Solomon Islands could have a new prime minister next week.

The court of appeal has ordered the current prime minister Jeremiah Manele to call Parliament by the 7th of May to face a motion-of-no-confidence in his leadership.

The court dismissed Mr Manele’s appeal against Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer’s earlier ruling to that effect.

Appeal court Judges Sir Gibbs Salika, Howard Lawry, Gina Nott delivered their ruling this afternoon in the High Court precinct in Honiara amid a heightened police presence.

The ruling is the latest in a series of court cases following Manele’s refusal to call parliament after mass defections from his coalition government in March.

Speaking to local media outside the court the lawyer representing the opposition group Gabriel Suri welcomed the ruling.

“The court of appeal ruled that the prime minister must take all necessary steps before the 7th of May to call parliament,” Suri said.

The attorney general John Muria Jr expressed disappointment in the ruling, but told Solomon Business Magazine the court had spoken.

“I still yet have to go through the whole judgement and then advise the prime minister on what (are) the appropriate steps to take,” John Muria Jr said.

Potential end to political impasse in sight

The ruling brings the country one step closer to a potential resolution of a drawn out political impasse which began in March after a mass resignation of government ministers and MPs.

Now in a new coalition of parties withing the opposition the group claims to have the support of 27MPs in the 50 seat parliament.

However its attempts to convert that numerical superiority into a transition to power have been thwarted so far with prime minister Jeremiah Manele refusing to call parliament and face a leadership vote on the floor.

In ruling on a judicial review brought earlier this month by the new coalition against Manele’s refusal to call a sitting, the Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer stated that the Prime Minister was under a “constitutional duty” to ensure a motion of no confidence was brought before Parliament at the earliest opportunity and that not doing so is “unlawful”.

Sir Albert also said if the prime minister failed to call parliament the Governor-General can call Parliament, and the Speaker is ordered to ensure the motion of no confidence is prioritised.

Who could become the next PM?

The new coalition whose leaders have referred to themselves as the government in waiting have yet to publicly nominate someone from their ranks as the next prime minister.

This decision could make or break the alliance on internal loyalties alone.

So far only the former foreign minister Peter Shanel Agovaka has publicly stated his desire for the top job telling RNZ Pacific in March that it had been offered to him in exchange for his resignation from government.

However, the leader of the largest party within the new coalition is Frederick Koloqeto and it was his 12-member party’s departure from government that meant Jeremiah Manele lost his majority in parliament.

There are also at least two former prime ministers within the new coalition namely Gordon Darcy Lilo and Rick Hounipwela and of course the Leader of the Opposition Matthew Wale.

The choice of prime ministerial candidates has been the bane of political parties seeking to form government in the Solomon Islands because no MP is legally tied to a political party and can jump ship at a moment’s notice.

It is also worth mentioning that the new coalition group which had maintained the support of 28 MPs for several weeks saw a crack in its solidarity on Sunday when the MP for South New Georgia Rendova and Tetepare, David Gina, joined government and was sworn in as the minister for rural development.

Anything can happen

Even if the new coalition puts forward a prime ministerial candidate and parliament is finally called there are still several potential outcomes for the current political impasse.

The motion-of-no-confidence is conducted by secret ballot and the nomination of prime ministerial candidates can be made on the floor so with a 27-23 split it would take just a few absetentions and judas votes to sway the outcome either way.

And of course between now and Tuesday, Manele might still regain his majority if he can woo enough MPs unhappy with the prime ministerial candidate that emerges or how potential future ministerial portfolios are being divvied up within the new coalition.

For now the only certainty is that Manele has been ordered to call parliament on Tuesday, and the country’s leadership is on the line.

Meanwhile, police have called for public calm while the democratic process runs its course.

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

Prof. Dr. Yodchanan spoke about elevating “SPACE-F Batch 7” to the policy level and building awareness, stating that MHESI aims to present food innovation products from the startups in this batch at the upcoming Cabinet meeting. This will allow the Prime Minister to taste them, raising awareness that FoodTech is the nation’s new future. The products will be presented to the Cabinet in the next two weeks.

Regarding the core concept of combining technology with “Thai taste,” Prof. Dr. Yodchanan emphasized that no matter how advanced the technology is, it must maintain the “Nice taste of Thailand.” He cited a “high-tech omelet” he previously tasted as an example, noting that there is still room for improvement to make it taste closer to an authentic Thai omelet so that the technology can truly win over consumers’ hearts.

The MHESI Minister continued that regarding food innovation under the Wellness Economy, this year focuses on using the Wellness Economy as a New Growth Engine. This is not limited strictly to food but includes AI, ICT, and software, aiming to push Thailand into a global Wellness Tourism Hub with support from the BOI in connecting investment opportunities.

Prof. Dr. Yodchanan further stated that regarding the use of biodiversity and quality ingredients (Biodiversity & GI), startups will be encouraged to utilize Thailand’s rich biodiversity and GI products as substitutes for imported raw materials. This will help reduce costs and create a unique identity.

“As for connecting the ‘Thinker’ with the ‘Doer,’ this program emphasizes linking startups with large industrial corporations and investors. This helps startups in the Accelerator group advance toward Series A or B funding, while helping the Incubator group learn business and pitching experiences from their seniors to cross the business ‘Death Valley.’ Furthermore, regarding food and nutrition security in the era of war: in the current global conditions facing wartime situations, Food Security and Nutrition Security are vital. This program is an opportunity for startups to create innovations that help solve problems for the whole world, with the government working closely with SPACE-F to create new services and products,” the MHESI Minister said.

However, “SPACE-F Batch 7” features 20 participating startups from 10 countries, focusing on the Proof of Concept (POC) strategy to ensure they can tangibly grow toward commercialization on an international scale.

Dr. Krithpaka Boonfueng, Executive Director of the National Innovation Agency (NIA), stated that NIA aims to strengthen the potential of startups and innovative entrepreneurs to overcome business crises and grow commercially in a tangible way. Over the past 6 years, the SPACE-F program has concretely reinforced its role as a regional food innovation hub by incubating and accelerating over 100 startups from 18 countries worldwide, generating a total funding value of over 5.1 billion THB. For the SPACE-F Year 7 program, it marks another major milestone of leapfrog growth, setting a new international record with an all-time high of 204 applicants, continuously increasing from 156 in Cohort 6 and 148 in Cohort 2, reflecting the confidence of global startups in the program’s potential. Concurrently, the program has significantly expanded its international reach, with applicants from 57 countries worldwide, up from 34 countries in the previous cohort, affirming that SPACE-F is a truly global platform connecting and driving world food innovation.

“The SPACE-F program is considered a vital mechanism in driving the development of a strong and comprehensive foodtech startup ecosystem by systematically connecting knowledge, technology, and the industrial sector together. Particularly, it provides opportunities for startups to co-develop and test real products (Proof of Concept: POC) with large corporate partners, as well as access expert networks and world-class infrastructure. This includes testing protein innovations focused on appearance, freshness, and taste with Thai Union; developing modern health and nutrition solutions with ThaiBev and Nestlé; utilizing deep-tech research laboratories from Mahidol University; and enhancing fundraising capabilities from Foodland Ventures, which plays a crucial role in reducing business risks and effectively increasing the chances of commercialization. For SPACE-F Year 7, it aims to elevate startup development through 2 main programs: the Incubator Program, which focuses on laying business foundations and developing prototypes into market-ready products, and the Accelerator Program, which focuses on accelerating business expansion through connections with strategic partners and investors. This covers 7 key areas of the food industry: 1) Personalized Nutrition, 2) Future Protein, 3) Circular Food Systems, 4) Smart Manufacturing, 5) Sustainable Production, 6) Food Safety, and 7) Novel Consumer Experience, to build high-potential startups capable of developing quality new products that directly meet market demands, ready to compete and grow sustainably on the global stage.“

Ms. Sirichit Jiraruangkiat, Senior Director – Group Innovation at Thai Union Group PCL, revealed, “As a co-founding partner of the SPACE-F program, Thai Union Group PCL continues to drive the development of Thailand’s foodtech startup ecosystem. We aim to support breakthrough growth by promoting the development and testing of innovations at the industrial level, particularly through the Proof of Concept (POC) process, to elevate the standards of future protein products to compete internationally. Thai Union prioritizes the application of modern food production and preservation technologies, covering everything from maintaining product quality and freshness and developing appealing appearances to sensory research to create textures and flavors that effectively meet the demands of global consumers. Simultaneously, the SPACE-F program remains committed to a ‘No Equity Taken’ approach, allowing startups to retain full ownership of their innovations, maintain business agility, and grow independently and sustainably in the long term.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pasit Pakawatpanurut, Deputy Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, further added, “With expertise in food science, nutrition, biotechnology, and related fields, Mahidol University serves as an academic powerhouse and innovation infrastructure, providing startups with access to advanced laboratories, pilot plants, and modern research equipment. They also receive in-depth consultation from a team of expert researchers to successfully transition research into products that truly meet global market demands (Lab-to-Market). This collaboration is therefore a key mechanism in driving sustainable food innovation and enhancing Thailand’s competitiveness as a global foodtech hub. Mahidol University’s involvement in the SPACE-F program also plays a vital role in strengthening the country’s foodtech startup ecosystem in the long run.”

In addition, another key partner is Thai Beverage Public Company Limited, which places great importance on continuous research and development, believing it to be essential for startups. As a sponsor of the SPACE-F program, they are pleased to be part of an ecosystem that enhances the potential of foodtech startups and provides business and technological guidance to help startups discover solutions that truly meet the needs of the global food market.

Ms. Jenica Conde Cruz, Business Manager – Cereal Partners Worldwide & Incubator at Nestlé (Thai) Ltd., also stated, “Nestlé, a global leader in food and beverages, plays a vital role as a strategic partner of the SPACE-F program. We aim to elevate foodtech startups through the transfer of Research & Development (R&D) knowledge and product development experience under the ‘Good food, Good life’ concept. Nestlé also provides in-depth consultation to support the development of products that meet Nutrition, Health, and Wellness needs, while promoting the use of innovation to tackle global food industry challenges. In parallel, Nestlé also drives the development of innovations that align with sustainability goals by opening opportunities for startups to learn together with experts from our global research center network, in areas of food preservation technology, eco-friendly packaging, and responsible sourcing.”

Victor Chen, CEO of Foodland Ventures Co. closed with, “Foodland Ventures, a leading Venture Capital firm and Accelerator from Taiwan, has joined as a strategic partner in the SPACE-F program to push foodtech startups to expand their businesses into international markets. We aim to act as a bridge connecting innovation from Taiwan with food industry networks in Thailand and Southeast Asia. With expertise in key technologies such as Restaurant Automation, Alternative Protein, and Smart Supply Chain, Foodland Ventures is ready to support startups through access to the Taiwanese market and resources, providing investment and business strategy consultation, and connecting them with the industrial sector to test solutions in real-world environments. This collaboration marks a significant step in building a ‘FoodTech Corridor’ between Thailand and Taiwan to elevate startup potential and drive the food industry toward a sustainable global future.”

The “SPACE-F Year 7” program also introduced 20 startups from 10 countries worldwide: South Korea, Spain, Canada, USA/Argentina, Australia, Singapore, UK, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Thailand, selected for this year’s program. All will have the opportunity to co-develop and test real innovations with leading industry partners, covering product development, industrial-level testing, and commercialization in the real market

Such collaboration is a key highlight of the program, providing startups the opportunity to test technology and innovations in real-world environments, reducing development limitations, and increasing the chances of creating business models that accurately meet market demands.

10 FoodTech Startups Joining the Accelerator Program

1. Terra Bioindustries Inc (Canada): Upcycles agricultural and food industry waste into high-value ingredients such as sugar, protein, and fiber for use in the food, biotech, and chemical industries.
2. Nucaps (Spain): Develops functional protein ingredients using microencapsulation technology to wrap active substances and probiotics, enhancing nutritional value, reducing costs, and improving taste to effectively promote consumer health.
3. BeNatureBioLab (South Korea): Develops functional ingredients using nano and microencapsulation technology from natural proteins to wrap active substances and probiotics, increasing the stability, absorption, and efficiency of substances in food, supplements, and health products.
4. Kinava (South Korea): Converts food waste into biofertilizer, biochar, and biogas within hours using HydroThermal Carbonization (HTC) technology, which reduces odor, energy use, and emissions.
5. ComexSoft (Spain): A near real-time market intelligence platform that collects and organizes retail data, matching similar products specifically developed for accurate decision-making.
6. PROTINOS (Thailand): High-protein noodles made from egg whites and soybeans containing complete essential amino acids, created using enzyme incubation techniques, serving as food to help care for and protect health.
7. SicPama (South Korea): A QR ordering and payment platform with a CRM system that links social media with actual service usage and repeat visits, helping restaurants measure returns and increase revenue.
8. Nourish Ingredients (Australia): High-performance animal-free fats created via precision fermentation to solve the taste and texture issues of plant-based alternative foods by mimicking the key fats found in meat and dairy products.
9. Kresko RNAtech (USA/Argentina): Nutrients from biological RNA found in natural foods, developed by AI and biotechnology to be more stable and better absorbed, for use in dietary supplements and health products.
10. Agrifreeze (Singapore): Develops freezing technology using Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) to control the formation of small ice crystals, reducing food damage and maintaining quality close to fresh products.

10 FoodTech Startups Joining the Incubator Program

1. Eatwellconcept (Thailand): An AI-powered personalized therapeutic diet platform for NCD patients, offering real-time nutritional guidance by dietitians to improve health and quality of life.
2. AmaranthLab (UK): Protein ingredients from amaranth for GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) nutrition to control blood sugar levels and satiety, for use in various functional food products.
3. Openfarming (Saudi Arabia): An AI operating system for food distributors that converts orders from multiple channels into real-time data, enabling automated demand forecasting and dynamic inventory management without changing existing workflows.
4. Zuppar Reborn (Thailand): Biodegradable fruit and bakery stickers made from pineapple waste, replacing plastic labels with an alternative that can decompose into fertilizer.
5. VeriPura (Thailand/Singapore): An AI and Blockchain platform for automated document management and product traceability, making food exports to Europe easier and more compliant with regulations (EU).
6. YiXingYuan (Taiwan): A modular small-scale fruit processing factory (Factory-in-a-box) utilizing High Voltage Electric Field (HVEF) technology to process fruits directly at the source, preserving product quality while reducing energy use, costs, and spoilage.
7. JOLA (Thailand): Vitamin-infused jelly pet food that develops DIY treat products, such as jellies for dogs and cats, focusing on natural ingredients, good nutrition, and creating a shared experience between owners and pets.
8. UPLI (UK): A precision fermentation platform to create functional proteins with characteristics similar to human breast milk, used to increase nutritional value in food at an industrial scale.
9. Emerald Plast (Thailand): Biodegradable food materials and packaging made from starch and bioplastics to replace traditional plastics, reducing environmental impact and enhancing sustainability image.
10. Squizify (Thailand): A digital food safety platform integrating software and IoT devices to automatically track, monitor, and manage food business standards, complete with real-time data analysis.

https://www.nia.or.th/

Hashtag: #NIA #NationalInnovationAgency

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

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

NEGERI SEMBILAN, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 1 May 2026 – Methodist College Kuala Lumpur (MCKL) has formalised a strategic collaboration with MILA University through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), marking a significant step in enhancing academic progression pathways for students.

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting diploma graduates in continuing their studies at degree level, while ensuring a smoother and more structured transition into higher education.

A Strategic Collaboration for Student Progression

The agreement was formalised by Dr. Chua Ping Yong, Chief Executive Officer of MCKL, and Mr. Cao Qi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of MILA University, in the presence of representatives from both institutions.

Through this collaboration, a clear articulation pathway is established for MCKL students to continue their academic journey at MILA University, enabling a smoother transition into undergraduate studies with greater confidence and direction.

Expanding Opportunities Through Articulation Pathways

As part of this collaboration, students from selected MCKL diploma programmes have the opportunity to progress into MILA University’s bachelor’s degree programmes in Computer Science and Business Management.

The pathway covers diploma fields such as Computer Science, Information Technology, Digital Business, Digital Marketing, and Financial Technology, ensuring that students from diverse academic backgrounds have access to relevant progression pathways.

Strengthening Industry-Relevant Education Through Collaboration

Beyond academic progression, this collaboration underscores a mutual commitment to delivering industry-relevant education that equips students with practical skills and real-world competencies. By aligning curriculum pathways and fostering closer engagement between both institutions, MCKL and MILA University aim to ensure that graduates are not only academically prepared but also adaptable to evolving industry demands. This partnership creates opportunities for enhanced learning experiences, bridging the gap between classroom knowledge and professional application, and ultimately empowering students to thrive in a competitive global workforce.

For over four decades, MCKL has built a strong reputation for nurturing students who not only excel academically but also develop the values, character, and critical thinking skills needed to thrive in an ever-changing world. With a student-centred approach, the college emphasises holistic education, balancing academic rigour with personal growth, leadership development, and community engagement, so that graduates are well-prepared for both university and life beyond the classroom.

Original Source: MILA University
Original Article: MILA University Strengthens Academic Pathways Through Collaboration with MCKL
Website: https://www.mila.edu.my

https://mckl.edu.my/
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Hashtag: #mckl #methodistcollegekualalumpur #mou

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

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

From Saturday, NZ homes will be required to fit lead-free plumbing products that protect the quality of drinking water.

The legislation – an update to the New Zealand Building code – was announced in November 2022 by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and comes into effect from 2 May, a transition period that allowed the industry to adopt new products.

The change does not affect existing plumbing, but any repairs or new installations must comply with the new rules, which apply to any product that comes into contact with drinking water, including kitchen taps, bathroom basin taps, laundry taps and water heaters.

“The quality of the buildings where we live, work and play can have a significant impact on our wellbeing, and there is growing evidence that even trace amounts of lead exposure can be harmful over time,” Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said.

“International health advice shows that removing lead from plumbing products entirely is the most effective way to reduce the risk of exposure.

“From tomorrow, all pipes, fittings, valves and tapware that come into contact with drinking water must be lead-free for new buildings or renovations. Tapware must also be resistant to dezincification to help maintain water quality over time.”

Penk said the ministry had received positive feedback from the industry that suggested it was well placed to transition and additional cost of using lead-free products was negligible.

“This update sets a clear, modern standard and gives New Zealanders confidence in the safety of their drinking water,” he said.

“It is a sensible, preventative step that will benefit the wellbeing of Kiwis over the long term.”

Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe told RNZ’s Checkpoint that her organisation welcomed these new standards, but advised all households to flush their taps for a few seconds each morning to ensure fresh water was available..

“The medical advise is that children are particularly vulnerable,” Blythe warned. ‘If there’s lead in the water, it can impair brain development, reduce IQ, and cause behavioural and learning difficulties.

“It’s advice we particularly give to early childhood centres and schools, We want them to flush their taps and drinking fountains each morning and after weekends, and particularly school holidays.

“If you think about it, over the summer, if you’ve had a fountain not used for most of December and all of January, you really do need to ensure those fountains have been flushed.”

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

MIL OSI

ANZ is offering a new type of rewards programme for customers, but one marketing expert says shoppers should make sure it works for them.

Through ANZ Loop, ANZ customers will earn cash back automatically on eligible purchases from shops such as The Warehouse, Designer Wardrobe, New Balance and Noel Leeming when they pay using their Visa Debit or credit card.

Grant Knuckey, ANZ NZ managing director for personal banking, said ANZ Loop responded to customer demand for banking products that were simple to use and relevant to them.

“Rewards schemes have proven popular with Kiwis and this is a way we can deliver cashback offers straight to our ANZ customers. The same offers are presented to Visa Debit card holders as well as credit, meaning a much larger group of customers benefit from ANZ Loop.”

Customers can check their ANZ goMoney app to browse their available offers, and get a notification when cash is on its way to their account.

The amount of cashback available will vary. Noel Leeming is offering $50 cashback on spending above $500, while New Balance is providing 5 percent cashback on all online purchases.

The offers will be available in ANZ Visa customers’ goMoney app.

Transactions must go through the Visa network to be eligible, so when paying in store with a debit card, customers will need to tap and make a contactless payment.

Rewards will usually be paid within two to seven days, directly into the card account the transaction was originally made from. ANZ Loop cashback offers are in addition to any other credit card rewards a customer may already earn.

Marketing expert Bodo Lang said he was not surprised to see innovation in the loyalty market and this was a significant evolution in New Zealand.

“There is space for new loyalty programmes for several reasons. First, the demise of Fly Buys, a significant and well-known loyalty programme, has created space for a new competitor to enter the market. Second, banking products and banks themselves are largely undifferentiated.

“Apart from branding and clear colour associations, banks lack strong functional or emotional differentiation. Therefore, innovation in the loyalty programme market allows ANZ to capture consumers’ attention with this new programme.”

He said it was convenient and simple, and would offer fairly immediate and visible rewards.

“Consumers will see these in their banking app, and they will stand out because the ‘credit’ column in most bank accounts has few entries. The fact that ANZ Loop is ‘stackable’ is also important.

“If ANZ had removed its existing loyalty programme and offered ANZ Loop instead, there would likely have been some consumer backlash. However, this appears to be a benefit on top of a benefit. Most consumers are likely to respond positively to this.

“Another advantage is that the programme is available not just for credit cards but also for debit cards.”

But he said, as with any promotional tactic, there was a risk that consumers would spend too much to reach a reward.

“Some, for example those with a gambling addiction, may be particularly prone to this. Second, ANZ Loop will create personalised offers. It can only do this if it differentiates between groups of customers or is able to tailor offers to individual customers.

“So, customer data will be used in one way or another to shape these personalised cashback offers. Some consumers will not be aware of this and may find it objectionable.

“Third, more broadly, the programme will make the marketplace less transparent. What one consumer pays for a product may not be the same as what someone else pays at the same time for the same product. This is relatively unusual in retailing, but of course common in other industries. This makes price comparisons more difficult and increases stickiness; some consumers will be more likely to use ANZ Loop and restrict their shopping to certain retailers.

“That is, after all, the ultimate aim of these programmes: to shift sales and profits.”

He said while customers were used to points-based loyalty programmes and having cashback, an offer at this scale would be new for New Zealand.

“It may shift market share and spending to ANZ and participating retailers. Second, the programme will leverage the incredible amounts of transactional data that banks, and some retailers, have at their fingertips.

“Essentially, ANZ is hoping to achieve ‘top of wallet’ status for its cards. Understanding how and when consumers respond to offers, will provide valuable insights for ANZ and its partners.”

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

Business travellers are among those reducing their visits to regions due to Air New Zealand ditching some flights, an expert says.

More cutbacks to flights came to light on Thursday after Nelson mayor Nick Smith and Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford posted about them on social media.

In a post to his Facebook page, Nick Smith said Air New Zealand was cutting an additional 23 Nelson flights to and from Auckland, 32 to Wellington and 15 to and from Christchurch between 29 June to 26 July.

“This is the third time Nelson flights to and from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch have been axed temporarily since the war in Iran started and brings the total number of flights lost to 266 or about 12,000 seats,” Smith said in his post.

“This is disappointing news for Nelson. While it is understandable, with no concrete signs of de-escalation of the oil crisis in the Middle East, it will have an impact on the number of visitors to the region and make it more difficult for people travelling for work, to access healthcare and take holidays outside the region.”

Nelson Regional Development Agency visitor destination manager Craig Boodee told Morning Report, also agreed the cuts were a concern for the region.

“It does create hesitation for people to book travel, because they might think their flights will get cancelled. And, I understand why Air New Zealand has to make some of these cuts to save on costs, many of the tourism operators are having to do the same,” Boodee said.

“Winter is our quiet time of year, about 15 percent of our visitor spend happens over winter. We need every visitor we can get during that time.”

Boodee said it was not just people cutting back on their holidays that was impacting tourism.

“Business visitors that come on monthly sales calls, they’re spreading that out now. They’re pushing it out to about six weekly.

“That’s our bread and butter over winter. Those regular business visitors that come in, they often pay a little higher prices for accommodation, and they often get their breakfast and dinner covered.

“So, it’s critical. We need those visitors,” he said.

Boodee was worried about the long-term future of regional services.

“Forward bookings are looking good, so we need these flights to come back. We can’t let that business slip between our fingers. It’s critical we get flight availability back onto the network.”

He said some tour operators have told him they’ve had their best summer since Covid.

Higher fuel costs to blame

In a statement, Air New Zealand confirmed it had made a number of changes to its schedule in July, in response to increased fuel costs.

“These consolidations affect around 2 percent of passengers due to travel across this period. We’ve targeted the consolidations to minimise disruption and to ensure that the vast majority of impacted customers can still travel on the same day.”

The airline said customers whose updated flight didn’t suit their plans could choose a refund or credit.

Flights to Tauranga have also been cut back, said Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford who also posted on his social media about the change.

“From 29 June to 26 July they will be removing 27 return flights on the Tauranga-Auckland route, 12 return flights on the Tauranga-Wellington route, and five return flights on the Tauranga-Christchurch route,” Rutherford posted.

Subsidies a possibility

The minister in charge of aviation says subsidies for regional airlines will have to be considered as more flights to regional airports are cut.

Regional airlines including Air Chathams, Sounds Air and Island Air have drawn down loans from the Government – a measure that was already underway before the war in the Middle East.

James Meager told Nine to Noon subsidies for airlines would not be his first choice, but will have to be considered.

He says advice from officials on how to support the sector is expected in a couple of weeks.

Cuts to flights a global issue

Simon Calder, travel correspondent for The Independent told on Morning Report, flight cutbacks could become much worse later in the year, if the Iran war situation remained unchanged.

“By September, I am going to predict airlines in Europe will be cancelling flights, not just in the tens of thousands, possibly in the hundreds of thousands, keeping planes on the ground, because, with the very high price of fuel, it won’t be worth flying them,” he said.

“This is all combined with a reduction in demand, simply because people in Europe are thinking, well, I’m not really sure what’s going on in the world. I don’t want to commit. This is all very bad news for the airlines.”

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

More companies went into liquidation in March 2026 than in any other March since 2015, new data shows.

Centrix’s latest update showed 3023 liquidations in the year to March.

In the month, there were 286 company liquidations and 308 insolvencies.

Construction remained the leading industry for company liquidations, with 768 firms liquidated in the past year, although this represented just 0.9 percent of all registered construction companies.

Hospitality was the second-largest contributor, recording 399 liquidations – an increase of 49 percent compared with the previous year and 1.3 percent of all hospitality businesses.

Inland Revenue has been a significant driver of insolvencies as it chased unpaid tax debt.

It has started to report businesses’ debt to credit agencies, so would-be lenders have more visibility of a company’s financial situation. Inland Revenue is usually ranked first among creditors, if a business goes into liquidation.

Centrix managing director Keith McLaughlin said the data was starting to be registered with Centrix, but the full picture was not yet reflected.

Business credit defaults were down 16 percent year-on-year in Centrix’s data. He said that could indicate that the liquidation rate could improve in future.

“It really is a tidy-up from the historical past,” he said. “When we look at arrears in the business sector, they are down.

“The trend is positive and, if arrears are lower now than they have been, that will ultimately flow through to liquidation, which is the back end of the process.

“What we’re trying to achieve is a little bit more transparency around IRD debt, because you can do a credit report and the credit book comes up saying there’s no arrears, but if there is tax debt there, it’s probably a false impression

“I think, until there’s total transparency around IRD debts, there is always that cloud hanging over you saying, ‘Well, is there a debt out there to the IRD that we’re not aware of?’.

“That creates a domino effect, because if somebody owes money to the Inland Revenue, if they ultimately go through, then that creates a domino impact on the market, where they don’t pay their creditors and consequently they get into strife, so it’s quite important to have full transparency on any outstanding liabilities.”

Manufacturing sector improves

Manufacturing showed improvement, with liquidations down 5 percent.

McDonald Vague insolvency practitioner Keaton Pronk said the March quarter was the busiest in the past 10-15 years for winding up applications and corporate insolvency appointments.

“It looks like this trend will continue into April, with winding up applications above past Aprils and insolvency appointments tracking that way too.”

Centrix said the “other services” sector, which included more than 26,000 registered companies, was an area of concern.

Over the past year, 174 companies across the sector were placed into liquidation, up from 124 the previous year – a 40 percent year-on-year increase.

The sharpest pressure remained in automotive repair and maintenance, where 74 companies were liquidated over the past 12 months, compared with 27 a year earlier. This reflected continuing cost pressure, softer demand and weaker discretionary spending conditions.

Centrix said overall consumer credit demand was still above last year’s level, but inquiry volumes were starting to ease. Activity was holding up in home loans, vehicle lending and personal loans.

Consumer arrears down

The news was better for households.

Consumer arrears fell again in March to their lowest level since September 2023, while mortgage arrears also moved lower.

There were still 95,000 consumers more than 90 days behind on payments and pressure remained more visible in unsecured lending.

Kawerau had the highest arrears rate at 17.55 percent, followed by Wairoa at 17.52 percent and Ōpōtiki at 16.56 percent.

Personal loan arrears were still elevated and personal loan hardship cases remained well above year-ago levels.

There are currently 13,400 accounts reported in financial hardship, down 300 from the previous month. The broader hardship trend, which had been rising since late 2022, has continued to ease in recent months.

“We are seeing a softer demand for credit, particularly in the discretionary spending areas, and I think that’s a sign that households continue to keep a tight control over their budgets and, rather than go into arrears on their payments, they’ll cut back on discretionary spending,” McLaughlin said.

Buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) arrears improved and were lower than those of personal loans.

In 2025, 245,000 consumers opened their first credit product. Of those, 32 percent did so using BNPL products.

McLaughlin said that had been a noticeable shift away from other forms of credit as a first experience.

“It used to be your telephone or your rent, but it’s now buy-now-pay-later, so it’s a very soft entry into the credit market, because it’s generally a lower amount and for a shorter period of time.”

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MIL OSI

Analysis – National MPs say the coalition is stable, even as they criticise Foreign Minister Winston Peters for releasing emails without notifying the prime minister.

It is the latest in a series of fractures between the coalition parties that have been slowly expanding into cracks.

The question is whether those widening divisions can be sustained right up until the election, even as the parties jostle for dominance in a worsening global economic environment and against an opposition making gains in the polls.

Finance Minister and National deputy Nicola Willis had confidence in the coalition’s stability – but it came with a caveat: “As long as people uphold the principles of the coalition agreement.”

National’s campaign chair Simeon Brown said the coalition was in a good space, “but ultimately our message is that Mr Peters should not be putting politics ahead of the national interest. That’s very clear”.

Former National campaign chair Chris Bishop said the coalition was “a very stable thing, everyone said it would fall apart within a year and here we are six months out from the election and we’re getting things done for New Zealand”.

Mark Mitchell chuckled, saying the coalition was “fine”. Tama Potaka called it “solid”.

But with the cracks spreading, that solidity has been called into question with increasing frequency.

Here’s a look back at the last two weeks where it became clear the election had well and truly begun.

Communications breakdown: Emails and the national interest

Luxon’s office on Thursday said he had told Peters he expected better political judgement from him during a meeting in Peters’ Beehive office the night before.

In an extraordinary slapdown, Luxon said Peters “acknowledged he had made a mistake” by releasing emails showing foreign affairs staff pushing back against the idea of expressing “explicit public support” for the US attack on Iran.

Peters’ office believed doing so would be “imprudent” and “counter to New Zealand’s national interests”, but Luxon’s office said this mischaracterised the views of the prime minister, who was seeking to test New Zealand’s stance against those of Australia and Canada.

By releasing the emails without consulting the prime minister’s office, Peters had “clearly put politics ahead of the national interest”, Luxon’s office said.

Peters admits he should have consulted the PM about the release, but has pushed back on suggestions the emails should not have been released – arguing transparency is, you guessed it, in the national interest.

“In the end, I made the mistake,” Peters said in the afternoon. “We carry the can in our office, we don’t blame others, but funnily enough a couple of my staff are going to be in a training session this afternoon on the matter.”

Willis said releasing the emails without consulting was inconsistent with the no surprises principle and a breach of good faith, calling Peters “very, very confused”, and raising the prospect of that happening again in coalition negotiations.

“The problem with Winston Peters is you never know what you’re going to get.”

Despite his own confidence in the coalition’s stability, Brown said Peters “considers himself a statesman – well the reality is he should operate in a way that respects the office of the prime minister”.

Confidence in caucus and in coalition

It all follows another stain on the coalition agreement, with Peters claiming Luxon’s decision to call a vote of confidence in himself was a breach of that same ‘no surprises’ principle.

National MPs met for more than two hours last Tuesday after poor polling and increasing instances of National MPs leaking anonymously to the media.

Asked on Morning Report if Luxon should have warned him, Peters said it “would have been wise to – yes, of course”.

He said it was an “unprecedented” move from a sitting prime minister, and there would be “consequences”. It didn’t take long for his coalition partners from National to hit back.

Within the hour, Willis launched a broadside, saying Peters was “mischief-making” and he had a “track record of picking Labour over National, and that’s the risk you run with him”.

Luxon also lashed out, using his weekly interview on Newstalk ZB’s The Country to call his foreign minister out for installing Jacinda Ardern as prime minister.

He said had not needed to inform Peters of his confidence vote, because it was not important enough.

That afternoon, ministers on their way to Question Time declared the coalition as strong as ever – with Peters claiming it was as stable as a “three-legged stool”.

Free trade disagreement

Luxon’s criticisms of Peters on The Country also came with a sting in the tail, saying he was trying to “scaremonger” with “anti-immigrant” rhetoric – a reference to Peters’ stance on the free trade agreement with India.

The foreign minister in October had announced New Zealand First’s opposition to the deal just minutes before Luxon and Trade Minister Todd McClay were set to announce it had been finalised.

He has continued to rail against the deal’s investment and immigration provisions, with his deputy Shane Jones in April going further – warning he and his party were “never going to agree with a butter chicken tsunami coming to New Zealand”.

Questioned directly about whether that was racist, Luxon refused to say – only going so far as calling it “unhelpful” and that was certainly true for McClay, who was questioned about it by Indian media when he went to New Delhi to sign the deal this week.

With Peters’ criticisms of the confidence vote still fresh, Willis – in her weekly head-to-head with Labour on Morning Report – denounced the comment and said that was who Labour was “choosing to get into bed” with.

Never mind Labour having gone further than Luxon by calling it racist, and National being currently in coalition with NZ First, Willis has continued with this line – using her general debate speech on Wednesday to talk up the deal, and talk down New Zealand First.

“New Zealand First are on the wrong side of history on this one,” she said. “What we really need to call out in this House – and I want to acknowledge Marama Davidson for doing the same – is the race-based scaremongering that New Zealand First have indulged in.”

She went on to quote Jones, warning in a long preamble that it “will offend this House, it offended me … it has offended New Zealanders of Indian descent up and down this country”.

“Shame on you, Shane Jones. I enjoy working with you around the Cabinet table, but that kind of race-based rhetoric has no place in New Zealand politics,” she said.

Crossing the floor when the Cabinet room won’t do

Wednesday night also brought policy disputes into sharp relief, with a series of opposition party member’s bills that managed to find support from some in the government benches – but not others.

First among them was the Modern Slavery Bill, a joint effort between Labour’s Camilla Belich and National’s Greg Fleming, who said the ACT Party had stopped it going through Cabinet and becoming a government bill.

The topic was identified by Luxon in 2022 as something he would “march in the streets” for.

Another bill – from Labour’s Arena Williams – aimed to make transferring money overseas cheaper by requiring banks to be transparent about fees, got both ACT and NZ First on board.

National was the only party to oppose it, saying there was no need for it because other reforms were making progress on opening up the financial system.

And Green MP Kahurangi Carter’s bill aiming to prevent overdoses by giving amnesty for low-level drug offences to those who call in a suspected overdose or adverse drug reaction passed with ACT’s support – but not National or NZ First.

There was another member’s bill that was on the list for Wednesday but the House did not have time to get to which would ban social media for under-16s, in line with Australia’s approach.

It’s not something the coalition is progressing, with ACT opposing the idea and its MP Parmjeet Parmar complaining a select committee inquiry on it was “predetermined”.

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SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 April 2026 – AI for Global Civilization: China-Singapore Dialogue was held in Singapore on April 28. The event gathered around 100 participants, including experts, scholars, and representatives from Chinese and Singaporean academic institutions, cultural organizations, as well as technology and cultural enterprises. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on China-Singapore digital industry cooperation and how digital and intelligent technologies empower inter-civilizational mutual learning. They also jointly showcased innovative achievements and frontier practices of both sides in the integrated field of culture and technology.

Opening remarks were delivered by Yuan Lin, Executive Assistant to the President of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, and Wang Donghai, Associate Director of NUS Enterprise. Keynote speeches were delivered by Cai Yiyu, Professor at Nanyang Technological University; Director of the Computer-Aided Engineering Labs and The Strategic Research Program on Virtual Reality; Co-President of Association of Global Technomics Education and Exchange; Cui Kai, Director of the Digital Culture Promotion Department, Center for International Cultural Communication, China International Communications Group (CICG); and Yang Jianwei, Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore.

Yuan Lin stated that the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has injected new momentum into China-Singapore cultural exchanges. He stressed the importance of innovating cultural expression forms empowered by digital intelligence, upholding a correct value orientation in technological application, deepening people-to-people exchanges enabled by smart technologies, and actively exploring the profound value of intelligent technologies in advancing cross-cultural understanding.

Wang Donghai pointed out that it is essential to prioritize the integration of technological applications with social needs. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence to build bridges for civilizational exchange helps enhance cross-cultural understanding, enabling technology to better serve humanity and drive social progress.

Cai Yiyu noted that Singapore is forging ahead in cutting-edge fields including semiconductors, aerospace and artificial intelligence, opening up broad prospects for bilateral cooperation between China and Singapore. He emphasized that digital and intelligent technologies can be harnessed to revitalize and inherit traditional culture via youthful, trendy formats, thereby further deepening scientific, technological and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Cui Kai stated that intelligent imaging technology is profoundly reshaping the logic of cross-cultural narrative. Digital content creation is not merely about keeping pace with technological advancement; more importantly, it should take emotional resonance as the bond to break down cultural barriers, foster in-depth empathy, mutual learning and appreciation among global civilizations, and enable more outstanding civilizational achievements to be seen, understood and respected worldwide.

Yang Jianwei noted that artificial intelligence is becoming an important vehicle for inter-civilizational mutual learning, while cultural differences remain a core obstacle to cross-cultural communication. He advocated for the innovative and rational use of artificial intelligence in the future to eliminate prejudices and enhance civilizational understanding through technological power.

In the Case Sharing Session, guest speakers included Lisa Meng, Head of Singapore of Tencent Cloud International; Koh Chin Yee, Managing Director of Singapore Eye; Bai Yu, Director and Partner of LAiPIC; Hu Chengchen, Founder & CEO of ClariPpi (Singapore); Jane Zhao, SVP and Head of Global Business at Mininglamp Technology; and Jerry Tuo, AI Technology Director of Red Fun Planet. They delivered insightful presentations on the application prospects of artificial intelligence in content production as well as inter-civilizational mutual learning and exchange.

The participating guests agreed that artificial intelligence has brought revolutionary changes to the intelligent production, targeted communication and immersive presentation of cultural content. China and Singapore boast strong complementarity in digital infrastructure and cultural resources. Going forward, the two sides may deepen cooperation in joint research and development and scenario-based application, develop benchmark cultural-technology products and integrated solutions tailored for Southeast Asia, and jointly advance the high-quality development of the digital cultural industry.

This event was jointly hosted by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies and the Center for International Cultural Communication,CICG, with Nanyang Technological University and other cultural and business exchange institutions participating as supporting partners.

Hashtag: #ACCWS

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

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

DOBREȘTI, ROMANIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 April 2026 – On April 27, SANY Microgrid officially broke ground on its integrated solar-storage project in Dobrești, Romania. Xiang Wenbo, Rotating Chairman of SANY Group; Guo Ruiguang, Vice President of SANY Group and Chairman of SANY Microgrid Business Unit; other senior executives of SANY Group; local government representatives; and project partners joined more than 100 guests to witness this milestone.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Xiang Wenbo expressed sincere gratitude to the local government and partners for their support, and shared his expectations for the smooth implementation and long-term success of the project. Local government officials emphasized that the project is significant for optimizing the energy mix, creating jobs, and promoting sustainable economic development, and pledged full government support. SANY Microgrid also presented its relevant solutions at the ceremony.

As SANY Microgrid’s first large-scale grid-connected solar-storage demonstration project in Europe, the project will serve as a starting point for advancing renewable energy development and the transition to electric construction machinery across Europe. It will bring green momentum to the local economy, provide a model for Chinese enterprises expanding overseas in green energy transition, and contribute to global green energy development.

“SAN WIN GREEN ENERGY S.R.L. is the Romanian subsidiary supporting SANY’s renewable energy and microgrid expansion in Romania and Europe. The company, represented by Xu Zhongtian, focuses on renewable power development, photovoltaic projects, battery storage systems, EPC coordination, and integrated microgrid opportunities.”

Hashtag: #SANY

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

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

With Leisure Plus, Redefining Hong Kong’s Bathroom Experience Through AI
Smart Toilets and Bathroom Cabinets for a New Era of Intelligent Living

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 April 2026 – As urban life in Hong Kong places growing emphasis on efficiency, health and space utilisation, a truly future-facing bathroom brand has officially arrived. Leisure Plus Building Products Company Limited, which has been rooted in Hong Kong for nearly three decades, has officially announced its appointment as the Hong Kong sole agent for global bathroom leader JOMOO. Together, the two companies are bringing world-renowned premium smart bathroom products to the Hong Kong market, using JOMOO’s leading AI-powered digital technology to deliver innovative bathroom solutions tailored to the city’s unique living environment. This partnership not only marks the arrival of a heavyweight international brand in Hong Kong’s bathroom market, but also signals a new AI-driven era for local homes and commercial spaces.

For Hong Kong people, the bathroom has never been a purely functional space. Within a limited footprint, it carries cleansing, grooming, care, storage, and the rhythm of how each day begins and ends. Space is compact, humidity is high, storage must be efficient, and expectations for the user experience keep rising. JOMOO’s arrival in Hong Kong answers the city’s pursuit of efficiency, comfort, health and aesthetics with world-leading AI bathroom technology. The brand is also introducing several smart toilets and innovative bathroom mirror cabinets for their Hong Kong debut, showing how bathroom AI can move from concept into daily life and become a real part of improving everyday living.

Leisure Plus Building Products said: “Bringing JOMOO to Hong Kong reflects Leisure Plus’s deep insight into the future of living. We see Hong Kong’s premium bathroom market moving beyond traditional hardware into a new stage that combines smart technology, health management, space integration and sensory experience. By partnering with JOMOO, Leisure Plus is bringing globally leading AI smart bathroom technology to Hong Kong, not only adding an international-calibre brand to the market, but also redefining daily life through technology, enabling the bathroom to evolve from a single-function space into a core living space that delivers comfort, efficiency and wellness value.”

JOMOO: Reshaping the Bathroom Experience with AI and Unrivalled Global Leadership

Founded in 1990, JOMOO has long ranked No.1 in China’s bathroom industry and among the world’s top three. With technology-driven bathroom living at its core, the brand combines R&D, intelligent manufacturing and innovative design, and is committed to redefining premium living through AI. As the pioneer behind the “AI BATH” scene-based brand, JOMOO breaks away from conventional product thinking with pioneering motorised flip-and-discharge cleansing technology that significantly improves performance while achieving library-level quietness. Combined with AI robotic self-cleaning and contact-free health sensing technologies, it deeply integrates artificial intelligence, biosensing and everyday bathroom use, delivering more proactive and thoughtful health support for users.

In this high-profile move into Hong Kong, JOMOO is guided by the strategy “Tech Bathroom, Global JOMOO”, bringing not only products but also a lifestyle upgrade powered by AI. Tailored to Hong Kong’s compact and humid living environment, the brand offers smart, space-saving and health-enhancing bathroom solutions, helping lift the overall standard of bathroom living in the city.

From Smart Toilets to Bathroom Cabinets: A Powerful New AI Bathroom Lineup Arrives in Hong Kong

G06 and G08 Smart Digital Toilets

In Hong Kong’s space-constrained homes, bathroom spaces often face multiple challenges, including limited room, humidity and restricted functionality. Tailored specifically for Hong Kong homes, JOMOO is introducing two flagship smart toilets and one smart bathroom cabinet that use AI-powered digital technology to resolve the tension between space and functionality in one stroke, bringing consumers a world-leading premium smart bathroom experience. The G06 Smart Digital Toilet is an entry choice that balances intelligence, comfort and practicality, while the G08 Smart Digital Toilet comes with an upgraded digital display and a more comprehensive smart feature set, taking comfort, convenience and technology to a new level.

To address the common problem of compact bathrooms in Hong Kong, both products are equipped with features such as “triple foot-sensing control”, “smart wireless control” and “auto-flush on departure”. Users do not need to twist sideways or make unnecessary movements, and can enjoy a freer, smoother toilet experience even in narrower bathroom spaces. With an IPX4 water-resistance rating, the products also handle Hong Kong’s humid environment with ease, delivering reassurance and durability in everyday use.

Product highlights:
– Triple foot-sensing control with automatic lid opening for elegant use even in narrow spaces
– AI smart temperature sensing and adjustment for lasting comfort
– High-definition digital display showing water and seat temperature at a glance
– Multiple cleansing modes with antibacterial nozzle and warm-air drying system
– Soft-glow night light and backup flushing during power outages
– IPX4 high-efficiency water resistance for humid environments

Pricing:
– G06 Smart Digital Toilet:
Original price HK$5,980; promotional price HK$4,980

– G08 Smart Digital Toilet:
Original price HK$8,580; promotional price HK$5,980

Revolutionary Smart Bathroom Cabinet: VERA Jinci Series

Addressing the core issue of limited bathroom space in Hong Kong’s mainstream residential developments, JOMOO will soon launch the suspended VERA Jinci Series Smart Bathroom Cabinet. Powered by AI technology, it integrates three major functions – beauty-product preservation, dedicated wash care, and smart mirror features – so that every inch of space delivers greater value and daily routines become more precise, smoother and more relaxed, completely reinventing the bathroom experience.

Product highlights:
– 998x532x1900mm suspended golden-ratio structure with zero hygiene blind spots
– Built-in cosmetics fridge with AI-controlled constant temperature and humidity for skincare freshness
– Built-in 0.8kg mini drum washer with six cleansing modes tailored for small items
– Mirror with touch-control natural-light ambience and one-touch defogging
– High colour-rendering mirror for true-to-tone makeup application
– Moisture-resistant eco solid-wood body suited to Hong Kong’s maritime climate

The VERA Jinci Series Smart Bathroom Cabinet is scheduled to officially launch in Hong Kong in mid-2026. Consumers will be able to experience its intelligent features firsthand at JOMOO’s Hong Kong experience store. (Price to be announced)

https://leisureplushk.com/

Hashtag: #JOMOO #LeisurePlus #SmartBathroom

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

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

Business confidence has slumped into negative territory, as firms face weaker activity and rising cost pressures, ANZ says.

The bank’s latest Business Outlook survey shows headline confidence dropped from a net 32.5 percent in March to minus 10.6 percent in April.

Chief economist Sharon Zollner said buried in the data was the detail that responses were weaker in late March than early April, suggesting businesses may be adapting to the shock – but it was still a “precipitous fall either way.”

She said the result confirms businesses have turned decidedly more cautious about the economic outlook.

Forward-looking indicators weakened broadly, with firms’ expected own activity – a key measure of future demand – falling from 39.3 to 19.6, while employment, investment and export intentions all declined.

Profit expectations also swung into negative territory, highlighting the strain firms are under as costs rise while demand softens.

By contrast, reported activity over the past year was relatively steady at a net 16.9 percent, suggesting the hit to sentiment has yet to fully translate into weaker output.

However, ANZ noted the environment remains challenging, with uncertainty likely to weigh on hiring and investment decisions.

“It’s a response to uncertainty to maybe defer risky decisions – and investing or employing someone are both risky decisions to make,” Zollner said.

She singled out the construction sector, where higher interest rates, rising costs and potential material shortages had left it facing a “perfect storm.”

“Some consents might be quietly going on the shelf until this uncertainty is resolved.”

At the same time, inflation pressures picked up again in the survey.

Inflation expectations for the year ahead rose from 3.1 percent to 3.8 percent, their highest level since early 2024, while cost expectations surged to their highest levels since 2023.

ANZ described the environment as a significant cost shock for businesses, but firms appear reluctant – or unable – to fully pass those higher costs on, increasing pressure on margins.

Pricing intentions were little changed during the month, and expected price increases over the next three months remained broadly steady, while wage expectations eased slightly.

Zollner said that combination would offer some reassurance to the Reserve Bank that higher inflation may not become entrenched – although she acknowledged it was “bad news for workers, who are facing cost pressures of their own as fuel prices rise.”

Zollner said the survey had not altered ANZ’s forecast for the Reserve Bank to begin raising interest rates in July, even as firms and households continue to face rising costs.

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A local council representative has called for “balance”, as the government contemplates a cap on unsustainable rates increases.

The legislation, which would restrict the increases to 2-4 percent each year, was proposed for early 2027, with a two-year transition period, but international credit ratings agency S&P warned the limit would squeeze councils already struggling to make ends meet.

Only five of 78 councils have delivered a rates increase below four percent for the 2025/26 year.

Local Government NZ board member and Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith told Checkpoint some local bodies could show more “discipline” in their spending and could also be smarter about how they carried out their business.

“I can understand why it’s happening for some communities that have had real high increases over a number of years,” he said.

“I can understand totally where the concept is coming from and the discipline isn’t really a bad thing. We share some of those ideas, but it’s got to be balanced.

“We’ve seen what’s gone on in Australia, where there has been a very hard line and when things start breaking, you get a massive, massive bill.”

Smith suggested one necessary change to the proposed legislation was how the rates band was decided.

“It’s measured off CPI [Consumer Price Index], but councils don’t buy groceries or even a lot of petrol,” he said.

“We buy infrastructure, we buy buildings, we build roads and we purchase pipes, and that’s all quite differently indexed.

“Pipe manufacturers and construction and bridge builders all don’t work off CPI – they work off the open market and, consequently, we’ve been dealt to over a number of years.”

Smith suggested councils could look at other ways to cut their costs, including the assets they owned and operated in the community.

“We’ve always done things traditionally,” he said. “We’ve always owned things as councils, but possibly we can lease things.

“We all own museums, we own convention centres – do we really need to own them? We could lease them.

“Libraries and some chambers and some community centres are not things you would do that to, but there are different ways of dealing with it.

“We’ve just to think differently – it’s all small stuff and low-hanging fruit, but it makes a difference.”

While many were critical of exorbitant local government salaries, Smith denied staff were overpaid for their skills.

“Every council and every staffing situation will be different, and I think we are putting a very simplistic view that council people just turn up and do very mundane work,” he said.

“Some of them do incredibly complex work, whether it’s a chief planner in a very big council making billion-dollar decisions for their organisation – you can’t pay those people peanuts.

“I think it’s horses for course and I think there is a bit of simplistic talk about wages and what people are worth.

“Do we need to be a bit smarter about how we recruit and that sort of thing? Yes, I think there is an element of that, but again, balance has to come into the discussion.”

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Gym chain City Fitness has battled claims in court it deceived customers with misleading membership prices.

The fitness giant faced 16 charges under the Fair Trading Act .

The Commerce Commission claimed City Fitness’ advertised membership prices were misleading.

It said the gym chain did not include a compulsory transaction fee, which the commission said should have been included in the advertised price.

Labelling the 3 percent fee as a “transaction fee” which was not related to the costs for processing membership fee payments was also misleading, the commission said.

In the Auckland District Court on Thursday, the lawyer for the commission, Jacob Barry, said nearly 200,000 people had been affected by the costs over 16 months.

He described it as a cynical marketing ploy.

“As best as I can tell, none of the money has returned to the customers.”

He said City Fitness had been deceptive.

“City Fitness obviously saw there was a competitive benefit in pursuing it this way,” Barry said.

“It gets the benefit of the market, being able to sell its memberships with that attractive looking number, but it’s doing that in a false way and in my submission, in a consciously false way.”

The fee generated just under $1.6 million during that period, which Barry said was illegitimately obtained.

City Fitness continued to advertise the membership price despite being alerted the Commerce Commission was investigating, which Barry said was reckless.

Representing City Fitness was James Every-Palmer KC, who said the gym chain had not been deceptive, and that by the time customers were paying, they would have known about the fee.

“It arose out of good intentions from City Fitness to keep prices as low as possible, however, they fell down through a flawed implementation,” he said.

“But on the other hand, there’s no evidence that a single consumer has suffered actual harm, had ended up signing up without knowing about the fee, or would’ve signed up if the transaction fee had had a different label.”

Every-Palmer said the problem arose through carelessness not through an intention to deceive.

He said there was no evidence of deliberate deceit.

“I’ve heard today that the commission says the most serious thing here is that general cost recovery, including the cost of processing transactions, was recovered through a transaction fee, that that dwarfs the unobtainable price problem,” Every-Palmer said.

“But there’s simply no evidence that that was a deliberate attempt to mislead people, that that was, in some way, meant to make them think that that was their actually cost of transacting, and there’s simply no evidence that it made any difference to anyone…”

Judge David Clark reserved his decision.

At the time the gym franchise was charged, the commission’s competition, fair trading, and credit general manager Vanessa Horne said a business advertising cheaper than reality prices could give them an unfair advantage over competitors.

“There’s no excuse for false or misleading advertising,” she said.

“This investigation and the charges we have filed should send a clear message – when we see prices that we think are misleading, the commission will act so that businesses are held to account.”

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• New strategy highlights synergy among Global Payment, Global Account and Inclusive and Embedded Finance services built on progress in AI and interoperability.
• As a foundation to the business, Ant International’s global payment services support over 300 payment methods, including more than 10 national QR systems and 50 digital wallets and bank apps, and exceed 20 million daily transactions on average.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 April 2026 – Ant International now connects over 150 million global merchants with more than 2 billion user accounts globally, the company disclosed at its flagship MoMents 2026 fintech executive forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider. The company now supports 300+ payment methods in over 220 markets, including all card schemes, 50 mobile payment partners and more than 10 national QR systems, including Singapore’s SGQR, Malaysia’s DuitNow, South Korea’s ZeroPay, Thailand’s PromptPay, Indonesia’s QRIS, Sri Lanka’s LankaPay, and more. It recently onboarded more leading global e-wallets and bank apps such as iFAST Global Bank from the UK, KBank and SCB from Thailand, barq from Saudi Arabia and ShopeePay from Southeast Asia.

With an average of over 20 million transactions daily, Ant International is building broader market reach through new licenses and partnerships in Asia, Latin America and EMEA. In Vietnam, it partners with NAPAS and Vietcombank to roll out cross-border QR payment service, and is also working with the Ho Chi Minh City government on the development of an international financial centre. In Latin America, it formed a strategic partnership with Mexican fintech company R2 in late 2025, supporting the expansion of SME lending across the region. In the Middle East, Ant International collaborates with the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and national payment network mada, with plans to introduce Alipay+ cross-border QR payments in 2026. Its recent initiatives also include plans to roll out Islamic finance programs in Southeast Asia and other emerging markets.

While serving businesses in their global expansion, Ant International also ranks in first place in terms of the number of global accounts it has been managing for businesses, particularly SMEs, engaged in cross-border commerce.

“New models of financial interoperability and AI commerce give us powerful tools to help global giants as well as mom-and-pop shops to increase resilience and expand revenue streams,” said Peng Yang, CEO, Ant International. “A broader and deeper network means we can work with more partners on more levels to deliver more innovative, trusted, and high ROI fintech solutions in the world’s fastest growing markets.”

Layered solutions for enterprises, SMEs and emerging markets to achieve inclusive growth

Yang underlined a strategy to combine the forces of its four main businesses – Alipay+, Antom, Bettr and WorldFirst – to offer more connected growth solutions for businesses of all sizes.

• Global payment: Making payments a growth engine for businesses of all sizes to thrive in the global digital economy.
• Global account: Enabling AI-powered borderless global accounts for businesses of all sizes, and serving as the ticket to digital trade and commerce. This makes ‘born global’ a reality for all businesses from day one.
• Strategic value boosters: Leveraging innovation and technology to deliver embedded financing, credit and treasury solutions that power inclusive growth.
• Innovation and technology leadership: Grounded in extensive expertise in supporting global payments and businesses of all sizes, Ant International’s leading AI and blockchain solutions are co-developed with customers, partners and regulators to deliver real impact while ensuring security and compliance.

Go-to-market FinAI solutions for real-world problem solving

Working with top LLMs, card schemes and other fintechs, Ant International builds out FinAI capacities and solutions for merchants and financial institutions to tackle real-world growth and security challenges. Key examples include:

Agentic Mobile Protocol (AMP)

At MoMents 2026, Ant International has introduced the open-sourced AMP – the world’s first agentic payment framework designed for mobile interfaces – to help drive AI commerce. The protocol enables secure, AIOps-native agentic payment connection to mobile services including digital wallets, banking apps, super apps, and mobile portals from phones to wearable devices.

AI-as-a-Service Platform

Ant International’s AI-as-a-Service platform GenAI Cockpit equips fintech partners with tools to build a wide range of agentic solutions, from customer-service assistants to sales copilots. Malaysia’s leading e-wallet TNG eWallet, and easypaisa, Pakistan’s first digital bank, are using the platform to deliver better customer experiences with AI.

AI SHIELD

Ant International’s 3-in-1 risk management transformer maintains trust in the ecosystem by providing a robust security layer underpinning all transactions processed by the company. The model is supported by over 7 billion parameters, and combines graph, sequential and tabular data to identify high-risk transactions with over 95% precision, while improving payment success rates by up to 13.5%.

Falcon TST AI FX model

The industry-first MoE-based AI FX model makes long-term forecasts with prediction accuracy of up to 93%, leveraging over 8.5 billion parameters. Deployed internally at Ant International to manage cashflow and FX exposure on an hourly, daily and weekly basis, Falcon TST has helped to cut the company’s FX costs by up to 60%. The model was open-sourced in 2025 to expand access to its capabilities and invite collaboration to advance time-series learning.

EPOS360

A pioneering AI-powered SME app, EPOS360 integrates practical AI tools with POS system, payments, banking, financing and growth operations for small businesses. The suite of AI-powered tools and payment capabilities was launched in Singapore, and is also available to merchants in Malaysia as a mini-programme via TNG eWallet.

Antom Copilot

Antom Copilot provides automation and assistance for merchants based on learnings from real-world cases, improving efficiency of services such as chargeback dispute handling by up to 46%. Within a year of its launch, 72% of Antom-onboarded merchants completed self-service payment integration with the copilot.

At the MoMents 2026 fintech executive forum held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, executives from global payment networks, banks, fintechs, tech companies, and governors came together to discuss the future of financial services in the era of AI commerce. Conversations focused on new forms of payment transformation, multi-layer global interoperability, super app evolution with AI-native tech, innovation of Islamic financing and initiatives around trust and security.

Ant International launched its Digital Business Center in Kuala Lumpur in 2024.

Hashtag: #AntInternational

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

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

MIL OSI

Auckland Council’s head of flood response says he is concerned stormwater infrastructure is going to be left behind in the three waters reforms.

Parts of Wellington remain in cleanup mode after a record deluge last week and the council is helping some 40 families and individuals find temporary accommodation as their homes have been labelled uninhabitable.

Auckland Council’s general manager of Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience, Craig McIlroy, has led a programme using fields, widening streams and other nature-based solutions to managing flooding.

He told Nine to Noon recent reform of water services has focused on wastewater and drinking water, and stormwater has often been treated as “the poor cousin”.

“We’ve got the situation at the moment that these new water entities have been set up, but they’ve got major major wastewater and water challenges. And my concern at the moment is that stormwater is probably going to be the poor cousin for a few more years yet because while it’s part of a big three waters entity, there’s no way that the stormwater side of the operation is going to get that same attention as water and wastewater on day one.”

McIlroy said Taumata Arowai, who is the technical regulator of water currently has stormwater as its third priority, and the Commerce Commission, who is the economic regulator, doesn’t even mention stormwater on its website.

With public concern around flooding high, there is now a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop regional stormwater entities that could follow the model that has worked in Auckland, McIlroy said.

“Providing the community with a really reliable and resilient stormwater network going forward is something that the community is going to demand.

“I would rather think that stormwater could be managed differently by maybe looking at how the type of model that’s been applied in Auckland through Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience. I personally think needs replicating across different regions in New Zealand.”

Currently the district councils manage urban stormwater, while the regional councils manage rural stormwater, and McIlroy said the two organisations need to be “working a lot more closely together in order to come up with the best overall solution for the community.”

“The problem we’ve got at the moment is there are no stormwater standards in New Zealand that have to be applied across the nation and so it’s up to every jurisdiction at the moment to apply their own standards.”

McIlroy called for a document which sets out both technical and customer standards, which “everyone” signs up to.

‘An entirely new future’

McIlroy said there needs to be a new way to manage stormwater because “building bigger pipes won’t work.”

With rain events and flooding seemingly becoming more common for parts of the country, McIlroy said “we’re facing an entirely new future where quite frankly the history is almost irrelevant.”

McIlroy said while wastewater and drinking water were “pipe networks”, stormwater needs somewhere else to go when the pipes are blocked or full, which is what happens during heavy rain events.

“The problem with pipes is they’re very prone to blockage and the minute you get a big event you get lots of rubbish and dead debris that’s in the community that gets washed into drains, ends up blocking pipes, end up blocking culverts. So even if the pipes have a theoretical capacity, the reality of these events is that the pipe capacity is not going to be available to you.”

McIlroy suggested looking to “pre-European times and think about how nature designed land to work,” but currently developers “pipe all the natural streams to create as much land as possible to build on, and of course that defeats the purpose of how we manage stormwater in a sensible way.”

He said natural solutions had to be at the forefront of stormwater strategy now by developing “blue-green networks”.

“A blue-green network is where you take an existing situation, mostly it’ll be an existing stream but it could be an existing pipe as well, and you create a new waterway by either daylighting the pipe and creating a stream in its place, or taking an existing stream and increasing its hydraulic capacity by making it deeper and wider.

“The idea is that the green bit that sits alongside the stream in a very extreme event becomes blue because that’s where we want the water to go.”

McIlroy said existing parks in established suburbs can co-exist with proactive stormwater management, and in the Auckland rain event of 2023, the suburb of Northcote provided a good example of how it works.

“There’s a playing field that’s a part of a community and it’s designed to flood in an extreme event and it did in the January 2023 event, it did flood within 24 hours it was green again and so that’s the type of approach that we need.”

McIlroy said to manage stormwater there needs to be appropriate zoning and land use controls in place, and councils need to plan for a “worst case scenario and then work backwards from that situation to see what is affordable in the community.”

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

MIL OSI

Small business sales continued their upward momentum at the start of the year, but there is uncertainty about whether it can continue amid the economic fallout from the Iran war.

Accounting software firm Xero’s Small Business Insights showed average small business sales rose in the March quarter, up 3.9 percent from the same period a year ago.

It followed an identical rise in the December quarter.

“In the March quarter we saw encouraging signs that discretionary spending was returning,” Xero country manager Bridget Snelling said.

“Strong results in retail and hospitality – with hospitality recording its best quarter in nearly three years – suggest households were becoming a little more willing to spend on non‑essentials,” Snelling said.

The improving sales conditions also meant jobs growth, with Xero recording small business jobs rising 1.1 percent from a year ago, led by agriculture and manufacturing, while wages rose 2.2 percent.

Retail trade sales were up more than 5 percent, while Xero said hospitality recorded its best quarter in nearly three years, up 4 percent from a year ago.

Construction sales rose for the third consecutive quarter, up 4 percent, after two years of consistent losses.

Snelling said the improvement was consistent with the impact of last year’s interest rate cuts beginning to flow through to consumer behaviour.

“Of course, we need to consider the broader macroeconomic backdrop: we are yet to see the most significant impacts of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and how this impacts the cost of living in New Zealand,” she said.

“Rising fuel prices put pressure on both sides of the ledger – they lift costs for businesses while also weighing on consumer spending.”

Snelling said it was “encouraging” to see small businesses in a stronger position to absorb the shocks after five consecutive quarters of improving sales and confidence.

Regionally, there were more signs of the so-called two-speed economy, where the South Island continued to outperform the North.

Xero said Canterbury and Otago led sales growth, up 6.5 and 5.8 percent respectively. The same two regions also led jobs growth, up 4.4 and 2.6 percent respectively.

Auckland and Wellington recorded marginally fewer jobs than a year ago, down 0.7 and 0.5 percent respectively.

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

Twenty asylum seekers have been detained in prisons since a government-commissioned report called for the practice to end.

“Detention at Corrections facilities should not occur,” Victoria Casey KC said after revelations of ‘fights clubs’ inside Mt Eden prison where asylum claimants were being held.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) was told in 2022 to come up with bespoke civil arrangements for detention with Corrections if they had security or identity concerns about a claimant.

Figures released to RNZ show asylum seekers were being housed at Spring Hill, Mt Eden, Rimutaka and Christchurch men’s prisons since 2023. One woman had been held at Auckland’s women’s jail for between six and 10 days this year.

Of those held, one man was detained for between six to eight months.

The detention lengths had reduced significantly – between 2015 and 2020, 60 percent of those detained were held for more than three months, and 12 percent for over a year. One person was held for more than three years.

UNHCR guidelines emphasise detention must only be used on an exceptional and individual basis, as a measure of last resort when no alternative exists.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said some delays in releasing asylum seekers in the community were caused by locating suitable accommodation.

Immigration detention centre?

Casey was told there had been intermittent proposals for a short-term detention facility close to Auckland airport, which would be used for immigration detainees facing deportation as well, and she suggested that should be looked at again.

INZ previously said “bespoke settings” referred to a tailored legal framework, rather than a physical location, including residence and reporting conditions, release on conditions and electronic monitoring and that New Zealand was too small to justify an immigration detention centre.

“I suggest that INZ engage with Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Corrections), who have wide experience in a range of varying detention arrangements to deal with particular groups (low security prisoners, mothers with babies, Public Safety (Public Protection) Orders and Extended Supervision Orders,” Casey said.

“It seems likely that the civil detention arrangements for public safety or extended supervision orders could provide a useful template for one-off bespoke arrangements for refugee claimants posing a serious threat to public safety or risk to national security, as the objectives and purposes of the detention are similar.”

‘Nothing illegal about claiming asylum’

Auckland University Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies co-director Professor Jay Marlowe said asylum seekers were not criminals.

“There’s nothing illegal about claiming asylum. People have the right to do that. And so there are alternatives to detention. So, that might be that someone’s expected to live at a specific address or facility. Maybe they’re not allowed to travel outside a certain area. Maybe they need to report regularly to some sort of authority, maybe an immigration authority, or there might be certain conditions on work, study, or movement.

“The fact that detention occurs within custodial settings continues to raise serious concerns about prison as an appropriate and safe environment for what is fundamentally an administrative process.”

Problems with securing appropriate accommodation should not be used as an excuse for detention, he said.

“Ensuring suitable housing is necessary, but it should not result in people remaining in prison settings by default. If anything, it highlights the need for better resourcing of community-based alternatives, rather than reliance on custodial environments for administrative detention.”

MBIE said no contract had yet been entered into for its electronic monitoring programme.

It had a panel on restriction of freedom of movement of asylum claimants to decide on individual cases, and since 2024 it had made 32 decisions.

“Delays in releasing some individuals from Corrections facilities were primarily due to difficulties in securing suitable accommodation in the community,” it said.

“MBIE’s practice is to ensure that appropriate accommodation is in place before applying to the district court for a release on conditions.”

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

With many of us already dealing with power price rises, and fears of more hikes as winter hits, here are some simple ways to help you cut down the bill.

Give your house the best chance of holding on to heat

A good way to make your house cheaper to heat is to help it hold on to the warmth a bit longer.

Consumer NZ recommends checking for draughts by taking a candle and tracing the edges of your windows and doors. “When the smoke starts going sideways you’ve found a draught. Window sealant tape is a cheap way to keep in the heat.”

Upgrading your curtains can also help. Consumer said it was more important that they fit snugly against the windowframe than the material they were made from.

The Electricity Authority said most New Zealand homes were built before wall insulation was required, and adding this could be a cost-effective way to improve the warmth of your house.

If you can cope with how it looks, even sticking bubble wrap on your windows can be effective.

Change to LED lightbulbs

A switch to LED lightbulbs can significantly reduce the cost of lighting your home.

The authority said only about 30 percent of the power used by incandescent bulbs turned into useful light. An LED would give a similar level of light to a 100 watt incandescent bulb but only use 8 to 12 watts.

LED light bulbs do cost more upfront but should pay themselves off relatively quickly. They cost about $1 or $2 a year to use, compared to $10 to $35 for an incandescent bulb.

Maximise your heat pump

Heat pumps can be an efficient way to heat a room.

It’s usually recommended to set the temperature between 18 and 22 – a comfortable indoor temperature that requires less energy than a high heat. Clean your filters if you haven’t done so this year and turn it off when you’re not using it.

Heat pumps usually have a dry mode to dehumidify a room but Consumer NZ said its testing showed that a dehumidifier used in tandem with a heat pump on heating mode would give the best results.

Don’t dry clothes inside

How you dry your clothes can save power.

The Electricity Authority said drying clothes would add up to five litres of moisture to the air of a house, which meant it would require more power to heat.

It said it could be more cost-effective in some cases to run a dryer for a short time to get your clothes dry.

Consumer estimates a vented condenser dryer costs 50c per load and a heat pump dryer 25c. Your dryer should obviously be vented outside or have a tank to collect the moisture.

Time of use plans

If you’re able to switch when you use your power, you may be able to save money with a time of use plan. These offer lower power prices at off-peak times in return for higher rates during peak periods.

If you can set your washing machine to run after you go to bed, or set your spa pool to heat in off-peak times, you might notice a saving.

It has been estimated that people who are careful can save up to 20 percent with a time-of-use plan. Large retailers are required to be offering these by July 1.

If you’re struggling you may be able to ask your power company to smooth your bills out through the year so you pay a bit more in summer in return for a bit less in winter.

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

Modern Platform Enhances Business Travel Within Energy, Marine, Mining and Other Complex Sectors

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

A sustainable tourism expert says environmental damage from cruise ships far outweigh any economic benefits for local businesses.

Studies have found cruise passengers spend less money than other tourists, while the ships themselves cause widespread pollution.

But business leaders say cruise ships bring tens of millions of dollars to their communities.

In the Bay of Islands, cruise ships are big business.

Far North Holdings cruise manager Irwin Wilson said visiting ships brought stacks of cash to his region.

“This last year we’ve had 42 ships visit the bay. Average spend in the bay is about $180 per person. That’s worth about $16.2 million to the Bay of Islands,” he said.

But for artist and climate activist Bruce Mahalski, there’s little appeal.

As the owner of Dunedin’s Museum of Natural Mystery, he operates in the very same tourism industry that cruise ships are meant to benefit.

“I think it’s extremely low value tourism, but extremely damaging tourism,” he said.

“There’s only a small number of businesses that benefit, and the main one would be the bus companies, and you’ve also got some of the big attractions that benefit, but the small retailers, you know, the person on the ground does not benefit.”

Mahalski questioned whether the supposed economic benefits could compare to the environmental damage.

James Higham, a professor of sustainable tourism at Brisbane’s Griffith University, had studied just that, with a 2024 paper weighing the benefits and impacts of cruise tourism in New Zealand.

“What we found was that cruise tourism accounts for approximately 1 percent of total New Zealand tourism expenditure, and that share has remained flat.

This is because they do a lot of their spending on board rather than on shore,” he said

While some regions enjoyed decent returns, he said others saw none at all.

Milford Sound, a jewel in New Zealand’s tourism crown, didn’t have the infrastructure for cruises to dock.

That meant passengers, and their wallets, stayed on-board.

“We found that Fiordland, which was a major focus of our research, Fiordland receives 69 percent of all New Zealand cruise passengers because they want to go to Milford Sound, and 0 percent of spending,” Higham said.

A 2020 report by the Institute of Economic Research found cruise tourism accounted for 9 percent of international arrivals, but only 3 percent of spending.

Bruce Mahalski said the uneven economic benefits weren’t worth the cost from pollution.

Although cruise companies had made efforts to reduce air pollution in response to limits on sulphur emissions imposed by the International Maritime Organisation in 2020, Mahalski said they had done so by increasing ocean pollution

So-called ‘scrubbers’ were an emerging technology that took exhaust chemicals and converted them into sludge that could be stored on-board or flushed into the ocean.

“Companies have put these so-called scrubbers into their funnels, like a filter on a cigarette, I suppose,” Mahalski explained.

“A closed-loop system is where they actually capture the materials that are caught in the scrubbers, and the open-loop is where they basically suck up water from the surrounding ocean and just flush it [back] into the surrounding water.”

In the United States, local authorities attempting to regulate scrubbers have faced resistance.

A March article by Alaska Public Media reported Carnival Corporation, a frequent visitor to New Zealand, had withheld pollution data from inspectors.

In a statement to RNZ, Carnival Corporation said it worked closely with Alaskan authorities and was always open to sharing data.

Maritime NZ told RNZ it was aware of pollution issues involving Carnival Corporation in the United States, but didn’t have any concerns about its operations in New Zealand.

But Bruce Mahalski said it wasn’t the first time Carnival Corporation had caused friction with local authorities.

“You’ve probably heard about them in Alaska recently, and recently there’s been problems in Australian ports [too]. They’re not allowing inspectors on board. They’ve just got an absolutely shocking reputation for evading legislation.”

Maritime NZ said it was consulting on further regulations for scrubbers, including requiring ships to change to lower emission fuel in New Zealand waters, or switch scrubbers to a ‘zero discharge’ mode within 12 nautical miles.

Professor Higham said some countries had banned them outright.

“Portugal has banned open-loop scrubbers in all of its ports. Belgium has banned scrubbers within three nautical miles of its coast. In the US, California and Connecticut have implemented bans in ports and territorial waters,” he said.

Cruise Association chief executive Jacqui Lloyd said the benefits of cruises outweighed the costs.

A study commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment estimated $648 million had been spent by passengers, crew members and vessels during the 2024 season, and determined the industry was a net positive despite environmental concerns.

“If we look at the research that MBIE did in April last year, where they came out to say that the benefits to New Zealand of cruise outweigh any direct costs, and that’s in regards to emissions, environmental, and so on,” she said.

“Certainly there’s some more work to do. We’re not saying that everything is perfect.”

Lloyd said the cruise industry was well aware that it needed to clean itself up, and new ships were being developed with their environmental impacts in mind.

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