Led by Te Herenga Waka Centre for Justice Innovation, this research project will examine when and how remote participation should be used in criminal court proceedings, with the goal of supporting fairer and more effective justice processes.

The use of remote participation in courts refers to where one or more participants take part in court proceedings using audio-visual link (AVL) or audio technology, rather than appearing in person. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, remote appearances have become more common in courts around the world, but there is a need for more evidence about the impact on vulnerable defendants, victims, and the integrity of court processes.

“There are many barriers to participation in the court and those who are neurodivergent or have disabilities often require special accommodations. We need to know whether remote participation is a help or a hindrance for these people and determine how we know who is who, and who needs what to enable effective participation,” says retired judge John Walker, a co-director of the Centre, and project co-lead.

“There are many benefits of remote participation by AVL but we hope our research will enable decisions to be made which balance these benefits against the right to fully participate in court” he said.

The project, which is supported through a Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation grant with additional Ministry of Justice funding, will build an evidence base through empirical research with court users and stakeholders, along with a review of international experiences.

Research from this project aims to ensure that technology enhances people’s experiences of court systems and proceedings. “We will focus initially on the effects of remote participation on defendants, especially those who are neurodivergent, have mental health needs, or have intellectual disabilities. We will also examine the experiences of victims, impacts on Māori and Pasifika court participants, and consider the impact on those in custody, including the management of transitions from custodial settings to courtrooms via AV link,” explains John Walker.

“We anticipate that the project findings will contribute to government and judicial decision-making regarding the scope of remote participation, such as the types of proceedings, rights protections, and procedures necessary now and in future,” says project co-lead, Professor Yvette Tinsley.

As an independent voice on justice issues, Te Herenga Waka’s Centre for Justice Innovation is well placed to lead this work. The Centre, based at Te Kauhanganui Tātai Ture—Faculty of Law at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, brings together multidisciplinary expertise to support change in the way that justice is delivered in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The project will be led by the Centre’s co-directors, Professor Yvette Tinsley, John Walker, and conflict resolution practitioner, Everard Halbert (Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Whiti), with support from colleagues across the Faculty of Law and wider university.

The Centre held a valuable forum in March, bringing together representatives from the disability and neurodivergence spaces, justice sector agencies, and the judiciary, for a conversation about the challenges and benefits of utilising remote participation for defendants facing barriers to participation.

“The forum raised issues that will guide us in the areas we need to concentrate on in our research”, says John Walker.

A summary report of this forum is now available on the Te Herenga Waka Centre for Justice Innovation website and is the first of a series of publications from the project.

“We are grateful for our funders’ support of this project, and for the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation’s ongoing support of the Te Herenga Waka Centre for Justice Innovation’s work in addressing cross-cutting justice issues,” says Professor Tinsley.

Website: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/cjinz

Direct Link to Remote Participation Project: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/cjinz/research/remote-participation-criminal-proceedings

MIL OSI

A $1.26 half-year billion profit for ANZ. A $545 million half-year for Westpac. A $494m result for BNZ.

As New Zealand’s economy reels from one hit to the next, some commentators have asked whether the run of recent profits for banks show they are one of the few businesses that can turn a healthy profit no matter what.

David Cunningham, chief executive of Squirrel and former chief executive of The Co-Operative Bank, said it was fair to suggest that banks were generally able to make money regardless of the wider business environment.

“Imagine if a bank did nothing for a year, stopped lending, stopped doing anything for a year, they’d still make 90 percent of the profit.

“Every year, over 150 or 200 years for many banks, they build up an annuity stream and every year they’re topping that up. The banking sector will typically grow at around the nominal GDP rate. If you think of inflation at 3 percent and real growth at 2, so nominal GDP at 5, that’s pretty much what you’d expect banks to achieve consistently over time unless they’re in a big cost-cutting mode or in a high-growth sort of phase.”

He said there would be times when credit provisions and credit write-offs could affect the reported profits but it did not necessarily mean they lost money.

Many banks set aside large loan loss provisions heading into the Covid-19 pandemic, which then were reversed out.

“They’re providing against the risk that in future they will lose the money… [but] there’s a great saying, the only thing worse than a profitable bank is an unprofitable one.”

He said most customers would be most concerned that banks were supporting investment in the economy and helping people when they needed loans for things like buying houses.

“The question in New Zealand is, are they for a very low-risk business? I mean, it’s almost utility-like. Utilities tend to have predictable, long-run, fairly stable earnings. So is a return on equity sort of near a 13 percent, 14 percent for some of them fair, or, you know, is a return nearer 10 percent like the overall of yield of banks in Australia fairer?”

But Claire Matthews, a banking expert at Massey University, said it was not true that banks were unaffected by wider forces.

She noted Westpac’s result said its impairment provisions were due to worsening economic conditions and margin compression as the official cash rate dropped.

BNZ’s profit was down 38 percent, although largely because of a change in the way it accounts for software spending.

“The banks have managed not to lose money in recent recessions, which reflects careful financial management and the fact that we haven’t had a really substantial downturn. As I’ve said in the past, we don’t actually want the banks to make losses, but they do feel the impact of economic conditions. It is also worth remembering that they are usually affected later by economic downturns, because it takes time to work through to the banks.’

Generate investment specialist Greg Smith said earnings were sensitive in a nuanced way.

“They can generate profits through the cycle, but recent results from ANZ, NAB and Westpac show earnings are clearly being shaped by slower growth, higher bad debts, intense competition and the impact of higher interest rates. The Middle East is a factor.

“They can perform well early in a rate tightening cycle because they typically reprice mortgage rates quickly, while deposit rates adjust more slowly, which leads to a temporary expansion in net interest margins. That dynamic helped support profitability over the past couple of years.

“However, what we’re seeing now across ANZ, NAB and Westpac is the other side of that cycle starting to dominate. Higher rates are now feeding through to customers, with banks lifting provisions for bad debts and flagging stress in parts of the economy. Credit growth is slowing, with businesses and households pulling back. Competition for deposits and mortgages is intensifying, putting pressure back on margins. Profits remain high in absolute terms, but earnings growth is limited or declining.”

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

Infrastructure minister Chris Bishop has committed to a review of Auckland’s multibillion-dollar City Rail Link project, saying he’s unhappy with the price tag.

It comes after the New Zealand Herald reported the project’s former boss, Dr Sean Sweeney, said it could have been done at half the cost – about $2 billion cheaper if design changes were made earlier.

Sweeney left the chief executive role in 2024 after six years.

Work began on the $5.5b CRL in 2017. It was initially expected to cost between $2.8b and $3.4b.

It’s the country’s largest infrastructure project, expected to nearly double Auckland’s rail capacity when it opens later this year.

Bishop said he, “like everyone”, was unhappy with the project’s cost.

“I have a lot of respect for Mr Sweeney so I take what he says seriously,” he said.

“The focus at the moment is on completing the project and getting it open. However, I am determined to do a post-completion full review of the project, which is something not often done in New Zealand.”

The review would be carried out by the Infrastructure Commission and consider the project’s history, business cases and costs, Bishop said.

“It also needs to look at missed opportunities. I’ve been open about how CRL was only really ever envisaged as a transport project when it is so much more than that.”

CRL chief executive Patrick Brockie said he welcomed a review, and was already planning an independent “lessons learned review” given the project’s size and complexity.

“Independent reviews of any major infrastructure project are an important part of a process to identify opportunities to improve future projects in New Zealand,” he said.

CRL was focused on finishing the project in the coming months, which Aucklanders could rely on “for decades to come”, Brockie said.

“It’s also important to note that the overall cost of the CRL reflects a wide range of factors beyond architecture alone, including the complexity of building a major underground rail project in the city centre, market and supply-chain conditions, and the impacts of Covid-19 and associated disruptions over the life of the programme.”

In 2019 a design change increased the CRL’s capacity to allow nine-car trains rather than six, which added additional cost due to extended platforms, an extra station increase and providing for future platform screen doors, Brockie said.

“But future-proofing for nine-car trains will mean that the CRL will be able to continue to deliver capacity as the population continues grows over the decades.”

The infrastructure pipeline was a common challenge facing the industry and had been well canvassed across the political spectrum, he said.

Last year, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown said the city’s proposed 7.9 percent rates increase was largely due to the CRL.

City Rail Link has been approached for comment.

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

A leading economist says businesses could exploit the war in the Middle East to raise prices even when not directly related to the fuel crisis.

Petrol price surges have seen 91 routinely above $3 a litre and KiwiRail this week announced an increase on the fuel surcharge for freight on the Interislander ferry. Internationally, shipping company Maersk announced its own 27 percent fuel surcharge.

The Reserve Bank has warned that the fuel and transport costs would likely push inflation above 4 percent in the June quarter.

Westpac economist Kelly Eckhold told Nine to Noon on Wednesday businesses find it easier to lift prices when inflation is becoming widespread.

“[Many price hikes] you can shape back to fuel quite quickly. And in those cases, firms are taking their approach of imposing surcharges. So they’re saying, ‘Well, we’re going to put the price up by this amount’. It’s reflecting this increase in the oil or the refined fuels price.

“And then they say, ‘When those prices come down, we’ll remove that’. So that’s pretty transparent, isn’t it? And then that’s the sort of pricing behaviour that I don’t think the Reserve Bank or anyone would be very surprised by.”

But in other cases, Eckhold explained, prices are unlikely to drop when the price of fuel normalises – particularly if they cannot be linked directly back to the cost of fuel.

“When the services prices start to increase, for example, my Spotify subscription or your Sky subscription, et cetera, you’re very unlikely to see those prices fall back.

“What’s more likely is that is the price, that’s the base price that you’ll pay in the future. And the best you might hope for is that if costs rise less quickly in the future, then maybe the next increase that you see could be delayed for a period of time.

“That sort of inflation, I think, is less comfortable for central banks and the sort of inflation that they’re really all looking out for to gauge just how much… they have to increase interest rates by.”

The next official cash rate (OCR) update from the Reserve Bank is due on 27 May. The bank uses the OCR to increase or decrease the cost of borrowing – the former decreases spending and aims to curb inflation, while the latter does the opposite.

Eckhold did not believe the OCR would need to rise as much as it did following Covid-19, when it peaked at 5.5 percent in 2023.

“The conditions are a bit different. I mean, there we had a big supply shock coming from the Covid disruptions themselves, and then the onset of the Russian war, combined with very expensive fiscal and military policy. And that second set of factors isn’t really present right now, at least not in New Zealand.”

It could take a few more months to see the full impact of the Iran war on the economy here, Eckhold said.

“Fertiliser is a good example where we produce some fertiliser here, but a lot of it is actually imported. We got a little bit lucky in the fertiliser game because we had imported a lot of our needs for the next six months before the shock hit.

“The questions are going to arise about what happens after that period, and prices are lifting because global prices have gone up over 100 percent. An imbalance increased their prices yesterday by about 10 or 15 percent, starting to reflect that.

“But all through the rest of the supply chain, particularly think about plastics. So pretty much everything you buy comes in some kind of plastic container. That stuff is directly an offshoot of the naphtha market, which is a part of the oil distillation process. And those are the sort of price increases that are going to become really prominent, broad, but also come at quite a bit of a lag as that filters through the global supply chains.”

That delay could prompt the Reserve Bank to get ahead of any possible inflation, he said. The OCR was currently at 2.25 percent.

“They will probably realise that with this increase in headline inflation, that inflation expectations are likely to rise. And they’ll be trying to gauge how long this increase in inflation is going to last. And there, the news hasn’t been very good, because forecasts of the gulf war ending within a few weeks have consistently been disappointed.”

Whatever happens, it was likely New Zealand’s economy was in for a “tough time”, particularly through winter, with increased petrol costs slashing spending in retail and hospitality.

“I think the housing market is one that just won’t do very well in this environment, because we’re probably looking at a rising unemployment rate. Disposable incomes are being cut here by the cost shock. Confidence is also really low, and confidence is quite important for that.

“The other thing is to think about is the tourism market as well, because the costs of coming to New Zealand are probably getting more expensive and uncertain…

“New Zealand Incorporated has taken a big income loss here because we’re basically paying an extra, say, $6 or $7 or $8 billion a year for our refined fuels than we did in the previous year. When I look at that, that’s two-thirds of the dairy industry that we just lost in terms of income. And the government, the Reserve Bank, no one can give that back to us.”

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

MIL OSI

Explainer – New Zealand has signed a deal with Singapore that will ensure exports of essential supplies like food and fuel keep flowing, even during a crisis.

A bit like the one we’re facing now.

While it was inked this week, negotiations concluded last year, and Singapore has kept the fuel coming since the outbreak of the war on Iran.

Neither Christopher Luxon nor his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong would have known just how handy that deal was going to become back in October.

It’s a pretty simple equation, crisis or no crisis: New Zealand needs fuel, Singapore supplies fuel. Singapore needs food, New Zealand supplies food.

With no refinery in New Zealand since the closure of Marsden Point, we’ve had to rely on importing refined fuel from elsewhere. Singapore has supplied around a third of that.

The background

New Zealand and Singapore have a longstanding trade relationship.

In the year to June 2025, two-way trade was worth $11.07 billion.

The two countries signed a free trade agreement (the New Zealand-Singapore Closer Economic Partnership, or CEP) all the way back in 2000.

In April 2020, they committed to a declaration on trade in essential goods, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

That declaration ensured neither New Zealand nor Singapore would impose export restrictions like tariffs on 120 essential goods like various foods, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment.

While the declaration was non-binding, in 2022 former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and former Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong established a supply chain working group to build on those commitments and spirit of cooperation.

In October 2024, Cabinet agreed to launch negotiations, and a year later the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES) was agreed to.

Were we at risk of fuel being cut off?

Singapore has made it clear it was hardly going to turn the tap off anyway, given the relationship and how much it runs counter to our general trade philosophies.

New Zealand farmers are pretty reliant on diesel, in order to produce the food that is then exported to Singapore.

So there was never much of a motivation for Singapore or New Zealand to all of a sudden become more protectionist.

But now it’s in writing, with legal obligations, and sitting within the CEP.

“Unlike the declaration, the AOTES is a binding, treaty level agreement and is not responding to an immediate supply shock but helping both of our countries prepare for future crises,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials wrote in a national interest analysis.

Countries can use a critical shortages exception under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), but this new deal is “novel,” officials said, because it prevents that from happening.

Not that New Zealand has ever used that exception. To the best of their knowledge, officials couldn’t find an example.

So, even if Singapore experiences a supply shock, it still can’t apply that shortages exception, which gives New Zealand more certainty.

But what if the worst happens?

If we’re talking about the absolute worst of the worst of situations, like a nuclear apocalypse which wipes out all of our crops, or the island where Singapore’s refineries are based all of a sudden sinks into the sea, then yes, sure, Singapore and New Zealand could technically circumvent the agreement.

The countries can still use other provisions or exceptions in the GATT or their World Trade Organisation agreements, so they can still impose export controls for “reasons such as national security threats, the protection of human, plant and animal health, public morals, or the regulation of classification, grading or marketing of commodities in international trade.”

That’s where a rapid review clause comes in, meaning both parties can call an emergency meeting to discuss adding or removing goods to or from the list.

Singapore and New Zealand have also promised to share information with each other in the event of a significant or imminent supply chain disruption, such as the predicted impact on their economy or national security, or how long it may last.

There is a provision within Singapore and New Zealand’s CEP which allows Singapore to adopt “any measure” to address critical shortages of essential imports.

So, if there’s a supply chain crisis, Singapore could use the provision within the CEP to prove an exemption from the AOTES.

But, officials said, the threshold was high, as the “relevant goods need to be listed as essential in Singapore’s domestic law, the critical shortages need to give rise to major difficulties for Singapore, and the measure should not be used to arbitrarily discriminate against New Zealand or to impose a disguised restriction on trade.”

So why is fuel still so expensive?

While the deal reduces New Zealand’s risk of fuel shortages, it doesn’t reduce our exposure to prices.

The AOTES ensures both countries continue to “expedite and facilitate” the flow of supplies, and prevents them from imposing export restrictions.

It does not “cut across” the role of the private sector in the production or management of supply chains, and there’s no regulation within the agreement for the private sector.

It also doesn’t mean New Zealand or Singapore have to commit to procurement, or guarantee the supply of goods.

New Zealand importers still have to pay the market rate for the fuel, and that inevitably gets passed on to consumers.

Singapore’s refineries have had to adapt to process sweeter crude than they’re used to, and sourcing it from elsewhere has also brought in extra costs.

The fuel companies can source it. They can refine it. They can transport it. But it’s still going to cost us, especially if that supply gets more constrained.

That’s why, even though the fuel is still coming into New Zealand, we’re still seeing those prices at the pump.

Both Wong and Luxon have been bleak in their assessments of the fuel crisis, with neither thinking it’s going to end any time soon.

What else is in there?

Food and fuel are the headline items, mainly because they’re the most pressing things the respective countries would need in a crisis.

The lists can be changed, but only if both parties agree to the edits.

New Zealand’s list includes petroleum and oils (other than crude, which we wouldn’t need anyway without a refinery), hydrocarbons, medications, vaccines, polymers, medical equipment, and building materials like steel and glass insulation.

Officials on the New Zealand side said the list was chosen to reflect what New Zealand already imported from Singapore, as well as “whether New Zealand could or could not stand-up production of the specific good in the times of crisis, how substitutable the good is, and whether we can easily source the good from elsewhere.”

Singapore’s list is almost entirely food: meats, vegetables, legumes, fruits, dairy, grains.

Coal is also on Singapore’s list, as are photographic cameras, for some reason.

Is it really a world first?

The “first of its kind” definition is technically true.

Australia concluded negotiations on a similar economic resilience deal with Singapore last month, committing to keep supplying Singapore with liquefied natural gas while Singapore promised to keep supplying Australia with refined fuel.

But even though New Zealand’s deal has only just been signed now, it has been locked in for longer.

Luxon has used that to rebuff criticisms that he should have got on a plane to Singapore sooner. The deal was agreed to in October, Singapore promised to abide by it in-principle once the war started, there was no rush.

“We didn’t need to, because the Australians didn’t have what we have. They probably still haven’t got what we have. We put this in place in October, Prime Minister Wong and I are good friends, and we agreed that we would work to this and formally sign it on this visit. So it’s served us incredibly well. We haven’t needed to go sooner as a result of this,” he told RNZ ahead of the trip.

Can we expect others to join in?

Luxon is pointing to the deal as an example of smaller countries innovating and modernising trade architecture, rather than responding to the United States’ tariffs with a tit-for-tat protectionism.

Both he and Wong have expressed openness to other countries wanting to join in.

Singapore and New Zealand’s deal had an advantage because they came from a running start, and had identified the products each other wanted, but both prime ministers have said others can sign up, as long as they can meet the same standards, guarantees, and commitments.

In July, New Zealand will chair a meeting with 15 other like-minded economies such as Malaysia, Switzerland, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates, and Luxon has said it’s possible some of those countries may want to give it a go.

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

If a new pathogen emerged today, the world would be largely unprepared, former Prime Minister Helen Clark says.

The Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex [PABS] could not be agreed to in time for adoption at the next World Health Assembly.

It’s an essential part of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which aims to strengthen global prevention, preparedness, and response to future pandemics.

The agreement as a whole cannot proceed towards ratification, if the annex is not agreed to.

Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, said it was a disappointing result.

Clark said some sticking points prevented the annex from going through.

“The huge issue is about equitable access to vaccines and to the technologies which develop vaccines. That’s been the sticking point.

“As well, the developing countries have wanted an undertaking, that in return for honouring their obligations under the international health regulations to make information about a new pathogen available, they would then get the benefits of sharing that information from whatever new innovation comes along.

“It’s stuck on this basic principle of equity, with at this point, developed countries not being prepared to concede enough on the equity side, to satisfy developing countries,” she said.

Clark said, as a result, the world would be unprepared, if a new pathogen emerged.

“[I have] several concerns around the lack of preparedness now, one that, of course, vaccine misinformation and disinformation is rife, so that’s a more difficult context to be implementing 101 public health measures in.

“Secondly, a lot of countries still have a lot of fiscal issues arising from having to spend their way through the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Then you have the issue of not enough international finance for developing countries for preparedness and for response, so there’s so many issues and areas where we’re not prepared.”

Clark said co-ordination was key.

“Co-ordination is critical and it’s needed… at the regional level as well as at the global level.

“There’s a whole ecosystem, around vaccine development, procurement, distribution, financing, which needs to work, and we’re not there yet.”

Geopolitical conflicts were also having an impact on preparedness, she said.

“The key issue is the distrust between north and south. There’s a very bad taste from the last pandemic where developing countries did not get a fair shot at getting the vaccines, developed countries gobbled up most of what was available, the production wasn’t sufficient to then supply developing country populations.

“When some of us were beginning to get our boosters, health workers and some poor countries had never had as much as a single shot of a vaccine.

“There’s a lot of resentment about this and a determination from the developing countries not to settle for something that will be inequitable in future,” she said.

Clark said, while political leaders were dealing with immediate issues, they could not afford to neglect foreseeable risks.

“Right now, leaders are grappling with the cost of living, the spill-over impacts from the war on Iran, so pandemic preparation response is not top of mind.

“Unfortunately, that means that negotiations like these can founder, because they don’t have sufficient political attention,” she said.

The 79th World Health Assembly will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 18-23 May, 2026.

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

NRL club the Melbourne Storm have revealed head coach Craig Bellamy has been diagnosed with a form of neurodegenerative disorder.

In a statement on its website, the Storm said Bellamy had been undergoing a series of tests in recent week and receiving the best possible medical treatment.

But specialists had advised his diagnosis would not have an impact on his ability to coach the team in the immediate future.

“Despite our recent results, I firmly believe Craig is still coaching at an elite level and I have no doubt he is the right person to drive the Club forward,” said chairman Matt Tripp.

“Craig has the full support of the board, players, coaches, and staff to continue leading the club as he has done for the last 24 seasons.”

Bellamy, 66. had been the coach of the Storm since 2003, winning premierships in 2012, 2017 and 2020.

He had an outstanding record, winning 424 of the 614 games (69 percent) that he had been in charge of the team.

But 2026 has been an uncharacteristically poor one for the Storm so far. They have lost their last six games in a row, some by big margins, and currently sit second-to-last on the ladder.

They last missed the NRL playoffs in 2010, the year they were stripped of all their competition points due to salary cap breaches.

The Storm said given the private nature of the diagnosis, Bellamy and the club would be making no further comment on the matter.

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

A new charter for the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee will strengthen the committee’s transparency and accountability by making the views of individual members clearer, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

The charter, which comes into effect today, has been agreed by the Minister and the MPC, which sets the Official Cash Rate.

“From today, when the committee does not reach consensus, members’ votes will be publicly available,” Nicola Willis says.

“The new charter also makes it easier for MPC members to communicate publicly about monetary policy by easing current restrictions and encouraging members to speak externally, while retaining rules that ensure equal access to information.

“The MPC will also begin attributing material differences in views in its records of meetings.

“Alongside the independent review of New Zealand’s monetary policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic, these changes will strengthen transparency, support accountability, and help build public understanding of the MPC’s decision making,” Nicola Willis says.

“The committee will review these changes, along with its wider decision-making processes, in 12 months and report back to me on their effectiveness and whether they support clear communication and transparency.”

Note for editors

The new charter is available on the Reserve Bank’s website: Monetary Policy Framework – Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua
Advice received on the MPC Charter and other changes to enhance transparency settings is available on Treasury and the RBNZ’s websites:

https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/information-release/advice-relating-changes-strengthen-monetary-policy-committee-transparency-settings
Information releases – Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua

MIL OSI

The Government is preparing to remove or suspend regulatory barriers that make it harder for businesses and communities to cope with global fuel shocks, Minister for Regulation David Seymour and Minister for Transport Chris Bishop say.

“New Zealand’s fuel supply is stable. We’re focussed on keeping it that way. There are few things as important to Kiwis as ensuring New Zealand’s fuel supply remains strong,” Mr Seymour says.

“This Government has responded well to the potential of conflict in the Middle East leading to fuel shortages. To build on our response this Government is listening to the people. The situation in the Middle East affects everyone.

“Everyone should have a say on potential edicts issued by the Government which would affect them. Last month we called for businesses, fuel users, freight operators, and the wider public to report any regulatory barriers that might be hindering our response to global fuel uncertainty to the Red Tape Tipline.”

Submissions to the Tipline the Government is refining include:

Allowing some heavy vehicles to carry more per weight per trip, so less trips are required, improving fuel efficiency.
Bringing some license class weight thresholds for zero emission vehicles in line with similar diesel vehicles. For example, some electric utes are heavier than diesel ones, pushing them into a different weight threshold. This means people need a higher-class licence to drive them, which prevents uptake.
Relaxing time and access restrictions for over-dimension vehicles, enabling travel during off-peak time, shorter trips, and fuel savings.
Removing some restrictions on the routes that over-dimension vehicles can make and when they can travel. For example, there are sections of Auckland motorways and toll roads that they are not able to use meaning more fuel is burnt travelling less direct routes.

“We are still in Phase 1 of the National Fuel Response Plan, but we don’t want a repeat of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Doing the work to boost fuel efficiency now helps ensure we can stay in Phase 1 for as long as possible, causing the least disruption to Kiwis,” Mr Seymour says.

“One of the consistent messages from the freight sector is that current weight restrictions – formally known as the Vehicle Dimensions and Mass (VDAM) Rule – are holding back efficiency,” Mr Bishop says.

“In the short term, even small increases in permitted loads could reduce the number of trips needed, saving time, lowering costs, and reducing fuel use.

“We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards.

“Fuel prices are already putting pressure on households and businesses, which is why this work matters. Getting ahead of the problem now helps reduce the impact if global conditions worsen.”

All options are being developed so they can be implemented quickly if the Government moves to Phase 2, and we expect options to be ready by the end of this month if needed. If that becomes less likely, some options could be reworked into more permanent changes to reduce the impact of elevated fuel prices on the economy over the medium to long term.

MIL OSI

SANYA, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 April 2026 – The 6th Asian Beach Games opened on Wednesday evening in China’s tropical resort city of Sanya, with the opening ceremony held at the seaside Yasha Park.

Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin declared the Games open after 45 delegations marched in for the continental Games, which had previously been scheduled to be held in 2020.

After having twice been postponed, chiefly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sanya Games has drawn around 10,000 participants, including 1,790 athletes.

The Games marks the first time Hainan has hosted a continental-level beach sports event. It is also the first major international sporting event since the island-wide Hainan Free Trade Port was inaugurated last December.

Scheduled from April 22 to 30, the Games features 14 sports, 15 disciplines and 62 events. It is the second time that China has hosted the Asian Beach Games, after the 2012 edition in Haiyang, Shandong Province.

China has sent a delegation of 255 members, including 171 athletes, competing in 13 sports and 60 events, marking the country’s highest participation in Asian Beach Games history.

Hashtag: #6thAsianBeachGame #Sanya #China

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

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Transporting New Zealand says the government needs to loosen restrictions for heavy vehicles without delay.

Four changes are being worked on in case of a move up to Phase 2 of the national fuel plan.

This included allowing more weight on some trucks to facilitate fewer trips, allowing normal licences for heavy electric utes, relaxing time and access restrictions for over-dimension vehicles and removing some restrictions on the routes that over-dimension vehicles could travel.

Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih said loosening the weight restrictions would unlock extra productivity in the applicable and save several million litres of diesel.

“You could actually avoid around 10 million kilometres of heavy travel.”

He also welcomed proposed changes to rules around over dimension vehicles but said heavy haulage was a speciality area and would affect fewer vehicles.

He urged government ministers not to wait until Phase 2 to take action.

“It can be picked up straight away. The vehicles we’re looking at, they’ve got spare capacity.

“We shouldn’t be waiting for things to get bad before we actually do things that make sense.”

On Monday Regulation Minister David Seymour and Transport Minister Chris Bishop said submissions were being developed so they could be quickly implemented if the government moved to Phase 2 of its response.

“We are still in Phase 1 of the National Fuel Response Plan, but we don’t want a repeat of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Doing the work to boost fuel efficiency now helps ensure we can stay in Phase 1 for as long as possible, causing the least disruption to Kiwis,” said Seymour.

Bishop said concerns over weight restrictions were widespread in the freight sector.

“In the short term, even small increases in permitted loads could reduce the number of trips needed, saving time, lowering costs, and reducing fuel use,” Bishop said.

“We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards.”

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

Transporting New Zealand says the government needs to loosen restrictions for heavy vehicles without delay.

Four changes are being worked on in case of a move up to Phase 2 of the national fuel plan.

This included allowing more weight on some trucks to facilitate fewer trips, allowing normal licences for heavy electric utes, relaxing time and access restrictions for over-dimension vehicles and removing some restrictions on the routes that over-dimension vehicles could travel.

Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih said loosening the weight restrictions would unlock extra productivity in the applicable and save several million litres of diesel.

“You could actually avoid around 10 million kilometres of heavy travel.”

He also welcomed proposed changes to rules around over dimension vehicles but said heavy haulage was a speciality area and would affect fewer vehicles.

He urged government ministers not to wait until Phase 2 to take action.

“It can be picked up straight away. The vehicles we’re looking at, they’ve got spare capacity.

“We shouldn’t be waiting for things to get bad before we actually do things that make sense.”

On Monday Regulation Minister David Seymour and Transport Minister Chris Bishop said submissions were being developed so they could be quickly implemented if the government moved to Phase 2 of its response.

“We are still in Phase 1 of the National Fuel Response Plan, but we don’t want a repeat of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Doing the work to boost fuel efficiency now helps ensure we can stay in Phase 1 for as long as possible, causing the least disruption to Kiwis,” said Seymour.

Bishop said concerns over weight restrictions were widespread in the freight sector.

“In the short term, even small increases in permitted loads could reduce the number of trips needed, saving time, lowering costs, and reducing fuel use,” Bishop said.

“We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards.”

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

The latest government data shows New Zealand’s fuel stocks have continued to fall, but movements remain within expectations.

The figures, published Monday but accurate to midday on Wednesday, show just under 52 days of petrol, about 41 days of diesel, and just under 46 days of jet fuel. That includes fuel on 10 ships within three weeks of arriving.

The figures are down by half a day, one day, and a day-and-a-half respectively on the last update.

The government says this would be expected under normal international shipping.

And stocks within New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone are as high as they have been since the Iran conflict began.

Loosening of regulations possibly on the way

The government says it is considering easing restrictions for heavy vehicles as a way to save fuel.

Minister for Regulation David Seymour said his Red Tape Tipline had received several submissions on ways to save fuel.

Seymour is due to speak at a media standup in Newmarket, Auckland at around 1pm on Monday.

Suggestions included allowing some heavy vehicles to carry more weight to reduce the number of trips, and relaxing time restrictions for over-dimension vehicles so they could travel at off-peak times.

Another suggestion was to adjust license class weight thresholds for zero emission vehicles to be in line with similar diesel vehicles.

An example was that some electric utes were heavier than diesel ones and therefore required a higher-class licence to drive, which discouraged uptake.

Seymour said the Government was in the process of refining these submissions.

“New Zealand’s fuel supply is stable. We’re focussed on keeping it that way. There are few things as important to Kiwis as ensuring New Zealand’s fuel supply remains strong,” Seymour said in a statement

“We are still in Phase 1 of the National Fuel Response Plan, but we don’t want a repeat of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Doing the work to boost fuel efficiency now helps ensure we can stay in Phase 1 for as long as possible, causing the least disruption to Kiwis.”

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said concerns over weight restrictions were widespread in the freight sector.

“In the short term, even small increases in permitted loads could reduce the number of trips needed, saving time, lowering costs, and reducing fuel use,” Bishop said.

“We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards.”

The ministers said the submissions were being developed so they could be quickly implemented if the Government moved to Phase 2 of its response.

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has brushed off criticisms of his government after days of heated speculation about his leadership.

In a media standup at HamiltonJet Global in Christchurch on Friday morning, Luxon brushed off businesses’ concerns about a lack of funding to bring SailGP back to Auckland.

He has also joked about losing votes in Auckland as a result of his support for the Crusaders, and avoided saying much about a National Party dinner where guests could pay $10,000 to sit next to him.

Auckland events boss Nick Hill told Morning Report he was “very disappointed” at the loss of SailGP, saying it was “significant loss” for the City of Sails and blaming a lack of buy-in from the government.

Luxon said the proposal for funding Sail GP in Auckland did not stack up, but distanced himself from it – acknowledging he was not across the details.

“Yeah, look, um, you know, we’ll continue our conversations with Auckland Council and SailGP but the proposal we received just frankly didn’t stack up,” he said.

He was unsure how much money the government was being asked to provide.

“I can’t remember what the proposal specifics was but when we run it through our evaluation criteria, just didn’t stack up.”

He said Tourism Minister Louise Upston would know about the specifics.

“I’m just well aware that when we looked at the cost-benefit ratio, it didn’t meet the criteria … it just didn’t meet the criteria, is all I know.”

He rejected the suggestion from Auckland businesses the government was working against them.

“Ah absolute rubbish. This is a government that’s backed State of Origin into Auckland, it’s a government that’s put a whole bunch of major events into Auckland, it’s invested in the New Zealand International Convention Centre, invested in the CRL, and we’ve made big investments and big support programmes into Auckland.”

He was in Christchurch [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/593268/christchurch-stadium-opening-te-kaha-opens-after-15-year-wait ahead of the first Super Round at the city’s new stadium Te Kaha, when 10 of the Super Rugby Pacific’s 11 teams would all play at the same venue.

Having grown up in the city, he said it was “tough” to say whether Te Kaha had overtaken Eden Park as the national stadium.

“I gotta say, it’s a world class stadium. It was a pleasure to open it three or four weeks ago. I’ll be there tonight,” he said.

Leadership woes

Luxon has been under pressure in recent weeks over poor polling numbers and leaks from who he has described as disgruntled MPs.

Coalition tensions turned up a notch this week too, as New Zealand First’s Winston Peters criticised Luxon’s decision to call a confidence vote in himself without informing coalition partners, saying that was unwise and would lead to instability.

Luxon and his deputy Nicola Willis in turn criticised Peters in the media – the first time they have been willing to do so directly and publicly.

Despite all that, he joked about losing support in Auckland, where he holds the seat of Botany.

“I’ll be in my Crusaders kit, I’ll lose 5000 votes in Auckland – but that’s okay, because I’m a Crusaders guy through and through.

“If I’m honest with you, in terms of scale and size, Eden Park’s obviously large and can accommodate certain activity, but I can tell you, I’m going to be coming to Christchurch a lot to see a lot of things down here.”

He said it was important to draw international events like Robbie Williams to New Zealand, as every dollar spent on attracting them was “getting $3.20 back into the local economy here”.

“So it’s fantastic, so exciting and it’s honestly – I don’t know whether you guys have been inside it – but it’s amazing. It’s incredible. It’s covered. We’re so close to the action, you’ll be able to hear the lineout calls, it’s just going to be brilliant.”

Christchurch ‘a role model’

He said Christchurch was a “real role model for how we want New Zealand to ultimately look and feel like”.

“You’ve got incredibly modern, reliable infrastructure. You’ve got a fantastic airport, awesome university, great schools, fantastic infrastructure now with the stadium and the redevelopment that’s taking place, and it’s growing very quickly.

“It’s an affordable city, more affordable city than many other parts of New Zealand, and so things like our planning laws are changing in order to be able to increase the supply of housing across the rest of New Zealand.”

In the four years after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes devastated the city centre, the John Key-led government provided an estimated $16.5 billion, with about half coming from insurance payouts from the then-Earthquake Commission.

Luxon said there was “plenty of cash around” from private capital, but “whether the government needs to be involved, government doesn’t need to be involved in everything. It’s quite good if we’re not in many cases”.

The ongoing fuel crisis that has resulted from the US and Israel conflict with Iran has been putting additional pressure on government finances after high spending under Labour that aimed to keep the economy growing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Support for businesses and those struggling with high fuel prices has been limited to “targeted, timely and temporary” spending, with the main component being a $50-a-week increase for working families earning tax credits.

Luxon said New Zealand had managed to secure supplies and there was no disruption there, “but, you know, the world needs peace to be breaking out there”.

He said rhetoric like US President Donald Trump’s was not needed.

“We don’t need escalation.”

More weather concerns

Luxon’s comments were made shortly before news of more heavy rain lashing the country – causing landslips in Auckland and prompting people to evacuate their homes.

He was asked about a new report out from the Climate Change Commission pointing to a risk before 2030 of a shortfall of Emissions Trading Scheme units possibly resulting in volatile price spikes, but said his main concern was “growth over and above everything else”.

He said the country was “determined to deliver on our climate change commitments, net zero 2050 … and we’re on track to do exactly that”.

“Last quarter this country generated less emissions than we’ve ever had, ever since we started recording in 2010 – and that’s because we’ve got a government that doesn’t just do bumper stickers and slogans and words, we actually do action and investment, as illustrated by our big investments in the renewables energy boom that’s taking place.”

The government’s push towards renewable energy has largely been focused on planning changes.

Luxon was also questioned about a National Party fundraising dinner, where property developer Matthew Horncastle paid $10,000 for a ticket to sit next to the prime minister and his wife, Amanda.

When Luxon was asked about how things had gone at the dinner on Thursday, he initially said “with who?”

After the name was repeated, he said “oh, there was a National Party event I was at last night, yeah. But yesterday I was also at a company called Zethos, which was pretty exciting because that’s a startup that’s come out of the engineering school that’s recycling critical minerals here in Christchurch”.

Horncastle has previously said that if he entered politics he would aim to be a National Party prime minister by winning the Christchurch Central seat – which has been a Labour stronghold, with just one National MP holding it since 1946.

Asked if Horncastle was the kind of person he wanted in National, Luxon only said it was a “broad church, and if people want to support us from all sorts of work, as it does for every political party, uh, it was just a party event last night”.

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

The first dedicated kaupapa Māori workforce capability framework for the mahi tūkino (sexual violence) sector has been launched.

Advocates hope the framework will support the “under-resourced and stretched” Māori workforce supporting victims of physical and sexual violence.

The framework, He Ara Toiora, was launched on Thursday by Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri (NKM). It was developed over a two-year period in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri board member Russell Smith (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa) told RNZ it was a response to long-standing Māori-led workforce development for specialist services and was developed with the input of kaupapa Māori practitioners, workforce expertise and lived experiences.

“But more broadly, it was developed because of the significant undervalued recognition of kaimahi Māori who were working in the mahi tūkino space and what that meant was that we were often overlooked, under-resourced, definitely under-resourced, and that led into a whole lot of other issues.”

Smith said kaimahi Māori were often forced to learn and work under other methodologies of practice that may or may not align with a Māori way of thinking.

Having the framework would give the workforce validity, as for a long time there had been a lack of acknowledgement of kaupapa Māpro services, he said.

“It’s a stronger Māori-led, whānau-centred workforce development. So kaupapa Māori approaches like, you know, during Covid-19, for example, showed that when workforce development is guided by Māori values like whanaungatanga and manaakitanga, kaimahi are more effective and better supported.

“And just as a note, under Covid-19, kaupapa Māori were the largest social services that mobilised out into the community.”

But, when Covid started to “slow down” the strategies and protocols that Māori services had put in place to combat it were pushed aside and no longer acknowledged, he said.

“It also creates visibility, a visible, skilled, resilient Māori workforce across sectors. We know because of the under-resourcing of workforce development for Māori, that it’s not a resilient workforce. For example, we have services that find it really difficult to get staff who are kaimahi Māori.”

Māori services also could not compete with mainstream or with the public service when it came to pay, he said.

“It’s also about workforce wellbeing and safe whānau-centred workplaces. So when services, kaupapa Māori services become under-resourced, we get stretched. I mean, just recently from the flooding and that, we already know that our marae are already under the pump because we’re the first ones to open our doors.”

Wāhine Māori were more likely to be affected by violence than any other ethnicity. More than half (58 percent) experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a partner in their lifetime, according to a briefing paper provided to incomming ministers in 2023.

Smith said the data remained grim, especially considering the majority of sexual offences went under-reported to the police.

He Ara Toiora would help ensure the Māori workforce has sustainable funding and resources to mobilise into under-reported communities, he said.

“So when… kaimahi Māori start to reach out, then we know that there’s an increase in reporting because we’re reaching out into those communities. In short, the data remains grim for wāhine Māori and that needs to change right across the board.”

Smith said it was a no brainer to be investing into He Ara Toiora, and he hoped as the framework moved forward the workforce would get better at preventing sexual violence from occurring in the first place.

Mark Henderson, MSD general manager – Safe Strong Families and Communities, said the ministry was proud to support He Ara Toiora. It provided $700,000 of funding over two years toward developing the framework.

“This is about professional development and career growth for the kaupapa Māori sexual violence workers who deliver the services we fund. We’ll continue to support its implementation throughout the sector.”

He Ara Toiora was intended for use by Kaupapa Māori organisations working in prevention, response, and healing, as well as organisations seeking to build capability and capacity in the area.

Implementation would be supported through online access and a series of region-based wānanga across Aotearoa over the next six to 12 months, alongside MSD-supported engagement processes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Labour says places like volunteer-run Kairos food rescue should be prioritised in the government’s fuel plan.

The government unveiled updates to its four-phase fuel plan last month, but has yet to explain how any rationing measures would be prioritised.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the government needed to explain how its plan would work as soon as possible.

“There will be, you know, things that they need to iron out; there will be mistakes in it; there will be anomalies. So the sooner they can let people know what’s going on, what their priorities are, the better.”

Labour had far less time to prepare for Covid-19, he said.

“Of course, right at the start, everybody thought that they were critical and needed to still be able to go to work. The government at the end of the day does have to make some decisions, and the sooner they start giving people clarity about that the better.

“They’ve had several months already, and … even in the worst case scenario, it’s another month before we’re potentially pressing go on some of that [fuel rationing], so they should be giving people that certainty now.”

He was speaking at Kairos food rescue in Christchurch – a volunteer-run organisation that keeps four tonnes of food waste out of landfill each day.

“One of the things we’re able to talk about is they want to be deemed an essential service. Should we end up in a fuel rationing situation, I fully support that – these organisations have to be able to keep functioning.”

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The Reserve Bank is set to have a battle on its hands to keep inflation under control over the next year, Infometrics says, and households will feel the biggest impact.

It has released its latest economic forecasts, which predict that rising fuel prices will drive inflation to 4.8 percent in the current quarter.

Chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said, even with the assumption that fuel prices were able to moderate through the second half of this year, he still expected inflation to be at 3.9 percent in March next year and not return to 3 percent, the top of the Reserve Bank’s target band, until December next year.

He said he shared ANZ’s updated view that the official cash rate would need to rise three times this year starting July.

But he expected it to need to go higher – reaching 4 percent by mid-2027 and as high as 4.5 percent in the first half of 2028.

He said while he expected the increases to start in July, the possibility of a May start could not be ruled out.

Kiernan said he could understand the argument by economists such as Jarrod Kerr at Kiwibank that rates should not rise too quickly when the economy was weak.

“But to me, it would be reckless to sit on your hands for too long and wait until the evidence that inflation is going to be a problem is completely unavoidable.”

He said inflation pressure had already been “surprisingly and uncomfortably” persistent even before fuel prices rose.

“Particularly in the context of the spare capacity that had developed in the economy over the previous two years. Currently, weaker demand conditions provide no guarantee that inflation will also track lower.

“We’re seeing more of the sort of pricing pressures coming through and we think that it’ll be a bit of a repeat of what we saw through the Covid period, where businesses are more willing to pass on cost increases … even though demand is weak, firms probably don’t have a lot of wriggle room to absorb much.”

He said it was likely that households would feel the biggest impact.

“Households are probably where the brunt of the hit will be felt in terms of the economic performance this year. You’ve got higher fuel prices, then you’ve got all other goods and services potentially going up in price. The spectre of interest rates rising.

“You’ve got a labour market that we’ve sort of pushed out the timing of any improvement by six months… the risks are that that could take longer as well. Put all that together, there’s real effects among that. And then you’ve got the psychological effects and the confidence effects of it all coming at you as well. People will be more cautious in their spending.”

Kiernan said he expected household spending to grow 0.8 percent this year, two percentage points less than the pre-conflict forecasts.

Infometrics also expects gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.3 percent this year from a forecast of 2.5 percent previously.

This weaker outlook assumes no serious or prolonged disruption to the availability of fuel in New Zealand.

“It goes without saying that there is currently a huge amount of uncertainty, making forecasting more challenging than at any time since the first Covid-19 lockdown,” Kiernan said.

“But economic growth over the next 18 months will undoubtedly be weaker than previously expected, with the psychological and real effects of the fuel price shock of the last seven weeks unlikely to unwind immediately. We’d hope that inflation is less persistent than we are forecasting, but the experience of the last few years shows the problems that complacency can bring, with higher inflation eroding real incomes and requiring a bigger economic downturn later on.”

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An Auckland project manager has been sentenced to three months community detention for defrauding nearly $30,000 through Covid schemes.

Shelvin Kavish Swamy was sentenced on Tuesday in the Auckland District Court, after pleading guilty to obtaining the funds by deception.

In May of 2020, Swamy applied for a loan through the small business cashflow scheme despite not being eligible.

The business he applied with, Swamy Investment Limited, had no discernible business activity at the time.

In the following two years, he applied for seven resurgence support payments and three Covid support payments, totalling $32,800, under the name Northshore Plant Holdings Limited.

Roughly half of the funds were used on expenses like groceries, petrol, fast food, and alcohol.

Swamy received $28,351.01 he was not entitled to.

Inland Revenue said Swamy took advantage of schemes operating under a high-trust model during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Judge Debra Anne Bell acknowledged that, despite losing his job as a project manager working in the construction industry, Swamy had repaid $24,000 and noted his previous good character.

She convicted Swamy, ordering him to replay the remaining $4,351.

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Analysis – Labour says it would be at least investigating following Australia’s lead on the fuel crisis if it were in power, but the circumstances in each country are quite different.

Regardless of whether the government could or should be doing more, it is important to understand the different circumstances and how that affects the response.

Hipkins’ criticisms

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said if he was in power he would be seeking advice on responses already enacted in other countries.

The government should be considering support for diesel users, he said, as well as support for foodbanks and the most vulnerable families; and in the long term, support to keep other families from reaching that point.

He was careful, however, to avoid pitching those solutions as election policy.

“We don’t have access to that advice right at the moment, but were we in government that is the sort of advice that we would be asking for,” he said.

Later in the day, following Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s media conference on the latest fuel supplies data, Hipkins issued a press release criticising the government for failing to explain the details of fuel rationing that would kick in under higher phases of the national fuel plan.

With a subject line saying the government was “asleep at the wheel”, he said New Zealanders “deserve to know what the plan is, but two months into this conflict, there isn’t one”.

“This is the second update in a week showing New Zealand’s supply of petrol, diesel, and jet fuel have all gone down. Most alarming, there’s now less than three weeks of diesel in the country, which is critical for the economy,” he said.

“Dealing with the fuel crisis should be this Government’s top priority. Instead, they’re sitting back and hoping for the best. Hope is not a plan, and it won’t keep fuel flowing for households and businesses.

“Other countries are already acting decisively. In Australia, they’re pulling out all the stops. Our government needs to step up.”

Australia’s approach

Australia’s Labor government has taken far more extreme measures in response to the fuel crisis than New Zealand has to date.

However, it should be noted Australia also started with a worse supply problem, and a stronger economy – making those interventions more affordable and more urgent.

Australia is at the second point of escalation in its four-point fuel plan, with reports of hundreds of service stations running out of at least one type of fuel every day since late March, and at least six fuel shipments having been deferred or cancelled.

The federal government has already dipped into its emergency national reserve, releasing about five days worth of diesel.

The situation is bad enough that Western Australia has also purchased its own strategic reserve of 4 million litres of diesel owned by the state to address the acute fuel shortages there – though the state’s opposition leader has warned that would last just six hours.

The federal government has also halved fuel excise for three months, reducing tax on fuel by 26.3 cents per litre, while states have also pitched in – shaving off an extra 5.7 cents.

That makes fuel cheaper for consumers and can curb inflationary pressure, but the cheaper prices also mean they are less incentivised to try to save on fuel than they would be otherwise.

Another support measure in Australia is a three-month elimination of Road-User Charges (RUCs) for heavy vehicles.

In New Zealand, diesel vehicles, EVs and hybrids all pay RUCs per kilometre and according to weight. Petrol vehicles are taxed at the pump through excise, but diesel is not.

With diesel costs traditionally being lower than petrol costs, this seemed fair – but the fuel crisis has led to diesel prices overtaking those for petrol.

Electric vehicles had been exempt for several years to encourage uptake, but were brought into the RUC scheme so all drivers would be contributing to transport costs. The government plans to eventually scrap petrol excise entirely in favour of universal RUCs, but that may take a while.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has ruled out either cutting excise taxes or broad reductions or exemptions for RUCs, saying these did not fit the government’s self-imposed criteria for any supports during the crisis of being targeted, timely and temporary – a recommendation that came from reviews in the wake of the Covid-19 response.

She said those approaches were likely to benefit those on higher incomes more.

However, the government does appear likely to match the moves taken by the state of South Australia to allow heavy vehicles to carry more.

After the government consulted on interventions suggested by the public and industry, the Ministry of Regulation is looking at regulatory changes it can make – and Luxon on Wednesday confirmed that would include “common-sense things like allowing heavy vehicles to carry heavier loads”.

Two Australian states have also offered free public transport, another measure both Labour and the Greens have urged the government to look into – but which has also been rejected as untargeted.

Calls from the Greens to invest in better, more effective bus networks have also gone so far unheeded.

To date, support measures have largely been restricted to a $50-a-week boost to the in-work tax credit, and a 30 percent increase to mileage rates for home and community support workers.

However, more than half of families in material harship will not benefit from the tax credit, and support workers have complained the mileage rate increase is “almost like a joke”.

The Budget on 28 May could include some kind of relief, but even before the Iran conflict Willis was warning there would be “no splashing the cash”.

With the measures it has taken already eating into the operating allowance, there will be little room left for new spending.

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

MELBOURNE, Australia, April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CLINUVEL’s innovative photomedicine and vitiligo programs featured extensively at the recent American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, the world’s largest gathering of dermatology professionals. Through the Company’s bespoke Pavilion of Photomedicine and conference sessions across five days, the development and commercialisation of CLINUVEL’s proprietary peptides in dermatology was presented to over 20,000 delegates.

Building on momentum from the 2025 AAD meeting, AAD 2026 saw CLINUVEL’s ambition translate into deeper engagement with the medical community, with the Pavilion now an established hub for meaningful scientific exchange and candid dialogues. The CLINUVEL team welcomed thousands of visitors, including many returning physicians eager to review the progress of the Company’s clinical programs.

New insights in vitiligo therapy

The 2026 meeting reflected a maturing dialogue regarding the standard of care and potential of new therapies for patients with vitiligo. While the recent focus in the field has been on immune-suppressing JAK inhibitors, clinicians are increasingly identifying the practical challenges of long-term treatment dependency and the prevalence of relapse upon cessation of treatment. This shift in treatment discourse highlights an increasing demand for therapies that prioritise sustained stability and patient safety over the long term.

CLINUVEL’s investigational approach offers a fundamentally different path. The Company’s ongoing Phase III vitiligo study (CUV105) is evaluating afamelanotide as a systemic therapy with adjunct narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy to stimulate repigmentation and stabilise the disease, rather than suppressing the body’s immune system. Afamelanotide, a linear peptide administered in a controlled-release injectable implant, is not currently approved for vitiligo anywhere in the world.

At the Global Vitiligo Foundation (GVF) Annual Symposium, Professor Antoine Bertolotti (University Hospital of La Réunion) presented patient case studies from CUV105, reporting repigmentation following 20 weeks of afamelanotide with adjunct NB-UVB. Crucially, the data showed that patients with darker skin types (Fitzpatrick skin types IV–VI) maintained their pigmentation up to the six month follow-up visit subsequent to withdrawal of therapy. Notably, even patients with active disease (i.e. where the condition is actively spreading) showed a response to therapy in these clinical cases.

Holistic patient care

While CLINUVEL’s primary clinical focus remains its rigorous path toward regulatory approval in vitiligo, the Company’s work at the Pavilion highlighted a holistic philosophy that extends beyond the clinic. Unlike standard models, CLINUVEL takes a long-term view of patient care by creating dedicated spaces for patients to share their experiences and advocate for improvements in clinical trial diversity and mental health support.

The three-day speaker program emphasised this commitment, featuring patients, physicians, and even healthcare partners coming together to exchange insights on topics ranging from fostering inclusivity when engaging with patient communities, to the regulatory and cultural differences in managing vitiligo in different parts of the world.

Technology and digital impact: creating a global buzz

The innovations showcased in Denver extended into the digital sphere, creating significant engagement across social media. CLINUVEL’s outreach efforts reached over 314,000 unique users, with daily wrap-up content generating thousands of interactions. This digital buzz mirrors the energy at the Pavilion, where the Company introduced its proprietary Vitiligo Visual Algorithm (VVA) – an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tool designed to objectively assess pigmentation using standardised clinical photographs, tracking an individual patient’s treatment progress over time. This tool is now being refined with the assistance of physicians, patients and researchers.

Social media highlights

• @dermdsaid featured a walk-through of the Pavilion, highlighting CLINUVEL’s vitiligo program
• @dr.kyla.md featured the Pavilion’s distinctive façade in a playful commentary on AAD’s unmissable exhibition spaces
• @glow_and_happy’s reel heavily features CLINUVEL’s Pavilion of Photomedicine

Watch a wrap-up video of CLINUVEL’s time at AAD 2026.

Commentary

“Returning to the AAD for a second year has allowed us to witness a significant maturation in the clinical dialogue surrounding vitiligo,” said Dr Linda Teng, CLINUVEL’s Director of North American Operations. “Our engagement in Denver confirms a growing recognition among the medical community that the next frontier in vitiligo care must prioritise long-term physiological stability and safety beyond immune-suppression.

“The overwhelming response to the Pavilion this year validates our longstanding focus on melanocortin peptides and reinforces our mission to advance clinical programs that truly reflect the life-long needs of the patients we serve.”

About CLINUVEL PHARMACEUTICALS LIMITED

CLINUVEL (ASX: CUV; ADR LEVEL 1: CLVLY; Börse Frankfurt: UR9) is a global specialty pharmaceutical group focused on developing and commercialising treatments for patients with genetic, metabolic, systemic, and life-threatening, acute disorders, as well as healthcare solutions for specialised populations. As pioneers in photomedicine and the family of melanocortin peptides, CLINUVEL’s research and development has led to innovative treatments for patient populations with a clinical need for systemic photoprotection, assisted DNA repair, repigmentation and acute or life-threatening conditions who lack alternatives.

CLINUVEL’s lead therapy, SCENESSE^® (afamelanotide 16mg), is approved for commercial distribution in Europe, the USA, Israel, and Australia as the world’s first systemic photoprotective drug for the prevention of phototoxicity (anaphylactoid reactions and burns) in adult patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, CLINUVEL has operations in Europe, Singapore, and the USA. For more information, please go to https://www.clinuvel.com.

Head of Investor Relations
Mr Malcolm Bull, CLINUVEL PHARMACEUTICALS LTD

Investor Enquiries
https://www.clinuvel.com/investors/contact-us

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the current beliefs and expectations of CLINUVEL’s management. Statements may involve a number of known and unknown risks that could cause our future results, performance, or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to: our ability to develop and commercialise pharmaceutical products; the COVID-19 pandemic and/or other world, regional or national events affecting the supply chain for a protracted period of time, including our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell biopharmaceutical products; competition for our products, especially SCENESSE^® (afamelanotide 16mg), PRÉNUMBRA^® or NEURACTHEL^®; our ability to achieve expected safety and efficacy results in a timely manner through our innovative R&D efforts; the effectiveness of our patents and other protections for innovative products, particularly in view of national and regional variations in patent laws; our potential exposure to product liability claims to the extent not covered by insurance; increased government scrutiny in either Australia, the U.S., Europe, Israel, China and Japan of our agreements with third parties and suppliers; our exposure to currency fluctuations and restrictions as well as credit risks; the effects of reforms in healthcare regulation and pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement; that the Company may incur unexpected delays in the outsourced manufacturing of SCENESSE^®, PRÉNUMBRA^® or NEURACTHEL^® which may lead to it being unable to supply its commercial markets and/or clinical trial programs; any failures to comply with any government payment system (i.e. Medicare) reporting and payment obligations; uncertainties surrounding the legislative and regulatory pathways for the registration and approval of biotechnology and consumer based products; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding approval of our products as well as their decisions regarding label claims; our ability to retain or attract key personnel and managerial talent; the impact of broader change within the pharmaceutical industry and related industries; potential changes to tax liabilities or legislation; environmental risks; and other factors that have been discussed in our 2023 Annual Report. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation, outside of those required under applicable laws or relevant listing rules of the Australian Securities Exchange, to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More information on preliminary and uncertain forecasts and estimates is available on request, whereby it is stated that past performance is not an indicator of future performance.

Contact:

Tel: +61 3 9660 4900
Fax: +61 3 9660 4909
Email: mail@clinuvel.com
Australia (Head Office), Level 22, 535 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a63efa41-50f1-45f2-8ee5-0d54842edcaa

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/33cac11d-7021-45d7-a334-97b2ac9fa4a6

A video accompanying this announcement is available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3d0e4a67-5fc2-46d0-95b7-b34582a13539

– Published by The MIL Network

A Waikato community is rallying behind a Māori health worker who lost her home in a fire, with whānau, businesses and volunteers coming together to help deliver her a new whare.

Te Kōhao Health is gifting a repurposed house to long-serving kaimahi Billie Gillet-Kati, relocating it to her whenua in Waharoa in the coming weeks.

Managing director and health leader Lady Tureiti Moxon said the community effort reflected kaupapa Māori values in action.

“Supporting Billie in this practical way recognises her mana and reinforces the kaupapa Māori values that underpin all that she does,” she said.

“From clearing the property to moving and restoring the house, and the generosity of businesses and whānau, this is a story of aroha in action.

“It demonstrates the strength of community and the importance of recognising those who give everything for the wellbeing of others.”

Gillet-Kati has spent decades working alongside whānau as a navigator for Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, including during the Covid-19 pandemic where she continued frontline mahi despite being considered medically vulnerable.

Her home was destroyed in a fire in January 2021.

At the time, she had been living in Matamata while renovating the Waharoa property. Her insurance policy required notification if she was away from the home for more than 90 days – something she said she was unaware of during lockdown restrictions.

She later declined the insurance payout due to the high costs associated with asbestos removal and cleaning.

In the years since, members of the local community have helped with recovery efforts, including clearing the damaged property.

Gillet-Kati said she was humbled by the tautoko (support) she had received.

“I feel surrounded by the prayers and awhi of my whānau and my Te Kōhao whānau,” she said.

“This home gives my family stability and a base to continue our mahi in the community.”

A whare identified by Te Kōhao Health in Enderley will now be relocated about 45 minutes to her whenua, with contractors and volunteers working together to divide, transport and reassemble it.

Local businesses have also stepped in, contributing materials, labour and expertise to make the whare liveable.

Additional volunteers are helping with carpentry, painting, gardening and finishing work, with support continuing through each stage of the rebuild.

Gillet-Kati said she was humbled by the collective effort.

“I feel surrounded by the prayers and awhi of my whānau and my Te Kōhao whānau,” she said.

“This home gives my family stability and a base to continue our mahi in the community.”

She acknowledged the many people who had contributed to the project.

” I also want to acknowledge Margaret and Terry Troughton, Hayden Parker, Toby Flooring, BCD Engineering, and Watts Electrical. Their generosity and help have made all the difference.”

Moxon said the decision was made by the board to recognise the contributions of kaimahi who “quietly give everything” to serve their communities.

“Billie is one of those people. She has dedicated her life to others, and this is a way for us to give back with manaakitanga and aroha.”

Moxon said the goal was to ensure Gillet-Kati could return to her whenua.

“This is about restoring Billie’s ability to live on her own whenua so she can continue there as ahi kā.”

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

BusinessNZ has made its case to ministers as to why the food and grocery sector should be put in the highest priority level of any fuel rationing framework.

Top chief executives – from the organisation’s Major Companies Group – took part in an hour-long call on Thursday morning, featuring Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones.

BusinessNZ chief executive Katherine Rich told RNZ that attendees sought “greater clarity” from the government on how fuel rationing would be implemented if it activated the more extreme phases of its National Fuel Plan.

She said Willis encouraged business leaders to take part in the current consultation process and to keep sending through their on-the-ground insights.

Rich, who previously led the Food and Grocery Council for more than a decade, said she lobbied for the food industry to be given highest priority alongside other “life-supporting services” in Band A, like hospitals, courts and lifeline utilities.

“Feeding people is about supporting life and maintaining calm,” she said.

Under the draft framework published in March, food supply and distribution were categorised as “economically important services” and placed in the second highest priority level, Band B.

Rich said ministers did not signal where decisions might land, but business leaders felt their views were valued: “We do feel heard.”

The session brought together representatives from some of the country’s largest employers, spanning sectors including banking, infrastructure, tourism and logistics.

As well as the ministers, it included senior officials from Treasury, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Officials also invited ongoing input from industry, Rich said, particularly around red-tape or practical challenges businesses might face if fuel supplies tightened.

She said that level of engagement marked an improvement on the Covid-19 response, with businesses now being given more opportunity to contribute to decision-making.

“We’re facing a very fast-moving situation, and the information flow is very important,” Rich said.

“There’s a lot here that business can do on its own to try and work around some of the international disruption, but we need to make sure we keep the government informed.”

Rich said attendees found it “valuable” to ask questions and share their views, and they left the meeting with confidence that ministers and officials were doing everything they could to ensure New Zealand was in a strong position to deal with any disruption.

Speaking from Nelson on Thursday, Luxon told reporters the government was “working really closely” with industry players, including daily contact with the fuel companies.

“We have worked well in partnership, incredibly well. And we’ve also put New Zealand’s Commerce Commission on watch from day one to make sure that fuel companies are not gouging New Zealanders, and we haven’t seen evidence of that.”

Asked about the latest developments in the Middle East, Luxon said the potential for a ceasefire was promising but very fragile.

“We’ve got a long way to go. There’s a lot of trust that needs to be built back between the US and Iran, and we… encourage everybody to put best efforts forward to get to that long, lasting peace that we desperately need.”

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

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