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

Source: Auckland Council

Auckland Council and the Auckland Council Group (our council-controlled organisations AT, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and Watercare) have been taking a hard look at how we use fuel, where we can make changes and fuel savings, and how increased fuel prices are affecting our budget and the everyday lives of Aucklanders.

What’s our role in the fuel supply disruption conundrum?

As a local authority, we are guided by the National Fuel Plan 2026 and current government direction, which places New Zealand at Fuel Response Phase 1 (minimal impact anticipated, but with potential to escalate). The government has confirmed that national fuel supply remains stable and that stock levels are healthy.

Essentially, like most businesses, residents and families in Tāmaki Makaurau, we’re dealing with the early impacts of the international fuel supply issue (price) and planning ahead for potential escalations of the situation (supply). 

Read more about the government’s Fuel supply disruption response here. 

How does fuel supply disruption affect us? 

We’re a big business.  Actually, we’re a big family of businesses. We work together to purchase fuel for the services that we deliver directly. This type of purchasing ensures we can get good prices and value for money – nonetheless, those prices are going up and we have to plan for how we might manage limited supply in the future. 

Petrol and diesel to power buses, vehicles and machinery is not the only supply chain area we’re monitoring. Petrochemical products like the resin used to make polyethylene pipe are also part of the fuel supply chain and are products that we rely on in our infrastructure projects. 

So, the cost and supply of fuel and fuel-related products, plus the impact on our staff and customers who are feeling the pinch at the petrol pump or other cost increases as a result of fuel going up, is our key focus right now. 

How much fuel does the council and its services use? 

The Auckland Council Group and its contractors collectively consume around tens of millions of litres of diesel every year, to deliver essential services across Tāmaki Makaurau. This fuel use supports critical frontline activities including waste collection, public transport operations, water and wastewater services, emergency response, infrastructure maintenance and other time‑critical council functions.

Auckland Transport (AT) is the council group’s largest fuel user, requiring approximately 700,000 litres of diesel per week across bus and ferry operations. 

Waste collections require around 60–70,000 litres of diesel per week and areas like Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience see our stormwater operations, capital delivery and maintenance activities using around 32,000 litres per week.

Next up are our parks and facilities operational needs (like mowing, maintenance, emptying public bins and looking after our facilities and open spaces, their contractors in an average month use approximately 240,000 litres of diesel. 

It’s a big step down to other fuel-dependent council services, like running our regional parks operations and our fleet vehicle pool, which serves functions like building inspections, animal management and compliance services. 

What about all of those electric vehicles? 

AT currently has at least 380 electric buses in its fleet and expects to have 434 on the road by the end of June. AT’s focus is on maximising use of the electric fleet while ensuring sufficient capacity across public transport services. This may mean making some changes to which buses you see on your route, but the route stays the same. 

Some neighbourhoods will have seen compact little food scraps collection vehicles quietly picking up your food waste for composting. Around one third of the food scraps fleet is currently electric.

There are just over 1,000 vehicles in the council group’s fleet, covering everything we do – from parking wardens and zookeepers, to rangers and building inspectors. Some of our specialist vehicles, like utes and vans for Animal Management and Auckland Emergency Management, are petrol or diesel powered, but just over half of our fleet (51 per cent) is fully electric or battery electric hybrid. 

How this affects everyone’s budget

The impact on our operating and capital costs remains dynamic and uncertain. Fuel costs sit within complex contractual arrangements and we will continue to closely manage and monitor these evolving pressures.

Because we work directly with our contract partners, we have some ability to manage any immediate impacts within our current contract arrangements. 

We’re also thinking ahead and will work with the Mayor and Councillors through the Annual Budget and Long-term Plan processes to adjust strategic levers in response to emerging cost trends. 

For our staff, increased prices at the petrol pump means thinking about their commute to work and the impact of increased costs on their home and family lives. We haven’t made any changes to the way we work but we have good flexible working policies in place that enable our people to work from home if their job allows, or work at other council buildings or hubs close to where they live. 

And we’re acutely aware of how fuel price pressures are impacting on Aucklanders. The government has announced a temporary in-work tax credit increase of $50 in response to the recent rises to the cost of living. You can find out more from Inland Revenue. 

Here are some other ways to help ease the pressure of petrol price rises: 

• Public transport – leave the car at home and get on board the bus, train or ferry. Visit AT’s website and lock in all the public transport you need for a maximum of $50 per week.
• Fareshare – if you’re an employer looking to support your kaimahi with commuting costs, check out Fareshare, an easy way to subsidise work travel by bus, train or ferry where you can choose the amount you share and whether it’s weekdays or every day.
• Stretch every tank – check out what EECA, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, has to say about changing your driving habits and getting up to 20 per cent more out of a tank of gas. Look out for EECA’s fuel efficiency campaign or visit eeca.govt.nz/fuel.
• Love local. Save fuel.
  • Check out the hundreds of free, low-cost and family-friendly local events on OurAuckland and Discover Auckland.
  • Follow our Out and About programme on Facebook for events and activities at parks and community facilities in your neighbourhood.
  • Take a hike – check out AKL Paths for walks and hikes in your area.
  • Make the most of your local library – from activities for the kids to millions of library items to read, listen to, watch and learn from. Plus free wifi, exhibitions and events, and much more… visit Auckland Council Libraries.
  • Upskill for free and make budget savings. Sound good? Read more here.  
  • Get to the pool – at Auckland Council pools, entry is free for young people aged 16 and under and in some local board areas, adults swim for free too. Visit aucklandleisure.co.nz. 

What’s next?

We’ll continue to take direction from the government on its plans to manage fuel allocation during potential shortages and include that guidance in our own planning. We have provided feedback to the work that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is doing, to help inform the settings they put in place for local government. 

We’ll also keep working on our own business continuity and contingency plans. This helps us to identify the council group’s fuel-critical services and confirm potential minimum service levels. 

And we will be thinking about any medium-term considerations that the council may need to make if we’re faced with fuel or cost-related delays to our capital and infrastructure programmes. 

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Content warning: This story contains direct quotes of racist language

The Te Matatini stage was used as “a racist weapon” in a haka that translates in part as: “bloody curry Indian, dark skinned, oily, racist, roti eater”, an anti-racism group believes.

MATA has done further translations of the controversial haka, which was performed at the Tainui Regional Kapa Haka competition last weekend. The haka was delivered by the kapa haka Te Pae Kahurangi and directed at ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar.

It also featured lyrics such as “hoki atu rā ki tō kāinga ake, ki nui whenua, ki nui pōhara, ki nui raruraru!”, “Return to your own home, to vast land, to great poverty, to many problems”.

It was accompanied by choreography drawing on Indian cultural and religious elements such as kaihaka pressing their thumb into the centre of their forehead where the traditional bindi is worn by Hindu, Jain and Buddhist women, and sitting cross legged with hands in the prayer position.

During parts of the haka Che Wilson, a former president of Te Pāti Māori, used an Indian accent and head gestures.

People’s Action Plan Against Racism (PAPARA) said there had been an increase in “racist rhetoric” against the Indian community in Aotearoa.

“This harm has been compounded by a recent performance during the Matatini Tainui regional competitions, which lampooned Indian culture as a form of objection to ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar’s actions and political positions. While Te Matatini carries a long history of politically charged performance, this should never be allowed to tip over into racist attacks against individuals or communities.”

Te Matatini does not receive scripts from teams performing at regionals ahead of the event. It should now mandate anti-racism standards for compositions “so that such a highly esteemed atamira (stage) can never again be used as a racist weapon”, PAPARA said.

Te Matatini chief executive Carl Ross said there were already clear expectations that compositions must meet broadcasting standards.

“When concerns are raised we act immediately, as we have done in this case, to remove the content. We will be reviewing our internal process to ensure all performances consistently meet Broadcasting Standards Authority standards in the future.”

A controversial composition

Parmar has previously drawn criticism for seeking advice from officials on the range of possible penalties for Te Pāti Māori MPs following their Treaty Principles haka in Parliament, including whether imprisonment was an option.

She has opposed giving scholarships based on a person or group’s race or ethnic origin, designated spaces, rooms, or other facilities at universities. She also opposed requiring students to take a paper on the Treaty of Waitangi, particularly for international students, for whom she said the course would “hold little value”.

The haka began by addressing ACT Party leader David Seymour.

“Rawiri Himoa, te wahine Iniana kei tō pāti, he wahine tarapekepeke pāti.

“Takahi tangata, takahi Maori e.”

“David Seymour, the Indian woman in your party, the party jumper.

“Who tramples people, who tramples Māori.”

Directly addressing a party leader is not unusual in a haka but referencing the ethnicity of a politician is not common practice.

In a statement to Mata, Wilson said the haka was composed and choreographed by a collective known as Te Whānau o Te Pae Kahurangi.

“Haka is a platform to challenge and where relevant, denigrate in response to an issue.”

Te Pae Kahurangi regarded Parmar’s actions as “clear examples of prejudice towards Māori culture”.

“And as such, the haka is aimed specifically at Mrs Parmar and not the Indian community.

“Te Pae Kahurangi does not condone racism. Te Pae Kahurangi apologises for any offence caused to the Indian community, towards whom this haka was not directed.

“It is worthwhile noting that there are many examples of haka and kaioraora (derogatory songs), that often include references such as ‘pokokōhua’ (boiled-head), ‘kai a te kurī’ (food for the dogs), ‘porohewa’ (baldhead) used to denigrate people.”

Who specifically was a part of the collective which composed and choreographed the haka has not been revealed.

Indian community ‘feeling hounded’

In a social media post, former Young New Zealander of the Year Shaneel Lal said the rise of racist rhetoric against the Indian community has left it “feeling hounded”.

In his opinion, the ACT MP Parmar had caused incredible harm to Māori.

“Criticism of her as an individual, and of what she advocates for, is justified … But when criticism of her actions extends to all people who share her identity, that is racism,” Lal said.

“When criticism of Parmjeet turns into criticism of being Indian, that includes people like me. It also includes many in the wider Indian community who have spent decades standing alongside Māori across Aotearoa.”

In an interview with Māni Dunlop for Te Ao Māori News, Māori-Gujarati academic Dr Jessica Hutchings discussed the impact of the haka.

“Ehara i te mea he Māori anake tātou (we are not just Māori). Some of us are mixed race, and we carry that proudly. When something like this happens, it harms all parts of who we are,” Hutchings said.

“They mocked my culture. They mocked our tikanga, our wairuatanga… that’s racism, and it’s really important that we call it out.”

It was wrong to frame the haka as targeting one individual when its impact was wider, she believed.

An online storm

Haka is often used as medium for Māori political expression, with many groups composing waiata to fiercely critique political policies, issues and politicians.

But Te Pae Kahurangi’s haka has sparked fierce debate online with many commenters expressing disappointment that an item aimed at one MP has demeaned the cultures and practices of Indian people.

Others have spoken out in support, advocating for the right to free speech, even if it is hateful.

In his social media post, Lal appealed to the connection between colonised people.

“There is nothing to gain from stereotyping, mocking, or ridiculing entire groups of people, especially when so many of those people stand with you.”

Get the latest episodes of MATA with Mihingarangi Forbes from RNZ, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has revealed another three regional airlines set to receive Regional Investment Funding loans amid the fuel crisis.

Ministers have also signalled conditions for the loans may be softened.

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Associate Transport Minister James Meager announced a $17.2 million loan for Air Chathams, $4.5m for Sounds Air – which flies between Wellington, Kāpiti, Picton and Nelson – and $252,000 for Island Air operating Tauranga to Motiti Island.

They follow Golden Bay Air receiving $1.1 million in the first loan announced in February.

About $7 million remains in the ring-fenced funding set aside for supporting regional airlines.

Jones said the funding would help the airlines with managing debt, maintaining fleets and continuing to operate routes providing regional connectivity.

“The government acknowledges it is now an even more challenging commercial environment for regional airlines, and there is uncertainty about the future,” he said.

“We’ve listened to concerns from regional operators and have requested advice from officials regarding the potential for temporarily adjusting loan conditions to help regional airlines meet their obligations in adverse conditions.”

Meager said for places like the Chatham Islands, regional airlines were the “sole connector for residents to the mainland”.

“Losing those routes would risk people being cut off from the rest of the country and disruption to the delivery of essential services.”

The fund was set up in late 2025, before the United States and Israel conflict with Iran.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Plans for a new social housing complex are sparking concerns in Kawakawa, with some residents saying it’s wrong to put vulnerable people in a known flood zone next door to a pub and pokies.

The council-owned company behind the plan, however, says the Far North desperately needs more affordable housing and the flood risk will be addressed by building up the land.

Complicating the picture is a government grant to upgrade Kawakawa’s failing water and sewage systems – but the Far North District Council can only claim the $25 million subsidy if enough new homes get the go-ahead.

The plan, if approved, would involve building 18 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom units on vacant land between the Hunter Star Hotel, on Kawakawa’s main street, and the Waiomio Stream.

Earlier this month RNZ revealed Northlanders had by far the longest waiting time in the country – more than 800 days – for help under the government’s Housing First scheme.

Kawakawa Business Association chairman Malcolm Francis said the town “definitely” needed more social housing, but the Far North Holdings and Ngāti Hine Health Trust proposal was in the wrong place.

“Why would you put people in harm’s way, given that it’s a flood plain? These guys are going through protocol and saying it’s the best site that they’ve got, but there’s got to be other sites.”

Northland Regional Council hazard maps showed much of the land was a one-in-10-year flood zone.

Francis said raising the land might protect the residents, but it increased the risk to neighbouring businesses.

“They’re going to build a two-metre bund and house these people on top, but that’s going to bring more water onto the existing businesses there. They’re saying it’s only going to raise flood levels by 5 millimetres, but given the sort of weather events we’ve got coming down on us at the moment, can you guarantee it’s 5mm? I guarantee it’s not a guarantee at all.”

Francis was also concerned the homes would be built directly behind a pub.

“They’re sticking people that could be dependent or solo mothers or whatever behind the hotel. And, you know, there’s gambling and drinking and all this sort of stuff going on.”

Kawakawa Engineering owner Kevin Davidson said he was concerned about the effects on the 50-year-old business, which is across Old Whangae Road from the proposed housing complex.

“We employ a lot of people and this is going to really constrain our business,” he said.

“I do worry about these people that are going to be installed across the road from us because we’re a very noisy outfit. We run lights day and night. There’s forklifts operating so it’s dangerous. I’m also concerned that we’re putting vulnerable people behind a hotel. And I don’t see that as right.”

Davidson said flooding was a major problem on Old Whangae Road.

A new stopbank was keeping smaller floods at bay but he was worried about the next big one.

“The business has been flooded for the last 30-odd years up to six times a year. This issue is not going away. It seems to be getting worse, if anything, with the climate changing to be warmer and heavier rainfalls.”

He said a rethink was needed.

“There’s miles better places to build these houses. We have vacant land by the hospital, we have a huge area of domain land within the town boundaries. Why they’re focusing on a scrap of land that floods behind a hotel and putting vulnerable people in it is beyond belief.”

Far North Holdings chief executive Andy Nock said the units, in six two-storey blocks, would be a mix of affordable rentals aimed at low-income workers and kaumātua and kuia flats.

They would ease a critical housing shortage, and help the council secure $25.6m from the government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to upgrade Kawakawa infrastructure he said was “bursting at the seams”.

To claim the full amount, 180 new homes would have to be built in Kawakawa by 2030.

Nock said the flood risk would be addressed by raising the land by 1.8m, above the one-in-100-year flood level.

Many urban areas in Northland, including Whangārei’s city centre, were in one-in-100-year flood zones.

“It’s simply a matter of adapting to those changing circumstances, which is why we’re raising the site. If you think back a few years we had to do the same when we built the library in Kawakawa. We raised it up and have no issues at all with flooding.”

As for proximity to the hotel, Nock said Kawakawa was a small town, so any flat land near the town centre would be close to a pub.

“We thought that was outweighed by the benefits. You’ve got some lovely views over the fields, you’re right on a parkland setting, you can walk into town. And that’s what you need for kaumātua and kuia and affordable housing, you need that proximity to services.”

Nock said a resource consent application had been lodged. It would be up to the council to decide whether it would be notified.

Ngāti Hine was pursuing a separate project to build more than 100 units on hospital land up the hill, he said.

Ngāti Hine Health Trust chief executive Tamati Shepherd-Wipiiti said the units would be aimed mainly at low-income workers who struggled to pay market rents, along with some families, solo parents and kaumātua and kuia.

Changes to government funding made it financially difficult to build social housing so the new units would be affordable rentals, with rents set at about 80 percent of market rates.

The tenants would not be taken from the social housing list with categories A or B, who had the most complex needs.

There would still be plenty of support available at the health trust’s offices located straight across the road.

Shepherd-Wipiiti said the trust’s first 35 homes were built a year ago at Marohapa, in nearby Moerewa, with a wellbeing services centre in the middle.

That meant residents had access to social workers, people who could help mums with babies, health practitioners, mental health and addiction staff, and kuia and kaumātua who could help kids with homework.

“We never just build a housing development,” he said.

Unlike the planed Kawakawa complex, Marohapa was social housing – but so far there had not been a single eviction or serious social issue.

Shepherd-Wipiiti said the need for housing in the Far North was “massive”.

In Kawakawa and Moerewa it was a straight supply problem with not enough homes available, and the health trust was the only organisation doing any building, he said.

Apart from the 35 already built in Moerewa and 30 proposed for Old Whangae Road in Kawakawa, the trust was planning to build another 120 on the Kawakawa Hospital site and 30 on Mill Road.

As well as the $25.6m for Kawakawa, in 2022 the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund granted the Far North District Council $23m for infrastructure upgrades in Kaikohe on the proviso a certain number of new homes were built.

There, Far North Holdings and Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi had already completed a major social housing development on the former RSA site on Broadway, and Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi was building 100 affordable homes on Bisset Road aimed at low-income workers locked out of the housing market.

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

Source: New Zealand Government

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay departs for New Delhi today to sign the New Zealand – India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), leading a cross-party delegation including MPs and more than 30 Kiwi business representatives.

“This landmark agreement provides huge opportunities for New Zealand exporters in one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies,” Mr McClay says.

“The signing of this FTA is the latest example of the Government delivering on its promise to strengthen our relationship with India and supports New Zealand’s ambitious goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years.”

Negotiations concluded in December 2025.

In India, Mr McClay will mark Anzac Day in a dawn service where he will recognise New Zealanders, Australians and Indians who fought for their country.

He will also host a joint New Zealand-India business summit with Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.

Mr McClay will also stop in Singapore where he will undertake trade and investment promotion activities.

“A trade agreement with India has been a long ambition for New Zealand. The signature of the NZ-India FTA is an occasion to celebrate.”

Note to editor:

Key outcomes for New Zealand include:   

• Tariff elimination or reduction on 95 per cent of our exports.
• Duty-free access on almost 57 per cent of New Zealand’s exports from day one, increasing to 82 per cent when fully implemented, with the remaining 13 per cent being subject to sharp tariff cuts.
• Immediate tariff elimination on sheep meat, wool, coal and over 95 per cent of forestry and wood exports.
• Duty-free access on most seafood exports, including mussels and salmon, over seven years. 
• Duty-free access on most iron, steel and scrap aluminium, over 10 years or less. 
• Duty-free access for most industrial products, over five to 10 years 
• 50 per cent tariff cut for large quota of apples – nearly double recent average exports.
• Duty-free access for kiwifruit within a quota almost four times our recent average exports, and tariff halved for exports outside of quota. 
• Duty-free access for cherries, avocados, persimmons and blueberries, over 10 years. 
• Tariffs on wine reduced from 150 per cent to either 25 or 50 per cent (depending on the value of the wine) over 10 years plus a Most Favoured Nation (MFN) commitment. 
• Tariffs on mānuka honey cut from 66 per cent to 16.5 per cent over five years. 
• MFN status and liberalisation across services exports. 
• Duty-free access for dairy and other food ingredients for re-export from day one. 
• Duty-free access for bulk infant formula and other high-value dairy preparations over seven years.
• 50 per cent tariff cut for high value milk albumins within a NZ-specific quota equal to current export volumes.      

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

Term 1 2026 school attendance data shows attendance rates were higher than any Term 1 since 2022, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. 

Data shows that in Term 1 2026, 68.6% of students attended school regularly. This was an increase from 65.9% in Term 1 2025 (a 2.7 percentage point increase). A student attends school ‘regularly’ when they are in class for more than 90 per cent of the term.

“This data shows attendance rates continue to rise under this Government. We are focussed on fixing what matters, and few things are as important as school attendance,” Mr Seymour says.

“In Term 1 2022 regular attendance was at 46.5 per cent. That means that in Term 1 2026 about 176,000 more students attended school regularly than in 2022. Kiwi students are showing up to school more, and parents are pushing them to attend. Those students and parents should be proud.

“When the Government takes attendance seriously, so do schools, parents, and students. It’s important we continue to drive the change in attitude towards attendance.”

The data indicates that Central and East Auckland region again has the highest regular attendance rate at 75.5%. This was followed by North and West Auckland at 73.5% and Otago/Southland at 72.6%. 

“School attendance rates continue to improve year on year, but there is still work to be done. I expect attendance to continue rising as our attendance initiative have only just come into force,” Mr Seymour says.

“Every school is now required to have implemented their own attendance management plan (AMP). It means there are escalating responses for declining attendance.”

Some examples of how interventions could work are:

5 days absent: The school to get in touch with parents/guardians to determine reasons for absence and set expectations.
10 days absent: School leadership meets with parents/guardian and the student to identify barriers to attendance and develop plans to address this.
15 days absent: Escalating the response to an Attendance Service Provider. If absence escalates beyond this point (or for cases of non-enrolment) prosecution of parents becomes a possibility.

“Frontline attendance services are now also more accountable, better at effectively managing cases, and data-driven in their responses. They have access to a new case management system, better data monitoring, and their contracts will be more closely monitored. Budget 2025 included $140 million of additional funding to improve attendance over the next four years.

“Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves.”

Data is provisional and could change slightly. The full data breakdown can be found here: Attendance | Education Counts

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

Moody’s decision to revise New Zealand’s Aaa outlook from stable to negative reinforces that the Government’s response to the current fuel crisis and its wider economic plan is the right one, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

“Moody’s choice to put New Zealand on negative watch is another warning that we can’t afford to simply spend more and borrow more, or we risk higher interest rates, higher borrowing costs and more pressure on Kiwi families,” Nicola Willis says.

“Global economic and geopolitical uncertainty and inflation pressures including fuel price increases have contributed to the revision. While these are outside our control, Moody’s are clear that improving our rating requires disciplined spending, a clear path to balanced books and reducing debt.

“Moody’s warns that if deficits remain and debt keeps rising, our outlook will worsen – increasing the costs of servicing the debt, squeezing businesses and leaving less funding for the public services New Zealanders rely on.

“Debt servicing is now the fourth-largest cost to taxpayers, exceeding the combined costs of the police and defence forces, corrections, customs and the justice system. With global interest rates rising, we must keep our books in order to ensure New Zealand remains strong in a more unstable world.

“The revision also confirms the need for any support delivered in response to the Middle East conflict to be temporary and targeted. If we were to start clocking up the credit card like the previous government, every New Zealander would pay the price – with more of every taxpayer dollar going on interest, instead of hospitals, schools and roads.

“Though our outlook has weakened, New Zealand retains our Aaa rating, the highest possible level, alongside 10 other countries. This recognises the resilient nature of our economy and strong commitment to fiscal discipline.

“Economic growth is essential to improving our outlook and building the future. By growing the economy, we create jobs, lift incomes, reduce our reliance on debt and most importantly, enable all kiwis to thrive.”

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

The conclusion of the Government’s Year 7 and 8 maths acceleration trial has shown students made double the progress of their peers in 12 weeks and largely retained their learning months later, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

“We are committed to ensuring young Kiwis are learning the basics brilliantly, meeting the curriculum expectation, and getting the support they need to stay on track. The Year 7 and 8 maths trial’s final analysis confirms our approach is working in bridging the gap for students who need it most,” Ms Stanford says.

“In total, almost 3,500 students participated in the trial. This new group’s results echo the success and progress of the first groups. Last year’s trial helped Year 7 and 8 students a year or more behind in maths to get support across four fundamental learning areas. Participants made up to two years’ worth of progress across four learning areas in 12 weeks.

“Importantly, the latest data shows that when these students were tested three months later, their progress had largely been retained.

“Now, new results show that the second group of students that were tested have also made similar progress. Students in the in-person programme made twice as much progress as students in the control group.

“Students not in the trial, referred to as the ‘control group’, simply learning under the new curriculum, an hour-a-day of maths, and using high quality resources, also made, on average, a full year’s progress in four learning areas in just 12 weeks. This highlights the transformation underway in our classrooms under these education reforms.

“We promised to put student achievement at the centre of our education system, and this shows our plan is working. In addition to this, it supports our work to close the equity gap. Students achieved similar results regardless of their background, gender, or ethnicity, emphasising the impact of quality, in-person teaching and learning.

“The programme is now available across schools for students who will benefit from it. Our commitment is to ensuring that children have mastered fundamental skills,and are ready to excel at secondary school.”

Ms Stanford says professional learning is available for teachers, along with more teaching modules to support any students who need additional help beyond the 12-week programme.

“The maths acceleration programme builds on our Make it Count maths action plan. This plan introduced initiatives including:

$20 million in professional learning and development in the structured maths approach to support the rollout of the new curriculum
increased maths requirements for new teachers
group interventions to support students who have fallen significantly behind
earlier and more frequent intervention to tackle student achievement issues

This year we have also introduced maths resources to help Year 9 and 10 students who are behind at the request of the sector.

“We have introduced structured mathematics, an internationally benchmarked curriculum, one million workbooks and textbooks delivered to classrooms, and professional learning for more than 22,000 teachers, alongside hour-a-day maths and phones away.

Maths is a foundational skill that sets students up for future success. Our Government backs the potential of every child to succeed and is putting in place the support required to deliver this.

Notes to editor:

The programme involves small groups of students taking part in four, 30-minute Maths sessions per week for 12 weeks. The programme and trial, focus on four key areas that have been identified as fundamental maths skills:

Number structure, addition and subtraction
Multiplication and division including fluency and application of basic facts
Rational numbers – fractions, decimals, percentages
Reasoning/decoding word problems, solving and explaining word problems.

Three delivery models were tested in the trial:

In-person tutoring, delivered by a teacher using a structured Ministry-developed programme
Hybrid tutoring, combining online modules with teacher supervision and explicit teaching
Online-only tutoring, where students completed online modules under the supervision of a teacher aide.

Students were tested at Time 1 (baseline, week 0), Time 2 (end of programme, week 12) and Time 3 (post-programme, week 24) of the trial period to identify the gain in maths learning across that time.

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

Increased support is being provided to help ease fuel cost pressures for veterans needing to travel for treatment, Veterans Minister Chris Penk says. 

“Global fuel price volatility has hit household budgets, and the Government is looking closely at where these costs are having the greatest impact, particularly for Kiwis with limited transport alternatives,” Mr Penk says. 

“Kiwis who have served our nation bravely, often at great personal sacrifice, should not be discouraged from accessing essential care during this period of elevated fuel prices. 

“In response, Veterans’ Affairs has increased private vehicle mileage reimbursement rates for eligible treatment-related travel by 50 percent. 

“This is a targeted, temporary increase to ensure veterans who receive support from Veterans’ Affairs can continue to attend treatment, rehabilitation, and medical assessments for their accepted conditions while fuel costs remain high.” 

The new rates will be: 

• For veterans travelling under 200kms for a round trip in a private vehicle, the reimbursement rate will increase from 62 cents per kilometre to 91 cents per kilometre.
• For veterans travelling more than 200kms in a private vehicle, the reimbursement rate will increase from 27 cents per kilometre to 41 cents per kilometre. 

“Where travel for treatment occurs by other means, full reimbursement will continue to be provided,” Mr Penk says. 

“This temporary adjustment is expected to remain in place until the price of 91 octane petrol drops below $3 a litre for four consecutive weeks and will be kept under continual review by Veterans’ Affairs, allowing the agency to monitor its impact and reassess settings as fuel prices change.  
 
“The increase is being funded from within Veterans’ Affairs existing budget and is expected to have a negligible fiscal impact.

“We cannot control the effect of global conflicts on oil markets, but we can make sensible decisions to ease pressure on those who need support most, including the Kiwis who served in defence of our nation, our interests, and our way of life.” 

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Financial stress is putting pressure on New Zealand’s social cohesion, a new report says.

The second Social Cohesion in New Zealand report by the Helen Clark Foundation said the country’s social fabric was “fraying on almost every measure”.

The survey of nearly 3000 people has been conducted for the second time, and will be an annual exercise.

“The results are both frightening and hopeful,” economist and co-author Shamubeel Eaqub said.

“New Zealand still has strong foundations, but there are growing cracks in how people experience fairness, opportunity and connection. Financial stress is the dominant driver.”

Trust in government dropped from 42 percent to 39 percent. The share of people who believed that hard work would lead to a better life fell seven points to 45 percent.

“Interesting people who are currently prosperous are not really sure that hard work in and of itself is enough. There’s a broadening acceptance, a fear, that just working hard is not enough – there are other structural barriers we need to work on,” he told RNZ’s Nine to Noon.

Attitudes to immigration were also becoming more negative.

Eaqub said there were three key groups of New Zealanders. Thirty percent could be counted as connected with high levels of belonging, institutional trust and acceptance.

Another 41 percent were ambivalent – this was often older homeowners, retirees and centre-right voters.

Another 28 percent were alienated, and often engaged in protest and online political activity. Almost half of Māori and Pasifika respondents fall into this group, as do nearly half of Green voters and seven in 10 NZ First voters.

“We have three very different New Zealands living alongside each other,” Eaqub said. “Financial stress, political allegiance, institutional distrust, and social isolation are reinforcing each other, producing a population that is frustrated and disconnecting from the conventional institutions we rely on for collective decision-making.”

He said the research showed financial stress was the single biggest driver of low social cohesion.

“People struggling to make ends meet are significantly less likely to feel connected, trust institutions, or participate in community life. At the same time, loneliness and isolation are rising. “Isolation doesn’t mean people disengage entirely,” he said.

“But it does change how they participate – away from traditional institutions and toward more oppositional or online forms of engagement.”

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