AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for April 28, 2026 – Full Text

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealanders will be able to see the full details of the India free trade agreement for the first time on Tuesday, after a formal signing ceremony in New Delhi overnight.

Trade Minister Todd McClay signed the deal alongside India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Monday night, which means the deal can go through Parliament – setting up a race against the EU for Favoured Nation access.

Just ahead of the ceremony, he told RNZ the deal was very important to New Zealand’s economic future.

“It’s a great day and very exciting for New Zealand. We are taking the next step to have unprecedented access to 1.4 billion consumers,” he said.

“The very first negotiation ever between India and New Zealand was 16 years ago this month, there’s been many stops and starts … this is quite significant.

“We’re seeing India doing trade deals with Australia … the EU; the UK. This not only levels the playing field so New Zealand exporters can be treated fairly in this market, in some areas it gives us advantage.”

That would be particularly true if New Zealand’s FTA came into force faster than the EU’s, because that would mean securing access to a Most Favoured Nation clause for wine and services exports.

McClay said that would be worth tens of millions of dollars in additional exports, and last week said he had not had formal advice on when the EU agreement was set to take effect.

“Generally it takes them quite a long time on their side although they have a new procedure where they can implement it early … but we do still have time between now and when Parliament rises to get it in place.

“This is a very straightforward agreement.”

McClay also signalled to RNZ that businesses were expecting to make announcements imminently.

“You’re likely to hear in the next couple of days about some businesses up here that will be announcing their own investment in India, setting up offices here – because they can see real opportunity on the ground as a result of the FTA.”

With the signing complete, the deal would be tabled in Parliament on Tuesday – giving the public a chance to read the full detail of the agreement – alongside an analysis of whether it met a national interest test.

That provided for public submissions before the text returned to Parliament, after which enacting legislation would also be passed – with the usual process for submissions – to lower tariff rates and set up quota systems.

McClay acknowledged, however, there would be little opportunity for change to the agreement itself.

“If there are views about the way that the quotas should be administered that actually make more sense, the committee has the opportunity to report to Parliament of any changes there,” he said.

“The process we go through is the same for every other trade agreement New Zealand has entered into force … it’s very high quality agreement, it upholds the reputation that New Zealand has. I think people are going to be quite surprised by just how detailed and how much opportunity there is.”

Labour and New Zealand First had raised concerns the deal was signing New Zealand up to a clause committing to $US20 billion in private investment within 15 years, but McClay said he and the business sector were unconcerned.

He said the text only required the government to promote that investment.

“It is to promote only. The text is very clear, as are legal advice and I think the Labour Party has had a chance to go through all of that and you will have heard them last week also confirm or recognise it is a commitment to promote.

“New Zealand takes its obligations under trade agreements very, very seriously – probably one of the best in the world for the way that we honor those commitments. I and the business community have told me they have no concerns about what’s in the agreement.”

He said that if at the end of the 15 years India believed New Zealand had not honoured the commitment, it could begin “a very long process over the number of years … where we enter into dialog and discussion, including at ministerial level”.

“Should they still believe that, then they have the ability … to put in place some temporary and proportionate measures around access.

“I think that actually, you know, the relationship is going to start growing significantly.”

Documents from India’s government said it was one of the fastest deals the country had secured.

It was New Zealand’s second-fastest, behind the UAE deal McClay secured in just three months.

Despite that, McClay was confident it had not been rushed.

“We have taken what would normally be a three or four year negotiation and compressed it into nine months. This is my eighth visit to India. My negotiators were here 21 times.

“We have worked around the clock to deliver for New Zealand exporters. It hasn’t been rushed. We’ve just rolled our sleeves up and worked as hard and fast as we can.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Trade Minister Todd McClay will formally sign the free trade agreement with India in New Delhi about 9pm Monday (NZT).

He has taken a delegation, including MPs from several parties, and more than 30 business representatives, and will also host a joint business summit with Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.

“I’m just checking to make sure there is ink in my pen,” McClay said last week. “It’s such a significant achievement for New Zealand.

“If you think about it as 1.4 billion people in India, their wealth is growing, they are going to become the consumers of the future.

“The New Zealand economy is getting on at the ground floor of that and I think, in the future, this will be one of the most significant trade agreements to help secure our economy – but a lot of people have worked very hard to make sure we can get there.”

McClay visited India seven times as part of efforts to negotiate the deal, since the coalition took office, after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made securing such a deal an election promise during a televised debate in 2023.

Last week, Labour confirmed it would back the deal, paving the way for legislation enabling it to pass through Parliament.

The party’s support was needed by National, after New Zealand First announced – minutes before the deal itself was – the coalition party would oppose the deal.

NZ First leader Winston Peters has opposed migration aspects included in the deal, as well as a lack of wins for dairy and concerns about a clause requiring the government to promote $US20 billion of private investment in India within 15 years.

Labour’s agreement to back it came with a handful of policy concessions, and a warning the investment clause was “very unrealistic” and “almost impossible” to achieve.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins warned that could lead the Indian government to claw back the market access McClay and other officials had worked so hard to achieve.

McClay pushed back on the likelihood of that happening, saying if India decided New Zealand had not met the condition after 15 years, “they can put in place measures that are temporary and proportionate – and so it is not as significant as maybe it sounded”.

“There’s a special committee that the two parties have agreed to set up 12 months after the agreement enters into force – that is to monitor implementation of the agreement to make sure it’s working and, secondly, to continue to look for ways to improve the agreement.

“We’ll also be talking to them about the promotion that we are doing on an ongoing basis around investment, so I don’t expect there will be a challenge or a problem.”

He said the commitment was not for the government to invest that figure merely to promote investment.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis had previously expressed frustration about how long it took Labour to agree to back the deal, saying just the day before that Labour was “courting the same” anti-immigration votes as New Zealand First.

“We’ve been giving you advice for four months, we’ve had more than 20 meetings, we’ve responded to all of your requests. You’re trying to draw this out and, as I say, you’re playing into exactly the same concerns that New Zealand First is trying to whip up.

“You’re making a very political choice and I think it’s unfortunate, because what I think we should be doing on a matter like this is putting the interests of our people and our economy first.”

However, McClay was far less critical.

“No, I haven’t been frustrated by it,” he said. “I mean, it’s important to go through it, but we’ve had to do the legal scrubbing and, once that was finished, we reached agreement on a date to sign.

“It happens to have co-incided with when Labour have said they’ll give their support.”

He said Labour’s claim legal advice to the government about the deal had not been provided until last week was not entirely accurate, but refused to say how.

“You’ve got to consider their trade spokesman was in China last week. We had to wait until he was back, until he could have the meeting.”

McClay said the agreement provided huge opportunities for New Zealand exporters.

“I’m really not jumping into that,” he said. “They’ve made the right decision and I’m grateful to them.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Trade Minister Todd McClay will formally sign the free trade agreement with India in New Delhi about 9pm Monday (NZT).

He has taken a delegation, including MPs from several parties, and more than 30 business representatives, and will also host a joint business summit with Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.

“I’m just checking to make sure there is ink in my pen,” McClay said last week. “It’s such a significant achievement for New Zealand.

“If you think about it as 1.4 billion people in India, their wealth is growing, they are going to become the consumers of the future.

“The New Zealand economy is getting on at the ground floor of that and I think, in the future, this will be one of the most significant trade agreements to help secure our economy – but a lot of people have worked very hard to make sure we can get there.”

McClay visited India seven times as part of efforts to negotiate the deal, since the coalition took office, after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made securing such a deal an election promise during a televised debate in 2023.

Last week, Labour confirmed it would back the deal, paving the way for legislation enabling it to pass through Parliament.

The party’s support was needed by National, after New Zealand First announced – minutes before the deal itself was – the coalition party would oppose the deal.

NZ First leader Winston Peters has opposed migration aspects included in the deal, as well as a lack of wins for dairy and concerns about a clause requiring the government to promote $US20 billion of private investment in India within 15 years.

Labour’s agreement to back it came with a handful of policy concessions, and a warning the investment clause was “very unrealistic” and “almost impossible” to achieve.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins warned that could lead the Indian government to claw back the market access McClay and other officials had worked so hard to achieve.

McClay pushed back on the likelihood of that happening, saying if India decided New Zealand had not met the condition after 15 years, “they can put in place measures that are temporary and proportionate – and so it is not as significant as maybe it sounded”.

“There’s a special committee that the two parties have agreed to set up 12 months after the agreement enters into force – that is to monitor implementation of the agreement to make sure it’s working and, secondly, to continue to look for ways to improve the agreement.

“We’ll also be talking to them about the promotion that we are doing on an ongoing basis around investment, so I don’t expect there will be a challenge or a problem.”

He said the commitment was not for the government to invest that figure, merely to promote investment.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis had previously expressed frustration about how long it took Labour to agree to back the deal, saying just the day before that Labour was “courting the same” anti-immigration votes as New Zealand First.

“We’ve been giving you advice for four months, we’ve had more than 20 meetings, we’ve responded to all of your requests. You’re trying to draw this out and, as I say, you’re playing into exactly the same concerns that New Zealand First is trying to whip up.

“You’re making a very political choice and I think it’s unfortunate, because what I think we should be doing on a matter like this is putting the interests of our people and our economy first.”

However, McClay was far less critical.

“No, I haven’t been frustrated by it,” he said. “I mean, it’s important to go through it, but we’ve had to do the legal scrubbing and, once that was finished, we reached agreement on a date to sign.

“It happens to have co-incided with when Labour have said they’ll give their support.”

He said Labour’s claim legal advice to the government about the deal had not been provided until last week was not entirely accurate, but refused to say how.

“You’ve got to consider their trade spokesman was in China last week. We had to wait until he was back, until he could have the meeting.”

McClay said the agreement provided huge opportunities for New Zealand exporters.

“I’m really not jumping into that,” he said. “They’ve made the right decision and I’m grateful to them.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) says keeping unions and the public in the dark on the India-New Zealand Free Trade agreement means the deal risks enshrining exploitative labour conditions.

The deal will be formally signed on Monday night in New Delhi, with the full text expected to be made public on Tuesday.

CTU president Sandra Gray said there had been a complete lack of consultation with unions and the public.

A deal of this size warranted a tripartite approach from unions, business and government, she said.

“In this case, we have seen absolutely nothing. It’s being signed without unions even seeing the text, let alone contributing to the conversation.”

The Labour Party – whose support the government required to get the agreement through parliament – agreed to back the deal just days ago.

Asked if that was premature, given the CTU’s concerns about the deal’s contents, Gray reiterated the importance of including international labour standards in the agreement.

“I think we get very wound up in this idea that larger governments are going to walk away from free trade agreements with us if we don’t just get in and sign on the dotted line. I think we need to hold on to our sovereignty and say New Zealand needs to make sure it is acting ethically and rightly when it comes to workers’ rights.

“We’ve been really, really strong defenders of international law for decades and decades. We should not give up on that, and we should make sure that we use proper scrutiny of anything we sign and that includes unions being at the table.”

The organisation accepted the need for free trade agreements, but wanted confirmation international labour agreements were being adhered to, Gray said.

“My fear around this trade agreement because unions have not been involved is that we’re going to end up buying products and exchanging goods and doing free trade with really, really hostile work environments in India that really exploit workers.

“We don’t know, because we haven’t seen the agreement, but why are they hiding it from the public? Why are they hiding it from unions if it’s a good, fair trade agreement?”

The Maritime Services Union (MSU) last week called on the government to hold off signing the deal until it publicly released the text.

National Secretary Carl Findlay said the government’s secretive approach was an insult to workers.

He also raised concerns about 5000 temporary skilled work visas included in the deal, given high unemployment and infrastructure and housing deficits.

Sandra Gray said the CTU was less concerned about the temporary work visas than secrecy surrounding the deal, which made it impossible to know what labour standards had been agreed to.

Findlay’s comments came as New Zealand First minister Shane Jones made racist remarks on the deal’s immigration implications.

Gray would not be drawn on whether the MSU should be focused on the visa issue amid heightened xenophobic rhetoric.

“The Maritime Union has a stronger idea of what’s right for their members and for their union.”

Political parties should be cautious with their comments, Gray said, noting New Zealand First’s opposition was “built on a moment in time we have to be very careful not to get drawn into”.

“Government parties in particular need to pay real attention to the tone they’re setting for our country around migrants, immigrants and anyone who is coming to work here.”

Temporary migrant numbers ‘relatively small’

Immigration consultant Paul Janssen said New Zealand had agreements, that included visa programmes, with a number of countries and the figures in the India-New Zealand deal were comparatively low.

“In terms of the number of temporary migrants we bring in, it’s a relatively small number, given it’s 1667 per year, capped at 5000 for three years.

“That represents a small number of people and given the skill level they’re aiming for, I think it’s a drop in the bucket, really.”

The vast majority of the visas in the deal were for occupations on the Immigration New Zealand green list of in-demand, hard-to-fill roles, Janssen said.

An Indian government press release said the visas would be in “sectors of interest to India which include Indian iconic occupations (AYUSH practitioners, yoga instructors, Indian chefs and music teachers) and other sectors of interest – IT, Engineering, Healthcare, Education and Construction.”

AYUSH stands for traditional medical systems Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.

The 1000 working holiday visas paled in comparison to other countries, such as the United Kingdom, which New Zealand offers 15,000 working holiday visas, or the 3000 places offered to young Koreans a year, Janssen said.

“This isn’t new – this is something we’ve done and do quite often, so it’s interesting we get different levels of commentary depending on which country we’re dealing with.”

He said Immigration NZ had rigourous processes.

“We go through quite a lot of work to make sure the people coming into the country are well vetted, so it isn’t simply submitting an application and away you go.

“There’s a lot that goes into the background, particularly when you’re looking at temporary visas where Immigration assesses the applicant’s genuine intent to come for a temporary purpose, whether they have the right skills – there’s a lot of hoops to jump through… and it isn’t a cheap exercise, there’s a lot of investment on the applicant’s part.”

New Zealand needed to recognise the added value and improved productivity provided by skilled migrants, he said.

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

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand and India have today signed a once-in-a-generation Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which will lead to more jobs and higher incomes for Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay say.
 
Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Mr McClay signed the Agreement in New Delhi today in front of a large crowd of New Zealand and Indian businesspeople. 
 
“The benefits of this FTA are widespread, and our business community is excited to see the doors of opportunity open to 1.4 billion people whose economy is set to become the third largest in the world,” Mr Luxon says.

“One in four jobs are tied to trade. In signing this FTA we are setting businesses up to succeed, boosting Kiwi jobs and enabling economic growth – and that means more money in Kiwis’ pockets.” 
 
Mr McClay says the FTA supports New Zealand’s ambitious goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years. 
 
“This deal will deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in additional exports,” he says. 
 
“Creating opportunities for our businesses to diversify and create strong trading relationships provides economic security for New Zealanders – and that is crucial in these times of global unrest.”
 
Today’s signing ensures New Zealand is on track to benefit from a Most Favoured Nation clause for wine and services exports, whereby the better access the European Union has secured for its wine and services will be extended to our exporters if our agreement comes into force first. 
 
“That clause will be worth tens of millions of dollars in extra exports for the New Zealand economy,” Mr Luxon says. 
 
“Two-way trade is currently NZ$3.95 billion. The deal we have struck and the relationship we have built will grow this exponentially and deliver deep and lasting benefits for generations to come.”

Notes to editor:

The historic agreement was concluded in December and eliminates or reduces tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand’s exports – among the highest of any Indian FTA. Almost 57 per cent of our exports will be duty-free from day one including lamb, wool, coal, leather, most forestry and industrial products. This will increase to 82 per cent when fully implemented including infant formula, a kiwifruit quota almost four times our current exports and seafood. The remaining 13 per cent including kiwifruit, apples, mānuka honey, wine and some dairy is subject to sharp tariff cuts.

Signing activates the standard parliamentary process, allowing Parliament and the public to scrutinise the agreement through the Select Committee. The FTA text and National lnterest Analysis will be tabled in Parliament tomorrow and referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee (FADTC). 

Once FADTC has completed its examination, enabling legislation will be introduced and will follow the usual legislative process. This approach is consistent with that taken for the TPP, CPTPP, and agreements with the United Kingdom, European Union, and United Arab Emirates.

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: Radio New Zealand

Transporting New Zealand says the government needs to loosen restrictions for heavy vehicles without delay.

Four changes are being worked on in case of a move up to Phase 2 of the national fuel plan.

This included allowing more weight on some trucks to facilitate fewer trips, allowing normal licences for heavy electric utes, relaxing time and access restrictions for over-dimension vehicles and removing some restrictions on the routes that over-dimension vehicles could travel.

Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih said loosening the weight restrictions would unlock extra productivity in the applicable and save several million litres of diesel.

“You could actually avoid around 10 million kilometres of heavy travel.”

He also welcomed proposed changes to rules around over dimension vehicles but said heavy haulage was a speciality area and would affect fewer vehicles.

He urged government ministers not to wait until Phase 2 to take action.

“It can be picked up straight away. The vehicles we’re looking at, they’ve got spare capacity.

“We shouldn’t be waiting for things to get bad before we actually do things that make sense.”

On Monday Regulation Minister David Seymour and Transport Minister Chris Bishop said submissions were being developed so they could be quickly implemented if the government moved to Phase 2 of its response.

“We are still in Phase 1 of the National Fuel Response Plan, but we don’t want a repeat of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Doing the work to boost fuel efficiency now helps ensure we can stay in Phase 1 for as long as possible, causing the least disruption to Kiwis,” said Seymour.

Bishop said concerns over weight restrictions were widespread in the freight sector.

“In the short term, even small increases in permitted loads could reduce the number of trips needed, saving time, lowering costs, and reducing fuel use,” Bishop said.

“We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The latest government data shows New Zealand’s fuel stocks have continued to fall, but movements remain within expectations.

The figures, published Monday but accurate to midday on Wednesday, show just under 52 days of petrol, about 41 days of diesel, and just under 46 days of jet fuel. That includes fuel on 10 ships within three weeks of arriving.

The figures are down by half a day, one day, and a day-and-a-half respectively on the last update.

The government says this would be expected under normal international shipping.

And stocks within New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone are as high as they have been since the Iran conflict began.

Loosening of regulations possibly on the way

The government says it is considering easing restrictions for heavy vehicles as a way to save fuel.

Minister for Regulation David Seymour said his Red Tape Tipline had received several submissions on ways to save fuel.

Seymour is due to speak at a media standup in Newmarket, Auckland at around 1pm on Monday.

Suggestions included allowing some heavy vehicles to carry more weight to reduce the number of trips, and relaxing time restrictions for over-dimension vehicles so they could travel at off-peak times.

Another suggestion was to adjust license class weight thresholds for zero emission vehicles to be in line with similar diesel vehicles.

An example was that some electric utes were heavier than diesel ones and therefore required a higher-class licence to drive, which discouraged uptake.

Seymour said the Government was in the process of refining these submissions.

“New Zealand’s fuel supply is stable. We’re focussed on keeping it that way. There are few things as important to Kiwis as ensuring New Zealand’s fuel supply remains strong,” Seymour said in a statement

“We are still in Phase 1 of the National Fuel Response Plan, but we don’t want a repeat of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Doing the work to boost fuel efficiency now helps ensure we can stay in Phase 1 for as long as possible, causing the least disruption to Kiwis.”

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said concerns over weight restrictions were widespread in the freight sector.

“In the short term, even small increases in permitted loads could reduce the number of trips needed, saving time, lowering costs, and reducing fuel use,” Bishop said.

“We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards.”

The ministers said the submissions were being developed so they could be quickly implemented if the Government moved to Phase 2 of its response.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Green Party says the government’s decision to grant a prospecting permit on heritage land is unacceptable.

It comes after a permit was approved within Te Wāhipounamu, one of the country’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The permit covers 157 square kilometres, and allows prospecting for all minerals except uranium.

Green Party list MP and resources spokesperson Steve Abel said heritage sites had long been ruled out for mining, and should remain that way.

“This is among our most precious ecology and magnificent landscapes that are recognised globally, hence it’s a world heritage area, this is exactly the space that should be out of bounds to mining, to prospecting and to exploration,” he said.

“It’s utterly unacceptable this government in its fervor for the boom and bust industry of mining has issued a permit within a world heritage area.”

Abel noted that former prime minister John Key had ruled out mining in Te Wāhipounamu in 2012.

“This government is zealous in its advocacy for mining, it’s lost the recognition that the true treasures of our country are the magnificent, unique ecology and landscapes. Those are irreplaceable,” Abel said.

“The boom and bust short-term dollars that can be made from mining, and the short-term jobs, are not worth sacrificing something as spectacular as a heritage area.”

He said regardless of the methods used, any mining would cause permanent damage.

“It invariably involves disturbance and destruction of the landscape, and it often involves the use of toxic chemicals for extraction that leave an intergenerational legacy of tailings dams laden with cyanide that have to be managed decades after the mines have closed,” he said.

“There’s acid mine drainage which is already a problem we have on the west coast from historic mining and contemporary mining, so the legacy of mining in these areas is forever. The few dollars that are made are short term.”

RNZ has approached resource minister Shane Jones’ office for comment.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Oceans and Fisheries under-secretary has met with iwi and the local board on Aotea/Great Barrier Island.

It is feared that overfishing has decimated the kōura population, and Ngāti Rehua – Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust Board and the Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board are wanting the government to back a plan to manage the population before it is too late.

RNZ reported that the team behind the Tai Tū Moana conservation project expected to meet with Jenny Marcroft soon.

Marcroft confirmed to RNZ that she travelled to Aotea/Great Barrier Island earlier in April.

“It was a very productive meeting,” she said.

Tai Tū Moana Steering Group member Glenn Edney wanted the government to implement a set of local rules devised during a pilot project called Ahu Moana. That included lowering the daily bag limit of Spiny Red Rock Lobster and the Packhorse Rock Lobster to two, a ban on daily bag limit accumulation, introducing a maximum size limit, having a closed mating season, and several recreational only areas.

“They’re seeing an increased pressure on the crayfish resource,” Marcroft said.

Marcroft said officials would be looking at each of those, and where they aligned, “where it’s through a Section 186A closure, which is iwi-led, or whether it comes in under Section 11 of the Fisheries Act.”

While she said she would be feeding into the advice given to the Oceans and Fisheries Minister, Marcroft said it would be up to Shane Jones to make any decision.

“I met with them towards the end of last week – just to go over, making sure we’ve captured all the information from the discussions we had on the island, and then that work will continue to be done until those recommendations come forward for the Minister.”

Marcroft said it was a “specific request for the uniqueness of Aotea/Great Barrier.”

“They are leading work. They all care about sustainability, including the commercial fishers that live on the island, as well.

“What I really liked about the meeting was the respect that was shown for each of the groups amongst themselves. It was really good.

“There wasn’t a, you know, we know that the recreational fishing space can get quite heated – people are very passionate about being able to fish – and what I saw was working collaboratively together, showing respect. It was very refreshing.”

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

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-NZ-AU)

SOUTH BOSTON, Va., April 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IperionX Limited (Nasdaq | ASX: IPX) is pleased to present its quarterly report for the period ended March 31, 2026. Highlights during and subsequent to the end of the quarter include:

Operations – Titanium powder production

• Virginia operations transitioned to a 24/7 production schedule during the quarter, marking the move from commissioning into continuous operations
• All HAMR powder production systems have been commissioned and are now in ramp-up, with IperionX targeting run-rate production of ~200 tpa of titanium powder by end-CY2026
• HAMR powder production increased during the quarter, reaching ~4.2 metric tons in March, equivalent to approximately 50 tpa annualized. This represents the early-stage ramp rate, and throughput is expected to build as product mix shifts toward higher-volume angular powders and powder-to-part manufacturing
• Development of GenX , IperionX’s next-generation continuous HAMR platform, advanced during the quarter. GenX is designed to deliver a step-change in capital efficiency, operating cost and throughput relative to current batch processing system

Operations – Titanium product manufacturing

• Powder metallurgy scale-up continued during the quarter, including optimization of the 100-ton uniaxial press, commissioning of the cold isostatic press for larger-format titanium components, and transition toward 24/7 operations for defense-related titanium fastener production
• Advanced six-axis 300-ton SACMI powder metallurgy press was installed during the quarter. The press delivers higher compaction force, multi-axis movement, greater complexity of part geometry, improved repeatability, and the ability to support higher-rate production. Commissioning is planned for the June quarter for customer engagements requiring more complex or higher-volume titanium press-sinter-forge components
• Additional HSPT sintering furnaces are scheduled for commissioning in the June quarter. These additions are expected to remove sintering as a current production bottleneck and accelerate customer qualification timelines
• Additive manufacturing capability expanded during the quarter, including the operation and retrofit of additional binder jet systems

Customers

• IperionX continues to execute a tiered go-to-market strategy that initially prioritizes higher-value engineered products, where the competitive advantages are strongest, including higher material yields, faster design iteration, rapid prototyping and the potential to significantly lower customer costs
• Production activity during the quarter focused primarily on prototype production, product development, qualification testing and low-rate initial production across defense, automotive, consumer electronics and industrial applications, consistent with the staged commercialization pathway for advanced titanium components
• IperionX’s near-term commercial focus remains on higher-value titanium metal components, while retaining the flexibility to sell titanium powders directly where customer demand supports attractive commercial outcomes
• Qualification and test work for spherical titanium powders for additive manufacturing in the consumer electronics sector accelerated in the quarter. This market represents a significant potential opportunity for both spherical titanium powder sales and titanium products manufactured by IperionX
• Customer engagement materially increased across aerospace and defense markets, supported by heightened focus on titanium supply-chain resilience, U.S. onshoring of advanced component manufacturing and reduced reliance on imported primary titanium metal
• IperionX also expects to broaden its participation in high-volume titanium markets where customer engagement is strong and domestic U.S. supply is strategically important, including titanium mill products
• Customer receipts are currently at the early inflection point of the commercial adoption curve, consistent with the focus on prototype work, qualification batches, customer testing and low-rate initial production. As qualification milestones are achieved, purchase-order schedules become more defined and additional powder metallurgy and HSPT capacity is commissioned, IperionX expects customer receipts to build, subject to program timing and delivery schedules

U.S. Department of War (DoW) programs

• The U.S. Government-supported 1,400 tpa titanium expansion program continued to progress, including the full obligation of the US$47.1 million Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) award to build a fully integrated, domestic titanium “mineral-to-metal” supply chain
• Strong U.S. Government support continues, including:
  • ~290 metric tons of titanium scrap transferred to IperionX at no cost (equivalent to ~1.5 years of titanium feedstock)
  • SBIR Phase III IDIQ contract (up to US$99 million), with additional task orders progressing

Titan Critical Minerals Development

• The U.S. Government-supported Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the Titan Critical Minerals Project continued to advance and remains targeted for completion in mid-2026.
• Titan remains a strategically important, fully permitted U.S. project with leverage to titanium, rare earths and zircon critical minerals, including the heavy rare earths dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), and yttrium (Y)
• IperionX is engaged with the U.S. Government regarding potential funding pathways to accelerate the Titan development following completion of the DFS

Cash balance

• IperionX ended the quarter with US$48.2 million in cash. The quarter included approximately US$4.8 million of Q3 timing and non-run-rate cash items, alongside continued investment in Virginia production ramp, product development and GenX R&D
• In addition to quarter-end cash, IperionX had US$42.1 million of remaining obligated reimbursable U.S. Government funding at March 31, 2026, including US$3.5 million of eligible U.S. Government program expenditure already incurred but not yet reimbursed. These amounts are not included in the cash balance and remain subject to normal reimbursement claim review and approval processes
• Based on current operating plans, planned capital expenditure and expected U.S. Government reimbursement timing, IperionX expects to end FY2026 with cash in the range of US$36 million to US$40 million

MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

From commissioning to continuous operations — building a domestic U.S. titanium supply chain at industrial scale

The March 2026 quarter marked an important transition for IperionX: from commissioning into continuous operations, and from technology development toward repeatable commercial execution.

After more than a decade of development, pilot operations, customer validation and U.S. Government-supported scale-up, IperionX is now operating at industrial scale in Virginia. Our proprietary HAMR and HSPT technologies are operational, producing high-quality titanium from 100% recycled feedstock and enabling a materially more efficient pathway to titanium powders and titanium products than legacy Kroll-based supply chains.

This transition is the result of sustained technical execution: over 10 years of R&D, multi-year pilot operations, construction and commissioning of the Virginia Titanium Manufacturing Campus, and more than US$75 million of U.S. Government support across titanium technology development, domestic manufacturing scale-up and critical minerals programs. IperionX is now positioned at the intersection of two major national priorities: reshoring titanium manufacturing and rebuilding secure U.S. critical-materials supply chains for defense, aerospace and advanced industry.

The strategic context has never been more important. Titanium is essential to defense, aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, additive manufacturing and advanced industrial applications, yet existing supply chains remain highly exposed to imported primary metal, energy-intensive legacy processes and offshore manufacturing capacity. IperionX is building a domestic alternative: a U.S.-based, scrap-to-part titanium platform using recycled and domestic feedstocks, proprietary powder production, advanced sintering and forging technologies, and scalable American manufacturing capacity.

At our Virginia Titanium Manufacturing Campus, operations are now running on a 24/7 schedule and continuing to ramp. In March, HAMR powder production reached approximately 4.2 metric tons for the month, equivalent to approximately 50 tpa annualized. This remains an early-stage ramp rate, not steady-state capacity, but it provides a strong operating base as we progress toward targeted titanium powder capacity of approximately 200 tpa by the end of CY2026. Our immediate operating priorities are clear: increase titanium throughput, broaden product mix, improve production consistency and commission additional downstream capacity for customers.

That downstream manufacturing capacity is key. Additional HSPT sintering furnaces, powder metallurgy presses and related equipment are being installed and commissioned through 2026. These systems are expected to unlock higher-volume titanium “powder-to-part” manufacturing, where IperionX expects the greatest customer value and margin potential to exist. They are also expected to remove current bottlenecks in finished-component production, accelerate customer qualification timelines and support the transition from prototype work and low-rate production toward larger, longer-duration supply programs.

Customer engagement is advancing in parallel with the operational ramp. Our go-to-market strategy is initially focused on high-value engineered products, where our advantages in material yield, rapid prototype iteration, reduced processing steps and potential cost reduction are most pronounced. This has driven active programs across defense, aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics and industrial markets, with several programs progressing from technical engagement and prototyping toward qualification and low-rate production.

We recognize that commercialization in these markets is a staged process. Qualification, customer testing, product iteration and production readiness must occur before larger contractual supply arrangements are established. As production capacity expands and additional HSPT furnaces and powder metallurgy systems come online, we expect to materially improve the pace at which customer programs can progress from initial engagement and prototype iteration through qualification, low-rate production and potential long-term supply arrangements across engineered products, mill products and titanium powders.

U.S. Government support remains both a strategic validation and a financial advantage. IperionX has secured a significant titanium scrap inventory, including approximately 290 metric tons transferred by the U.S. Government at no cost, supporting feedstock security through scale-up. The Company is also supported by fully obligated US$47.1 million IBAS funding, the earlier US$12.7 million DPA Title III award, and an SBIR Phase III contracting pathway of up to US$99 million through project-specific task orders. These programs reflect the strategic importance of establishing a resilient, low-cost domestic titanium manufacturing capability for the U.S. defense industrial base.

Our scale-up pathway remains well defined. We are targeting approximately 200 tpa of titanium powder capacity by the end of CY2026, progressing a U.S. Government-supported expansion pathway toward 1,400 tpa in 2027, and continuing to advance longer-term plans for substantially larger titanium manufacturing capacity. In parallel, GenX , our next-generation continuous HAMR platform, is progressing as a potential step-change in titanium powder production, with the objective of increasing throughput, improving capital efficiency and further reducing operating costs.

The Titan Critical Minerals Project is IperionX’s second strategic pillar. With a U.S. DoW-supported DFS nearing completion, Titan represents a potential domestic source of titanium minerals, zircon and critical rare earths, including dysprosium, terbium and yttrium — materials for which the United States has limited domestic supply. Subject to completion of the DFS, funding and development decisions, Titan has the potential to complement IperionX’s titanium metal platform and contribute to U.S. critical mineral independence.

IperionX is moving from technology to production, and from production toward scale. The opportunity is significant, and the next steps are clear: ramp Virginia production, commission downstream capacity, convert customer programs into revenue, progress the 1,400 tpa expansion, complete the Titan DFS and continue building a fully domestic U.S. titanium and critical-materials platform.

Disciplined execution remains the priority.

Anastasios Arima
CEO and Managing Director

A link to the full release can be found here.

Contacts

Anastasios (Taso) Arima, Founder and CEO
Toby Symonds, President
Dominic Allen, Chief Commercial Officer

Investors: investorrelations@iperionx.com
Media: media@iperionx.com

+1 980 237 8900
www.iperionx.com

– Published by The MIL Network