements of both.

Fourthly, for all Business Cases seeking Cabinet endorsement, Treasury will provide Ministers with a standardised “Fitness Assessment” that has holistic, high-quality information on proposals. The assessment will also provide Minister strategic advice by putting the project in context of the entity’s past performance and the fiscal landscape. 

Lastly, to test the quality and credibility of investments, the Infrastructure Investment Minister Group will review High-Profile-High-Risk investments, and Long-Term Capital Plans before they go to Cabinet.

These changes directly respond to and accept recommendations 7, 8, and 9 in the Plan under the theme of, prioritising the right projects.

For Ministers, these changes mean they can confidently say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to projects and long-term capital plans – early – knowing that their decisions are informed by strong evidence and independent, expert advice. 

For taxpayers, these changes mean more projects that meet their needs and represent good value for money. Stronger assurance can also be a tool for the public to hold Ministers to account. 

If a government funds a project that did not receive a favourable assessment, then that’s a good basis for questions and scrutiny. 

For the sector, these changes will mean less stopping and starting of projects as good projects rise to the top, and unrealistic, unfunded projects quickly sink to the bottom. 

Of course, central government agencies will need to up their game on asset management plans, asset registers, data collection and reporting, and monitoring the condition of assets, long-term investment plans – which likely means getting more capacity and capability in these areas.

The NIP recommends further changes here – watch this space for the Government’s formal response in June.  

Now, I’ve heard concerns from agencies about “lack of funding” for these functions, but from my perspective things like good asset management is BAU. If agencies can’t fund it out of baselines, then they shouldn’t be infrastructure providers or asset owners. 

Central Government holds regulated utilities, and local government to these standards, certainly a higher standard than it does itself, and it’s time that changed.

Fuel crisis and transport 

Before wrapping up, it would be remiss of me not to address the Strait of Hormuz sized elephant in the room. 

The conflict in Iran has obviously impacted the transport portfolio. 

Top of mind for me are a couple of things including Public Transport (PT), and the Roads of National Significance programme. 

On PT – 80% of New Zealand’s bus fleet is diesel. So, in the context of diesel prices going through the roof, this has a flow on effect to the costs of providing PT.

We are working closely with Public Transport Authorities around exactly what those cost impacts are, and whether the Government needs to provide additional support. 

On the revenue side of things, people are driving less – price is working, price is the great rationing mechanism – and people are buying less fuel, so less revenue is flowing into the National Land Transport Fund. 

I’ve also been upfront that the 12-cent increase in petrol tax set for 1 January 2027, is unlikely to go ahead.

This combination will affect funding and delivery timelines for future transport projects. That’s just reality. 

Before the conflict, we were already in a challenging and constrained funding environment as outlined in the Plan. The conflict has made a difficult situation worse. 

We are working hard on a prioritisation exercise. 

There are 17 Roads of National Significance we are committed to, plus progress on the Second Harbour Crossing, plus progress on projects like North-West Rapid Transit and the Airport to Botany Busway. 

These can’t all be built at once – that was never going to happen. And they can’t all be funded at once. So, they were always a long-term pipeline of projects. 

So, we are just working on a prioritisation exercise around what the sequencing looks like over the next 20 years. 

Some projects are ready to go, others will be ready in the next three to five years, and others are off into the distance. 

What I hear from the sector and the public, is that they want a prioritised sequence out over the next few years. Part of the problem with this, is that we haven’t had a pipeline. 

And that’s what I am working very hard on and will have more to say on it shortly.

Conclusion

To finish, I’d like to thank the Infrastructure Commission for inviting me to speak and to congratulate you all on the Plan.

It was a massive effort, and from what I can tell it has been received well across government, the sector, and the public – which reflects your expertise, high-quality insights, and trust you have built since your establishment in 2019. 

I look forward to formally responding to the Plan in mid-June. Then, it will be up to all of us to turn the Plan into reality. 

Thank you.

MIL OSI

Source: Media Outreach

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 April 2026 – Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) today outlined how enterprise AI adoption across Asia Pacific (APAC) is moving from experimentation to implementation, with 48% of organisations with more than 500 employees in the region already deploying AI PCs and 95% expecting workstations to play a critical or important role in AI initiatives over the next two years. Together, these trends point to a more distributed AI environment – one that brings intelligence closer to users while supporting increasingly complex and compute-intensive workloads.

Two IDC InfoBriefs, commissioned by Dell Technologies and Intel reinforce this shift – Future-Ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption and Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You. The research highlights growing enterprise momentum behind both intelligent endpoints and higher-performance systems as organisations shape the next phase of AI adoption.

For Dell, this shift reflects a broader industry trend toward aligning the right compute resources with specific workload requirements, as organisations balance intelligent endpoints for everyday productivity with high-performance systems designed for advanced AI and professional use cases. Enterprise AI deployments are increasingly spanning client devices, edge environments and the data centre, reflecting a more distributed approach across the IT environment.

AI PCs: Bringing intelligence closer to everyday work

AI PCs are becoming a core component of the modern workplace, enabling AI workloads to run directly on the device to deliver faster, more responsive user experiences while reducing reliance on continuous cloud connectivity. This approach also supports enhanced data privacy and security, provides IT teams with greater control over deployment and management across device fleets, and enables more consistent scaling of AI capabilities across the workforce.

The IDC research commissioned by Dell Technologies and Intel underscores this momentum. As AI becomes embedded in day-to-day work, device strategy is shifting accordingly. 89% of APAC organisations now consider AI capabilities a very important factor in future PC purchasing decisions.

In Singapore, 54% of organisations have already deployed AI PCs – 12% higher than the regional average – highlighting strong early adoption momentum. Southeast Asia’s AI PC adoption is outpacing the regional average by 6%, driven by the ability to adopt new technologies without legacy constraints, strong infrastructure in markets like Singapore, favourable market conditions and supportive government initiatives.

APAC Organisations with over 50% AI PCs in their fleet report saving 2.17 hours per employee per day, a 30% productivity increase compared to using AI on traditional PCs. AI PCs are enabling a new class of enterprise use cases – from real-time collaboration and report generation to natural language search and content creation – delivering tangible productivity gains.

In practical terms, this can translate into faster proposal turnaround for sales teams, quicker analysis cycles for finance and operations, streamlined drafting for HR, faster document review for engineering teams, and more responsive support for customer-facing employees. As organisations prepare for more autonomous and agentic AI in hybrid work environments, AI PCs are increasingly becoming the governed way to scale intelligent experiences across the workforce – safely, consistently, and with clearer business impact.

Four out of five APAC organisations expect AI PCs to drive adoption of agentic AI, with the same proportion agreeing they enhance control and security for these applications. The broader momentum is clear: within APAC, 84% of organisations expect AI PCs to increase employee productivity, while 78% cite security benefits and 77% highlight cost advantages of running AI locally.

This shift is leading to a tangible investment. Across APAC, 65% of organisations are willing to pay a premium of 10% or more for AI PCs, reflecting their role as core infrastructure for enterprise AI.

Workstations: Powering advanced AI and specialised workloads

While AI PCs distribute intelligence across the workforce, workstations continue to serve as the performance backbone for more demanding workloads – particularly as organisations shift more AI development on-premise. Developers, engineers, designers, and data teams rely on workstation-class systems for AI model development, simulation, rendering, data preparation, and other compute-intensive activities that require reliability, low latency, and sustained performance.

The IDC research on workstations reflects this reality. 95% of organisations across APAC expect workstations to play a critical or important role in AI initiatives over the next two years, while 50% would choose a workstation as their preferred device for AI development, and 97% of organisations agree workstations are high-performance devices that fuel innovation for the organisation by empowering teams to explore cutting-edge technology like AI and Machine Learning models.

Across Southeast Asia, 92% of organisations surveyed reported higher productivity among workstation users, while 52% expect the share of workstations in their fleet to grow over the next five years. Organisations in this part of the region also reported workstation use for data preparation (66%), model fine-tuning (62%), and foundational model training (55%), underscoring the role of high-performance systems in advanced AI and professional workloads.

Use cases vary by sector – from engineering and architecture workflows in manufacturing, to content rendering in media, software development in technology, and risk modelling in financial services. AI has become the top technical computing use case for workstations, supporting the full lifecycle from data preparation (62%) and model training (60%) to fine-tuning (59%), deployment (44%) and inference (29%).

This also shifts the conversation from upfront device price to total cost of ownership – including lifecycle longevity, scalability, performance consistency, and risk reduction. As AI initiatives move closer to production, workstations are increasingly seen as long-term platforms that can scale with evolving workloads, rather than short-term tools for experimentation.

Toward an AI compute continuum that supports the next phase of enterprise AI

Together, AI PCs and workstations form an AI compute continuum, supporting everything from everyday productivity to advanced AI development and professional workloads across the enterprise.

For organisations across Asia Pacific, the next phase of AI will not be defined by a single environment or device category, but by the ability to place the right workload on the right compute. AI PCs are extending AI into everyday workflows, while workstations are helping organisations industrialise more advanced, compute-intensive, and specialised AI use cases. Combined, they give leaders a more practical foundation for scaling AI with greater speed, control, and long-term value.

Perspectives:

“AI is changing where work happens and where intelligence needs to live,” said Jacinta Quah, vice president, client solutions group, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC), Dell Technologies. “AI PCs and workstations are not simply device categories in a refresh cycle – they are foundational platforms built for the next phase of enterprise AI era. AI PCs bring intelligence to everyday workflows, at the fingertips of employees where data is generated. Meanwhile, workstations provide the performance and control needed for more specialised, compute-intensive workloads. Together, they enable organisations to scale AI more effectively, strengthen security and privacy, and drive meaningful business outcomes.”

“AI is placing new demands on compute, requiring both local intelligence and high-performance processing to work seamlessly together,” said Jack Huang, regional sales director, PC client commercial and channel, Asia Pacific and Japan, Intel. “As AI workloads become more diverse, organisations need silicon innovations and platforms that can support both efficient on-device experiences and more demanding workstation use cases. Together with Dell, we are helping to enable the next phase of enterprise AI with technologies built for responsiveness, efficiency and scale.”

“The speed at which AI models are being compressed to run on-device has been remarkably fast,” said Bryan Ma, vice president, client devices, IDC. “In the next year or two, very robust models will run on PCs that far exceed today’s capabilities. At the same time, organisations continue to depend on high-performance workstations for advanced AI development and specialised workloads, reinforcing a more distributed AI environment across the enterprise.”

Research Methodology:
The findings are based on two IDC InfoBriefs:

• IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Dell Technologies and Intel, Future-ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption, Doc. #AP242547IB, January 2026
• IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Dell Technologies and Intel, Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You, Doc. #AP242550IB, February 2026

Future-ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption is based on a survey of 720 IT and business decision-makers across Asia Pacific organisations with more than 500 employees. Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You surveyed 960 IT and business decision-makers in the region to assess workstation adoption, usage, and their role in enterprise AI strategies.

Hashtag: #DellTechnologies

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

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

Source: Media Outreach

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 April 2026 – Money20/20, the world’s leading fintech show and the place where money does business, is hosting Policy20 as part of Money20/20 Asia in Bangkok happening on April 21-23 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Policy20 brings together over 80 leading policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders from all across Asia. The summit addresses the rapid convergence of technology, finance, and regulation, and the urgent need for collaborative approaches to navigate this evolving landscape.

A key highlight of the programme was a closed-door Governors’ and Chairs’ Strategic Roundtable on “Sovereign Intelligence,” where senior policy leaders, financial regulators, and central bank governors convened under Chatham House Rule to address the challenge of maintaining national policy autonomy in an era of AI and digital finance.

The session reached consensus on three strategic pillars:

1. Sovereignty via Strategic Standards: National policy autonomy is best protected through proactive participation in global standards, ensuring our regional values are embedded in the code of the next financial system.
2. Harmonised Resilience: The future of cross-border financial rails must be built on shared governance protocols that also respect national priorities.
3. Proactive Oversight: There is a sense of commitment to moving to “Intelligence-Led Governance,” leveraging the same AI and real-time data tools we oversee to safeguard our national financial health.

Ian Fong, VP of Content – Asia, Money20/20, said: “Today’s consensus signals that the region’s policy and regulatory leaders are moving from observation to production-grade governance. They are not just managing technology; they are defining the blueprint for how sovereign intelligence will safeguard the future of global finance.”

The Shift to Co-Creation & Trust

A dominant theme emerging from Policy20: the future of financial systems in Asia will be built not just on innovation, but on trust, collaboration, and intelligent infrastructure.

One of the most striking insights was the industry-wide shift from traditional regulatory models toward co-creation. Regulators are increasingly positioning themselves as enablers rather than enforcers, working alongside the private sector to design frameworks that evolve in real time with technological advancements. This marks a fundamental move away from static, compliance-led approaches toward dynamic, partnership-driven regulation.

At the same time, trust has become the cornerstone of financial innovation. As digital ecosystems expand, trust is derived from transparent systems, strong governance, and regulatory alignment, particularly as AI and digital assets continue to outpace traditional regulatory cycles.

Infrastructure with Purpose

The discussions also highlighted that innovation without usability is problematic. Discussion points centered on the idea that true financial inclusion in Asia depends on intelligent infrastructure, systems that are not just accessible, but intuitive and affordable enough to remove friction for underserved populations at scale.

A Multi-Rail Future

Looking ahead, Policy20 experts outlined a multi-rail financial ecosystem where tokenised deposits, stablecoins, and traditional banking coexist. The takeaway was clear: the future is not about one dominant model, but achieving seamless interoperability, through shared cross-border standards and frameworks.

Scale vs. Safety

Ultimately, the discussions underscored a regional commitment to balancing speed with safety. While innovation is accelerating, regulators and industry players alike emphasised that growth must not come at the expense of consumer protection, financial stability, or accountability. There was a strong agreement that meaningful adoption, not just access, has become the ultimate measure of success, with a focus on whether financial innovation is genuinely improving lives.

As Policy20 continues, one message is clear: Asia is no longer just adapting to the digital age; it is defining the global blueprint for responsible regulation.

Hashtag: #money20/20 #fintech #bangkok

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

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

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is improving how it selects infrastructure projects by making a series of changes to the Investment Management System, to ensure infrastructure meets New Zealanders’ needs, represents value for money, and can be successfully delivered, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Finance Minister Nicola Willis say.

The changes include transferring responsibility for infrastructure project assurance from The Treasury to the independent NZ Infrastructure Commission. 

“We’re improving the information Ministers receive and making sure there is proper scrutiny of major projects to support Ministers in making good investment decisions on behalf of New Zealanders,” Ms Willis says.

“Since coming into Government, the Minister for Infrastructure and I have been concerned by the quality of information provided on infrastructure including what we own and its condition, the forward investment pipeline, assurance on projects, and agency performance. 

“When it comes to assurance, there are multiple project review tools across the investment system that serve slightly different purposes and have different assessors, information requirements, reporting formats, and outputs.

“However, none of these tools provide Ministers with unapologetically strong, clear, and actionable assurance that is focused on substance as opposed to bureaucracy, so that we can make well-informed investment decisions. 

“What ministers need is clear, frankly expressed ‘go/no go’ expert advice on each project.”

“Instead, the current state allows investments to move through the system and lets bad projects gain momentum – until it’s too late – wasting tens or hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on Business Cases and early design and feasibility on phantom projects.

“Multiple external assurance products like the Treasury’s Gateway Review and Infrastructure Commission’s Infrastructure Priorities Programme are also causing duplication and overcomplication for both Ministers and agencies. 

“Put simply, there are too many external assurance and project review tools but none of them do what is needed – support Ministers to make good decisions.

“This is alarming considering its Ministers who ultimately make these large investment decisions. It’s clear change is needed, and that’s what we are doing.”

Cabinet has agreed to five key changes to the Investment Management System:

Stronger investor-focused assurance: External investment assurance will be focused on what Ministers need to make good decisions on behalf of New Zealanders. This means simplifying the assurance space by consolidating existing products like the Infrastructure Priorities Programme (IPP) and Gateway – taking the best elements of both.
Better use of specialist expertise: Responsibility for coordinating external assurance on central government-funded infrastructure projects will shift from the Treasury to the independent NZ Infrastructure Commission, removing duplication of assurance products and ensuring the Commission’s expertise is used to its full advantage. This means the Commission will look over major infrastructure proposals long before decisions are made, giving Ministers independent, expert advice on whether the investment meets a need, represents value for money and is deliverable. When it comes to the NZ Transport Agency, high-risk projects or those outside of the National Land Transport Fund, will be subject to this assurance
Clearer advice to Ministers: For all Business Cases seeking Cabinet endorsement, Treasury will introduce a standardised two-page ‘Fitness Assessment’ for major investment decisions. This assessment will also play a strategic role by putting the project in context of the entity’s past performance and the fiscal landscape.
New assurance for asset management and long-term investment plans: A dedicated assurance function will be established for capital-intensive agencies, covering asset management and long-term investment planning. The Commission will be responsible for providing assurance on these plans and Treasury will lead policy.
Greater Ministerial oversight of major projects: The Infrastructure and Investment Ministers Group will review High-Profile High-Risk investments and long-term investment plans before they go to Cabinet, and monitor delivery after decisions are made.

“These changes directly respond to and accept recommendations in the National Infrastructure Plan under the theme of prioritising the right projects, and are part of the Government’s wider work to lift economic growth and improve the performance of public investment,” Mr Bishop says.

“For Ministers, this will mean they can confidently say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to projects, asset management plans, and long-term capital plans – early – knowing that their decisions are informed by strong evidence and independent, expert advice. 

“For taxpayers, these changes mean more projects that meet their needs and represent good value for money. Stronger assurance can also be a tool for the public to hold Ministers to account. If a government funds a project that did not receive a favourable assessment, then that’s a good basis for questions and scrutiny. 

“For the sector, these changes will mean less stopping and starting of projects as good projects rise to the top, and unrealistic and unfunded projects quickly sink to the bottom. 

“Central government agencies will need to up their game on asset management plans, long-term investment plans, and Business Cases – which likely requires getting more capacity and capability in these areas.

“Central Government already holds regulated utilities and local government to these standards, and it’s time we held ourselves to that same standard.

“At the end of the day, this is about getting better infrastructure for New Zealanders. Roads that last, schools and hospitals that meet needs, and projects that are delivered on time and on budget.”

Ms Willis says Ministers need clearer, more consistent information to make good decisions about billions of dollars of public investment.

“For too long, decisions have been made with patchy or inconsistent information, and with too little visibility of delivery risk,” Ms Willis says.

“These changes put Ministers back in the driver’s seat as investors, with better tools to assess whether projects stack up and whether agencies are ready to deliver them.”

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

The chair of media business NZME says an independent review of employment practices, following the recent dismissal of three executive members of staff, indicate management has more work to do.

“More generally the review found that NZME had more work to do in order to promote and maintain a supportive work environment in which employees and other persons are treated with respect and dignity,” NZME chair Steven Joyce told shareholders at the annual meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Shareholders also heard year-on-year revenue was up about 3 percent in the first four months of the year, with a more positive outlook for its OneRoof business, which was rocked by the dismissal its chief executive Greg J. Hornblow.

Hornblow recently pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving commercial sexual services from a minor and lost his bid for name suppression.

NZME chief executive Michael Boggs said OneRoof’s performance was back on track, with new leadership in place and a focus on further development of the property-market-related business.

“It was a disturbing time in the business. It was disturbing for people in the business, and you know, we’re very disappointed about that,” Boggs said.

“We do continue to believe, though, that Oneroof is a very important part of our business. . . and we do believe we’ve got significant growth still to come on OneRoof. And we do believe that will be shown in shareholder value in the future.”

Joyce said the board was prepared to hold OneRoof for now, in response to questions about whether the business would be sold or spun-off as a standalone business.

Boggs said the first quarter of the year has been profitable, reflecting the revenue growth as well as ongoing cost savings, though the outlook was subject to heightened economic uncertainty and global volatility.

“Management continues to closely manage costs, prioritise returns on investment, and preserve financial flexibility.”

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

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s fuel stocks have dipped across the board according to the latest update, but the government says levels are stable and sufficient.

The latest government data accurate to midday Sunday shows 51.2 days of petrol, 41.6 days of diesel, and 47.4 of jet fuel.

That was down by 2.8 days, 3.2 days and four days respectively, compared to the last update published on Monday.

The supplies include more than 15 days of petrol, 12 of diesel and 1.5 of jet fuel on six ships within two days of arrival in New Zealand, and a further 6.6 of petrol, 8.2 of diesel and 19.8 of jet fuel on five ships within three weeks.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said stocks were expected to decline over the next few weeks, but that this was to be expected.

“This is normal and is how fuel companies manage their daily business, with fuel distributed around the country and then replenished by incoming imports. Fuel tanks are not kept at 100 percent capacity all the time.

“This is the sort of variation we would expect to see when international shipping is operating as usual, without the current Middle East situation. Movements remain within expectations and show normal patterns.”

Officials said reassessment of phases under the fuel plan would not be required of ministers.

“MBIE’s advice to ministers is that an assessment is not required, as these changes do not raise any immediate concerns.

“There is currently no indication of fuel supply disruption, and fuel continues to flow normally into New Zealand.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Some central Auckland businesses fear they will go under before the long-awaited and long-delayed City Rail Link [CRL] opens.

The $5.5 billion project connects Waitematā Station with a redeveloped Maungawhau Station and two new underground stations, Te Waihorotiu and Karang-a-Hape, and will carry up to 54,000 passengers an hour.

But by this month, there was still no confirmation of when the new train stations would open, and the CRL would be operational, other than some time in the second half of 2026.

In Auckland CBD, across the road from the construction site of Te Waihorotiu Station, one business was at breaking point.

Krupali Patel works at a restaurant she did not want to name.

She said they had minimal foot traffic, and loud construction was putting off potential customers.

“Business is not going good. It’s very tough for the owner and me. The owner is not making much money, so it’s hard to pay rent. I’m not getting as many hours as I want to work.”

Patel said that unless there was a dramatic improvement, the business would not survive more than a few months.

Barrel N Burger opened on Wellesley Street in December 2025.

Aida Safeia, who works there, said construction of the train station and recently completed work on new bus shelters and wider footpaths right outside their store had slowed business.

But she was optimistic about the future.

“Hopefully, this will be a very busy area, and over time it will compensate for the lack of business we experienced in our opening period.”

At the other end of the line, in Mount Eden, Sarah Lee works at Korean takeaway shop Han Bite, near Maungawhau Station, which had been closed for five years.

She felt disappointed after multiple construction delays.

“We’re expecting that once the train station opens, many people will come and visit us.

“That’s what we’re waiting for, but it keeps being delayed. That’s the problem.

“When we first came here, they said [it would be done by] the end of last year, but early this year I asked the manager of the construction, and he said probably around October this year.”

The entire CRL was meant to be completed by 2021.

But then the project cost blew out by $1.1 billion, and targeted completion dates in 2024 and 2025 came and went.

Lee said a specific completion date would give her business more certainty and allow her to plan for the future.

Further down the road, Jaimik Shukla from Blood Works Tattoo Studio hoped the CRL brought more people to Mount Eden, but if that did not happen, he would consider relocating.

“The business has been in survival mode for the past few months. Sometimes we fall behind on the rent.

“We’re hoping the train station can start as soon as possible so we can get the foot traffic we missed out on for quite a long time.”

But next door, Fenella Chia from Café Ditto said they were doing well and had a healthy number of regulars.

“We’re really happy with the area and the community we’ve built here. It’s really developing, there’s a lot of small cafés opening up.

“We’re not too inhibited by the construction. We’re on the main road, we have a bus stop outside, we’re close to universities.”

Chia said many businesses in the area were looking forward to Mangawhau Station being back up and running and believed the wait would be worthwhile.

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

Some central Auckland businesses fear they will go under before the long-awaited and long-delayed City Rail Link [CRL] opens.

The $5.5 billion project connects Waitematā Station with a redeveloped Maungawhau Station and two new underground stations, Te Waihorotiu and Karang-a-Hape, and will carry up to 54,000 passengers an hour.

But by this month, there was still no confirmation of when the new train stations would open, and the CRL would be operational, other than some time in the second half of 2026.

In Auckland CBD, across the road from the construction site of Te Waihorotiu Station, one business was at breaking point.

Krupali Patel works at a restaurant she did not want to name.

She said they had minimal foot traffic, and loud construction was putting off potential customers.

“Business is not going good. It’s very tough for the owner and me. The owner is not making much money, so it’s hard to pay rent. I’m not getting as many hours as I want to work.”

Patel said that unless there was a dramatic improvement, the business would not survive more than a few months.

Barrel N Burger opened on Wellesley Street in December 2025.

Aida Safeia, who works there, said construction of the train station and recently completed work on new bus shelters and wider footpaths right outside their store had slowed business.

But she was optimistic about the future.

“Hopefully, this will be a very busy area, and over time it will compensate for the lack of business we experienced in our opening period.”

At the other end of the line, in Mount Eden, Sarah Lee works at Korean takeaway shop Han Bite, near Maungawhau Station, which had been closed for five years.

She felt disappointed after multiple construction delays.

“We’re expecting that once the train station opens, many people will come and visit us.

“That’s what we’re waiting for, but it keeps being delayed. That’s the problem.

“When we first came here, they said [it would be done by] the end of last year, but early this year I asked the manager of the construction, and he said probably around October this year.”

The entire CRL was meant to be completed by 2021.

But then the project cost blew out by $1.1 billion, and targeted completion dates in 2024 and 2025 came and went.

Lee said a specific completion date would give her business more certainty and allow her to plan for the future.

Further down the road, Jaimik Shukla from Blood Works Tattoo Studio hoped the CRL brought more people to Mount Eden, but if that did not happen, he would consider relocating.

“The business has been in survival mode for the past few months. Sometimes we fall behind on the rent.

“We’re hoping the train station can start as soon as possible so we can get the foot traffic we missed out on for quite a long time.”

But next door, Fenella Chia from Café Ditto said they were doing well and had a healthy number of regulars.

“We’re really happy with the area and the community we’ve built here. It’s really developing, there’s a lot of small cafés opening up.

“We’re not too inhibited by the construction. We’re on the main road, we have a bus stop outside, we’re close to universities.”

Chia said many businesses in the area were looking forward to Mangawhau Station being back up and running and believed the wait would be worthwhile.

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