The Green Party is celebrating a Court of Appeal decision to protect public land in the Wharekirauponga Forest from being ‘gifted’ to mining companies.

“This Court of Appeal decision upholds the principle that public land belongs to New Zealanders and our wildlife,” says Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson. 

The decision relates to the Waihi North extension of OceanaGold’s Waihi mine. 

“There is no way this beautiful piece of native forest, or any publicly owned land, should be turned over to an Australian mining company for the benefit of their profit margins and shareholders.” 

“Mining leaves the burden of the environmental destruction on locals and future generations of regular people, but the benefits are largely restricted to the off-shore deep-pocketed big corporates.” 

“This decision must be heard as a staunch warning to mining companies and others who are eyeing up our native forests for their own profit. They will not succeed.” 

“Our forests belong to all of us, they belong to nature, and New Zealanders will fight for them now, and forever. Toitū te whenua, toitū te tangata”. 

The Green Party congratulate environmental group Ours Not Mines on this important win. 

MIL OSI

MIL OSI

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 April 2026 – As universities adapt to hybrid learning and evolving workforce expectations, student relationships are increasingly being treated not as incidental, but as a designed part of the education journey. Across higher education, there is growing recognition that peer interaction, collaboration, and shared experiences contribute to how students learn, work, and transition into employment. This shift is prompting institutions to rethink how engagement is built from the moment students enter campus through to graduation.

From Orientation to a Continuous Student Journey

Orientation programmes have traditionally focused on introducing students to campus life. Today, they are increasingly seen as the starting point of a longer engagement model. Institutions such as the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), onboarding is complemented by a structured ecosystem of activities that extends throughout the academic lifecycle. These include Student‑led Student Club Recruitment drives,, leadership camps, and peer-led initiatives that encourage early interaction and sustained participation over time.

Building Bonds Through Shared Experiences

Rather than relying solely on informal social interaction, universities or institutions are creating structured environments where students collaborate regularly. SIM, for instance, offers more than 70 student clubs spanning arts, sports, and academic interests, alongside activities such as hackathons, overseas community projects, and student-led events. Such platforms allow students to work together on common goals, reflecting real-world team dynamics and reinforcing skills such as communication and collaboration.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

The concept of student life is also expanding beyond academic settings. Dedicated platforms such as SIM’s Student Life initiatives are designed to provide a more holistic campus experience, reinforcing the idea that learning extends beyond formal instruction. At the same time, academic support systems such as the Student Learning Centre provide structured assistance through workshops, consultations, and learning resources, supporting both individual and group learning processes.

A Diverse and Global Learning Environment

With partnerships across universities in the United Kingdom, Australia, Europe, and the United States, institutions like SIM bring together students from varied cultural and academic backgrounds. This diversity creates opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration, which is increasingly relevant in a globalised workforce.

Connecting Student Experience to Career Outcomes

The emphasis on collaboration and engagement is also closely linked to employability. SIM’s broader model integrates academic programmes with industry partnerships, internships, and career services aimed at preparing students for a rapidly changing work environment. This reflects a wider trend in higher education, where experience is being designed not only around academic achievement, but also around the development of professional networks and workplace skills.

Redefining the University Experience

As learning models continue to evolve, universities or institutions are placing greater emphasis on how student interactions are structured over time. From orientation activities to co-curricular engagement and career preparation, the journey from enrolment to graduation is increasingly being shaped as a continuous pathway for collaboration, experience-building, and network development.

Reference:

1. Project 1095 – https://project1095.simge.edu.sg/
2. Singapore Institute of Management – https://www.sim.edu.sg
3. SIM Global Education Overview – https://www.sim.edu.sg/degrees-diplomas/overview

https://www.sim.edu.sg/

Hashtag: #SIMGlobalEducation #SIMGE #GlobalEducation #InternationalDegree #CareerReady #FutureSkills

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

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

Clearwater Analytics survey of 150 executives managing $3.8 trillion finds private market allocations set to grow by two-thirds in five years, even as the systems underpinning them fall further behind

HONG KONG, SINGAPORE & SYDNEY – Insurance executives across Asia Pacific are accelerating into private markets. Within five years, the 150 executives surveyed by Clearwater Analytics (NYSE: CWAN) expect to allocate a third of their combined $3.8 trillion in assets to private debt, private equity, infrastructure and other alternatives up from 20% today.

The infrastructure supporting these ambitions, however, is not keeping pace.

Ninety-three percent of those same executives acknowledge that legacy technology is already constraining their business, even as they press forward with allocations that demand more from it, not less. The asset classes they are moving into fastest are the ones their systems are least prepared to handle.

“The firms that will lead the next phase of growth in Asia Pacific are already asking the right questions: does our infrastructure match our ambition, and does our scale allow us to compete as this market becomes more complex?” said Shane Akeroyd, Chief Strategy Officer and President of Asia Pacific, Clearwater Analytics. “Those that close the capability gap now are not just solving a technology problem. They are positioning themselves to lead what comes next.”

Where the Capability Gap Is Widest

The capabilities most critical to private market investing are the ones APAC insurers are least equipped to deliver across four key areas:

Data integration: The foundation everything else depends on, ingesting and normalizing data across multiple systems and managers. Only 42% of firms rate their systems as excellent.
Asset complexity: The single capability most essential to the portfolios they are building, and the lowest rated in the survey. Only 23% of firms are confident their systems can support it.
Regulatory reporting: The #1 driver of technology spending, ranking 60% higher than the next priority. Yet fewer than half of firms rate their compliance reporting systems as excellent.
Cross-asset risk aggregation: 86% say it is under-resourced, and 46% of third-party firms report that risk visibility has deteriorated over the past two years.

A Regional M&A Wave Is Coming

Ninety-six percent of APAC insurers expect a rise in domestic M&A activity over the next three years. In that environment, operational capability is not a back-office concern; it is a competitive differentiator. The firms that close the capability gap are positioned to lead the consolidation wave. Those that do not are likely to be swept up in it.

There are early signs of movement: 56% of insurers plan to increase their use of data analytics over the next 12 months, and 55% will integrate AI and machine learning. But 95% say the industry remains resistant to change, which helps explain why the technology gap persists even though executives acknowledge it.

The full findings are available for download today, including market-by-market breakdowns for Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia, and an assessment framework to compare your firm’s operational readiness against peers: https://cwan.com/resources/reports/apac-insurance-report/

Survey Methodology

The 2025-2026 APAC Insurance Report surveyed 150 senior executives across life insurers, general insurers, and third-party investment firms in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. Respondents collectively manage $3.8 trillion in assets. Participants included C-suite leaders and senior investment and operations executives across the region.

About CWAN

Clearwater Analytics (NYSE: CWAN) is transforming investment management with the industry’s most comprehensive cloud-native platform for institutional investors across global public and private markets. While legacy systems create risk, inefficiency, and data fragmentation, CWAN’s single-instance, multi-tenant architecture delivers real-time data and AI-driven insights throughout the investment lifecycle. The platform eliminates information silos by integrating portfolio management, trading, investment accounting, reconciliation, regulatory reporting, performance, compliance, and risk analytics in one unified system. Serving leading insurers, asset managers, hedge funds, banks, corporations, and governments, CWAN supports over $10 trillion in assets globally.Learn more at www.cwan.com.

MIL OSI

PERTH, Australia, April 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX:PDN, TSX:PDN, OTCQX:PALAF) (“Paladin” or the “Company”) is pleased to advise that it has released its quarterly report for the three month period ended 31 March 2026 (“March 2026 Quarter Results”).

The Company has also released an accompanying presentation on the March 2026 Quarter Results.

The quarterly report and presentation are available on Paladin’s website (https://www.paladinenergy.com.au/investors/asx-announcements/).

Contacts

– Published by The MIL Network

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 20 APRIL 2026:  LogicMonitor®, the AI-first platform for Autonomous IT, today announced a strategic partnership with Chillisoft to scale growth across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). The partnership combines LogicMonitor’s unified platform with Chillisoft’s established cybersecurity partner ecosystem to expand distribution and market reach, while supporting organisations as they move toward more autonomous, resilient IT operations.

Chillisoft is a specialist cybersecurity software distributor operating in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. It provides technical support, pre-sales consulting, and managed services, including managed detection and response (MDR) to reseller partners and enterprises.

Through this partnership, LogicMonitor becomes Chillisoft’s first dedicated observability and AI-driven IT operations partner, underscoring a shared commitment to a scalable, partner-led go-to-market model focused on long-term regional growth.

The collaboration also strengthens how both organisations bring AI capabilities to market. Powered by Edwin AI, LogicMonitor enables teams to prioritise alerts, detect anomalies, and identify root causes earlier, while supporting more efficient and consistent operational outcomes. Chillisoft complements this by helping partners translate these capabilities into tangible customer value.

As one of LogicMonitor’s most mature markets outside the United States, ANZ represents a significant opportunity to expand adoption of Autonomous IT. By combining LogicMonitor’s platform with Chillisoft’s partner network, the companies will enhance how intelligent insights and automated actions are delivered to customers across the region.

Gavin Lawless, CEO Australia, Chillisoft, said the partnership with LogicMonitor is designed to address a common scaling challenge. “Chillisoft’s vendors are growing quickly; however, they don’t have large in-country teams. Many are being asked to deliver strong growth year on year without significantly increasing headcount. That’s where Chillisoft comes in. We operate as an extension of the business, often to the point where the lines between vendor and distributor become seamless.”

Lawless added, “LogicMonitor brings Chillisoft an AI-first platform for Autonomous IT, unifying visibility from user to code across infrastructure, cloud, Internet, and digital experience. This strengthens our ability to support partners with end-to-end visibility across the infrastructure environment, an increasingly critical requirement as organisations manage more complex, interconnected systems.”

Luke Fogarty, Regional Vice President, Technical Services APAC at LogicMonitor, said, “Organisations are placing greater emphasis on resilience and visibility across their digital environments as AI adoption accelerates. This partnership enables LogicMonitor to scale through a well-established partner network, while ensuring partners are equipped with the expertise needed to deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes for customers.”

The partnership introduces a two-tier distribution model, with Chillisoft working with resellers, consulting partners, and managed service providers (MSPs), who in turn deliver solutions to end customers or operate LogicMonitor in multi-tenant environments.

Strengthening presence in New Zealand

New Zealand is a key focus for the partnership. Chillisoft brings an established local presence built over nearly three decades, with strong relationships across partners and customers. LogicMonitor primarily operates in the region through partners, making Chillisoft’s footprint a critical enabler of further growth.

Fogarty added, “New Zealand is an important growth market for LogicMonitor. Working with Chillisoft allows us to scale through an experienced local team, deliver joint initiatives, and more closely support partners and customers.”

LogicMonitor plans to launch a New Zealand-based data centre later this year as part of its long-term regional strategy. The facility will complement existing infrastructure in Sydney and Singapore, providing improved performance, reduced latency, and enhanced support for data sovereignty and compliance requirements for customers across the Asia Pacific region.

This investment reflects LogicMonitor’s understanding of the region’s operational and regulatory needs, as well as the growing demand for resilient, enterprise-grade digital operations. With greater control and localised performance, organisations will be better equipped to deliver secure, high-quality digital services.

As hybrid environments expand and internet dependencies increasingly sit on the critical path of digital services, local infrastructure will help enterprises maintain resilient, secure, and high-performing operations.

About LogicMonitor

LogicMonitor® is the AI-first platform for Autonomous IT, enabling enterprises to operate complex digital systems with greater resilience, efficiency and confidence. By unifying visibility from user to code across infrastructure, cloud, internet and digital experience, LogicMonitor delivers the intelligence required to anticipate issues, eliminate blind spots and take action automatically. Powered by Edwin AI, LogicMonitor helps IT and business leaders reduce operational toil, protect revenue and accelerate innovation in an increasingly complex digital world.

For more information, visit www.logicmonitor.com

About Chillisoft

Chillisoft is a multi-award-winning specialist cybersecurity solutions distributor. Established in New Zealand in 1998, Chillisoft has firmly maintained its base while also extending into both Australia and the wider Pacific region. With continuous growth, Chillisoft thrives in servicing the Oceania region, providing the best possible cybersecurity solutions. Chillisoft works with leading and emerging vendors to bring top-level solutions to its reseller partners and their customers. The company carefully selects leading or emerging products from reliable and reputable vendors that can benefit its resellers and end-user clients in target markets.

For more information, visit https://www.chillisoft.net/.

MIL OSI

A major new 1.5 million tonne per year urea fertiliser project is set to be developed in Southland, offering an environmentally innovative and strategically significant alternative to imported urea fertiliser.

The proposed $3 billion project, intended to be located about 30 kilometres northeast of Invercargill, will give New Zealand’s agricultural sector self-sufficiency, which is critical to the long-term security and performance of an economy heavily dependent on agriculture.

Developed by Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen, the project will also deliver significant investment and employment opportunities in Southland.

“The Southland lignite-to-urea project represents a transformative opportunity for New Zealand’s fertiliser supply chain,” says Victorian Hydrogen executive director Allan Blood.

“By combining proven global technologies with local innovation, we aim to deliver high-quality urea at competitive prices while supporting long-term sustainable agricultural growth and addressing climate challenges.”

New Zealand currently imports 500,000 tonnes of urea annually. In addition New Zealand manufactures 265,000 tonnes, but falling gas supply means domestic production might end.
The proposed facility aims to:

Enhance domestic supply and reduce reliance on volatile international markets.
Stabilise fertiliser costs and mitigate foreign exchange and cost risks for farmers.
Produce additional products such as AdBlue, a diesel exhaust additive to reduce emissions.
Support peaking power electricity demand of up to 114 MW at any one time by temporarily reducing production.

The Southland facility will employ a proven lignite gasification process:

Lignite is reacted with oxygen at high temperatures and low pressures to produce syngas.
Syngas is reacted with steam to produce hydrogen.
Hydrogen is combined with atmospheric nitrogen to produce ammonia.
Ammonia is then reacted with captured carbon dioxide from previous reactions to produce urea.

“The technology is well established globally. The world’s latest urea plant, using technology identical to that we would use in Southland, was commissioned in Zambia in late 2025. The Southland project is about applying this existing technology in a smarter and cleaner way,” Mr Blood says.

“We are committed to mitigating the greenhouse gas impacts before the project proceeds, not after.

“Environmental management will be central to the project’s design, with various opportunities being looked at. These include using CO₂ to make algae-based cattle feed, liquid fuels, construction materials, and in inhibitor technologies to reduce nitrous oxide emissions.”

Unlike traditional urea production, which relies heavily on expensive natural gas, this project will convert lignite to gas while generating its own electricity, some of which can be exported to the grid.

Mr Blood emphasises the company’s dedication to transparent engagement with stakeholders, including local iwi, Ngāi Tahu rūnanga, councils, farmers and landowners across the 3,141-hectare exploration area that has been applied for.

“Mining operations will be designed to minimise disruption, with progressive rehabilitation and more-than-fair compensation for affected landowners,” he says.

“There will be no requirement to acquire farms Mining will occur in long, narrow strips affecting only a small portion of land at any one time. Land will be rehabilitated progressively, and any loss of productivity will be fully compensated by a multiple. We hope that the project will be seen as a substantial additive to annual farm income.”

The project is expected to apply for approvals under the fast-track regulatory process. Key milestones include:

Applying for regulatory consents and engaging with landowners.
Completing initial geological and hydrological studies by spring 2026.
Progressing to detailed engineering and process design.
A targeted three-year pathway from the conclusion of the very detailed studies currently underway, to full production.

“The initial economic analysis looks very good indeed and hence the desire to move forward quickly,” Mr Blood says.

“New Zealand is currently exposed to global fertiliser shocks it can’t control. This project is about providing national self-sufficiency for the next 50 years plus – producing what farmers need in New Zealand, with world-class technology and robust environmental safeguards,” Mr Blood says.

MIL OSI

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

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

An Australian-led project could see Southland’s lignite, or brown coal, reserves developed into urea fertiliser.

Victorian Hydrogen is proposing a $3 billion plant to be located 30km northeast of Invercargill.

The company says it could deliver 1.5 million tonnes a year of urea fertiliser, making New Zealand’s agricultural sector fully self sufficient.

Urea created using natural gas is by far the most widely traded fertiliser in the world, and while New Zealand produces some locally, the bulk is imported.

Victorian Hydrogen’s plan would involve building a facility that can turn the Southland lignite into gas that can then be transformed into urea.

Executive director Allan Blood said it was a proven technology that was already being used in a new plant commissioned in Zambia in late 2025.

Blood expected the project, which would not involve accquiring farms, would seek fast track consenting approval.

He said environmental managment would be central to the project’s design and the company was committed to mitigating greenhouse gas impacts before the projects proceeded.

Former government owned company Solid Energy investigated a similar lignite-to-gas plan in Southland but dropped the idea in 2013.

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

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

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse is calling for good character discounts to be scrapped in sentencing sex offenders.

Sex offenders should not get credit for their supposed good character, Road to Healing Aotearoa director Sam Troth says.

Several Australian states have already changed sentencing laws to reflect that concern.

Troth had been collecting signatures for a petition calling for changes to New Zealand’s Sentencing Act. So far he had gathered about 8850.

The campaign had the support of Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he was open to looking at possible reforms.

Criminals can have their sentences reduced by up to 40 percent at present for mitigating factors, including previous good character.

But Troth said people abusing their positions of influence to groom victims should not then be entitled to credit for their character.

“Basically I see a huge issue in sentencing here in New Zealand for sexual violence – the sentences are not reflecting the severity of the crime,” he said.

“Some of those reasons are for discounts that are given at sentencing time and one of those – probably the most offensive discount of all – is this good character reference, where a victim or a survivor needs to listen to a judge taking into account that this person that did these horrific things to them is of good character and discounting their sentences, sometimes up to 20 percent, because of the said good character.

“An organisation in Australia made-up of advocates and survivors are doing some amazing work over there and I’m fortunate enough to have been able to reach out to them and sort of become the New Zealand ambassador for this and they’ve gotten it over the line in three states in Australia so far.”

The ACT, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria had either changed sentencing law or were investigating potential changes so previous good character was not a mitigating factor for sex offenders.

Former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming avoided jail last year for possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality material after receiving a 50 percent discount, which included a discount for good character.

Former knight James Wallace received 89 letters of support that were an important consideration in a High Court judge sentencing him to only 28 months’ jail for sexually assaulting three young men and trying to pervert the course of justice.

Troth said those cases and others highlighted his concerns around so-called good character discounts.

In some cases the offender’s good character was the difference in them avoiding jail time, he said.

“Howard Temple from Gloriavale … sexually offended against … six survivors … over 20 years of sexual offending – he didn’t spend one day in prison,” Troth said.

“When we look at these cases, there is no justice and there’s no reflection of the severity of the crimes that these people are committing. So if we can make changes – small changes to things like character references – I think it’ll make a difference.”

Abuse survivor and advocate Ken Clearwater said he supported Troth’s petition.

“If you have a look at all the cases lately of people who are in positions of power getting good character references – it’s just absolutely appalling,” Clearwater said.

“You’re not a good character if you’re out raping women or children, or looking at child pornography.”

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse that went on to commit crime were often dealt harsher sentences than the people that abused them, Clearwater said.

“A lot of our guys have been through the boys’ homes, through the Catholic Church, have been in and out of prison and … they’re getting three to five years for burglary and the person that sexually violated them – who just happens to be a minister of a religion – because of good character in the past he’s getting 24 months and out in 18. So it’s really traumatising for those guys,” Clearwater said.

Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money had advised the government to scrap good character discounts for child sex offenders.

However, she told RNZ she supported Troth’s call to go even further.

“I find good character references problematic for all offending,” Money said.

“Why I say that is that the court isn’t informed as to why the person actually wrote the reference. There’s no policing, so to speak, no due diligence over do they actually know why they are writing the letter and what it is all about.

“So I think that good character references and the way that they are submitted to the court makes no sense. It absolutely makes no sense and the court can’t base a safe sentencing decision based on a letter written by someone – allegedly written by someone even – that didn’t actually know why they were writing the reference in the first place.”

She was particularly concerned by people using positions of power to access and abuse children.

“We see time and time again … people using positions of good character to access their victim/survivors and certainly I have not met one person who believes that you are of good character if you are sexually assaulting children, which is why my advice is saying that there absolutely should not be good character discounts,” Money said.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he would consider possible reforms.

“We are aware of concerns raised and will consider potential reform options as we progress through our busy justice work programme,” Goldsmith said.

“It is something I have discussed with Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money.

“I’d note we’ve recently passed legislation that allows victims of sexual assault to have the final say over whether offenders receive permanent name suppression, as well as making stalking a criminal and jailable offence.”

Troth’s petition closes at the end of April.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

A global report forecasts a wave of layoffs in the tech sector, attributed directly or indirectly to AI implementation and workflow automation, is expected to continue through to the end of the year.

The report estimates nearly 80,000 tech-sector jobs were lost world-wide since the beginning of the year, including 4450 in Australia.

“Automation, artificial intelligence integration, and sustained cost-discipline measures continue to drive much of the downsizing, with entire departments restructured or eliminated in favour of leaner, AI-assisted workflows,” United States-based personal finance and trading education platform RationalFX said.

Microsoft ANZ chief technology officer Sarah Carney said AI-related skills were in high demand, with LinkedIn, which was part of Microsoft, seeing a 300 percent increase in job ads emphasising AI skills.

Carney said Microsoft was working to address an industry shortage of skilled workers with 200,000 training opportunities in New Zealand, in addition to 100,000 previously announced.

“So 300,000 new AI skill sets in New Zealand, but really focused on how do we help people evolve skills for the work of tomorrow,” Carney said.

“We like looking at AI skills across the spectrum, and particularly for entry level skills. Because what we need to be thinking about is, how do we transform the workforce we have.

“We know that there will be changes to how people work. So now we need to actually think about how do we give them the skills for those new jobs that we see evolving, as they evolve.”

She said older people were in a strong position to make the most of AI tools.

More experienced workers were able to figure out faster how to make the most of AI than others who were born in the digital age and had little or no experience with analogue processes.

Carney said older people appeared to have little trouble adapting to AI.

She said younger people were experimenting with AI, while older workers were using it to best advantage.

“It turns out the older generation is actually really good at AI because they know what their job involves. They know where the value sits, and it’s really easy for them to offload things to AI — the admin, the pieces that they never loved doing but had to do, and they can find value in a fundamentally different way.”

A recent SEEK report also pointed to an increased demand for AI specialists.

“The demand for AI-related skills in job ads has more than quadrupled over the last decade,” the Seek AI Gauge report said.

The type of skills related to AI jobs included machine learning and large language models with the prevalence of terms related to Agentic AI and AI governance.

The SEEK report also said marketing and communications roles featuring AI terms had grown sharply in recent years.

“Despite this increase, the total number of ads asking for AI-related skills remains relatively small,” SEEK said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

A charity campaigning for blood cancer patients has argued the country isn’t keeping up with treatments available internationally.

Blood Cancer New Zealand has a released a new report into the experience of blood cancer patients and healthcare workers in Aotearoa

The report looked at national data and the experiences of 744 patients and carers, and 85 healthcare professionals.

Around 27,000 New Zealanders are living with the disease and more than 3000 are diagnosed each year.

The report identified gaps in treatment compared to countries with a comparable demographic and health system – such as Australia, where many more blood cancer medicines are funded.

It found that while blood cancer is now New Zealand’s third leading cause of cancer death, the country still lacks a coordinated national focus on blood cancer care.

Annual deaths from blood cancer in Aotearoa have risen by nearly 40 percent since 2008.

The report said advances in diagnostics and treatment have transformed outcomes for patients over the past two decades, from the early use of chemotherapy to immunotherapies and cellular therapies that harness patients’ own immune systems to destroy cancer cells.

However, it said these therapies remain unavailable in New Zealand, and patients here are faced with significant personal costs and reduced survival rates.

When data on all types of blood cancers in New Zealand are combined, it doesn’t show an improvement in age-standardised mortality over the past 15 years, the report said.

The report highlighted that Australia’s five year survival rate for several types of blood cancers are higher than New Zealand – including Leukaemia (66.4 percent compared with 57.7 percent in NZ), Hodgkin Lymphoma (88.6 percent compared with 80.2 percent in NZ), and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (77.4 percent compared with 68.4 in NZ).

The report also raises other constraints, including workforce shortages in haematology and specialist roles, limited diagnostic capability, infrastructure gaps for delivering advanced therapies and barriers to medicines and clinical trials.

Blood Cancer NZ is calling for the country to form a national Blood Cancer taskforce to coordinate efforts across medicines access, workforce, research and policy settings.

The report is being launched at an event on Tuesday, which will be attended by patients, healthcare professionals and the health minister Simeon Brown.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Receivables financing facility enables competitive open account terms and supports international growth

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

Sport New Zealand has confirmed Raelene Castle will remain as chief executive through to May 2030, securing a second term after the role was readvertised late last year.

The decision follows recent speculation about Castle’s future, with her name linked to the top job at New Zealand Cricket after the abrupt exit of former chief executive Scott Weenink.

Sport NZ board chair Duane Kale said Castle’s reappointment followed an open and independent recruitment process, with the position advertised at the conclusion of Castle’s previous contract in December in line with Crown entity best practice.

He said Castle’s reappointment reflected her deep understanding of New Zealand’s sport and recreation sector, as well as the strong relationships she has built with partners and stakeholders.

“Raelene is a highly respected leader, and the Board looks forward to working closely with her to deliver on the outcomes we seek for sport and recreation across Aotearoa New Zealand.”

Castle said she was honoured to continue in the role, praising the people she works alongside and the impact the sector has nationwide. She said she was proud of the contribution sport and recreation makes to communities and was eager to keep supporting that work.

The 55-year-old was appointed to the chief executive role in 2020, becoming the first female chief executive of the organisation.

Castle has worked in several high-profile executive roles across sport, including being in charge of Netball New Zealand, NRL side the Canterbury Bulldogs and Rugby Australia.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Imperans Q1 Report, State of Workplace Drug Use from TDDA

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 21 April 2026 – The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), New Zealand’s largest workplace drug testing provider has launched its Q1 Imperans Report, a quarterly workplace drug trends report. The report empowers New Zealand employers to engage in proactive workplace risk management. It provides them with an analysis of drug and alcohol usage trends, combining results from across the country.

In Q1 2026, 3.0% of screens conducted by TDDA indicated the presence of drugs. While this is down from 4.0% in Q4 2025, what is concerning is changes in the types of drugs detected.

The data points to three broad shifts. A welcome easing in the overall detection rate is countered by a persistent and widening expansion of Opioid detections: a 34.5% Year on Year (YoY) increase compared to Q1 2025, the most significant shift of any substance nationally.  The third is a partial retreat in cocaine detections following Q4’s significant spike, though at 1.9% in Q1 2026, levels remain above the 1.7% recorded in Q1 2025, suggesting a gradual upward trend that goes beyond seasonal effects.

Among all positive TDDA results, the most prevalent substances detected were:

·       Opioids, including oxycodone: up 34.5% YoY, from 14.3% in Q1 2025 to 19.2% in Q1 2026
·       Cocaine: up 11.4% YoY, from 1.7% in Q1 2025 to 1.9% in Q1 2026
·       THC (Cannabis): down 0.8% YoY, from 68.7% in Q1 2025 to 68.1% in Q1 2026
·       Amphetamine-Type Substances (ATS), including methamphetamine: down 25.8% YoY, from 31.2% in Q1 2025 to 23.2% in Q1 2026

“The overall number may suggest things are moving in the right direction, but a Year-on-Year lens and the regional picture tell a different story, “says Glenn Dobson, CEO of TDDA.

“Opioids, Cannabis and ATS are expanding across multiple regions, and that is a risk employers cannot afford to overlook. Unlike a sudden spike in cocaine detections, these are slow-moving and more consistent trends that embed themselves into workplace culture before most employers even notice. That said, cocaine is not a substance to dismiss. While Q1 detections (1.9%) have retreated from the Q4 peak (3.7%) – likely driven by the Christmas and summer holiday period – levels remain above this time last year, which may point to a steady and increasingly entrenched supply network.”

Regional highlights

TDDA tracks regional fluctuations in substance use to help employers better manage workplace safety risks through targeted testing, education, and early intervention.

Full regional stats can be found here: https://tdda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Graphs-for-Indd-Q1-25-Q1-26_NZ.pdf

Q1 data shows that these trends are playing out unevenly across the country, with Opioids and Cocaine expanding nation-wide on a YoY basis, while Cannabis and ATS are showing an increase in specific regions.

Opioids

Opioids have increased in 11 out of 16 regions compared to Q1 2025. Among the regions recording the most significant increases:

·       Taranaki: up 386.9% YoY, from 6.3% in Q1 2025 to 30.4% in Q1 2026, the largest increase of any substance in any region
·       Northland: up 192.3% YoY, from 7.4% in Q1 2025 to 21.6% in Q1 2026
·       Auckland East: up 117.8% YoY, from 10.2% in Q1 2025 to 22.2% in Q1 2026

Cocaine

Nationwide Cocaine detections (1.9%) remain above Q1 2025 levels (1.7%), suggesting the trend has not fully reversed. Employers in previously flagged regions are especially encouraged to maintain vigilance, with notable increases in:

·       Auckland West: up 414.8% YoY, from 0.8% in Q1 2025 to 4.2% in Q1 2026
·       North Shore: up 197.3% YoY, from 1.1% in Q1 2025 to 3.3% in Q1 2026
·       Wellington: up 53.5% YoY, from 1.6% in Q1 2025 to 2.4% in Q1 2026

Cannabis

Cannabis remains the most prevalent substance nationally, present in 68.1% of positive tests. While broadly stable YoY (down 0.8% YoY, from 68.7% in Q1 2025 to 68.1% in Q1 2026), regional divergence is widening, with notable increases in:

·       Gisborne: up 29.8% YoY, from 64.7% in Q1 2025 to 84.0% in Q1 2026, the sharpest regional increase
·       Tasman: up 22.5% YoY, from 58.3% in Q1 2025 to 71.4% in Q1 2026
·       Manawatū-Whanganui: up 11.0% YoY from 64.4% in Q1 2025 to 71.4% in Q1 2026

ATS

While ATS detections have declined at the national level, regional divergence remains sharp, with notable increases in:

·       Gisborne: up 240.1% YoY, from 11.8% in Q1 2025 to 40.0% in Q1 2026, the largest regional increase
·       Bay of Plenty: up 27.5% YoY, from 37.2% in Q1 2025 to 47.5% in Q1 2026
·       Southland: up 48.0% YoY, from 18.9% in Q1 2025 to 28.0% in Q1 2026

Recommendations

” What this data reinforces is that a one-size-fits-all approach to workplace drug management is no longer sufficient,” says Dobson.

“Opioids are quietly but persistently spreading across the country. Unlike substances that tend to produce obvious signs, they can be harder to spot in the workplace, and by the time the problem becomes visible, it may have already been ongoing for some time. If your workforce operates machinery, drives vehicles, or operates in safety-sensitive environments, an employee who is silently struggling with opioid use is not just a health risk – they are a safety risk to everyone around them.”

TDDA recommends that employers regularly review their drug and alcohol policies to ensure they reflect the latest regional trends. Where detections are rising, whether opioids, cocaine, or other substances, implementing a testing programme, including pre-employment and regular and random testing, is one of the most effective tools for early warning and intervention.

If a testing programme is not yet in place, or has not been reviewed for some time, addressing this should be a priority. Combining this with ongoing training and education to ensure managers are equipped to have early, supportive conversations with employees, rather than waiting for an accident to happen, also creates a more comprehensive approach.

The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome for the safety and health of your employees.

Methodology: Tests from 27 sterile clinic locations and over 60 mobile clinics throughout New Zealand were used. All tests were taken between 1 January and 31 March 2026. Data from pre employment, post incident, regular and random testing has been combined. Testing methods included urine and oral fluid screening. Data is reported into, anonymised, and aggregated using TDDA’s Imperans system, a bespoke IT platform for testing services, data recording, and reporting. It represents a snapshot of drug trends across Australasian workplaces and industries.

Total figures on testing volumes or testing results by industry and region are commercially sensitive.

TDDA drug tests screen for amphetamines; benzodiazepines; cocaine; methamphetamine; opiates and opioids; Cannabis; and synthetic drugs.

About the Imperans Report

The Imperans report addresses an information gap for business. Government organisations like ACC and WorkSafe publish incident reports, but they do not quantify when substances are a factor. Reports build businesses’ understanding of substance use patterns regionally and temporally so that they can anticipate and reduce workplace risks. TDDA provides over 250,000 tests every year.

About The Drug Detection Agency

The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) is a leader in workplace substance testing with more than 300 staff, 90 mobile health clinics, 65 locations throughout Australasia. TDDA was established in 2005 to provide New Zealand and Australian businesses with end-to-end workplace substance testing, education and policy services. TDDA holds ISO17025 accreditation for workplace substance testing in both AU and NZ. Refer to the IANZ and NATA websites for TDDA’s full accreditation details. As members of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) and the California Narcotic Officers Association (CNOA), TDDA closely follows and acts on global drug trends.

Learn more about TDDA by visiting https://tdda.com/

MIL OSI

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 April 2026 – Paymentology, the leading global issuer-processor, today announced a strategic partnership with Change Financial to accelerate payment method adoption and fintech growth across Australia.

The collaboration combines Paymentology’s cloud-first processing platform with Change Financial’s local BIN sponsorship, regulatory expertise and in-market presence – enabling fintechs, digital banks and programme managers to launch and scale debit, credit and prepaid programmes more efficiently in the Australian market.

Change Financial is a Mastercard Principal Issuer in Australia, providing local scheme connectivity and compliance support. Together with Paymentology’s real-time, multi-cloud processing infrastructure, the partnership creates a streamlined pathway for fintechs looking to enter or expand in the country.

Australia represents one of the world’s most advanced digital payments markets. The national payments market was valued at USD 849.1 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 1.35 trillion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 5.09% between 2026 and 2034. Cards and mobile wallets now sit at the centre of everyday transactions, as digital adoption continues to accelerate. Australians made approximately AUD 160 billion in mobile wallet payments in the past year alone, with billions of transactions recorded annually, highlighting strong demand for digital-first, contactless and mobile-enabled payment experiences.

Minh Ha Truong, Head of Growth Asia Pacific at Paymentology commented: “Australia is one of the most sophisticated payments ecosystems globally, with strong consumer adoption of digital, contactless and mobile-first experiences. By partnering with Change Financial, we’re combining next-generation issuing infrastructure with trusted local BIN sponsorship and expertise, unlocking faster payment method adoption for fintechs and helping them scale confidently in the Australian market.”

Change Financial brings deep experience supporting fintechs and financial institutions through local sponsorship, scheme relationships and programme enablement.

Jennifer Mateer, Chief Commercial Officer at Change Financial added: “We collaborate closely with fintechs and programme managers every day to launch innovative payment solutions with speed and confidence. Our partnership with Paymentology combines our local market expertise with global-scale issuing infrastructure, enabling innovators to accelerate time to market and deliver compelling card payment experiences to Australian consumers and businesses.”

Hashtag: #Paymentology #Fintech

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

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

A herb found in natural cold medicine has been linked to nine reports of “hypersensitivity reactions”, including anaphylaxis, in the past three years.

The ingredient known as Andrographis paniculata had recently been reviewed by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and officially linked to anaphylaxis there, too.

The nine cases reported in New Zealand since 2023 ranged in seriousness from rash, shortness of breath, swelling, throat tightness and hives, to anaphylaxis, according to the Ministry of Health.

Medsafe had previously put out warnings that the drug could cause these reactions as far back as 2017.

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said: “We continue to remind people to carefully check the listed ingredients in natural health products before use.”

The government was working to modernise how natural health products were regulated in New Zealand.

“The government agreed in September 2024 that natural health products would be regulated under a standalone bill, to be developed following engagement with the natural health products sector.”

But New Zealand Association of Medical Herbalists (NZAMH) spokesperson Dr Sandra Clair said the herb was widely used in Eastern and Western healthcare to prevent and treat acute viral and bacterial infections.

“It has a long history of use in traditional Ayurveda and is also supported by recent Western clinical research confirming its excellent safety record and effectiveness,” she said.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Thai government included Andrographis among its officially used treatments.

Reported side effects were rare, and should be weighed against benefits, which she said were “substantial and well-supported”.

“Many synthetic medicines are associated with not only rare but also frequent side effects,” she said. “However, they remain in use because their overall benefits to patients are deemed to outweigh the risks when used appropriately.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

The founder of a Māori and Pacific-led professional rugby club says they have the finances, plan and people to keep the Moana Pasifika franchise afloat despite being rejected in their attempts to buy the license last year.

Tracy Atiga is the CEO of Kanaloa Rugby, a consortium made up of former professional rugby players and administrators of Pacific heritage.

Atiga told Pacific Waves she was devastated when she learned that Moana Pasifika will be disbanded at the end of the Super Rugby Pacific 2026 season.

Despite telling Pacific Waves in February that Moana Pasifika was “here to stay”, the franchise’s CEO Debbie Sorensen confirmed last week that they made the difficult decision to disband due to financial pressures and structural challenges.

In an interview with RNZ’s Morning Report, Sorensen said they are hopeful someone could step in and save the club, explaining that they had gone out to market for investors that didn’t “bear any fruit”.

However, Atiga said Kanaloa Rugby had put forward their proposal to buy Moana Pasifika last year in October, but received a response from Deloitte in December informing them that Moana’s owners, the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), would not proceed with Kanaloa’s bid.

Pointing to Sorensen’s media interviews, Atiga said she does not appreciate the narrative of the “poor cousin” talk.

“It’s been many years, actually 30 years, basically the history of Super Rugby, where our leaders keep saying stuff like, you know, ‘we just don’t have the money and we need more money’.

“We don’t really agree with that narrative and I think it needs to change for Pasifika people, so that we know we don’t have to be that way. We don’t have to have our hand out all the time. We can do this ourselves.”

Atiga said Deloitte’s outcome was delivered as a phone call, letting them know “they couldn’t move on from past events”, but when Atiga queried what those events were, there was no response.

Kanaloa Rugby previously proposed to establish a Pacific team in 2020 for the new-look Super Rugby competition that launched in 2022, but were unsuccessful.

This kicked off a legal battle after Atiga claimed New Zealand Rugby breached its own rules by choosing the Moana Pasifika bid that had the backing of Sir Michael Jones and Sir Bryan Williams, even though the group had not taken part in the formal tender process.

Subsequently, Kanaloa Rugby was also looking into establishing Hawaii’s first professionl rugby union team to join America’s Major League Rugby competition but nothing came of it when after Hawaiian state senator Glenn Wakai questioned its plans.

Atiga said recent talks with New Zealand Rugby has been positive and that they have engaged with Chris Lendrum, who will conclude his role at NZR by the end of May.

“We had some pretty frank discussions around what might have happened in the past that they didn’t agree with, but equally, I was able to share with New Zealand Rugby, the frustrations that we had at the time around transparency and honesty, and building trust with the Pasifika communities,” she said.

She said the demise of Moana Pasifika should prompt honest conversations, particularly how it was set up and the development of the franchise’s business model that came from Deloitte in partnership with New Zealand Rugby Players Association and New Zealand Rugby.

“I think everybody’s responsible for the model that was developed, it was a grant-based model and it was set up on a trust initially, and then it moved to a limited liability company a year after.

“There’s a lot of key players who were involved and still are involved now that do have responsibility for how it was set up and potentially now why it failed.

“Especially when you had us at the table saying that ‘this isn’t going to work under that type of model’ and you need this type of model to be sustainable.”

Atiga said they are “ready to go” and have been for five years but that it is up to New Zealand Rugby, and the owners of Moana Pasifika, on how they want to proceed with the franchise’s license.

Moana Pasifika CEO Debbie Sorensen has been approached for comment to Atiga’s claims but has declined to provide a response.

‘Vital pathway’

Moana Pasifika’s outgoing coach says the club’s likely exit from Super Rugby could have consequences for the game in the region.

Fa’alogo Tana Umaga told the Sydney Morning Herald Moana had been a vital pathway for young Tongans and Samoans.

“The gap between where we are currently in terms of Samoa and Tonga internationally to where we need to get to is very big,” Fa’alogo told the outlet.

“In the last four years, Samoa just scraped into the World Cup. The previous cycle before that was Tonga [just making it]. And if we keep going the way we’re going, we don’t want it to happen, but the possibility is that Samoa or Tonga might not make the next cycle of the World Cup.”

Fa’alogo said to make rugby stronger, there needs to be pathways and opportunities for players to learn how to be better professionals.

“If there’s nothing to compete against, then I’m sure that [league taking over] is probably something that we’ve got to be thinking about. That’s the real risk.

“It’s fine if we’re not there, but then what for Samoa and Tonga? Rugby league’s got a great product at the moment, and it’s very popular.”

Tonga and Samoa are set to receive a big funding boost from the Australian government.

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

The discovery of a genetic cause for young people’s sudden cardiac deaths discovery will bring relief to the families and clinicians who will have information to prevent further deaths.

A New Zealand family and two Australian families, who lost young people to sudden cardiac death, finally have answers thanks to contemporary genetic testing.

Up to 90 unexplained sudden cardiac deaths are reported per year in Aotearoa New Zealand in people under 40 and in around a third of cases, no cause has been found.

“This new finding has been made possible by the technology we have available now,” says lead researcher Dr Polona Le Quesne Stabej from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

“In 2001, an international consortium of scientists sequenced the entire human genome at a cost of more than two billion dollars. Now the University can sequence an entire genome for between one and three-thousand dollars.”

The family, who have asked for privacy, had earlier agreed to standard genetic testing, but that failed to find a cause.

They have been supported from early on by clinicians from the national Cardiac Inherited Diseases Group (CIDG), which was founded in 2000 by Professor Jon Skinner to coordinate care for whānau.

Skinner says it was heartbreaking to be caring for the whānau and terrible to not understand what was going on. This discovery will bring relief to the families and clinicians who will have information to prevent further deaths.

“Parents who have lost a child often carry an irrational sense of guilt, and it has been a powerful motivator for me and the team when a parent says, ‘Thank you doctor, I don’t have to blame myself any more.’”

The value of this sort of research is it immediately translates into improved care for impacted families, Skinner says.

In 2024, the family agreed to participate in the new research project led by Pūtahi Manawa, a centre of excellence for heart research at the University. See European Heart Journal.

The research team made the discovery using long-read DNA sequencing, an advanced technique capable of analysing large, complex regions of the genome.

By applying long-read sequencing to historical DNA samples, the researchers were able to identify genetic changes that had previously gone unnoticed.

The whole genome testing results were analysed by bioinformatician Dr Zoe Ward, who discovered the genetic abnormality, called a ‘repeat expansion’, in the DMPK gene.

These repeat expansions can be difficult to detect using standard genetic testing.

This genetic abnormality is known to cause myotonic dystrophy type 1, an inherited condition that leads to muscle weakness and other symptoms, including sometimes affecting the heart.

“Our findings suggest this genetic change may be an overlooked cause of sudden cardiac death in young people, especially when standard tests find no answer, and we recommend checking for this DMPK repeat in unexplained cases,” says Le Quesne.

The University’s $11 million Precision Medicine Initiative supports this and related research with funding and advice.

Researcher Professor Cris Print, who works with the initiative, says new long-read genome sequencing has allowed scientists to understand the biology of sudden cardiac death much better.

“This increase in biological understanding, allows clinical practice to change and saves lives,” Print says.

The New Zealand research was confirmed by Associate Professor Richard Bagnall, a leading expert in inherited heart diseases, at the Centenary Institute in Australia.

Bagnall identified the same genetic expansions in several Australian young people who died suddenly of cardiac causes.

All this makes a strong case for including DMPK in any genetic screening for sudden cardiac death, the authors say.

Data sovereignty important for Māori

A Māori advisory group, or Kaitiaki Rōpu, has steered the New Zealand project to ensure it is culturally safe for participants, as the family at the centre is Māori.

The rōpu ensures whānau consent to DNA being used and have input to how it is disposed of after the genetic testing, including use of specific karakia.

“DNA is one of the most taonga substances – everything about us, about our whakapapa is in our DNA,” says Saraya Hogan (Ngāti Hako), a rōpu member who is a genetic counsellor and medical laboratory scientist who worked on the project.

Print says working with the Kaitiaki Rōpu improves data governance for all New Zealanders. “We learn from Māori how to do this really well.”

Pūtahi Manawa is a large collaborative research centre focused on closing the gap in heart health for Māori and Pacific People in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Read about the University of Auckland’s Precision Medicine Initiative: http://www.aaha.org.nz/precision-medicine-initiative/

MIL OSI

20 April 2026 – Inland Revenue’s Long Term Insights Briefing on the future of New Zealand’s tax system has been welcomed as recognising the need for more government revenue, but it is short on meaningful solutions to solve the problem, says tax reform group Tax Justice Aotearoa (TJA).

“IRD draws attention to the fiscal challenges arising from an ageing population, but does not really come to grip with the many other factors that are going to require government intervention and expenditure in the coming years, such as climate change mitigation and response, our growing inequality and declining infrastructure and public services,” says Glenn Barclay, spokesperson for TJA.

“It is good that they recognise there is a real problem and that we need to grow government revenue, but we are concerned that the solutions they offer are limited and potentially regressive,” says Glenn Barclay.

“IRD appears to be arguing that existing tax bases (mainly GST and income tax) are not enough, but they also seem to be saying that adding a new base, such as a capital gains tax, is too difficult. We already rely too heavily on GST, which asks too much of ordinary working people, yet IRD seriously floats an increase in this tax as a way forward.”

While IRD says there are ways of making GST less regressive, through the use of rebates, TJA thinks there are better ways of doing this. TJA’s own Tax Policy Statement, which was released last week sets out a more thorough, equitable and progressive set of measures to address our fiscal challenges.

“Our Tax Policy Statement shows that a tax system that works for everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand is possible,” says Glenn Barclay. “We need to move away from our reliance on taxes that impact most on ordinary working people and ensure that the wealthy and big corporates are paying their fair share. While we welcome IRD’s contribution to the tax debate, they are not offering any real solutions for people in Aotearoa already struggling with the cost of living.”

TJA’s Tax Policy Statement sets out practical changes we can make to our tax system to catch-up with other developed countries’ investment in public goods, services and infrastructure, to tackle inequality and to support a more productive and resilient economy. The proposed changes would close the gaps in tax on big corporates and ensure the wealthiest are paying their fair share, and include:

Tax surcharge on big corporates, for example a levy on major banks (as in the UK and Australia), a surcharge on sectors managing vital infrastructure or where there is a lack of competition, like supermarkets and gentailers.
Excess/windfall profits taxes, for example, on big corporates to discourage price gouging and excessive profits arising from the current fossil fuel crisis.
Taxing Big Tech and other multinationals by enforcing existing tax obligations and changing the law to require these corporate giants to be more transparent about the profits they’re making, like the Public Country-by-Country Reporting adopted in Australia.
Close the shareholder loans tax loophole, to prevent tax avoidance and reduce financial risk to small and medium size businesses (e.g. using the UK model).
Tax wealth more, not work, through a comprehensive capital gains tax (as in most OECD countries), high-wealth tax, trusts tax, and wealth transfer tax (as in Ireland).
Adjust income tax settings to better reflect ability to pay, by introducing a tax free band, making tax bands more progressive and raising the tax rate on the highest income earners. Most workers would pay less or the same tax under this proposal.
Addressing the impact of GST on the least well off, by reducing the rate of GST or introducing rebate system for people on low incomes (like in Canada).

MIL OSI

Microsoft is boosting its commitment to improving New Zealanders’ skills in artificial intelligence.

The company says it is pledging to provide digital and AI training for 200,000 New Zealanders by 2028.

It follows an earlier commitment in 2024 to train 100,000 New Zealanders.

Microsoft Australia and New Zealand president Jane Livesey said studies showed generative AI could contribute between $76 billion and $108b to the local economy by 2038.

“New Zealand is building strong momentum in AI adoption. However now is not the time to take our foot off the accelerator,” she said.

The company said it would provide programme support in AI literacy to educators, teachers and school leaders, and help support community and non-profit leaders with the building of AI capability.

The announcement came as chief executive Satya Nadella was due to speak at a conference in Auckland on Tuesday.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Southland-based Niagara Sawmilling Company has begun a $115 million expansion of its timber processing operations, marking the largest growth phase in the company’s 91‑year history.

The investment includes construction of a new state‑of‑the‑art sawmill at Niagara’s Kennington site, on the outskirts of Invercargill.

The sawmill is being built in Canada and is expected to be installed and operational by late 2027.

Alongside the South Island expansion, Niagara is also expanding in the North Island through the acquisition of Ōtorohanga Timber Company (OTC), a 94-year-old timber processor based in the Waikato.

Niagara managing director Ross Richardson said the expansion was the next step in the company’s long‑term strategy and would significantly lift processing capacity.

“These investments support Niagara’s long-term strategy of growing and strengthening our remanufacturing business,” Richardson said.

In the timber industry, remanufacturing means turning basic sawn timber into ready‑to‑use building products, such as smooth, finished boards or engineered wood.

Once complete, the new sawmill will allow Niagara to more than double its current output, increasing log intake to over 500,000 tonnes a year.

The increased capacity is aimed at allowing more timber to be processed locally, rather than being exported offshore in raw form.

Richardson said that would enable Niagara to “remanufacture more premium timber products in Southland and add value to logs locally, rather than seeing them exported and processed overseas”.

Over the past decade, Niagara has invested heavily in its Kennington operations, building what it describes as world‑class remanufacturing facilities.

Group sales manager Jamie Barton said the combination of Niagara and the newly acquired Ōtorohanga Timber Company would strengthen Niagara’s market position in New Zealand and Australia.

“With OTC’s product mix complementing that of Niagara’s, we are now able to offer an even wider range of quality timber products to both our domestic and export customers,” Barton said.

The expansion is also expected to deliver broader economic benefits to the Southland region.

Niagara currently employs nearly 400 people, and Richardson said the increased production capacity would support continued growth, giving more job security to its employees.

“Niagara has longstanding roots in Southland and has an ongoing commitment to the region and its workforce,” he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Q4 Operating Income Sets New Fourth-Quarter Record, Surging 42%, Accelerating Full-Year Growth

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