AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for July 6, 2026 &#8211; Full Text

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/80836bd0-5f2b-4a8a-861e-8fdcb0dbed89

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-NZ-AU)

INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Transformational asset integration & strategic scale: IperionX has successfully completed the acquisition of the Camden critical mineral, heavy rare earths, and infrastructure assets. Highly synergistic with the adjacent Titan Project in Tennessee, this acquisition materially consolidates and expands IperionX’s landholding across the Big Sandy Critical Minerals Province.
Ultra-high-grade surface stockpiles: Decades of historical high-purity silica sand operations have effectively pre-processed the heavy critical mineral fractions. This has generated approximately 70 acres of at-surface, ultra-high-grade critical mineral stockpiles, uniquely enriched in titanium, zircon, and high-value rare earth minerals.
Exceptional stockpile assay results (up to 10x uplift): Grab samples from the surface stockpiles returned outstanding Total Heavy Minerals (THM) grading up to 21.5%. Previous 1-ton bulk samples yielded 9.9% and 23.0% THM — an exceptional 5x to 10x uplift compared to Titan’s average Mineral Resource grade.
Accelerated ‘stockpile-first’ pathway: Accessing at-surface, pre-processed critical minerals provides vital ‘starter feedstocks’ with the potential to reduce capital intensity and lower mining and processing costs.
Large-scale, pre-stripped Lower McNairy advantage: Historical silica operations at Camden successfully “pre-stripped” approximately 180 acres of overburden, providing rapid, near zero-strip-ratio access to the Lower McNairy mineralization — historically proven by drilling at Titan to hold the highest grade and richest assemblage of high-value heavy rare earth, titanium and zircon minerals.
Turnkey infrastructure potentially reduces CAPEX: The acquired site provides an established industrial footprint with active grid power, water, natural gas utilities, and heavy-haul rail access. This provides the potential to significantly de-risk development timelines and reduce capital expenditure that is currently included in Titan DFS capital cost build up.
Heavy rare earths upside: Mineralization in the McNairy formation has been proven to be rich in monazite and xenotime – heavy rare earth containing critical minerals typically rich in dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), and yttrium (Y) – which are vital for advanced U.S. industries.
Minerals-to-metals integration: Camden-Titan is a potential near-term supply of upstream American-sourced critical minerals, while IperionX’s downstream mineral and titanium technologies and Virginia titanium manufacturing platform provide the pathway to finished U.S. titanium metal products.
Strategic funding engagement: IperionX will engage U.S. government stakeholders, downstream processors, and strategic customers as further technical and economic data becomes available.
2026 Camden-Titan techno-economic roadmap: IperionX is now advancing an accelerated work program prioritizing sonic drilling of stockpiles, advanced metallurgical test work, infrastructure optimization, with an integrated Camden-Titan techno-economic study targeted by the end of 2026.

IperionX CEO Taso Arima said:

“The strategic importance of Camden is now clear, it gives IperionX a turnkey platform adjacent to Titan with mineral rights, ultra-high-grade stockpiles, established infrastructure and the potential to accelerate U.S.-sourced rare earth and critical mineral feedstock supply.

The most powerful feature of Camden is that the opportunity starts at surface with exceptional grades. These stockpiles have already been mined, moved and pre-processed through historical silica sand operations, creating ultra-high-grade starter feedstocks containing titanium, zircon and rare-earth-bearing minerals such as monazite and xenotime.

Camden also adds ready-access to approximately 180 acres of pre-stripped Lower McNairy mineralized areas, which could further enhance development scalability of the Camden-Titan platform. This gives IperionX the potential opportunity for a faster, lower-capital-intensity and lower opex development pathway.

The United States is investing across rare earth processing, metallization, alloying and magnet manufacturing. But downstream capacity requires secure upstream mineral feed. Camden-Titan is now positioned as a unique upstream opportunity for strategically vital titanium, zircon and rare-earth-bearing mineral products, sourced securely from the United States.

Camden does not replace Titan, it strengthens it. Together, Camden and Titan have the potential to accelerate long-term domestic supply of titanium, zircon and heavy rare earth feedstocks, crucially – dysprosium, terbium and yttrium – into markets that are central to national security, advanced manufacturing, electrification, aerospace and high-performance magnet technologies.”

SOUTH BOSTON, Va., July 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IperionX Limited (NASDAQ: IPX, ASX: IPX) is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Camden critical mineral, property, and infrastructure assets acquisition, located adjacent to the Titan Critical Minerals Project and within the Big Sandy Critical Minerals Province in Tennessee.

Increased Scale + Accelerated Commercialization

The Camden acquisition combines four value-drivers that are rarely available together in a U.S. critical minerals development project:

Scale: Adjacent mineral sands position increases the scale of the combined Camden-Titan project.
Ultra-high-grade stockpiles: Pre-mined, pre-processed critical mineral stockpiles of approximately 70 acres at surface.
Pre-stripped mineralization: approximately 180 acres of near-zero-overburden access to the rich Lower McNairy seam.
Established, turnkey infrastructure: Ready-to-use industrial assets, utilities and rail infrastructure.

Camden’s historical silica sand operations created this opportunity. For decades, the operation was optimized to produce high-purity silica. The commercial processing circuits were not designed to recover titanium, zircon or rare-earth-bearing minerals; instead, those heavier mineral fractions were separated from the silica product stream and accumulated in surface stockpiles.

IperionX has now secured those stockpiles, along with the surrounding mineral rights, pre-stripped Lower McNairy areas and established industrial infrastructure. This converts a historical processing blind spot into a potential strategic catalyst: at-surface critical-mineral-bearing stockpiles that may be evaluated as an early high-grade starter feed for the district-scale Camden-Titan critical minerals platform.

The strategic opportunity is clear: Titan brings district-scale mineralization; Camden brings high-grade surface stockpiles, established infrastructure and a potential ultra-high-grade stockpile-first development pathway.

Unlocking Camden’s Ultra-High-Grade Surface Stockpiles

Two 1-ton bulk samples were collected from these pre-processed surface stockpiles in 2020 which returned exceptional grades of 9.9% and 23.0% THM, with historical drilling indicating depths of approximately 12 meters of mineral stockpiles prior to intersecting the Lower McNairy formation. Subsequent exploration grab sampling in 2025 consistently returned ultra-high-grades of ~20% THM. When compared to the Titan Project’s Resource Estimate of 431 Mt at 2.2% THM, this material represents an outstanding 5x to 10x grade uplift.

Figure 1: Illustrative example of the potential benefits attributable to high grade feedstocks in mineral extraction and processing operations.

In practical terms, higher-grade feedstock can potentially mean less material needs to be moved and processed to produce a given amount of heavy mineral concentrate. That can be important for plant size, capital intensity, operating cost and speed to first product, subject to resource definition, metallurgical recoveries, product quality and customer qualification.

This grade advantage also has a very significant impact for the in-situ proportion of the heavy rare earth bearing minerals monazite and xenotime, which are often found in very low concentrations in mineral sand deposits. The pre-concentrating and stockpiling of these minerals through historic silica operations provides the potential for rare earth values in excess of those found in commercial operations in developments around the globe. As an example, the grab samples grading at 19% or greater have an average in-situ monazite + xenotime value of approximately 1,100 ppm (along with average in-situ grades of rutile and zircon of 2.1% and 1.1% respectively).

IperionX will accelerate a drilling campaign at Camden to quantify the stockpiled material with the intent of delivering a mineral resource estimate for this material class.

Camden Pre-Stripped Advantage: Ready-access to high-grade Lower McNairy mineralization

Historical mining at Camden effectively removed the overburden (“pre-stripped”) across approximately 180 acres, directly exposing the Lower McNairy high-grade mineralized formation – known to be rich in heavy minerals, including rare earths. At the Titan Project this seam makes up about 70% of the minerals contained within the total mineral resource estimate, with grades of rutile, ilmenite and zircon approximately 2x the concentration of the Upper McNairy, and grades of rare earths approximately 10x the concentration of the Upper McNairy.

The significant amount of pre-stripping allows the potential for rapid mining development of the Lower McNairy formation without incurring significant cost of pre-stripping the overburden as well as hauling and sorting the related material.

IperionX intends to initiate a drill campaign at Camden in the coming months to quantify the material that has been pre-stripped, with the intent of delivering a mineral resource estimate for this material class.

Figure 2: Mining development areas at Camden (upper LHS) highlighting the extensive pre-stripped exposed Lower McNairy formation aligned with the regional stratigraphic column (RHS).

Figure 3: Camden acquisition in relation to the Titan Critical Minerals Project.

Turnkey Infrastructure: De-risking Capex and Timelines

The existing Camden infrastructure is highly strategic as it is an established industrial minerals processing hub with active high-voltage power, industrial-scale water, natural gas, and heavy-haul rail infrastructure. The potential to integrate Titan’s planned mineral processing into Camden’s existing infrastructure footprint provides an opportunity to reduce execution risk and capital requirements that are currently included in Titan DFS capital cost build up.

Camden-Titan: The upstream heavy rare earth feedstock platform the U.S. supply chain needs

The United States is rapidly rebuilding its rare-earth-to-magnet supply chain, with growing investment in refining, separation, metallization, alloying and magnet production. Yet one of the most important vulnerabilities remains upstream: secure domestic heavy rare earth-bearing mineral feedstock.

This is particularly important for dysprosium, terbium and yttrium — heavy rare earths that are vital for high-performance NdFeB magnets used in defense, aerospace, electric vehicles, drones, robotics and high-temperature advanced technology applications. Without reliable, uninterruptible heavy rare earth-bearing feedstocks, downstream processing and magnet capacity remains exposed to the same strategic supply-chain risk the United States is working to eliminate.

Camden-Titan is positioned to help address this upstream vulnerability by evaluating a domestic mineral sands platform that uniquely combines:

The large-scale Titan Project with rare earth and critical minerals
Ultra-high-grade Camden surface stockpiles
Existing turnkey infrastructure
Large-scale, pre-stripped, higher-grade Lower McNairy seam access
Secure, strategically positioned location in Tennessee, USA

Subject to resource definition, metallurgical qualification and development studies, Camden-Titan has the potential to become a strategically important U.S.-origin feedstock platform for titanium, zircon and rare-earth-bearing mineral products. Camden-Titan has the potential to underpin the long-term upstream feedstock foundation needed to support the U.S. buildout of rare earth refining, metal, alloy and magnet capacity.

Figure 4: U.S. rare earths supply chain components and associated U.S. Government funding¹.

Next steps and development catalysts

IperionX is now advancing a series of techno-economic activities to define the integrated Camden-Titan commercial development pathway. Key 2026 milestones include:

Resource Definition: Sonic drilling of the 70-acre surface stockpiles and 180-acre pre-stripped zones to establish a formal JORC/S-K 1300 compliant Mineral Resource Estimate.
Metallurgy: Detailed assemblage analysis to optimize recoveries of titanium, zircon, monazite, and xenotime.
Commercial Engagement: Fast-tracked commercial qualification with downstream processors, strategic customers, and U.S. Government stakeholders.
Integrated Economic Studies: Delivery of an integrated economic assessment for the development of the Camden-Titan complex.

This announcement has been authorized for release by the CEO and Managing Director.

For further information and enquiries please contact:

info@iperionx.com
+1 980 237 8900

About IperionX

IperionX is a leading American titanium metal and critical materials company – using patented metal technologies to produce high performance titanium alloys, from titanium minerals or scrap titanium, at lower energy, cost and carbon emissions.

Our Titan critical minerals project is the largest JORC-compliant mineral resource of titanium, rare earth and zircon mineral sands in the United States.

IperionX’s titanium metal and critical minerals are essential for advanced U.S. industries including space, aerospace, defense, consumer electronics, fasteners, automotive and additive manufacturing.

Forward Looking Statements

Information included in this release constitutes forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “continue”, and “guidance”, or other similar words and may include, without limitation, statements regarding plans, strategies and objectives of management, anticipated production or construction commencement dates and expected costs or production outputs.

Forward looking statements inherently involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance, and achievements to differ materially from any forecast future results, performance, or achievements. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and general economic conditions, increased costs and demand for production inputs, the speculative nature of exploration and project development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and diminishing quantities or grades of mineralization, the Company’s ability to comply with the relevant contractual terms to access the technologies, commercially scale its closed-loop titanium production processes, or protect its intellectual property rights, political and social risks, changes to the regulatory framework within which the Company operates or may in the future operate, environmental conditions including extreme weather conditions, recruitment and retention of personnel, industrial relations issues and litigation.

Forward looking statements are based on the Company and its management’s good faith assumptions relating to the financial, market, regulatory and other relevant environments that will exist and affect the Company’s business and operations in the future. The Company does not give any assurance that the assumptions on which forward looking statements are based will prove to be correct, or that the Company’s business or operations will not be affected in any material manner by these or other factors not foreseen or foreseeable by the Company or management or beyond the Company’s control.

Although the Company attempts and has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in forward looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actual results, performance, achievements, or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and many events are beyond the reasonable control of the Company. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in these materials speak only at the date of issue. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange listing rules, in providing this information the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements or to advise of any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Competent Persons Statement

The information in this announcement that relates to Exploration Results is based on, and fairly represents, information compiled and/or reviewed by Mr. Adam Karst, P.G., a Competent Person who is a Registered Member of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) which is a Recognized Professional Organization (RPO). Mr. Karst is an employee of Karst Geo Solutions, LLC. Mr. Karst has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style and type of mineralization present at the Titan Project and Camden areas and to the activity that he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the “Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves” (the 2012 JORC Code). Mr. Karst consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears.

Compliance Statement

This announcement contains information relating to a Mineral Resource Estimate and an Ore Reserve Estimate for the Titan deposit (where the Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Mr. John Eckman, a Competent Person, and the Ore Reserve Estimate was prepared by Mr. Justin Douthat, also a Competent Person) extracted from an ASX market announcement titled “IperionX Titan DFS Confirms High-Return U.S. Rare Earths and Critical Minerals Project” and published on the ASX platform (www.asx.com.au) on 4 June 2026. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcement and that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the release of 4 June 2026 continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Persons’ findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement.

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

^{_____________________
1} Source: MP Materials (link), Energy Fuels (link), USA Rare Earths (link)

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ad3a6fb-ffa9-42d5-99bc-1e91dcc6609d

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9b9e0bc5-5abb-4a4f-bfb6-2711b33c5084

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2788712e-6827-48b8-a0f7-a3b0b9036703

– Published by The MIL Network

2. NZ Minerals Council – Let reality rule

July 2, 2026

Source: New Zealand Minerals Council

Advancing the Conservation Amendment Bill has become a contest that we hope reality wins, says New Zealand Minerals Council chief executive Josie Vidal.

“What began as an overdue plan to modernise law to make it more workable for tourism, so that visitors could contribute to maintaining the conservation areas they use, turned into a political football,” Vidal says.

“A misinformation campaign with flaming red maps shouting that 60 percent of the conservation estate was going to be sold and/or dug up spread through social media without any real evidence, but rather a very loose interpretation of what the bill might make possible. In reality we all know that no New Zealand Government would get public agreement to sell off vast tracts of conservation land.

“The groups behind this campaign were jumping the shark to try and derail the parliamentary process they are also part of. That is, submitting to and appearing before the Environment Committee considering this bill so that it can be changed and/or improved as it progresses.

“Their actions to force a section of the bill to be removed threatens to undermine the tried and true process. We hope it hasn’t been derailed completely. We must maintain order in law making.

“We give a dose of reality in our submission on the bill and present the facts as responsible users of the conservation estate. Mining companies make significant contributions to pest and predator control and improving conservation outcomes with money and resources not always accessible by the Department of Conservation.

“Reality is:

– Stakeholders were consulted by the Department of Conservation over many years about this modernisation, including what it intended, and equally importantly, what it didn’t intend.

– The mining industry is a small, but important client of the Department of Conservation with permission to access the conservation estate given on a case-by-case basis. We are not seeking to change that.

– Mining to-date has impacted just 0.04 percent of the vast conservation estate. There are no plans to buy and mine swathes of the conservation estate; it makes no economic sense.

– It is possible to balance economic imperatives with positive environmental outcomes.

“We hope the Government holds its course to modernise outdated conservation laws. We believe all stakeholders continue to have opportunities through this process to give their views and make their cases.

“We also believe stakeholders have the same end goal; our truly precious conservation land is preserved and there are adequate funds to maintain it. Those funds are not unlimited.

“We urge all stakeholders to respect the process and it is our sincere hope the select committee, and the bill, are allowed to work through the prescribed process without any more fantasy scenarios.”

3. Greenpeace – March for Nature launched to protect conservation

July 3, 2026

Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace Aotearoa and Forest & Bird have announced a March for Nature to be held in Auckland on 19 September 2026, calling on New Zealanders to unite in defence of nature.

The March comes as opposition to the Government’s Conservation Amendment Bill, and love for our wild places, continues to grow. People from across New Zealand are being invited to join together and send a clear message that nature and the places we all treasure must be protected.

Greenpeace Executive Director Dr Russel Norman says the Conservation Amendment Bill is the latest in a series of attacks on nature that has brought growing public frustration to boiling point.

Greenpeace Executive Director Dr. Russel Norman says: “For the past two and half years this Government has waged a war on nature and this latest attack on conservation land is the last straw.

“This march isn’t just about one Bill. It’s about saying enough is enough to a Government that keeps putting corporate interests ahead of nature. From the Fisheries Amendment Bill to the Fast-track Approvals Act and now the Conservation Amendment Bill, we’ve watched environmental protections be steadily dismantled.

“We will not stand aside while this Government makes it easier to commercially exploit public conservation land. These snow-capped mountains, ancient forests, wild rivers and coastlines belong to all of us. They are part of who we are as a nation and must be protected.”

Forest & Bird Acting Chief Executive Erika Toleman says the Conservation Amendment Bill has become a rallying point for people who care about and want to protect nature in Aotearoa.

“Conservation land is for people and for nature. These are the wild places that belong to all of us and future generations. New Zealanders take pride in protecting our public conservation land, the mountains, wild rivers, and forests that we love to explore.

“Our native wildlife is already under immense pressure, we need stronger protections for habitats and stronger environmental safeguards.”

The March for Nature draws inspiration from previous marches that successfully pushed back against attempts to weaken environmental and conservation protections. In 2010, people marched against plans to mine Schedule 4 conservation land, forcing the Government to backdown.

In 2024, the first March for Nature against the Government’s Fast Track Bill, attended by over 20,000 people, successfully forced changes to some of the most anti-environment proposals within the bill. This has been consequential for decisions that followed such as the expert panel declining the proposed seabed mine in Taranaki.

“People in New Zealand have a long and proud history of standing up for nature. Fifteen years ago, John Key listened to New Zealanders from all walks of life when his government backed down from opening up our most highly protected conservation land to mining. As our current PM, Christopher Luxon has the same opportunity to do the right thing in 2026”, says Toleman.

Norman says, “Whether it’s defending conservation land, the nuclear free movement or ending offshore oil and gas exploration, we are a country full of people who love the environment and want to protect it. The Coalition Government has just signed itself up to a battle that it cannot possibly win.”

4. Greenpeace slams issuing of High Seas permit for Tasman Sea bottom trawlers

July 2, 2026

Source: Greenpeace

The Tasman Viking, a bottom trawling vessel that pulled up protected coral in international waters two years ago, has been issued an international fishing permit by the New Zealand government this month, in a move environmentalists are calling outrageous.

Greenpeace oceans campaigner Ellie Hooper says the move to issue a permit is embarrassing, and flies in the face of widespread public opposition to bottom trawling in the Tasman Sea.

“New Zealand is now the only country bottom trawling out in the South Pacific high seas, including the ecologically diverse waters of the Tasman, and the public have made it abundantly clear they object to it. Polling shows that 78% of people want bottom trawling gone from this area and the majority are calling for more protection, not more trawling destruction.”

The Tasman Viking, owned by Westfleet, was convicted for dragging up deep sea coral in the Tasman and failing to report it properly in 2020. In 2024, the vessel also dragged up a further 37kg of coral from a biodiverse Lord Howe Rise seamount, triggering the temporary closure of the area.

“The decision to permit a bottom trawler with a recent history of non-compliance, and the cause of coral destruction less than two years ago, is egregious,” says Hooper.”It’s well past time that New Zealand stopped permitting this ocean destruction out on the High Seas.”

Following the incident in 2024, Greenpeace carried out deep sea camera surveys of the seamount where the vessel pulled up coral. The surveys and subsequent scientific analysis revealed hundreds of corals, sponges and other deep sea lifeforms that qualify it as a vulnerable marine ecosystem. Some corals found on the site measured almost two metres in height, and many were estimated to be well over a century old.

“There is no question that we have evidence of vulnerable, ancient coral ecosystems in the High Seas of the Tasman. But if permits continue to be issued New Zealand bottom trawlers could destroy this precious life in the deep. We know what is there, how can trawlers still be permitted?”

Karli Thomas of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition says protection for all seamounts in the High Seas is well overdue.

“New Zealand has been kicking the can down the road on this issue for far too long. As other countries have pushed for the protection of these vulnerable and important habitats – oases of life in the deep – New Zealand is the country that stands in the way, continuing to trawl on seamounts and blocking international efforts to protect them.

“New Zealanders are sick of the free rein given to bottom trawlers by a Minister that is wined, dined and donated to by industrial fishing companies. Trawling on seamounts is last-century ocean vandalism, and it’s got to stop.

“Along with our allies we are calling for all seamounts and features to be closed to destructive bottom trawling and for the New Zealand Government to protect the seamounts of the High Seas of the Tasman.”

Public opposition to bottom trawling continues to grow. Over 100,000 people have signed petitions calling for an end to bottom trawling on seamounts, and for the government to stop issuing international fishing permits to bottom trawlers. Tens of thousands got onside with Jono Ridler who swam the length of the North Island to draw attention to the need for a ban.

New Zealand bottom trawlers must apply for an International Fishing Permit issued by the Ministry for Primary Industries before being able to fish in the South Pacific High Seas. The Tasman Viking was issued a permit on June 12, and on June 22 turned off its location outside of Nelson.

“This vessel, with a history of bulldozing coral out in the biodiverse Tasman, could be out there right now causing more destruction. We are calling for this to stop,” says Hooper.

5. Economy – $4.5b hole in National’s KiwiSaver policy would mean more public service cuts – PSA

July 2, 2026

Source: PSA

PSA analysis shows National failed to tell the whole story of KiwiSaver promise.

National’s policy to make KiwiSaver compulsory and increase employee and employer contributions to 6% would result in $4.5b of unfunded extra costs that government organisations and funded sector providers would have to meet from existing budgets.

New PSA analysis shows National’s policy only allows for the cost of bringing workers who currently are not in KiwiSaver into the scheme, not the cost of increased employer contributions for existing workers, leaving a $4.5b funding hole (see attached analysis).

The PSA is New Zealand’s largest union, representing workers across the public sector and funded sector.

“The PSA has consistently supported higher employer contributions to workers’ KiwiSaver, but it shouldn’t mean more cuts to public services, and this is exactly what our analysis shows is inevitable to plug the hole,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

“National has not been upfront with New Zealanders about the true cost of its KiwiSaver election promise.

“National’s KiwiSaver policy does not provide the funding publicly funded organisations would need foot the bill. Its policy factsheet implies that government organisations would need to find the money out of their existing budgets.

“Public services have already faced deep cuts under this government as it ploughed money into tax cuts for landlords, business and big tobacco. There is no $4.5b money pot just sitting around to fund KiwiSaver contributions.

“This is not chicken feed – $4.5 billion is around 80% of the entire spending on Defence in the current financial year.

“National’s $4.5b funding hole would mean even more cuts to public services and more job losses in the public service, health and education. And that’s on top of the 9,000 jobs National is promising to cut over the next three years if re-elected.

“That’s why we need to change the Government – we can’t afford another three years of a Coalition hell bent on cutting the public services New Zealanders rely on.

“As the election approaches, voters need honest answers on this policy – National must go back to the drawing board and present a KiwiSaver policy that doesn’t boost savings at the expense of public services,” said Fitzsimons.

The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

6. Economy – Interim Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the eleven months ended 31 May 2026 – NZ Treasury

July 2, 2026

The Interim Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the eleven months ended 31 May 2026 were released by the Treasury today. The May results are reported against forecasts based on the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU 2026), published on 28 May 2026, and the results for the same period for the previous year.

Overall, the key fiscal indicators for the eleven months ended 31 May 2026 were stronger than forecast. The operating balance before gains and losses excluding ACC (OBEGALx) showed a deficit of $6.8 billion, which was $3.0 billion smaller than forecast. Net core Crown debt was $2.8 billion lower than forecast, at $186.0 billion or 41.3% of GDP.

Core Crown tax revenue at $114.9 billion, was $0.9 billion higher than forecast. The variance predominantly reflected higher-than-forecast corporate and other individuals’ tax revenue owing to stronger-than-forecast provisional tax revenue.

Source: The Treasury

Core Crown revenue at $126.6 billion was $1.7 billion higher than forecast. In addition to the favourable core Crown tax results, revenue from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) was $0.5 billion higher than forecast reflecting an increase in the price of New Zealand Units (NZUs) and a higher volume of NZUs being surrendered to the Crown.

Core Crown expenses at $132.4 billion, were $0.9 billion lower than forecast spread across a range of functional classifications, including core government services, economic and industrial services, transport and communications and education.

The OBEGALx deficit was $6.8 billion, $3.0 billion smaller than forecast reflecting the core Crown results noted above along with results of State‑Owned Enterprises. When including the revenue and expenses of ACC, the OBEGAL deficit was $9.5 billion, $3.4 billion smaller than the forecast deficit.

The operating balance surplus of $1.1 billion was $3.6 billion stronger than the forecast deficit of $2.5 billion. This mainly reflects the favourable OBEGAL variance mentioned above, with variances in gains and losses on financial and non-financial instruments broadly offsetting each other.

The core Crown residual cash deficit of $4.6 billion was $2.0 billion smaller than forecast. Net core Crown operating cash outflows and capital cash outflows were $1.9 billion and $0.1 billion lower than forecast, respectively. The net core Crown operating cashflows variance was largely driven by higher than forecast tax receipts and lower than forecast personnel and operating costs, broadly consistent with the trends in core Crown tax revenue and expenses discussed above.

Net core Crown debt at $186.0 billion (41.3% of GDP) was $2.8 billion lower than forecast. This variance was mainly driven by the smaller‑than‑forecast core Crown residual cash deficit mentioned above. In addition, the Reserve Bank’s issued currency was $0.7 billion higher than forecast.

Gross debt at $222.5 billion (49.3% of GDP) was higher than forecast by $1.2 billion. This primarily reflected higher-than-forecast issuances of Euro Commercial Paper driven by short-term cash requirements and unsettled purchases of securities, partially offset by lower-than-forecast cross-currency derivatives in loss at 31 May 2026.

Net worth attributable to the Crown at $181.2 billion (40.2% of GDP) was $4.1 billion higher than forecast. This reflected the stronger-than-forecast operating balance result mentioned above ($3.6 billion) along with higher-than-expected property, plant and equipment valuation movements.

	Year to date				Full Year
	May 2026 Actual1 $m	May 2026 BEFU 2026 Forecast1 $m	Variance2 BEFU 2026 $m	Variance BEFU 2026 %	June 2026 BEFU 2026 Forecast3 $m
Core Crown tax revenue	114,925	113,985	940	0.8	124,807
Core Crown revenue	126,641	124,962	1,679	1.3	137,235
Core Crown expenses	132,408	133,337	929	0.7	147,239
Core Crown residual cash	(4,578)	(6,563)	1,985	30.2	(9,314)
Net core Crown debt4	186,040	188,863	2,823	1.5	191,761
as a percentage of GDP	41.3%	41.9%			42.4%
Gross debt	222,535	221,371	(1,164)	(0.5)	223,761
as a percentage of GDP	49.3%	49.1%			49.5%
OBEGAL excluding ACC (OBEGALx)	(6,787)	(9,827)	3,040	30.9	(11,937)
OBEGAL	(9,507)	(12,897)	3,390	26.3	(15,058)
Operating balance (excluding minority interests)	1,061	(2,508)	3,569	142.3	(4,137)
Net worth attributable to the Crown	181,217	177,081	4,136	2.3	175,459
as a percentage of GDP	40.2%	39.3%			38.8%

Using the most recently published GDP (for the year ended 31 March 2026) of $450,959 million (Source: Stats NZ).
Favourable variances against forecast have a positive sign and unfavourable variances against forecast have a negative sign.
Using BEFU 26 forecast GDP for the year ending 30 June 2026 of $452,159 million (Source: The Treasury).
Net core Crown debt excludes the NZS Fund and core Crown advances. Net core Crown debt may fluctuate during the year largely reflecting the timing of tax receipts.

7. Aurora Mobile Unveils Omni-Channel AI Solutions at HKPC: GPTBots.ai Powers Enterprise Services from “Q&A” to Real Execution

July 3, 2026

Source: Media Outreach

Jointly organized by HKPC and Aurora Mobile’s flagship platform GPTBots.ai, the workshop was themed “AI Agents Driving Hong Kong’s Public and Enterprise Services: Deployment Practices, Key Technologies, and Real-World Cases.”

Hong Kong Accelerates AI Development

Tommy Lui, Chief Business Officer of GPTBots.ai, shared insights into Hong Kong’s latest AI policy roadmap, including:

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 3 July 2026 – Aurora Mobile, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), recently hosted a hands-on workshop dedicated to the deployment of AI Agents, which successfully concluded on June 23. The event brought together decision-makers and digital transformation leaders from government agencies, public service organizations, retail, and NGOs to tackle a pivotal question: How can AI Agents evolve from simply answering questions to actually executing business tasks?

Tommy Lui, Chief Business Officer of GPTBots.ai, shared insights into Hong Kong’s latest AI policy roadmap, including:

HK$100 Million AI Efficiency Fund (AIEEI): Allocated in the 2026-2027 Budget, to be distributed over three years to drive AI adoption across government and public institutions.
100 Administrative Processes to Be AI-Enabled by 2026: A concrete target documented in Legislative Council papers.
HK$3 Billion AI Subsidy Program: Focused on computing infrastructure and research capabilities.
HK$50 Million Public AI Training Initiative: Jointly executed by Cyberport, Science Park, and HKPC, targeting 200+ events and reaching 50,000 participants.
HK$1 Billion AI Research Institute: Expected to commence operations in the second half of 2026.

(Sources: 2026-2027 Budget, Legislative Council documents, and official announcements)

While the policy direction is clear, Tommy also highlighted a key challenge for enterprises: many organizations are still stuck at the “Q&A tool” stage—limited to answering FAQs and unable to integrate with business workflows or execute real tasks. Bridging the gap from “conversation” to “execution” requires more than just powerful models; it demands a robust, enterprise-grade technology foundation.

Security and Governance: Addressing Enterprise Concerns

As AI begins to access internal data, invoke system tools, and drive approval workflows, security and data governance become top priorities for management.

Rim Wang, AI Agent Engineering Lead at GPTBots.ai, outlined the enterprise-grade AI security framework, covering content moderation, data anonymization, role-based access control, human-in-the-loop mechanisms, and audit logging. These safeguards aren’t afterthoughts—they must be built into every stage, from data input to output.

“Without robust security controls, enterprises are naturally hesitant to deploy AI,” Rim explained. GPTBots.ai embeds a comprehensive security and governance framework at its core, transforming AI from a ‘black box’ into a highly controllable, auditable business tool.

Deployment Methodology: Diagnosis, Targeted Solutions, Continuous Validation

Jacky Li, another AI Agent Engineering Lead at GPTBots.ai, introduced the “Three-Stage Mapping Methodology”:

Process Diagnosis: Identify high-frequency, rule-based, and value-quantifiable processes (such as customer service ticket classification, order review, data integration) as AI entry points.
Capability Matching: Configure tool-based, knowledge-based, or multi-modal Agents according to task complexity.
Validation and Iteration: Pilot with a single pain point, scale gradually after successful end-to-end execution, and evolve into a scalable “digital workforce” platform.

Jacky has validated this approach across manufacturing, cross-border commerce, and service sectors. He emphasized that the greatest challenge in AI deployment is not technology selection, but precisely identifying which business processes deserve AI automation.

Real-World Cases: Cross-Industry Implementation Logic

The most compelling segment featured real-world scenarios from four distinct industries:

Financial Services — Automated Complex Customer Service Tickets:
A major bank deployed an AI Agent that accurately identifies customer intent and automatically invokes core banking systems, completing the full cycle of “intent recognition → data retrieval → rule matching → execution → feedback.” Human intervention is triggered only for exceptions, freeing frontline staff from repetitive queries and significantly reducing customer wait times.
Real Estate — Omni-Channel Customer Data Integration:
A large real estate group built a unified customer data platform integrating WhatsApp, App Push, Email, and SMS. When a customer inquires about management fees via WhatsApp, the AI not only provides the amount but also proactively shares updates like “Your air conditioner repair from last month—has it been completed?” Service evolved from “answering on demand” to “proactive care.”
Retail — Automated After-Sales Service Tickets:
A retail brand implemented an AI Agent that automatically generates service tickets, classifies issues, and triggers corresponding workflows. Result: after-sales processing time reduced by over 60%, with staff focusing exclusively on genuine exceptions.
Social Services — Precision Resource Distribution:
A social service organization uses an AI Agent to identify requests, assess priority levels, and leverage omni-channel delivery to send notifications via the most appropriate channel—WhatsApp for social workers, SMS for service recipients, email for management—while automatically tracking progress. The organization transformed from “passive request handling” to “proactive precision delivery.”

The logic across all four scenarios is consistent: AI Agents handle “understanding and decision-making,” while omni-channel platforms manage “reach and execution.” This is Aurora Mobile’s core value proposition—connecting customer engagement, business processes, and AI execution to help enterprises transition from customer connection to AI-driven business action. EngageLab, as an AI-native customer engagement platform, provides unified customer data, reliable omni-channel delivery, and customer verification capabilities. GPTBots.ai, as an enterprise-grade AI Agent platform, delivers end-to-end AI capabilities from Agent building and knowledge management to security governance. Together, they complete the full cycle from “need identification” to “service delivery.”

Policy Support: Enabling SME Digital Transformation

Representatives from the Hong Kong Productivity Council also introduced government subsidy programs for enterprises. The “SME ReachOut” team helps small and medium-sized enterprises identify suitable government funding schemes, answer application questions, and provide free one-on-one consultations and form review services, encouraging SMEs to leverage government support for digital upgrades.

For details, visit: https://smereachout.hkpc.org/

For SMEs, the technology roadmap is becoming clearer, and policy support is falling into place. The critical question is: Who can fastest transform AI from “experimental” to “truly operational”?

Aurora Mobile: Defining Pain Points, Delivering Solutions

Aurora Mobile (NASDAQ: JG) is a platform technology company connecting customer engagement, business processes, and AI execution, dedicated to helping enterprises transition from customer connection to AI-driven business action. The company operates two core product lines: EngageLab, an AI-native customer engagement platform, and GPTBots.ai, an enterprise-grade AI Agent building platform.

EngageLab centers on AI Agents, unified customer data, and reliable omni-channel delivery to strengthen customer relationships. GPTBots.ai provides end-to-end AI capabilities spanning Agent building, knowledge management, workflow orchestration, and security governance. Together, they construct a complete value chain from “understanding needs” to “delivering services.”

In Hong Kong’s concentrated markets of finance, real estate, retail, and public services, Aurora Mobile is closely collaborating with industry clients to translate AI Agents from technical concepts into practical business process applications.

When AI transcends “answering questions” and truly begins “executing tasks,” the era of enterprise-grade AI officially begins.

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

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

8. Elm to Showcase Saudi Digital Transformation Model at LEAP East Hong Kong, Eyes APAC Collaboration

July 3, 2026

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 3 July 2026 – Saudi Arabia’s Elm Company will take part in LEAP East Hong Kong 2026 as Business Solutions Partner, the company has announced, ahead of the event’s opening on 8 July 2026, marking its push to deepen ties with governments, tech ecosystems and businesses across APAC.

Source: Media Outreach

LEAP East, taking place 8-10 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, is co-organised by Tahaluf, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), with the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as Government Partner. The event marks the flagship technology conference’s first edition outside Riyadh.

Elm powers the national digital infrastructure behind more than 30 million users, operates over 170 large-scale digital projects, and enables more than 2 billion digital transactions annually across the government platforms it builds and runs. The company’s work has contributed to a national government digital service maturity index of 86 percent in 2025, among the highest globally.

The company’s capabilities span artificial intelligence, data analytics, smart cities, digital identity and financial technology, developed through three decades of partnership with the Saudi government across security, health, transport and finance. Elm has also extended the model regionally, with active engagements including compliance and inspection platforms in Oman, national archiving and ERP systems in Jordan, judicial digital transformation in Iraq, and finance sector modernisation in Syria.

Four Elm executives will speak across LEAP East’s flagship stages. Majed Al Otaibi, Chief Government Products Officer, opens on 8 July with a Main Stage fireside chat, “Ambition at Infrastructure Scale: How Saudi Turns Digital Vision into Operational Reality”, running 12:00-12:20pm. Other Elm leaders will address AI in software engineering, growth in emerging digital economies, and smart and sustainable city development across the DeepFest, Ecosystem Xchange and Orbital stages.

Elm’s investment and partnerships teams will participate in the event’s Tech Investor Program, engaging directly with technology companies, institutional investors and startups exploring collaboration or market entry into Saudi Arabia. The company has invested more than USD60 million across 20 companies and completed strategic acquisitions exceeding USD33 million across eight deals, a track record it says underpins its appetite for further partnerships across APAC.

Hashtag: #Elm

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

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

9. Gaza – After 1,000 Days of War, Gaza’s Children Dream of Home and a Better Future Despite the World’s Failure

July 2, 2026

Source: Save the Children

After 1,000 days of war, children in Gaza said they had lost homes, schools and a sense of safety but not their hopes for the future with even the ongoing violence failing to stop them from dreaming of peace and careers to help them rebuild their communities. In emotive, personal testimonies, children supported by Save the Children told the aid agency that they wanted people to hear their stories of how the war was impacting them and realise that they wanted to be treated like any other child – with a home, an education, and a safe future.

All spoke of how they are living through a brutal war and a catastrophic humanitarian situation, with a recent UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report concluding that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.

At least 21,000 children have been confirmed killed by the Israeli forces during the war, but the true number is likely to be much higher with an unknown number of children buried under rubble. The number of displaced children exceeds 800,000 – or about 80% of children in Gaza – with over 7,000 unaccompanied and separated from families, according to the Site Management Cluster (SMC). Gaza’s 625,000 school-aged children have missed three years of formal education – most of them have experienced disrupted schooling due to successive escalations.

Since the declaration of a “ceasefire” last October, another 275 children have been killed by the Israeli forces. In the most recent attacks, an eight-year-old boy was reported killed when an Israeli drone hit tents sheltering displaced people in Deir el -Balah in central Gaza on Monday while a 13-year-old girl was killed by shrapnel from Israeli tank shelling at the weekend in southern Gaza. Last month Raghad Ashour, 18, was killed by an Israeli strike on her way to take her high school exams.

The ongoing violence continues to terrify children, with the UNFPA reporting that 96% of children feel that death is imminent.

“We could die at any moment. I hope the war stops for us,” said Amani-, a 14-year-old girl, who wanted Palestinian children to have the same rights as any child. But she has not stopped dreaming. She continued: “I hope the war stops so that I can continue my education in Gaza and live my rights as a human like any girl in other countries. I would like to live with love, peace, and an easy life. There are many children in Gaza whose voices are not heard.” Bisan-, 14, said: “My wish is for the war to stop, for every one of us to return to their home, and for our lives to return to how they were.”

Reem-, 16, told Save the Children that she had many dreams for her future and would not give those up, wanting to fulfil her mother’s dream of becoming a doctor. “The most important thing is for my voice and others to reach everyone, so people know what we’re going through. I have many, many dreams. Even before the war I always dreamed of travelling and studying abroad. That hasn’t changed. I still hold onto that dream l will travel and continue my education.”

Alongside the ongoing death toll, displacement continues with many families forced to move multiple times in the past 1,000 days with more than 370,000 homes estimated to have been damaged in the war, equivalent to almost 77% of all housing units in Gaza. Israeli authorities have blocked the entry of construction equipment and machinery.

Palestinians in Gaza are being pushed inside less than 40% of the strip’s territory behind the “Yellow line”. The “Yellow Line” has also reportedly shifted, expanding the area under Israeli military control and further shrinking the space available to Palestinian families.

Hunger is also ravaging children in Gaza with estimated 245,000 children in Gaza at risk of or affected by malnutrition as the flow of humanitarian aid remains limited, while available food lacks the dietary and nutritional diversity children need. and food prices are unaffordable for most families. Families in Gaza are telling us that food items such as crisps and chocolates are widely available in Gaza, but nutritious items such as fresh fruit and eggs are often too expensive for most families.

Ahlam-, 36, a mother of twins suffering from malnutrition, says: “The children need food, but I have nothing. I do not have the money to buy them anything. Since January, I have been looking for food for them. They are in pain from time to time. They are not growing normally.”

Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, Ahmad Ahendawi, said:

“Every day for the past 1,000 days, the world has failed one million children in Gaza, by not intervening to stop the killing and maiming of children.

“As their young fragile bodies were blown to bits and pieces by bombs and missiles, the world sold those same weapons to the Government of Israel. As children died from hunger and disease, the Government of Israel failed to live up to its legal obligations to provide humanitarian access, including sufficient nutritious food into Gaza, the world continued trade agreements with the Government of Israel.

“Even nine months since a ‘ceasefire’ when over 275 children have been killed by the Israeli forces, the world continues to ignore the voices and needs of children, as they simply demand that they be treated like any other child in the world.

Save the Children is calling for the “ceasefire” agreement to become an immediate and definitive ‘ceasefire’ as the first step to save lives and end grave violations of children’s rights. There must be full accountability for crimes against children. Those responsible must be investigated and held to account, to break the cycle of impunity and prevent further harm.

Save the Children is calling on governments to immediately suspend the transfer of arms to Israel and ensure that they do not support or sustain unlawful practices in the occupied Palestinian territory. Member States must also ban trade, economic cooperation and services that maintain or support illegal Israeli settlements, in line with the International Court of Justice’s 2024 Advisory Opinion, and represents a necessary step to end the systematic violation of Palestinian children’s fundamental rights.

-Names changed to protect identity.

Notes:

Save the Children has worked in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953, with a permanent presence since 1973. We work with partners to help provide quality education, protection for children, early childhood development support, and employment opportunities for young people.

Together with our partners, Save the Children helped nearly 890,000 people in the oPt in 2025, including almost 430,000 children. As of May 2026, we have supported over 218,000 people, including over 107,000 children in Gaza, through our multisectoral programming.

We have been responding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza directly and through our partnerships with local organizations. In Gaza, we’re currently, running two health clinics, 15 nutrition points, water and sanitation services (8 hygiene promotion sites, 59 water trucking sites, 49 sanitation facilities, and 39 solid waste management points), child protection programmes including mental health support and case management at 21 sites, education in 63 temporary learning spaces, and cash transfer programmes to support families whose livelihoods have been decimated.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is expected to be published in early July that will provide more details about the malnutrition crisis facing children in Gaza.

According to UNOCHA the occupied Palestinian territory flash appeal is only 12-24% funded against a minimum need of $2 billion. Humanitarian donors must urgently scale up their funding to the response to meet the needs of children and families in Gaza.

10. New Principal Family Court Judge appointed

July 3, 2026

Source: New Zealand Government

Judge La-Verne King, District Court Judge of Whangarei, has been appointed as the new Principal Family Court Judge, Attorney-General Chris Bishop announced today.

Judge King (Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa and Ngati Paoa) was admitted to the Bar in 1989. In 1994 along with (now) Principal Youth Court Judge Ida Malosi and (now) Judge Ali’imuamua Sandra Alofivae she established the first Māori and Pasifika women law firm, KAM Legal.

Source: New Zealand Government

Judge La-Verne King, District Court Judge of Whangarei, has been appointed as the new Principal Family Court Judge, Attorney-General Chris Bishop announced today.

In 2007 she returned to the Far North and went on to establish Doubtless Bay Law Limited in response to the many and varied legal needs of the local community. She was appointed as Youth Advocate in 1992, Counsel for Child in 1994, District Inspector for Mental Health in 2003 and Visiting Justice in 2009. In August 2018 she was appointed a member of the Independent Panel considering the 2014 Family Justice Reforms.

Judge King was appointed to the District Court Bench in 2019 and throughout her judicial career has sat primarily in the Family and Youth Courts in Northland. In 2021 she became the Family Court Liaison Judge for the Northland region.

Judge King will commence her appointment as Principal Family Court Judge in November following the retirement of Judge Jackie Moran who has held the role since 2018.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/07/03/new-principal-family-court-judge-appointed/