PM Edition: Top 10 Business Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for May 18, 2026 – Full Text

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former England women’s wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has been appointed as fielding coach for head coach Brendon McCullum’s men’s team for their test series against the Black Caps.

She is the first woman to coach an England men’s side in a major sport, the BBC reported.

Taylor, 36, had 226 caps in all three formats at international level for England, playing no small part in their World Cup victory in 2017.

Taylor has been appointed as short-term cover for Carl Hopkinson, who is involved with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

She has been working with the second tier England Lions team coached by former all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and has clearly made a big impression.

“I just think she’s one of the best in the business at what she does,” England men’s director Rob Key told reporters.

“She’s been outstanding, and she’s worked a lot with Andrew Flintoff and (England performance director) Ed Barney. They can’t speak highly enough of her. So from what we can see, she’s one of the best in the business.”

The men’s side was criticised for poor fielding during their Ashes series in Australia last summer, after they didn’t take a specialist fielding coach on tour.

Hopkinson was reappointed as fielding coach after that series.

England have named [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/595137/england-drop-zac-crawley-bring-in-three-uncapped-players-for-black-caps-first-test their squad for the first test against New Zealand, which starts on 4 June at Lord’s.

Zac Crawley has been dropped, replaced by newcomer Emilio Gay, with fast bowler Sonny Baker and wicketkeeper-batter James Rew also uncapped.

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

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kiwifruit orchards are humming mid-harvest, but Zespri is concerned port bottlenecks are becoming a real pressure point for its fruit exports.

The Port of Tauranga is the critical gateway for most of New Zealand’s lucrative kiwifruit from growing hub Bay of Plenty to the world.

Orchardists were expected to produce around 220 million trays of fruit – equating to around 6.6 billion pieces of fruit – for export this season.

Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake said plans to double those exports in the next decade would depend on efficient ports, freight connections and well-functioning road infrastructure.

“Port bottlenecks are becoming a real pressure point for the kiwifruit industry,” said Te Brake.

“Around 95 percent of Zespri’s New Zealand fruit is exported through the Port of Tauranga, so congestion or capacity constraints directly affect our ability to get fruit to market on time, protect quality and deliver strong returns to growers.”

Te Brake said constrained transport and port networks increased costs, emissions and undermined confidence for investors.

“With around 80 percent of our fruit grown in the Bay of Plenty, continued investment in road and port infrastructure is critical – including upgrading access through the Mount Maunganui industrial area via the Connecting Mount Maunganui project, improving productivity and resilience for freight movements to and from the Port, and delivering additional port capacity to support future growth.”

Port constrained to new vessels

Port of Tauranga chief executive Leonard Sampson said while there was no bottleneck as such at present, because product was moving through, its container terminal was particularly constrained.

“We’re at capacity at the moment and unfortunately we’re unable to take any further container vessels at the container terminal, so that really is a potential bottleneck for the kiwifruit industry.”

Sampson said it had known about the kiwifruit industry’s growth ambitions for years, and was committed to growing its services.

“At the moment we’re getting it through on the services that we have, but ultimately, with the aspirations of Zespri and the potential doubling of that cargo over the next 10 years, it could mean exactly that; fruit loss, delays in terms of getting that refrigerated cargo away.

“And ultimately, it potentially makes a number of orchards or that growth unviable, because there’s simply just not that capacity to get the cargo away.”

Sampson said infrastructural constraints meant it had to decline an international shipping line recently, despite benefits like greater competition and more shipping availability it would have provided.

He declined to comment on the name of the company.

“We have a situation where we’ve unfortunately had to turn away an international service to a new market,” he said.

“That international service offered somewhere between $70-90 million of ocean freight savings back to New Zealand’s importers and exporters.

“That’s obviously revenue that would have otherwise been back in the New Zealand economy, but unfortunately we’re unable to realise it.”

The port was about seven years into trying to secure a consent for its Stella Passage berth and wharf extension, currently still under consideration for a second fast-track application.

Sampson said it re-applied for a fast track approval for the project, because the constrained nature at the port was costing exporters and importers.

Among opposition to the project was local iwi Ngāti Kuku, supported by Ngā Hapū o Ngā Moutere, due to proposed dredging, land reclamation and other issues.

“Port of Tauranga has been unable to reach agreement with opposing iwi and hapū parties on the appropriate level of mitigation for the cultural impacts of the development,” the port said in an earlier statement.

The Environmental Protection Authority had appointed an expert panel to consider the new fast-track application, with a decision due in September.

Shipping still coming, but they’ve increased prices

In light of the fuel crisis, brought on by the US-Israel war in the Persian Gulf, leaders from the port joined Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Singapore recently on his fuel security mission.

Sampson said export cargo ships were arriving on time and with little disruption, despite the fuel situation, though he said shipping services had increased their costs.

“It’s pleasing that … at this point in time, we haven’t seen any deterioration of shipping services.

“So there’s been no reduction in the shipping services coming to New Zealand, nor a deterioration in the on-time performance. In fact, it’s better than it was this time last year.”

Sampson said last month’s Cyclone Vaianu caused more disruption to the port recently than the impact of fuel.

But he said the fuel situation had led to a slowdown in some commodity exports.

“We are starting to see from a cost perspective, however, that some of the cost of fuel flowing through to the shipping prices, we are seeing a slowdown in some commodities, particularly the likes of some of the forestry commodities.”

He said around 30 percent of New Zealand’s export logs went through the Bay of Plenty port, as well as many pulp and paper products from nearby North Island forests and mills.

“It’s a challenge, and unfortunately, I guess it’s one of those commodities – unlike kiwifruit that that will need to be picked and sent – the trees can potentially not get harvested and they can be delayed for a period of time before they need to to be harvested, and wait for commodity prices to improve.”

Sampson said half of all New Zealand’s containerised exports went through the Port of Tauranga, and it was a busy period for red meat exports at the moment.

“We’re seeing strong volumes of of red meat going through the port at the moment.”

He said a number of meat containers were sent back and re-shipped at the start of the war, but most found connections to the Middle East on other shipping services via North or Southeast Asia.

“But you know, that does obviously come at a higher cost as well.”

Te Brake said Zespri strongly supported the Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal application, as certainty from government would be met with private capital.

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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 Warehouse Group’s third-quarter retail sales were down 1.4 percent on the year earlier, amid ongoing tough economic conditions.

However, on a year-earlier, like-for-like basis, total sales at retail stores the ‘Red Sheds’, Stationery and Noel Leeming were flat at $700.8 million for the period ended 4 May.

Group gross profit margin rose 50 basis points in the third quarter over the year earlier, and were up 10 basis points on the year to date, with growth in Stationery and Noel Leeming partially offset by a drop in Red Sheds.

Third-quarter sales by brand:

• The Warehouse Red Sheds fell 2.5 percent to $405.3m, down 0.8 percent on same store sales.
• Warehouse Stationery were down 2.9 percent to $57.1m, up 3.1 percent on same store sales.
• Noel Leeming sales up 0.7 percent to $236.6m, up 1.1 percent on same store sales

Group chief executive Mark Stirton said it was a stable result in an increasingly tough climate.

“As fuel prices rose, we saw customers become more conscious of travel, making fewer shopping trips but buying more when they visited our stores,” Stirton said.

Group foot traffic declined 1.8 percent during the quarter, though average customer basket size increased 2.7 percent.

Group online sales rose 5.4 percent, representing 6.8 percent of total 3qtr sales – an increase from 6.4 percent the year earlier. Noel Leeming stores saw particularly strong online growth.

Stirton said Noel Leeming will return to Auckland’s city centre this summer with the opening of a new flagship store at 192 Queen Street, after its previous Queen Street store closed in 2021.

Noel Leeming will return to Auckland’s city centre this summer. Screenshot / Google Maps

Noel Leeming chief executive Jason Bell said the new store reflected the growing importance of experience-led retail.

“We’re bringing Noel Leeming back to the city centre with a store designed to offer something different for customers,” he said.

“Alongside the latest technology, the Queen Street store will feature a more modern design and interactive product demos, gaming events and expert service, creating an exciting experience for customers.”

The store’s opening was expected to coincide with the launch of the City Rail Link and Te Waihorotiu station, expected this year.

Outlook

Stirton said trading conditions were expected to remain challenging, with inflationary pressures, global instability and an uncertain domestic economy continuing to affect consumers and businesses.

“We’re doing everything we can to balance providing everyday value for customers while managing the impact of higher costs on our business,” he said.

“In this environment, our priority is to stay focused on what we can control.”

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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 country’s natural gas reserves have declined to the lowest level since records began twenty years ago.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment’s annual petroleum reserves data showed as of 1 January, natural gas reserves declined 23 percent from last year, to 731 petajoules.

The ministry said the decline was in line with operators’ field information and expected production.

The gas in the data is what is known as 2P gas, or proven plus probable – gas a producer expects to be commercially recoverable.

The biggest decline was at the Pohokura field, which reported a 129 petajoule decrease of 2P.

The decline was put down to a revision of estimates, rather than the gas’ ability to be extracted.

Around half of the remaining P2 gas (51 percent) is at the Turangi field.

New Zealand’s contingent gas reserves (gas which is known to exist but is not commercially recoverable) were down 3 percent from last year, to 1,950 PJ.

The ministry said this was partly due to some of the contingent gas at the Mangahewa field being promoted to the reserves.

Based on production profile data, the ministry expected 85 petajoules of gas to be produced in 2026.

Energy minister Simeon Brown said falling gas supply was a real problem for households and businesses.

“Gas is used to generate the electricity that keeps the lights on when the sun’s not shining, the wind’s not blowing, and the lakes are low,” he said.

“Without enough gas to back up renewable generation, power bills go up, factories shut down, and Kiwis lose their jobs.”

Brown said it highlighted why the government was taking actions like reversing the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration, and procuring a liquefied natural gas import terminal.

“Every other comparable country in the OECD has access to secure, diversified gas supplies. New Zealand is the outlier, and we need to secure affordable energy,” 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

The Government has signed a City and Regional Deal with Western Bay of Plenty councils, establishing a long-term partnership between the Western Bay of Plenty and central Government Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Local Government Minister Simon Watts say. 

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says the Deal marks another major milestone in the Government’s City and Regional Deals programme, following last month’s signing of a Deal with Auckland.

“Establishing City and Regional Deals are a commitment under the National and ACT Coalition agreement and are about central and local government working together to unlock the potential of our cities and regions, boosting economic growth and improving living standards across New Zealand.

“The Western Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand’s economic powerhouses. From kiwifruit and forestry exports to freight, logistics and manufacturing, the region helps drive growth and jobs right across the country.

“The Western Bay of Plenty Deal brings together Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council with the Government in a shared commitment to plan, invest and deliver together for the long-term benefit of the region and New Zealand.

“When Western Bay of Plenty does well, New Zealand does well. The region is a critical export gateway for our primary sector, connecting growers, exporters and businesses to international markets through the Port of Tauranga and key freight corridors.

“The Western Bay of Plenty Deal builds on the work the existing SmartGrowth partnership is already doing, making sure the region’s approach to housing, transport, and infrastructure growth is aligned. SmartGrowth will help coordinate and advise on implementation and delivery of the Deal.”

“The Western Bay of Plenty Deal is centred around six pillars:

1. Partnership for Growth – a coordinated approach to investment across the Western Bay of Plenty
2. Transport Infrastructure – commitments to enable a coordinated approach to transport investment to unlock urban growth
3. Land and Housing Development – enabling urban grown through intensification and greenfield expansion
4. Social Infrastructure – supporting the provision of health and education in line with urban growth
5. Export Growth – focusing on the region’s export potential
6. Economic Diversification – enabling diversification including exploring opportunities in the Maori economy

“The Deal reflects core government priorities across planning and resource management reform, utilising new infrastructure funding and financing tools, unlocking land for housing, and building new transport infrastructure.”

“As part of the regional combined plan for Bay of Plenty, the new Western Bay of Plenty sub-regional spatial plan under the new planning system will focus on three initial areas for growth – the Eastern Corridor (where housing growth can be maximised around the Tauranga Eastern Link), the Northern Corridor (developments in Omokoroa and Katikati) and the Western Corridor (Tauriko West).

“Growth in these areas and in existing urban areas is estimated to support 12,000 greenfield homes and 3,000 infill and intensified homes over the next 10 years, aligned with transport, water and community infrastructure.

“The government has invested heavily in the past in the region through the Eastern Link toll road, and the Takitimu North Link is currently under construction. The Deal identifies the Takitimu North Link Stage 2 and the Tauriko West Roads of National Significance as priority projects which will be reflected in the next Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2027.

“An innovative feature of the Deal is an agreement for the government and the Western Bay of Plenty to jointly fund agreed projects using proceeds from local asset recycling plus a Crown uplift, with funding amounts and rates considered case by case and subject to standard government approvals. These partnership projects aim to improve productivity along State Highway 2.

“Delivering new social infrastructure alongside housing growth is a key focus. Health NZ and the Western Bay of Plenty will form an independent joint planning group to agree a plan that meets anticipated growth needs. The same will occur for education facilities.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts says the Deal will support long-term growth, productivity and resilience across the region.

“The Western Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing regions and plays a critical role as a trade and export hub. This Deal is about ensuring growth is well planned, well connected and backed by the infrastructure communities need.”

“The deal also includes establishing a 10-year partnership guided by a 30-year vision for the Western Bay of Plenty as New Zealand’s Global Trade Gateway.

“More families are moving to the Western Bay every year because of the opportunities the region offers, but rapid growth also brings pressure on roads, public services, housing supply and local infrastructure.

Mr Watts says delivery of the Deal will be supported by a strong governance and implementation framework.

“A Western Bay of Plenty Deal Oversight Board will provide coordination and accountability for delivery, alongside an Implementation Plan to be developed within six months of signing.”

MIL OSI

Source: Media Outreach

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 May 2026 – The finance industry in Southeast Asia is changing very rapidly, Singapore’s long-standing dominance giving way to the emerging technology markets of Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Vietnam alone saw domestic securities trading accounts climb to 12.26 million by February 2026, according to VSDC.

Gone are the days when traders used their desktop terminals. Now, all of this can be done through a smartphone. The use of mobile internet increases day by day, owing to cheap smartphones and improved connections. While Singapore and Malaysia have become the leaders in terms of fintech adaptation, countries like Indonesia and Vietnam are predominantly mobile-first.

Moreover, financial literacy increases in the region every single day, particularly when it comes to young generations. As one can see from statistics, in the Philippines, for example, the proportion of retail investors aged 18–29 equals 26.5%. In Indonesia, over half of all 16.2 million registered investors are under 30.

Factors Driving the Mobile Trading Boom

Here are some factors behind the popularity of mobile trading:

• Availability – a trader can start without high capital and expensive equipment;
• Speed – instant execution and live updating allow reacting to market shifts rapidly;
• Functionality – modern applications offer tools such as charts, indicators, and AI support for analysis;
• Localization – applications offer local payment methods like GCash, OVO, and GrabPay, as well as language support.

All this makes trading more accessible to the wider community of users.

JustMarkets Meeting the Region’s Demands

Brokers have an important part in driving the process. JustMarkets offers all of the advantages described above in its trading app for Southeast Asian clients:

• Integrated TradingView charts for in-depth analysis;
• Instant and efficient execution even in tough market conditions;
• Ability to trade with a leverage of up to 1:3000;
• Localized service that offers regional payment options, different language packs, and support 24/7.

JustMarkets delivers the tools and support for traders at every level to trade on their own terms.

New Habits of Traders

Investors in Southeast Asia are mostly mobile-first and rely heavily on technology. This is clearly visible in Thailand, where internet trading now accounts for 24.61% of all stock exchange activity, supported by 6.82 million active online trading accounts as of February 2026. Many traders do not limit themselves to trading only, finding it necessary to combine this activity with entrepreneurship or freelancing.

Also, governments are actively involved in the growth of fintech companies, working on regulating and improving the infrastructure of the industry in the region.

The Next Chapter in Southeast Asia’s Trading

Technology will always remain the main driver of trading. Artificial intelligence, automation, and analysis of consumer sentiment will provide personalization of this activity for clients. Blockchain technology and new generation mobile connections will make it much faster and more transparent. This will help traders across Southeast Asia align their financial ambitions with the tools to achieve them.

Risk Warning: Trading financial instruments involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Market conditions can change rapidly, and losses may exceed deposits. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

Hashtag: #JustMarkets #trading

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

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

Source: Media Outreach

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Oamaru Airport will lose its flight school after the business opted not to renew its lease, the Waitaki District Council says.

The New Zealand Airline Academy opened at the airport in 2018 with student numbers exceeding 200 in the past year.

It sought more land for hangars, increased airport access and a drop in landing charges as part of a new lease proposal last year.

The council said it offered substantial discounts to encourage growth when the school was starting out, but ongoing ratepayer subsidies weren’t appropriate for a large, successful business.

The lease would end in June.

The Airline Academy was contacted by RNZ 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

• Manufacturing activity eased to 50.5 from 52.8 in March – above 50 is expansion.
• Two of the five sub indexes are in contraction – new orders and deliveries of raw materials.
• Employment was strongest sub index at 53.4.

The manufacturing sector expanded in April but only just, as the impact of the fuel crisis started to bite.

That and the war in Iran appear to be dampening activity in the manufacturing sector.

The sector did expand in April according to the latest BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). However the growth was marginal, with the PMI for April coming in at just 50.5. A reading above 50 indicates the sector is growing.

The April result was down from 52.8 in March and 54.6 in February.

The long-term average for the index is 52.5.

“The Performance of Manufacturing Index had been remarkably robust with the headline reading for March down on previous months but still solidly above the break-even line,” BNZ head of research Stephen Toplis said.

“However, we feared it was only a matter of time before the wheels started to fall off and, alas, the April survey indicates that time may now have arrived.”

The war in Iran and the impact on fuel prices was of increasing concern for firms in April, according to BusinessNZ director of advocacy Catherine Beard.

“The proportion of respondents highlighting negative influences on their business performance was 63.6 percent, compared to 62 percent in March. And many of the comments focused on the effect of the war against Iran on freight and fuel costs, as well as its impact on deliveries of raw materials.”

Two of the five sub-indexs were in contraction, with new orders 48.2 and deliveries of raw materials at 46.5.

Employment was the strongest sub index at 53.4.

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