PM Edition: Here are the top 10 business articles on LiveNews.co.nz for August 17, 2026 – Full Text
1. Tech – The Skills That Survive America’s Job Market Turbulence: What Nearly a Million U.S. Job Postings Tell Us About Tech Tools Demand
August 16, 2026
Source: Oxylabs
Researchers have found that cloud platforms and baseline infrastructure tools drive employer demand across more than 850,000 listings.
Vilnius, Lithuania, August 14, 2026. – The U.S. labor market has recently posted its worst monthly numbers in over a year. But for tech professionals wondering where to invest their time, the skills employers want haven’t changed.
A new analysis by Oxylabs, a web intelligence company, examined roughly 850,000 U.S. tech job postings published between January 2025 and March 2026. The finding: cloud platforms and foundational infrastructure tools – not the buzziest skills on social media – dominate hiring requirements.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) appears in 30% of all postings. It is followed by Microsoft Azure (24%), Git (21%), Excel (15%), Google Cloud Platform or GCP (14%), Kubernetes (14%), Docker (13%), Power BI (9%), Terraform (8%), and Tableau (7%).
Nearly 42% of all analyzed postings required knowledge of at least one major cloud platform. AWS and Azure also emerged as the most co-mentioned duo, appearing together in 15% of job descriptions.
The report highlights a market heavily weighted toward infrastructure, with cloud platforms accounting for 47% of all tool mentions, followed by DevOps tooling at 30% and business intelligence at 18%.
“The picture we saw after analyzing close to a million job postings largely confirms what experienced developers would guess – cloud, infrastructure, and data skills are in high demand. Where it gets more interesting is in the proportions: cloud platforms and DevOps tooling dominate job ads even more heavily than survey-based rankings suggest, while some high-visibility skills (the ones trending on X or headlining conference talks) appear less often than you might think,” said Andrius Kūkšta, Tech Lead at Oxylabs.
Data Infrastructure Beats Online Hype
Despite ongoing tech layoffs, hiring activity rose sharply earlier this year, with the first quarter of 2026 accounting for 39% of all listings in the dataset – 3.7 times more activity than the same period a year earlier.
Software engineering roles represented the largest share of posting volume at 38%, followed by Data Science and AI/ML at 14%, Tech and Engineering Management at 14%, and DevOps and Cloud roles at 12%.
The distribution of tool requirements across function categories reveals a market that is heavily weighted toward infrastructure and deployment, with more specialized data and analytics skills concentrated in narrower segments of the workforce.
Looking at the five broad tool categories analyzed, Data Storage and Infrastructure tools – primarily cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP – account for 47% of all tool mentions across tech job postings. DevOps and Developer Experience tools, led by Git and including Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform, represent 30%.
Business Intelligence and Analytics tools – Power BI, Tableau, and Looker – account for 18%. Data Ingestion and Transformation tools such as dbt, Fivetran, Kafka, and Airbyte make up just 4%, while Orchestration and Observability tools like Airflow represent 1%.
“Chasing the most ‘advanced’ or talked-about tools without building cloud fundamentals first is a risky strategy. The data suggests professionals should first identify their target role category, then master the toolset specific to that path,” said Kūkšta.
Regional Patterns and Industry Demand
Geographically, California led total posting volume at 13%, followed by Texas at 8% and New York at 5%. However, Virginia stood out by posting nearly three times as many tech jobs per capita as the national average, driven by its massive concentration of data centers serving major cloud providers.
While AWS was the top-requested cloud platform across the majority of states, Azure took the lead across a specific cluster of Upper Midwest and Southern states, including Minnesota, Indiana, and Tennessee, reflecting regional enterprise ties in manufacturing and healthcare.
Outside of the core tech sector, which generated 45% of all listings, professional services accounted for 17% of hiring demand, followed by finance and manufacturing at 8% each. Media and entertainment also emerged as an active recruiter for cloud-native talent, relying heavily on AWS and Git for digital production pipelines.
Full research report: https://oxylabs.io/press-area/tech-tools-us-job-postings-demand
About the Expert
Andrius Kūkšta is a Tech Lead in the R&D team at Oxylabs. Over more than eight years there, he has progressed through roles including Analyst, Software Engineer, ML Engineer, Data Engineer, and R&D Engineer. He has contributed to several core products and is the author or co-author of five patents based on Oxylabs technologies. His work focuses on the latest AI and emerging technologies, translating trends into practical solutions. Outside of work, he is involved in sports analytics for the basketball club Žalgiris Kaunas.
About the Oxylabs Research Team
Oxylabs Research is the research and storytelling team at Oxylabs. We use ethical, compliant Oxylabs scraping tools to collect only publicly available web data – never private, paywalled, or personal data – and turn it into clear, timely insights that help everyone make sense of a fast‑changing technological, economic, and social reality. Our work is designed to support original reporting and analysis by journalists and to serve the broader public good.
About Oxylabs
Established in 2015, Oxylabs is a web intelligence platform and premium proxy provider, enabling companies of all sizes to utilize the power of big data. Constant innovation, an extensive patent portfolio, and a focus on ethics have allowed Oxylabs to become a global leader in the web intelligence collection industry and forge close ties with dozens of Fortune Global 500 companies. Oxylabs was named Europe’s fastest-growing web intelligence acquisition company in the Financial Times FT 1000 list for several consecutive years. For more information, please visit: https://oxylabs.io/
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2. Winston Peters – “The Labour, Green, Māori, Opportunity – Antipodean Animal Farm”
August 16, 2026
Source: New Zealand First
Introduction
Good afternoon.
We are here on the seventh day of a total circus in Wellington – it boiled down to what was just an utter distraction last week.
As already stated – after days of speculation and guesswork, it ultimately was, to quote Shakespeare “much ado about nothing”.
That is not to brush-off the seriousness of the issue for National internally, but to highlight the fact that we as a collective government are less than three months away from a pivotal election and our main focus must be the people of New Zealand and our country’s future.
Throughout this week’s distraction, kiwis woke up each day and went to work, some working two or three jobs, still seriously worried about the next pay cheque, or the next rates bill, or the next power and food bill, or how to afford the basics for their family.
All too often, today’s politics has turned into some sort of soap opera, that is seen as entertainment and click-bait for media, or gotcha politics from the opposition, or personal opinions – which ultimately have no effect on the things that really matter and concern kiwis.
There is little doubt about the reasons why a majority of kiwis are disheartened by the direction our political system has been taking for some time.
None of that lessens the basic responsibility that governing parties have.
We must be focussed on what New Zealanders gave us a mandate to do – turning this country around with policies and values that will give our country a better future – driving down the cost of living, cost of food, cost of power, cost of fuel, and turning this economy around – and doing it all with stability and experience.
We in 2023 inherited an economic nightmare. But not enough government members of parliament understood that.
This pivotal election voters want to hear a clear and unified message – that we are going to win, and take New Zealand back to being a leading economy again.
Nelson Electorate
Here in the Nelson Electorate you have a number of problems – first you have a Labour MP.
Second, both Labour and National promised to build the Hope By-Pass in 2023. In short, they have both been fast on the lip and slow on the hip.
You don’t have to spend much time here to know that Nelson doesn’t need Wellington to tell you all how to live.
It needs Wellington to get the fundamentals right – hospital capacity, affordable energy, roads, port, and infrastructure – then get out of the way of the fishermen, growers, exporters and businesses that actually grow the region’s and nation’s wealth.
Take the Hope By-Pass, this is a classic case of the two old parties forward planning.
In 2024 the Nelson-Tasman regional land transport plan lists state highway six at costing $350m over the next ten years.
But they also said that the projects total estimated costs at that stage was already $500m.
The NZTA, by October 2025, had the costs being up to $1.4 billion.
Classically, the NZTA said this includes escalation, contingency and funding risk.
Whatever that means, it is just covering your backside for not getting the figures right in the first place.
Around about now one’s eyes start to glaze over. Because the current proposal is not simply one new strip of road, it’s a two-stage package including interchanges, widening the Richmond deviation to four lanes, Lower Queen Street – Gladstone road works, an SH60 section – round about, and associated connections.
Oh, and by the way, NZTA also recommends tolling to support construction and maintenance.
Then last month, NZTA said it was prioritising finalising design of the Gladstone Road-Lower Queen Street intersection improvements, with detailed design of the other stage one and stage two sections progressing when funding is available – and do you know what that means? Sometime never.
So ladies and gentlemen can we ask you a question, “how did a Hope Bypass project, that in 2024 Regional Transport planning documents showed an approximate $153 million over the first decade – with an overall estimate of almost $500 million – develop into an NZTA investment envelope of up to $1.4 billion just a year later?
Ladies and gentlemen, in the Puhoi to Warkworth North of Auckland motorway, there was massive over expenditure, in the Transmission Gulley North of Wellington, there was massive underestimation of cost, and huge increases of funding was later required even though so much of the new tar seal was defective.
Nelson can’t grow its productive economy if people and exports can’t move efficiently.
In the Nelson area orchards and timber export businesses and the like, have all been hit with high electricity costs. New Zealand First understands the connection between affordable and reliable energy, investment, productivity and retaining regional jobs.
We understand that government needs to remove barriers to productive businesses exporting and growing instead of making business harder.
Ladies and gentlemen, NZFirst is sick of the infrastructure needs of this country being exploited by certain businesses at the enormous cost to rate payers and taxpayers.
We’ve got a record of getting things done at costs and on time.
So, for the Hope By-Pass the first thing we are going to do is stop this wasteful expenditure on forward calculations and get some accountability back into the system. Enter a fixed price contract to complete the project and find ratepayers here the money to do so.
The longer we leave it the more expensive it is going to get – and we need to get it done now.
By the way, don’t forget Labour spent $280 million on light rail in Auckland and didn’t build a single meter. They spend $54 million on a Auckland Harbour Bridge cycle way and nothing ever happened.
If you doubt my record look at the Tauranga Harbour bridges, or the fact that we cancelled the exorbitant costly I-Rex contract for the cook strait ferries – saving you $2.3 billion.
The Labour Party defends their extravagant spending on the ferries, and if you want to see the Labour Party’s plan go to Tasmania right now, they have two massive ferries just like labours I-Rex project, excepting they have no maritime infrastructure and can’t use them, just like we wouldn’t be able to use ours if Labour got its way.
When they were finished with the I-Rex two ferry blow out – they had gone from $401 million for two ferries, to over $4billion.
Why? Because with their two huge ferries the infrastructure had to be rebuilt and that was going to cost four times what the ferries cost.
And yet the sausage roll eater and his crew are still defending this issue when everyone here knows better.
Ladies and gentlemen
Experience Matters
New Zealand First started our long campaign in March this year and we have been packing the halls around the country every week delivering the message to thousands of kiwis that we are focussed on two things – bold policies our country needs for a real change, and the fight for ordinary hard working kiwis against the establishment, the elites, and the status quo.
Experience and leadership has never mattered more.
We need leaders of the next government to say the things that people are thinking without fear or favour – the things that might be unpopular.
To say the things that others only talk about behind closed doors, too afraid of the backlash from the woke precious snowflakes on the left, or worse, the mainstream media.
New Zealand needs strong leadership who are not afraid to be strong on important issues.
And we don’t need weak leaders who don’t understand New Zealand values.
We can’t go on allowing the two old parties to tinker round the edges of big issues, and do nothing but manage the decline of our country.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are at a pivotal point in the future of New Zealand.
We have already announced a number of bold policies this year.
It is what we need for real change to drive down the cost of living, secure a better future for kiwis, and reinforce who we are as New Zealanders.
Some announced policies
We have announced policies to break up the power companies’ monopoly, and drive power prices down.
We have announced policies to split the supermarket duopoly, and drive food prices down.
We have announced polices to re-establish a competitive New Zealand owned state bank, to drive banking charges down.
We have announced polices to return mining royalties, created in the regions, back to the regions.
We have announced establishing a proper transparent inquiry into those who were injured by the Covid 19 vaccine – so we can find out exactly what happened, who was responsible, and publicly hold them to account.
We are going to expose the cover-up on this issue by the other political parties and so many in the establishment.
We announced our KiwiSaver policy of making it compulsory with automatic $1000 sign-up at birth. It means the day a baby is born it gets $1000 in its account to start saving.
We have announced our policy is to establish a $100 billion Future Fund that will invest in a thirty-year infrastructure plan for our country. And that’s where we are going to get the money for the Hope By-Pass from.
We have also announced that we will pull out of the Paris Agreement that is senselessly hamstringing our economy.
New Zealand has one of the loosest electoral laws in the world, and that is why we have announced a policy to ensure that by 2029 only citizens are allowed to vote in our country.
At our Campaign Launch, we announced a policy to invest $1billion to start exploring our gas and oil reserves in our deep-sea basins so we can own and export our own oil and gas.
Here we are wrestling with an international fuel crisis while we could be owning and using our own.
New Zealand has natural resources that are there, ready to be utilised to transform our country.
This is about New Zealand’s economic sovereignty and security.
And we also have announced the ‘Kiwi Kids Grant’ that will support New Zealand citizens raising their first three children, through the first three years of their lives – $5000 per child for each of the three years.
Citizenship
New Zealand needs to start viewing our citizenship as most other countries around the world do – as a privilege that comes with special and unique rights.
This does not take away from migrants the ability to move here and help build our country, from showing total commitment and patriotism for New Zealand by becoming a citizen.
We have massively allowed so many of our standards to drop.
Even the most basic of privileges and rights in any country like voting has in our country become more like an expectation for anyone, rather than a unique right for New Zealanders.
Ladies and gentlemen, why do so many ‘apologetic globalists’ act shocked and dismayed that a political party is wanting to ensure that citizenship actually means something?
Our recent policies like Kiwi Kids Grant and citizens only voting, is not anti-anything or anti-anyone. Those policies show that we value our citizenship and don’t shy away from wanting special rights and privileges to go with it.
This is about valuing our unique citizenship the way it should be – just like the vast majority of countries do.
We have many more such policies to truly change the direction and thinking of our country.
And what have the other parties announced as policies so far? More taxes, more spending, solar panels and free bus rides.
The election is 83 days away, and already the other parties are reverting to type, as they always do at election time, with no direction, no plan, and no real policy, that will give New Zealand the change that we need.
But there is a difference in this election. Kiwis are looking at what parties are offering as their values and principles in these uncertain times.
NZSIS Report This Week
As the Leader of New Zealand First and as Foreign Minister, there were very concerning announcements this week from the NZSIS director general, Andrew Hampton, regarding national security challenges and intelligence.
The warning is among those contained in the latest Security Threat Environment Report, released as the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, saying New Zealand is confronting the flow-on effects of “the most challenging global threat environment in recent times”.
Andrew Hampton says New Zealand’s geographic isolation “affords us only limited protection from the types of threats we are talking about, whether that be violent extremism, foreign interference, or espionage.”
Attempts at foreign interference targeting New Zealand political figures at both national and local level are “occurring constantly”, with Hampton quoted as predicting that will continue throughout the election campaign.
“Unfortunately, we see attempts at foreign interference targeting political figures, both at the national and local level, occurring constantly”.
The report describes diaspora communities being subjected to transnational repression, where foreign states or their proxies seek to restrict the rights and freedoms people are entitled to in New Zealand.
Hampton describes a spectrum, from online or physical monitoring of people perceived to be dissidents, to harassment.
The threat report says New Zealand’s public and private sectors are being targeted by foreign states and their proxies to gain access to critical assets such as intellectual property and innovative technology.
“The activity cannot be described as benign. It involves state actors with a voracious appetite for any information they can leverage to gain an advantage over New Zealand or our partners.”
The report says espionage – spying – is covertly accessing protected information, and that foreign states frequently use proxies to do that.
While several states are said to conduct espionage here, the SIS names the People’s Republic of China as “the only country we have detected doing it at scale”
New Zealand First is the only party that has consistently called out the threat posed to New Zealand’s democracy through outside influences, and will continue to fight on your behalf to ensure we tighten our immigration status, strengthen our borders, and ensure financial resources are always at a level enabling the SIS and it’s agencies the capability to protect our democracy from outside influences.
This report was released by the NZSIS this week. And there has been a deafening silence from other political parties and many in the mainstream media.
This is why New Zealanders need an ‘eyes wide open’ political party like New Zealand First.
NZFirst Party Mandate
New Zealanders gave us a mandate to turn this country around after the Labour Party wasteful spend-up, achieved nothing, and put people on the “go woke, go broke path”.
We signed a coalition agreement to govern with stability and experience three years ago – and we have kept our word.
New Zealand First brings what is too often missing in politics – experience and common sense.
New Zealand First brings a commitment to New Zealand industry, to manufacturing, to jobs right here for our own people.
New Zealand First brings commonsense to immigration policy – where we allow in people that we need, not people who need us.
We believe in infrastructure before population growth, not afterwards, and infrastructure focused on fixing what’s broken, not flash upgrades and vanity projects.
New Zealand First brings traditional kiwi conservative values – where hard work should be rewarded, where job security and home ownership underpins a stable family life.
We want a country where young people aren’t worried about their family’s future, or where they see better opportunities overseas.
We are the party of social conservatism, patriotism, and nationalism. Those values are what it means to be a Kiwi – and New Zealand First is proud to not only stand by those values, but to fight for them.
This is an election where the question is simple: do you trust a cabal of woke left-wing student politicians from Labour, nutbars from the Greens, separatists from the Māori Party or the globalist consultants from Opportunity to stick up for your family and for your country?
Politics is sometimes farcical, take last week – Chris Hipkins shocked the country and held a media conference to announce that he has ruled New Zealand First out. As you can imagine it took us all by surprise.
Not least, because we had ruled Labour out in 2022, then again twelve months ago, and again every month when answering the same stupid questions from the media.
When Hipkins wasted everyone’s time and ruled us out, we said Hipkins had “severe learning difficulties”, and we stand by that statement.
Who is Labour Ruling In?
But what should be the most concerning, is that he did not rule out working with the Māori Party, and their racist separatist policies.
He did not rule out working with the Greens, and their $88 billion debt increase, or their new policy bribe to give $2.4 billion to Marae – without any external checks.
In fact, what did Labour think? They fully supported that bribe.
The Opposition Antipodean Animal Farm
Did Hipkins rule out working with Opportunity, who want homeowners to pay 1.75% of your land value every year for their home? You already pay local rates, now you will have to pay annual rent to the Government.
And what did the leader of TOP say when questioned about an old couple on the pension, who worked hard and saved all their lives, bought a house for their future and their children’s future, who would face a $20k land tax bill every year? She said, yes, they will have to downsize their house to afford it.
And do you know what that money would be used for? Infrastructure? Health? Education? Fuel security? Food prices? No.
It will be used to give everyone in New Zealand, even if they don’t have a job, a Universal Basic Income of $19,400 a year – for free, for life, for doing nothing.
Opportunity calls this ‘fairness’.
New Zealand First calls it ‘communism’.
And the Labour Party has said they will work with Opportunity.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the stark truth. The Labour Party that you once knew, perhaps even supported, is no more.
That party is gone. All of these polices and parities they are willing to support are proof of that.
Can you imagine Helen Clark or Michael Cullen, or Bob Tizard or Peter Frazer signing up to this?
These parties on the left are not people who see New Zealand as one people, one country, one flag, one law, or people who believe in fundamental kiwi values like hard work, ambition, and personal responsibility.
These are people who believe in a separatist society, and who want to borrow, tax, and spend – but have zero economic credentials, or even vision, to deliver growth.
Chris Hipkins and Labour are willing to work with parties like Opportunity, Greens, and the Māori Party because Labour care more about the number of seats that will give them power, rather than the danger of who it is that will sit in those seats.
Challenging the Status Quo
The greatest threat to this blind ideology, to social elitism, and to the status quo, is New Zealand First.
And the country we are defending is called New Zealand – it’s in our party’s name.
We fight for the hardworking blue-collar Kiwi battler, who just wants the chance to help build a country they are proud of.
In this election, we have a rare chance to change the shape of parliament for the better, and in doing so, to reshape our country the way you want it.
We are asking you to make a choice with our future generations in mind.
Take back control from the Wellington bubble.
Take back control from those who choose to be CV politicians, where they are here one day, “no more gas in the tank”, and are gone the next – taking with them a rolodex of international jobs, speaking circuits, or book tours, looking back over their shoulder at New Zealand’s decline – which they caused.
New Zealand First, from our launch thirty-three years ago, has been battling that elitist status quo. No one can deny that. On issue after issue that needed public exposure, the rest remain silent. When others wouldn’t raise a finger, we have raised the roof.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen, we are all here because we love our country, and we are proud of it.
True democracy is a rare flower in the history of humanity.
Down thousands of years living in democracy with freedom is a historical rarity.
We have inherited a free country that our forebears fought and died for, and it’s our job to preserve it.
But only if we are proud of what we have inherited can we come together and move forward to shape the vision of our country’s future.
We live in a country that, at its core, traditional New Zealand values once saw us amongst the world’s leaders – hard work, fair pay, valuing our citizenship, building a sense of community, and knowing who we are as kiwis.
We must remember, New Zealand is the beneficiary of Western values, democracy, and the rule of law. And the advancement and enhancement of those principles have only occurred in those societies that have united together as one people – and who celebrate their nationhood instead of perpetuating division.
There is a lot of uncertainty around the world and at home, but we must keep hope alive that, with hard work and perseverance, tomorrow will be better.
New Zealand First is nationalist, patriotic, and socially conservative values that we fight for.
It hasn’t been easy – but things in life worth doing never are.
We must never forget that challenge.
We must never stop believing in New Zealand.
That is our vision and that is our mission.
To protect, to save, and to restore New Zealand’s place at the top of the world.
By putting New Zealand and New Zealanders first.
We are asking you to join us – and Party Vote New Zealand First.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/16/winston-peters-the-labour-green-maori-opportunity-antipodean-animal-farm/
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3. PSA STATEMENT – ACT wants public service to be a bad employer, exposing the real agenda behind its ‘reset’
August 16, 2026
Source: Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi
ACT coming after requirements for the public service to be a good employer says everything about the party’s real agenda, putting more power in the hands of employers and undermining public services.
The policy announced today aims to remove Section 73 of the Public Service Act, which requires the chief executives of Government departments to operate an employment policy that complies ‘with the principle of being a good employer’. It also wants to remove all spiritual and cultural obligations, and put into law the requirement for public services to be delivered based on need, not race.
“ACT wants to make the public service worse, not better and continue its destructive campaign to further erode the rights of workers,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“Remember ACT has been part of a government which has spent three years attacking workers, scrapping pay equity, bringing in fire-at-will, and making dangerous changes to health and safety. There’s a pattern here, and it’s not good for workers, let alone the delivery of public services.
“The policy behind the good employer provisions is that the Government should be an exemplar employer. It’s supposed to show the country what good looks like, not race to the bottom.
“ACT wants to remove the requirement for fair and proper treatment from the public service, and they’ve made clear they don’t agree with it for private employers either. This isn’t really about quality public services or neutrality, it’s about ACT’s discomfort with employers having any obligation to treat their people fairly at all.”
The PSA says a public service that reflects the community it serves, including its diversity, is part of what makes it effective and legitimate, not a problem to be legislated away.
“A public service should look like New Zealand. That’s not social engineering, that’s just good sense if you want an organisation that understands and can respond to the people it’s there to serve,” Fitzsimons said.
“And let’s be clear about how racist this reset really is. Removing the ability for public servants to observe cultural and spiritual practices, on top of pushing ‘need not race’ into law, is part of the continued attack on Māori in the public service and the policies to improve outcomes for Māori.
“We all know what this is all about. It’s part of a wider ACT agenda to run down public services, so they can be wound back and readied for privatisation. Weaken the workforce, weaken the service, then say it isn’t working.
“Come 7 November, we will be urging voters to change the Government and stop this racist, divisive agenda. We need a new government that protects public services and ensure they deliver to the needs of New Zealanders.”
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.
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4. Proposed changes to New Zealand’s organic regulations
August 16, 2026
Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries
Have your say
MPI is seeking feedback on proposals intended to make the organic regulatory system clearer, more practical, and proportionate before businesses must fully comply with the Organic Standards Regulations from 31 March 2028.
The consultation opened on 11 August and closes at 11:59 pm on 22 September 2026.
What’s being proposed
New Zealand is introducing a national system to regulate organic products. This consultation is focused on 4 areas intended to improve clarity, reduce compliance costs for very small operators, strengthen system integrity, and support effective implementation of the new organic regime. Each focus area has options and we’d like you to tell us your preferences.
1. Exemption threshold
Whether the current annual organic turnover threshold of $10,000 should remain, increase to $30,000, increase to $12,700 to account for inflation, or be set at another amount.
2. Infringement offences and penalties
Whether infringement notices should be available for minor or administrative non-compliance, and whether the proposed fees are fair and proportionate.
3. Minor and technical amendments
Whether targeted amendments would make the Organic Products and Production Regulations and the Organic Standards Regulations clearer and more workable without changing the underlying policy intent.
4. National organic mark
Whether New Zealand should have a single national organic mark for domestic and international markets, separate marks, and what a national mark should look like.
Consultation document
Related legislation
Organic Products and Production Act 2023 – NZ Legislation
Organic Products and Production Regulations 2025 – NZ Legislation
Organic Standards Regulations 2025 – NZ Legislation
Making your submission
Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 pm on 22 September 2026.
You can make a submission using our online form or by email.
Online
Proposed changes to New Zealand’s organic regulatory framework – SurveyMonkey
Submissions are public information
Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.
People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 to 9 of the OIA.
If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.
Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation
Our privacy commitment
The Privacy Act 2020 applies to all submissions. Any personal information you provide will be used only for the purpose of informing this consultation. All submissions will be read by MPI staff. MPI may also use artificial intelligence (AI) to summarise content and identify key themes. All AI outputs will be subject to human review.
To find out about the personal information we collect, our approach to privacy and security, and your rights, refer to this web page: Privacy and security
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/16/proposed-changes-to-new-zealands-organic-regulations/
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5. A New Category Is Emerging in the Premium Residential Market — the “Presidence”
August 13, 2026
Source: Media Outreach
Experts say a self-contained, service-led residential format built for multigenerational ownership is emerging at the very top of the market — and that demand for it is rising worldwide.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 August 2026 – Experts in premium residential real estate note that a distinct new category is forming at the top of the market, and that demand for it is rising around the world. Property market specialists describe the emerging tier as the presidence: a self-contained community of private residences bound together by shared infrastructure and anchored by a five-star hotel under an international brand — a format designed to be lived in and passed down across generations, rather than simply owned.
The trend reflects a structural shift in global wealth. According to Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2026, the number of individuals worth more than US$30 million climbed from 551,435 to 713,626 between 2021 and 2026 — a gain of more than 160,000, equivalent to 89 people crossing that threshold every day. Forbes, meanwhile, records 3,428 billionaires worth a combined US$20.1 trillion.
This wealth is also increasingly mobile. Henley & Partners projects that 165,000 high-net-worth individuals will relocate internationally in 2026 — a 16 per cent rise on the record 142,000 of 2025 — as affluent families build cross-border portfolios of homes and residence rights rather than tying themselves to a single jurisdiction. The appetite for professionally serviced, brand-anchored homes is visible in the development pipeline: Savills reports that the number of branded residential schemes worldwide grew 19 per cent in 2025, to around 910, and is on course to reach 1,747 by 2032, with the Middle East and North Africa the fastest-growing region over the past five years, at 187 per cent.
As the apex of the wealth pyramid rises, specialists say, demand at the very top is moving away from headline price-per-square-foot toward space, privacy, wellbeing, autonomy and a home that can be held and handed down across generations. The case for treating this as a distinct category was set out in a recent column by real estate adviser Ku Swee Yong, CEO of International Property Advisor Pte Ltd and an adjunct faculty member at Singapore Management University, where he teaches Real Estate Investments & Finance.”Luxury residence has a new crown, and it has a name: presidence,” he writes.
According to the expert, a property of this kind should meet several defining criteria: it should occupy an exceptional location among peer residences, be built to the highest standards of quality, provide space, a healthy natural environment, security and self-sufficiency, and create a place where owners and their families can live out every stage of life — building careers, raising children, enjoying leisure, prioritising health and wellbeing, welcoming family and friends, and ultimately passing the home down through generations. Privacy in this case does not mean isolation: rather than retreating behind their own gates, members of the presidence become part of a carefully formed community of peers, surrounded by people with comparable values, interests and ways of life.
These principles are, in practice, being formalised into a fuller set of criteria that distinguish a presidence from a conventional luxury development. At its most complete, the format is defined by:
- A five-star hotel operated by an international brand present in at least three countries, located within the development;
- A single estate of 200 hectares (around 500 acres) or more;
- Full-spectrum infrastructure within one perimeter — indoor and outdoor sport, a central clubhouse, wellness, dining, parks and natural areas, a medical centre, recreation and security, plus a lifestyle anchor such as a golf, equestrian or yacht club;
- A clear separation of public and private zones, with residences kept behind their own multi-layered security perimeter and isolated from guest-facing spaces such as the hotel, restaurants and spa;
- A 24/7 premium service model featuring a dedicated resident care team, concierge services, standardised service-level agreements (SLAs), and a digital platform for managing every household and lifestyle need;
- A unified architectural code governing the style and coherence of every building on the estate;
- An equal-neighbour principle, under which a community of like-minded owners who can enjoy privacy while remaining part of an engaging social environment is formed.
Fully integrated examples remain rare worldwide, and demand, specialists say, is running ahead of supply as the number of ultra-wealthy households continues to grow.
Hashtag: #property #realestate #residentialproperty #hnwi
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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.
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6. Powering the Future – Greenworks Power Takes Center Stage at North American Dealer Meeting, Opening a New Chapter in Global Battery-Powered Tools
August 14, 2026
Source: Media Outreach
Rather than a product line, Greenworks Power strategically unifies products, technologies, applications and global capabilities.
From Tools to a Broader Energy Ecosystem
Greenworks is expanding “Power” from outdoor equipment to power tools; from residential to professional and commercial markets; and from conventional products to intelligent automation, electric mobility and energy solutions. Its unified technology foundation turns product innovation into scalable platform capabilities.
“Greenworks Power marks our evolution from product innovation to a platform-based ecosystem. With clean-energy and intelligent technologies, we will expand product and application boundaries, connect more products, scenarios and users, and create long-term value for global markets,” said Yin Chen, CEO of Greenworks.
24V PowerAll Pro: Redefining Professional Platform Value
For professionals, 24V PowerAll Pro unites more than 200 power tools and lawn and garden products in one battery ecosystem. From construction and maintenance to landscaping, one platform supports more products and tasks. Performance, quality, efficiency and ecosystem breadth deliver wider applications and greater long-term value.
New Products Expand Application Boundaries
Greenworks launch the all-electric Optimus UTV, extending its new-energy power systems into utility vehicle applications, while Optimus CUBE expands battery technology into energy storage, supply and management. Meanwhile, AiMowbot combines RTK positioning with wire-free intelligent mowing for mapping, navigation and autonomous operation.
Technology and Channels Support Global Growth
The ecosystem is supported by Greenworks’ battery, motor and electronic-control expertise, plus innovations including GaN charging. Greenworks integrates global R&D, smart manufacturing, supply chain, channel and brand resources. Retail, dealer, professional, e-commerce and DTC channels connect users and partners worldwide, while consistent brand messaging and localized offerings address regional needs.
From North America to global markets, Greenworks Power strengthens channel collaboration, brand momentum and long-term growth, expanding the boundaries of “Power” to create value for users and the industry.
Greenworks Power — Powering the Future.
Hashtag: #Greenworks
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.
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7. Education – ‘Franken-jobs’ becoming the norm in our universities
August 13, 2026
Source: Tertiary Education Union
Members of the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) are worried about how gig work has become a norm for thousands of people working in universities. These insecure jobs impact student learning and put the health of universities as institutes of research at risk.
Finn Illsley-Kemp, a senior research fellow whose research focuses on natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanoes, is on his fourth fixed-term contract in eight years and says that the dual employment system at work in Aotearoa New Zealand universities creates a two-tier system and a growing resentment amongst research fellows.
“Research staff on fixed-term contracts make up a big proportion of staff and bring in massive funding for the universities, and many of our permanent colleagues aren’t aware of our insecurity. We supervise students and bring prestige with our research, but we’re treated differently to staff on permanent contracts.
“I’ve heard of research staff being left off work Christmas party invites, not being considered for roles that come up and when their long-term contracts finish, they’re just left to walk out the door with not a word of thanks or acknowledgement for their contribution.”
Illsley-Kemp sits on the New Zealand Volcano Science Advisory Panel and when Lake Taupō showed signs of volcanic activity back in 2022, he was a go-to spokesperson explaining the risks to the public.
Part of his work is to supervise the next generation of natural disaster researchers – PhD and science masters’ students. One hundred percent of his work is funded by government research grants that he applies for himself.
“In the past there was a pathway to permanent jobs, but there seems to be no support or investment in researchers now. It doesn’t paint a positive picture for the future of research in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Cassie McTavish is a university tutor who says that while she loves her teaching work and her students, her permanent part-time work means variable hours each semester and for 3 months of the year she has no pay because the contracts don’t cover the summer period.
“It’s accepted as a normal function of the role I do. I know there is work over the summer I could be doing, but it’s not budgeted for. I go to MSD in this period so I can support my daughter and myself. It also means I don’t accumulate holiday pay or leave; I’m forced to take it each year.”
Cassie’s role is very much a student-facing one and she says she loves the work.
“I love supporting my students to learn and I know that when I’m not there, they don’t get that support because I’m the tutor they trust and have developed the working relationship with.”
She and her colleagues have a term for the contracts they’re on – ‘Frankenjobs.’
“It’s an ad-hoc work monster created by difficult employment conditions. I feel undervalued in the work I do with students.”
Dr Antonia Verstappen, TEU Industrial and Professional Committee Vice President (Tiriti), says this sort of insecure work creates massive risks for the health of universities and their staff and it is why the TEU are claiming for secure work in this year’s collective agreement bargaining across all universities.
“Valuable and sometimes life-saving research is done by researchers at universities all over Aotearoa New Zealand who are on precarious fixed-term employment contracts. Their work and research underpins generations of professionals and brings solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face around climate change, disaster management, medicine and more. These are highly trained people who want to contribute to our country, and we need their skills. Our institutions need to come to the table to end this practice of precarious employment.”
She says that such employment practices affect people wanting to start families.
“These colleagues are too worried about how parental leave will fit into their short-term or rolling contracts, and if they will have a job to come back to.
“We call on universities to respect and value their staff by providing security of employment – this is the right thing to do for staff and students.”
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8. Backing our frontline community organisations
August 13, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
Our frontline community organisations play a vital role supporting New Zealanders every day, and we are backing them with more funding and greater certainty, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
“We are incredibly lucky to have so many fantastic community mental health and addiction providers working on the frontline. I have always said it is our NGOs who know their communities best, and our job is to back them to do that work,” Mr Doocey says.
“That’s why they have been provided more than $34 million in additional annual funding from 1 July 2026 to help providers respond to pressures and continue delivering essential mental health and addiction services in their communities.
“The majority of eligible community mental health and addiction NGO contracts have received a 3.16 per cent funding uplift, recognising the vital role they play.”
Mr Doocey says the Government was also delivering greater certainty by moving the vast majority of providers onto three-year contracts.
“I inherited a system where around 80 per cent of community mental health providers were operating on one-year contracts. That simply wasn’t good enough.
“I asked Health New Zealand to change the way it contracts with providers because organisations supporting people in our communities need certainty about what they can deliver in the years ahead.
“Instead of around 80 per cent being on one-year contracts and 20 per cent on three-year contracts, we are flipping that around. Around 83 per cent of providers will now be on three-year contracts, with only around 17 per cent remaining on 12-month agreements for defined reasons.
“Longer-term contracts give providers greater confidence to invest in their workforce and focus on delivering support for some of our most vulnerable New Zealanders, rather than worrying about whether their funding will continue each year.
“We know they are delivering. More than 82,000 people accessed specialist NGO mental health and addiction services last year, while many more received support through community providers delivering primary mental health services.
“We are backing the organisations that know their communities best because they play a vital role in helping us deliver faster access to support, more frontline workers, and a better crisis response.
“This is just another example of how the Government is fixing the basics and building the future when it comes to mental health support in New Zealand.”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/13/backing-our-frontline-community-organisations/
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9. Canterbury’s economic success relies on smarter transport investment
August 13, 2026
Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council
Date: 13 Aug 2026 | Author: Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) Chair Dr Deon Swiggs
Canterbury’s continued economic success depends on a transport network that is reliable, resilient and fit for the future, says Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) Chair Dr Deon Swiggs.
Following the release of The South Island’s Contribution to the New Zealand Economy report, commissioned by the South Island Regional Transport Committee Chairs Group, Chair Swiggs says Canterbury plays a critical role in supporting New Zealand’s prosperity, with its strong agricultural, manufacturing, freight, tourism and export sectors helping drive growth across the country.
Canterbury powers New Zealand’s economy
The report shows Canterbury is one of New Zealand’s economic engines. Home to nearly 700,000 people, our region generates $55.6 billion in GDP, produces more than $11.7 billion in goods exports and attracts more than $2.4 billion in international visitor spending each year.
“From our farms and food producers to our manufacturers, logistics operators and tourism businesses, Canterbury makes an enormous contribution to New Zealand’s success. The region’s economy relies on efficient transport connections linking communities, businesses and export markets,” Chair Swiggs said.
Transport funding falls short of regional contribution
- Canterbury accounts for 13.1 per cent of New Zealand’s population
- 13.9 per cent of all vehicle kilometres travelled
- 15.3 per cent of the country’s goods exports.
Yet in the year to June 2025, the region received just 5.5 per cent of National Land Transport Fund expenditure.
“That mismatch highlights the need for a more proportionate and evidence-based approach to transport investment,” he said.
Rebalanced, evidence-based investment
Chair Swiggs is calling on all political parties to commit to rebalancing land transport funding across regions and activities, prioritising maintenance and resilience and investing based on evidence and freight demand.
The need is particularly important as Canterbury continues to experience strong growth, especially in Selwyn and Waimakariri, while rural and provincial communities remain critical contributors to New Zealand’s food, fibre and energy production.
Growth and exports depend on resilient connections
South Canterbury alone generates an estimated $3.8 billion in food and fibre exports each year, accounting for 6.2 per cent of New Zealand’s total food and fibre exports, despite being home to only 1.2 per cent of the country’s population.
“We need a transport network that supports the entire region, from Kaikōura in the north to Waitaki in the south, and from the Canterbury Plains to the high country. Whether it’s moving exports through our ports, connecting visitors with destinations across the region, or helping people get where they need to go every day,” he said.
“Maintaining and improving the infrastructure we already have is one of the smartest investments we can make. Stronger resilience, better maintenance and well-targeted upgrades help protect communities, keep freight moving and reduce the costs of disruption when severe weather events occur,” Chair Swiggs said.
“When Canterbury succeeds, New Zealand benefits. Ensuring we have a transport system that supports growth, connects communities and strengthens resilience will help secure that success for decades to come.”
More information
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/13/canterburys-economic-success-relies-on-smarter-transport-investment/
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10. Small Malaita constituency lauds PRC’s continued support for community development, receives SBD100,000 grant assistance
August 14, 2026
Source: Solomon Islands Government Ministry of Rural Development
DATE: THURSDAY 13TH AUGUST, 2026
The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) is one of the 24 ministries within the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) machinery. MRD was established on 28 September 2007.
Its core mandate, as contained under Legal Notice 164 in accordance with the Constitution of Solomon Islands, is to oversee the effective planning and implementation of Government’s Rural Development Policies.
Its vision is to ensure all rural Solomon Islanders meaningfully participate in development activities to improve their social and economic livelihood.
Website: https://solomons.gov.sb/ The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) is one of the 24 ministries within the Small Malaita constituency lauds PRC’s continued support for community development, receives SBD100,000 grant assistance The Small Malaita Constituency Office has commended the People’s Republic of China’s Embassy in Honiara for its continued support of community development in Solomon Islands, after receiving SBD100,000 in grant assistance under the Embassy’s Small and Sustainable Development Project Fund, marking another milestone in strengthening rural development and improving community livelihoods.
The funding will go towards the purchase of two boats and one engine, for AIAU Association from Tawaro village and a family of seven sisters from Fanalei village.
The project aims to improve sea transportation, giving rural communities safer and more reliable access to markets, health services, schools, and other essential services.
Constituency Development Officer (CDO) Brown Honimae expressed his sincere appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for their continued support of community development in Small Malaita and Solomon Islands as a whole.
Honimae said the assistance reflects the strong partnership and enduring friendship between Solomon Islands and the People’s Republic of China, with tangible benefits reaching rural communities.
“This funding will directly improve the lives of our people by providing a reliable means of sea transportation.
For many of our rural communities, boats are not a luxury but a necessity, connecting people to essential services and economic opportunities,”
Honimae said.
He added that the constituency remains committed to ensuring development assistance is channelled through a fair and transparent process, directed toward projects with a lasting, meaningful impact on people’s lives.
Honimae also acknowledged the Chinese Embassy for its ongoing support through the Small and Sustainable Development Project Fund, noting that such assistance complements the constituency’s development priorities and contributes to the welfare of rural communities.
The Small Malaita Constituency Office reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with development partners to deliver practical and sustainable projects that improve the quality of life for its people.
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