A Pristine New Expression of Chef Vicky Cheng’s Culinary Excellence Arrives at the Award-Winning Luxury Resort

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

Ngā Kaituhi Māori  and The NZ Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa have announced the recipients of the NZSA Ngā Kaituhi Māori Mentorship & Kupu Kaitiaki Programmes for 2026.

MIL OSI

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – In the rapidly evolving logistics landscape of 2026, precision and speed define the ultimate prerequisites for high-value essentials. Leveraging Hong Kong’s unparalleled “geographical superpower”, the ability to reach half the world’s population within a five-hour flight, Cathay Cargo is reinforcing the aviation gateway for the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the global market through its specialized Cold Chain Logistics by integrating Cathay Fresh and Cathay Pharma solutions.

Cathay Fresh: Seamless Intermodal Connectivity

The Airport Authority Hong Kong’s Air-Land Fresh Lane (ALFL) initiative has enabled Cathay Cargo to create a seamless intermodal cold chain link for premium perishables, such as live seafood and seasonal fruits, into the Greater Bay Area. Under a single air waybill, these shipments travel seamlessly from overseas via HKIA directly to the GBA within a unified cold chain ecosystem.

The ALFL’s strategic brilliance lies in its simplified import process: by utilizing a specialized transshipment certificate, shipments bypass complex re-registration on the Chinese Mainland and access refrigerated Customs facilities in Zhuhai directly. This ecosystem ensures end-to-end integrity: products are protected by “Cool Dollies” on the tarmac before being transferred to GPS-tracked, temperature-controlled trucks. This streamlined process significantly accelerates delivery, ensuring nutrient density and food security for consumers.

Cathay Pharma: Technical Excellence in Life Sciences

As pharmaceutical products demand absolute thermal stability, Cathay Pharma offers a technical vanguard and sets the industry benchmark for life sciences. Operating the largest dedicated Pharma Handling Centre at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Cathay Pharma supports four distinct temperature ranges (FRO, COL, CRT, ERT) and offers Asia’s most extensive selection of cool containers through six strategic partners.

The key to this reliability is Ultra Track, a near-real-time data-logging system that empowers shippers with full visibility into cargo status and enables proactive interventions. With over 70 qualified pharma handling stations globally, Cathay Pharma ensures that life-saving vaccines and biologics maintain their efficacy throughout the journey.

An Integrated Total Cold Chain Vision

Cathay Cargo offers a Total Cold Chain Solution tailored to distinct temperature-sensitive sectors. By applying IATA CEIV Fresh-assured protocols to perishables and utilizing world-class pharmaceutical facilities that meet IATA CEIV Pharma requirements for life sciences. Cathay Cargo ensures that every temperature-sensitive shipment, whether premium seafood or critical medicine, meets the highest global standards for safety and integrity.

Hashtag: #CathayCargo #ColdChainLogistics

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

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

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – Exotica Umami (EX M), the revolutionary multifunctional cooking sauce, has recently been adopted by acclaimed Hong Kong Chinese cuisine master Anthony Lai, a chef with over five decades of culinary experience. Through five distinctively contrasting dishes incorporating EX M from everyday stir-fries to the handling of premium ingredients, Master Lai showcases the sauce’s unique capabilities and identifies four core breakthroughs, drawing significant attention across the industry.

A Legacy of Imperial Culinary Heritage: Five Decades at the Stove

Master Anthony Lai hails from a distinguished culinary lineage. His great-grandfather served as an imperial chef during the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty, passing down six precious imperial recipe manuscripts that have been transmitted through three generations to Master Lai today. Entering the trade at the age of 14 and rising to head chef by 23, he has held positions including Senior Instructor at the Chinese Culinary Institute, and Assessor for the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. Specialising in Sichuan and classical Cantonese cuisine, Master Lai was recently bestowed with the prestigious “2025 Hong Kong Gastronomic Yearbook Lifetime Achievement Award” and named “2025 Hong Kong Culinary Intangible Heritage Ambassador” — dual honours.

In a video recipe collaboration, Master Lai has incorporated EX M into five dishes: EX M Wok-fried Chicken with Asparagus, EX M Chinese-style Beef Tenderloin, EX M Braised Lamb Brisket, EX M Fish Maw, and Soup Meat dipped with EX M sauce — spanning casual stir-fries, high-heat tender meat preparations, robust braises, and the elevation of premium ingredients with just dipping the sauce. The application demonstrates how this revolutionary sauce performs across the entire spectrum of ingredients, elevating each to new heights.

Drawing from these five dishes, Master Lai has identified four core breakthroughs of EX M:

1. Locks in Amino Acids and Replenishes Moisture for Juicy, Tender Meat

According to Chef Lai, loss of amino acids and moisture during cooking is the principal cause of flavour depletion. EX M penetrates meat fibres during marination, sealing in amino acids while replenishing moisture. EX M Braised Lamb Brisket offers the most compelling demonstration of this effect. Using only approximately 10% EX M in the braising liquid, with no need for elaborate spice blends, the brisket emerges enveloped in braised aromatics while retaining its own juices, with meat juices visibly releasing as each piece is lifted. “Traditional Cantonese braising demands a heavy hand with seasonings simply to mask gaminess, leaving diners tasting condiments rather than the lamb itself,” Master Lai explains. “EX M does not overpower; it locks in the natural juices and allows the lamb’s intrinsic sweetness to come through.” The same principle applies to EX M Chinese-style Beef Tenderloin — under high-heat wok-frying, EX M seals in amino acids and moisture, preventing the beef from weeping liquid or turning tough; the cuts remain succulent, harmonising wok hei with the meat’s natural flavour.

2. Naturally Relaxes Muscle Fibres for Tender Texture and Mouthfeel

While preparing EX M Wok-fried Chicken with Asparagus, Master Lai observed that chicken marinated with EX M required minimal chewing, with a texture that remained tender yet retained its bite. This quality distinguishes EX M from baking soda: while the latter can tenderise meat, it often produces a mushy, compromised texture accompanied by an unpleasant alkaline aftertaste. EX M, by contrast, relaxes muscle fibres naturally without compromising the meat’s structural integrity and leaves no off-flavours behind, delivering a combination of benefits that conventional food aids cannot match. The same effect is plainly evident in EX M Chinese-style Beef Tenderloin, where the meat fibres relax without disintegrating, achieving a texture far superior to that produced by baking soda or traditional meat tenderisers.

3. Significantly Amplifies Flavour and Freshness

What sets EX M apart is its ability to magnify an ingredient’s intrinsic character without overshadowing it. Master Lai describes it as a “flavour amplifier” that draws out the deep protein sweetness of meats — echoing the ancient imperial culinary philosophy of “harmony without conflict”. This effect is most thoroughly demonstrated when using EX M to dip the remains of meats used to cook soup. In Hong Kong’s deeply rooted soup-making culture, the simmered meat is too often discarded, or eaten only with soy sauce as a reluctant accompaniment. Master Lai terms this the “flavour gap”: traditional soy sauce renders the meat sour and cloying, all weight without freshness. EX M instantly fills the flavour void left in the meat fibres, drawing forth deep protein sweetness and transforming what was humble leftover soup meat into a delicacy, with a clean savoury finish rising naturally from the palate.

4. Delivers a Lasting, Rich Kokumi Experience

Kokumi represents the highest aspiration of imperial culinary philosophy — a sensation that expands fully within the mouth and lingers long after swallowing. As Master Lai notes, imperial chefs have always pursued purity of taste, harmonious balance, and lasting depth — precisely what is now termed kokumi. Even with centuries of refined imperial technique, achieving this combination of full moisture, natural tenderness, vivid flavour, and longer lasting mouthfeel in everyday cooking has remained a formidable challenge. The effect of EX M is particularly striking when applied to fish maw: rather than added during the rehydration stage, EX M is introduced during the quick braising stage, where it helps to remove the fishy notes while infusing the gelatinous structure with rich, lasting umami.

Reflecting on his experience with EX M, Master Lai summarises: “EX M locks in amino acids and replenishes moisture, keeping meats juicy and tender; it helps to naturally relax muscle fibres for refined texture and mouthfeel; it dramatically amplifies flavour and freshness; and it delivers a lasting, rich kokumi experience. Across these five dishes, these four breakthroughs reveal themselves for most part. For chefs, incorporating EX M into the kitchen saves time while elevating every dish to a higher standard.”

Sun Fook Kee Restaurant Launches the Imperial “EX M Lu Ming Banquet”

Master Lai also serves as culinary consultant to Sun Fook Kee Restaurant Yu Yuan (Causeway Bay), where he will introduce a signature Historical Qing Dynasty themed Imperial Mini-Manchu-Han “Lu Ming Banquet” built around EX M. The menu translates the sauce’s textural and flavour advantages into a series of refined courses, inviting diners to experience first-hand the masterful fusion of imperial culinary heritage and “advanced culinary formula” through EX M.

The banquet comprises ten elegantly named courses, each evoking the refinement of the imperial table theme, with EX M threaded to elevate umami, kokumi, moisture retention, and textural quality in various dishes. The courses are as follows:

• EX M Stuffed Chicken Wings with Asparagus and Yunnan Ham
• EX M Pan-fried Scallops Stuffed with Hairy Gourd, topped with Crab Roe
• EX M Braised Fish Maw in Pumpkin Sauce
• EX M Braised Vegetarian Shark’s Fin Soup
• EX M Steamed Star Garoupa with Chicken Oil and Huadiao Wine
• EX M Bamboo Pith with Seasonal Vegetables
• EX M Tri-coloured Fried Rice
• Osmanthus Cake in Empress Cixi style
• EX M Scallion Oil Noodles
• Snow Fungus and Lotus Seed Sweet Soup

HK$1,088 per person. Reservations open from 1 June 2026 at 2156 1688.

Video Series Launch: “EX M: Unlocking the 6th Sense — Imperial Heritage Taste of Umami and Kokumi”

Starting from 14 May 2026 and continuing over approximately one month, the official YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook channels of Exotica Umami EX M Sauce will progressively release a series of videos featuring recipe demonstrations and professional commentary across the five dishes of the collaboration.

Hashtag: #ExoticaUmami #exmsauce

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

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

MIL OSI

Food prices were flat in April, and up by less compared to the year earlier than they were in March.

But beneath that headline, there’s been significant variation across food items.

Here’s what’s getting cheaper, what’s dearer, how you might be able to save and where to next for food prices.

What’s cheaper?

Looking at annual averages 10 years ago compared to modern prices, not a lot is cheaper.

Of the 147 detailed prices that Stats NZ tracks, only seven have recorded drops over 10 years.

Avocados were down 22 percent from a decade ago.

Infometrics chief economist Brad Olsen said that was largely due to supply. “There’s been much higher supply and much more challenging demand conditions in recent times, where there just hasn’t been as much demand.

“If we were having this conversation as well a decade ago, we probably would have been rejoicing at the fact that surely with low avocado prices, you know, housing must be so much more affordable.

“Anyone saying ‘your avocado on toast is contributing to your inability to buy a house’ was wrong to start with, but it’s even more wrong at the moment when avocado prices have come back.”

Second was onions, down 7 percent from $2.13 a kilogram to $1.99, on average.

A 700g bag of frozen prawns dropped 3 percent over 10 years, and a packaged pasta-and-sauce meal was down 1 percent.

Over just the past year, the biggest drops were in cucumbers, down 23 percent, olive oil, down 21 percent, the packaged pasta meals, down 16 percent, carrots down 14 percent and cauliflower down 11 percent.

What’s got dearer?

Everything else.

Over 10 years, the biggest increases in prices were for eggs, butter, sultanas, canned pink salmon, kiwifruit, bread, corned beef, cabbage, grapes, and fish and chips.

Eggs were up 151 percent over 10 years.

“That’s because we’ve changed how we produce eggs in New Zealand, we’ve got rid of battery and caged options and moved towards more free-range options, which has increased the cost of operating,” Olsen said.

Butter was up 143 percent.

ANZ economist Matt Dilly said butter prices had fallen in the past few months but were still high.

“Global supplies were very tight from mid-2024 to late 2025, thanks to strong demand and poor weather in every dairy exporting country except New Zealand. We are starting to see butter prices come down as butter production has increased in New Zealand, Europe, and the US.

“But you’ll also notice a step change in pricing between 2006-2016 and 2016-present. This reflects shifting consumer preferences away from vegetable oils and toward butter for health reasons.”

Sultanas lifted in price by 116 percent. Dilly said most came from Turkey and Australia.

“Turkey is the largest producer and exporter, and they’ve been hit with bad weather last year. This has pushed production down and prices up. Hopefully prices will fall over the next few months.”

Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon said there had been significant rain and frost damage to Turkish crops. “Poor harvest have also been an issue fro things like coffee and chocolate prices in recent times.”

Salmon was up 101 percent, kiwifruit 93 percent, bread 90 percent, corned beef 87 percent and cabbage 78 percent.

Olsen said kiwifruit was driven by strong demand and challenging harvest conditions.

Dilly said kiwifruit was highly seasonal.

“Right now we are transitioning from imported Northern Hemisphere fruit to domestic fruit. That’s still ongoing, so retail prices will continue to drop as the harvest continues. Red and Gold are mostly picked, but Green is still underway. However, prices are going up year over year, if you just look at the lowest prices of each season. Some of that will be due to an increase in orchard gate prices in recent years, especially for green kiwifruit.”

Corned beef was likely to be because fewer cattle had been available for processing, Olsen said. He said other meat had also increased in price, but corned beef was cheaper to being with so the proportional increase was higher.

A serve of fish and chips increased from $6.09 on average in the year ending April 2016 to $10.77 this year.

Olsen said there was pressure on fish generally and fish fillets were them most expensive single item on a per unit basis.

“Over time as well, you’ve seen increases in potato costs and the cost of your cooking oil and everything else… energy cost increases, you’ve seen packaging cost increases, and probably most importantly, increases to the minimum wage over time, which generally affects those in hospitality a whole lot more.”

In the past year, the biggest price increases have been in dried apricots, up 56 percent, courgettes up 42 percent, avocado up 36 percent, sliced white bread up 35 percent, beans up 26 percent and roasting lamb up 21 percent.

How can we save money?

Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub calculated people could save money on things like school lunches by making swaps.

By switching from ham to peanut butter for sandwiches, school policy permitting, and muesli bars to muesli, they could save $5.10 a week on school lunches, he said.

A Sunday roast for four people would cost $22.24 per person using beef sirloin but only $8.17 for roast chicken.

Where to from here?

HIgher fuel prices are expected to push up food prices, but that has not shown through in the data yet.

Olsen said that was what he expected. “The fact that diesel costs have increased by basically double in the last two months – most people’s pricing structures don’t adjust that quickly themselves. We do expect they’re coming. We just think here’s a bit of a delay or a lag as those cost changes come through the supply chain.”

DIlly agreed it was too soon to seen an impact.

He said would take three to six months for price changes to go from the point of origin to retail, depending on the product.

“Some costs will be passed on more quickly than others, and some costs will be absorbed in the supply chain before it reaches the consumer. We are keeping an eye on it, but wouldn’t expect to see a noticeable change for another few months.”

Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod said the impact might not show up until the latter part of the year.

“Higher costs for fuels and fertilizers will push up production costs here and abroad. The usual delay with growing cycles and shipping means those higher costs take several months to pass through to food prices, and that’s compounded by shipping times for items we import.

“So, while the April food price figures were a little on the soft side of expectations, we’re likely to see more pronounced upward pressure on food prices over the coming months.”

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/sultanas-up-avocados-down-heres-how-food-prices-are-really-moving/

A Coroner says the deaths of two fishermen in Northland highlight the importance of wearing lifejackets while rock fishing – as well as the need for warning signs and flotation aids in dangerous areas.

Sarath Kumar Sasidharan-Nair, 37, and Ferzil Babu, 34, drowned when they were swept off rocks at The Gap, a fishing spot at Taiharuru, east of Whangārei, two years ago.

Sasidharan-Nair’s body was found in the water two days later, while Babu’s remains were only found late last year when they washed up on Coppermine Island in Bream Bay.

According to a report released on Monday by Coroner Janet Anderson, the friends travelled together to Taiharuru on the afternoon of 1 May 2024.

Other friends arrived at the same fishing spot later that afternoon but did not recognise Sasidharan-Nair’s vehicle. They assumed the pair had decided not to go fishing because the water was so rough and went home.

The men’s wives raised the alarm when they failed to return and did not answer their phones.

Police found some of the men’s property on the beach that evening and started a large scale search the next day.

Coroner Anderson ruled that both men had died by accidental drowning and noted that neither owned a lifejacket.

According to evidence provided by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand (SLNZ), 16 people – all men – had died while fishing from land in Northland between 2011 and 2024.

SLNZ said rock fishing could be “rewarding and exhilarating” but required careful preparation and a strong focus on safety.

The chief risks were large waves overtopping rocky platforms, knocking fishers off their feet and sweeping them into the water; and slippery rocks near the water’s edge, where fishers could easily fall while retrieving a catch or a snagged line.

Coroner Anderson said the men’s tragic deaths again illustrated the need to war life jackets and have access to flotation devices while rock fishing.

In November 2025 she called on the Whangārei District Council to install warning signs and flotation aids at The Gap.

The council told her it had done so, working with hapū to get the right wording, but the sign had since been removed by an unknown person.

Coroner Anderson urged the council to urgently reinstate signage so people would be aware of the danger.

Responding to the report, Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Glen Scanlon said a lifejacket could be the difference between life and death while rock fishing.

“The very harsh reality shown by so many drownings is that we need to help each other make decisions which help us enjoy the water and get home safe. Rock fishers need to wear lifejackets and never underestimate the conditions.”

Scanlon said 237 people had drowned while fishing from land in New Zealand since 1980. Of those, 150 occurred while fishing from rocks.

A spokeswoman for the Whangārei District Council said the missing sign was being reinstated, and contractors would monitor it to make sure it remained in place.

The council was working with Surf Lifesaving New Zealand on installing floatation devices and additional safety signs at the site, she said.

Sasidharan-Nair was a registered nurse who had just started a new job in the emergency department at Whangārei Hospital.

Babu’s wife also worked at the hospital while he was seeking work and looking after their young son.

Coroner Anderson included SLNZ’s “five ways to survive” tips for rock fishing in her report. They are:

• Know how to float: Only go fishing from rocks if you know how to float well. Always wear a lifejacket and take a flotation device, like a life ring or a bucket, with you. Lifejackets will increase your chance of survival if you fall in.
• Find the safest place: Check conditions: tide, swell, weather, and local hazards. Always face the ocean and be alert for large waves which can knock you off the rocks.
• If in doubt, stay out: If the weather or conditions look dangerous don’t go fishing – wait for another day.
• Take care of yourself and others: Always fish together. If something happens, the other person can help. Wear light, warm clothing, a lifejacket and shoes with grip (not gumboots).
• Know how to get help: Always take a mobile phone; in an emergency call 111 and ask for police.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/two-men-who-drowned-rock-fishing-werent-wearing-life-jackets-coroner-says/

America’s Cup winner and Olympic gold medallist Blair Tuke says the government should scrap its Fisheries legislation.

Tuke was speaking to the Primary Production select committee on behalf of the Live Ocean Foundation alongside ultramarathon swimmer Jono Ridler in response to the Fisheries Amendment Bill.

The bill makes changes to catch limits and the handling of on-boat monitoring footage with the aim of growing exports.

Several environmental groups have called for the bill to be stopped, while fishing companies say it helps modernise a system that has worked well for New Zealand for decades.

Tuke said New Zealand was responsible for the fourth-largest ocean space in the world, but the legislation would further entrench bottom trawling and fail to protect habitats – many of which could take centuries to recover.

“For a country surrounded by the moana, when it comes to ocean stewardship we are not leading – in fact, if it was sport, I would say we don’t even rank.”

Ridler said that while the bill did not specifically promote bottom trawling, the amendments “in aggregate prioritise short-term, bulk harvesting over broader ecosystem impacts”.

“It prioritises economic gain and bulk harvesting, including bottom trawling, while reducing safeguards to protect the environment. This increases the pressure on at-risk species and vulnerable habitats.”

He said their second concern was a weakening of environmental safeguards.

Fishing company opposes public access to boat footage

Moana New Zealand general manager Mark Ngata said New Zealand’s largest Māori-owned seafood company would be open to having an independent officer of Parliament review boat footage, but it should not be made public.

He said the company had begun using on-boat cameras eight years before it became mandatory, and having the ministry check footage was “more than sufficient”.

“We have always had the view of transparency, but also collecting information, otherwise you can’t make good decisions on what’s happening out there … it’s very important to maintain the privacy of our fishermen.

“We believe that having an organisation like the ministry out there that’s that watchdog, if you like, we think that’s more than sufficient.”

When questioned by New Zealand First’s Mark Patterson about whether an independent officer of Parliament could do that job instead, he said “trust comes from working together and solving problems … something like that could be considered”.

Overall, he said the bill was an important step for modernising fisheries management, improving responsiveness, efficiency, and certainty.

“We consider the bill to be a natural evolution of the quota management system reflecting advances in monitoring, reporting, and data availability.”

Canterbury council fears for biodiversity

Speaking for Canterbury Regional Council, councillor Genevieve Robinson said it had “serious concerns” that the proposed law risked undermining the council’s ability to meet its obligations to protect biodiversity and threatened species.

“Canterbury has the largest coastal marine area jurisdiction of any regional council in this country. More than 40 percent of our jurisdiction is coastal marine area, and that includes nationally significant ecosystems.”

“Several aspects of this bill move fisheries management away from ecosystem-based management. In particular, the council is concerned about the narrowing of the total allowable catch considerations, the reduced transparency around the onboard cameras, and the increased flexibility around annual catch entitlement carrying forward.”

She said catch limits should be set on an ecosystem-wide basis, and footage from fishing boats should be publicly accessible.

“This bill should not weaken its ecosystem safeguards, reduce transparency, or undermine our own regional councils’ ability to protect under the New Zealand coastal policy statement.”

A flotilla of crafts, from fishing boats and yachts to kayaks and stand up paddle boards, surrounding a floating ‘ban bottom trawling’ banner at Mission Bay in Auckland, New Zealand in a show of opposition to bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf marine park (file image).

Greenpeace

Speaking for Greenpeace, Ellie Hooper said the current balance of protection versus profit for New Zealand’s waters was “drastically off kilter” and extractive industry had been prioritised.

“It’s extremely clear that this bill, if it was passed, would take ocean policy in this country further in that wrong direction, prioritising extraction and removing the very few environmental checks and balances that exist in the Fisheries Act to stop further decline.”

She said the bill was “rotten and must be rejected in its entirety”.

“The idea that the minister would be able to disregard the environmental principles currently in the act as if fishing happens in a vacuum and doesn’t have an impact on other species or habitats is kind of non-sensical to us.”

She said they opposed the introduction of five-year catch limits, shortened judicial review timeframes, and exemptions for fishing camera footage from the Official Information Act.

“We note the issues with privacy from the industry, but there is surely a way that we can rectify this with blurring all the releases of segments of footage. This industry does have a large impact on the ocean environment, and locking up that footage from public view is not going to rebuild trust in the commercial sector’s activities.”

“Having a fine that could potentially be five times higher for somebody releasing evidence of environmental damage versus someone who actually did that damage in the first place, we think is pretty egregious.”

Young Ocean Explorers

Steve Hathaway from marine educational charity Young Ocean Explorers said the waters around New Zealand once had abundant crayfish, snapper and other stocks – but things have changed.

“Our goal is to ensure we have a thriving ocean for future generations, and we’re on the coalface with Kiwi kids. We’ve personally given presentations to over 150,000 kids around Aotearoa and we’re hearing regularly that this generation of kids are really concerned about the planet and the ocean they’re inheriting.

“Most of New Zealand is actually ocean, about 93 percent of it, and it’s thought over 80 percent of our natives live there … a very old friend of mine told me that he wouldn’t stop to have a fish at 90-Mile Beach until he saw the ocean was pink, where he knew there’s enough snapper that he would get a good feed. These days are long gone.

“I’ve seen crayfish and scallops in abundance, and something we thought would never run out. They should be our God-given right as Kiwis to harvest, but now our Northlands were not allowed to take either of them, as numbers are so diminished. How has it been so poorly managed that it’s got to this place?”

He said New Zealand needed an ambitious goal for the future of its oceans.

‘Minor updates and modernisations’ – Fishing company

Fishing company Solander Group’s managing director Paul Hufflett said many of the other submitters were making “a lot of noise” and talking “off subject”.

“What we’re dealing with is effectively an update to a piece of legislation that has served New Zealand incredibly well for the better part of 30 years,” he said.

“Really we’re just talking about some relatively minor updates and modernisations of a robust piece of legislation that’s put New Zealand in an excellent position to go forward for another 30 years.”

He said they supported the minister having the power to make five-year Total Allowable Catch decisions, supported excluding boat footage from the OIA, opposed the 20-day time limit on judicial review, opposed the introduction of alternative deem values for inshore and deep water bycatch, and strongly supported allowing fish to be returned to sea.

Ngāti Porou settlement body was not consulted

Whangaokena ki Onepoto Takutai Kaitiaki Trust spokesperson Keryn Goldsmith said the trust was not consulted over the bill.

She said the Crown was obliged to engage with them on any Fisheries legislation that affects regulations in the area under their settlement.

“We’re not opposed to the fisheries reform, rather our submission supports improvements to the fisheries system, provided those changes operate consistently with the statutory and deed-based recognition arrangements already provided and agreed between Ngāti Porou and the Crown.”

She said the Ngā Rohe Moana o Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Porou Act and the deed to amend the deed of agreement 2017 were binding on the Crown.

“They establish a bespoke framework that must be taken into account whenever fisheries decisions or decision making affects our Rohe Moana. Those obligations apply throughout the legislative development, not just at implementation, and they are not displaced by generic public consultation processes.

“As drafted, the bill would reduce scrutiny. It would compress participation time frames, concentrates discretion with decision makers, and limits accountability. Considered together, these changes risk narrowing the practical space in which hapū are able to exercise their authority and responsibilities that parliament has already recognised from a kaitiaki perspective.”

She said the Crown’s obligation was to engage with Ngāti Porou hapū on any amendment to fisheries legislation that affected the recognition and fisheries mechanisms.

“That consultation did not occur prior to the introduction of this bill. This is not merely a procedural irregularity, it is a breach of statutory and deed-based obligations owed to Ngāti Porou hapū. The Crown cannot meet those obligations by treating Hapu as one voice among many in a generic public submission process.”

Goldsmith said they did not oppose the reforms, but they must proceed in a way that honours existing commitments.

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

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

Making salmon babies is like mixing a potion.

You take some eggs, add milt, and stir them around in a bucket – at least, that’s how the Akaroa King Salmon hatchery team do it.

As simple as it sounds, getting spawning day right is crucial for the business, chief executive Stewart Hawthorn said.

“From this hatchery, we support 75 jobs, a turnover of more than $35 million; $20 million of that is export earnings for New Zealand.

“It’s critically important for us.”

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The Waiau hatchery was first set up in 1987, diverting water from the Rotherham Stream to support raising small fish.

“Originally the idea was that they’d grow, sort of, plate-sized salmon for people to buy and eat,” Hawthorn said.

It was purchased by Akaroa King Salmon in 2023, which now uses it to hatch eggs and raise fish to a smolt stage.

After that, the fish are transported to Akaroa Harbour and ocean-reared for 16 months

“They spawn in freshwater, so you have to start them in freshwater, and then you finish growing in the sea,” Hawthorn said, “So that’s what we replicate when we do it here.”

New technology at the hatchery ensures there are always fish in the tanks, like a water chilling system for egg storage.

“We can cool down the egg temperature. That means some of the eggs from this [spawn] will take a lot longer to develop… so we can spread out our harvests, effectively.”

Other additions help improve water quality and aeration, which help keep the fish calm.

This year, the hatchery is rolling out a special breeding programme, focused on increasing genetic diversity.

“Those are ‘families’ we are creating,” Hatchery Manager Hagen Kocksh said.

“We know the pedigree of those fish, and we have genotyped them, so we know [their] specific characteristics.

“Later on, we will focus on traits, genetic traits, like growth, resilience, temperature tolerance.”

Headed by the Cawthron Institute, the programme aims to build tastier fish and ensure there are King Salmon around to be eaten in the future.

Advanced technology helps in some ways – but when it comes to actually harvesting and fertilising eggs, human hands make light work.

Female fish are checked by hatchery staff for ‘ripeness’, or whether the eggs are loose and ready for release, by a feel of the belly.

Ripe fish are euthanised and the eggs released into a bucket, aided by some pressure from an air pump.

The male fish are essentially ‘milked’- given a light squeeze – to release their milt into individual containers.

And then, like a potion, the two are mixed together.

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May 15 2026 – Donald Trump leaves Beijing declaring success after two days of high-level talks with Xi Jinping, but the absence of concrete detail from the summit between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies is where investors should focus their attention, according to Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group.

“The headlines sound reassuring, but the substance underneath them remains remarkably thin.

“Markets heard promises of stronger ties, major purchases and stabilised relations. What they did NOT hear was, perhaps, far more important.”

Trump claimed China would buy 200 Boeing aircraft, alongside significant increases in purchases of US agricultural goods and energy exports. Yet no formal agreement has been released publicly by Beijing, no timetable has emerged, and no financial framework has been disclosed.

“Global investors are being asked to price optimism without documentation,” notes the deVere CEO.

“Aviation orders, agricultural commitments, and trade pledges only matter if there’s enforceable detail attached to them. Right now, there’s very little of that.”

US-China trade exceeded $575 billion last year despite years of tariffs, export controls and strategic hostility.

China remains central to global manufacturing supply chains, while the US remains one of China’s most important export destinations. Financial markets have been desperate for signs that tensions between Washington and Beijing are easing in a meaningful way.

Nigel Green argues the summit delivered optics rather than resolution.

“Unfortunately, there was no serious public breakthrough on tariffs, semiconductors, export controls, rare earth minerals or industrial subsidies,” he says.

“Those are the core disputes shaping the economic relationship. None of them disappeared because the language between the two leaders softened.”

Rare earths remain among the most strategically sensitive issues.

China controls roughly 70% of global rare earth production and close to 90% of processing capacity. Those materials are essential for semiconductors, EVs, military systems, aerospace manufacturing and advanced tech infrastructure.

Yet despite months of pressure from US industry groups and mounting concern over supply-chain vulnerabilities, the summit produced no detailed framework around future access or export guarantees.

“Rare earths sit at the centre of the global industrial race,” explains Nigel Green. “Washington wanted stability. Markets wanted visibility. Neither emerged from Beijing.”

Semiconductors represent another major silence.

The US continues restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China, while Beijing accelerates efforts to build domestic alternatives and reduce reliance on American tech.

The deVere chief executive says the omission carries enormous implications for investors globally.

“AI has become one of the most powerful investment themes in the world economy,” he says.

“But the infrastructure behind AI is increasingly shaped by geopolitical confrontation. The summit offered no indication that either side is prepared to retreat.”

Taiwan also remained unresolved beneath the diplomatic theatre.

Xi Jinping reportedly reiterated Beijing’s hardline position during private discussions, while Trump avoided major public escalation. Markets interpreted the restraint positively, but Nigel Green warns the underlying tensions remain acute.

“Taiwan is one of the single biggest geopolitical risk factors facing global markets. Any deterioration would instantly hit semiconductors, shipping routes, defence spending, commodity prices and global equities.”

The summit also failed to produce meaningful clarity around the future of tariffs imposed during the original US-China trade war.

Average US tariffs on many Chinese goods remain significantly above pre-2018 levels, while Beijing has maintained retaliatory measures across multiple sectors. Global manufacturers have spent years restructuring supply chains around the uncertainty.

Nigel Green says businesses were hoping for a clearer direction.

“Corporate leaders wanted evidence of a longer-term framework for economic engagement,” he says.

“Instead, they received broad political language designed to calm sentiment without addressing the structural fractures underneath.”

He also points to the contradictions inside the economic announcements themselves.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer spoke about large future agricultural purchases from China, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested some key commodity arrangements had already effectively been settled under earlier agreements.

“Mixed messaging creates more uncertainty, not less,” concludes Nigel Green.

“Washington and Beijing may have lowered the temperature publicly, but the unresolved economic conflict beneath the surface remains very much alive.”

deVere Group is one of the world’s largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

MIL OSI

The 70th edition of the Hutchwilco boat show got underway on Thursday, with no shortage of attendees. But like many industries, the marine sector is facing challenges from the sky rocketing price of fuel.

Helen Kay was general manager of Xpo Exhibitions, who run the show, she said the rising cost of fuel has impacted the industry in what was already a tough economic situation. She said in the lead up to the show manufacturers and retailers were looking at what deals they could offer to overcome the situation.

Auckland Marine centre’s AIan Coutts also acknowledged times were tough for consumers, but said the fuel crisis was driving an increase in sales in more fuel efficient engines, particularly as people look to upgrade from 2 stroke engines to 4 strokes.

“Even though the fuel costs are high, the people that are running those older engines have worked out that they need to upgrade them” he said.

Boaties were also looking at alternatives to petrol and diesel. Adam Wrightson was director of Evocean, his company sells electric boat motors. He said he’d noticed an increase in inquiries, but notes many of those had already been in contact before the fuel crisis hit “I think maybe the fuel thing spurred them on to finally do something”.

Wrightson also said there was more interest from the ‘bigger boat market”.

The cost of fuel wasn’t the only thing that’s changed over the years at the boat show, the demographics were also different. Helen Kay said there was a 10 percent increase in the amount of women last year.

Isabell Zitzelberger, founder of Wildchix, was determined to make sure those female visitors don’t miss out on the chance to learn about boating, fishing and hunting.

Before starting Wildchix, Zitzelberger worked in boats sales. “I was selling boats mainly to the guys and every time I was like, where’s your wife?” she said.

When First Up caught up with Zitzelberger, she was getting ready to present a seminar aimed at improving women’s knowledge of boat safety.

She believed this was important so women could either act as a back up on the water, or take the helm themselves.

Another feature of this year’s show was the arrival of Seneca big game reels.

They were the brainchild of kiwi Sam Connor, who spent 8 years working at Rocket lab “I was managing a team of manufacturing engineers building the processes that build the rocket, essentially” he said.

Connor used his aerospace background to design a product he said was much lighter than traditional big game reels.

Normally big game reels were constructed with an aluminium frame. Connor’s frames were made of carbon fibre, while other components were titanium.

Connor said the lighter weight helped reduce angler fatigue when they’re fighting large fish.

The Seneca reels were priced at $3000 each, although Connor said 40 percent of the small batch of reels produced for the boat show pre-sold before the event started.

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

A long-awaited coastal Wellington cycleway in the Hutt Valley has come up short for some cyclists, after leaving “strings of kids on bikes heading into traffic” near Eastbourne.

The $80 million Tupua Horo Nuku – a 4km seawall, and shared cycle and walking path along Marine Drive – opened in April.

The cycleway joins Point Howard to Eastbourne – or almost – as it abruptly stops for almost a kilometre across Days Bay, forcing cyclists to cross oncoming traffic and ride alongside cars without a path.

Some locals, like Kava Crosson-Elturan, have raised concerns about this gap.

He said seeing families and kids show up to the opening weekend was wonderful, but he described some of them ending up in a tricky situation.

He pointed to where the cycleway ended around the corner from Sunshine Bay into Days Bay.

“Right through here was especially dangerous, where we had strings of kids on bikes heading into traffic.”

Crosson-Elturan said it was “unfortunate to see” a “lack of planning”, when it came to a long-awaited project, which he thoroughly supported.

Residents agreed the seawall offered much-needed protection from tides and bad weather, and many were excited to use the shared paths.

“I live in Days Bay, so am familiar with the corner and the project,” Local MP and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Chris Bishop said. “I think everyone agrees the Days Bay section is not great, but it is also a tricky problem to solve, given the obvious constraints.

“I know the council is looking at it and has done so, but there are no easy answers.”

Hutt City Council explained that Days Bay was not included in plans for the seawall and shared path, because it already had “some safe facilities for pedestrians and increased widths for on-road cyclists”. It confirmed that Days Bay was not “shovel-ready” and therefore development of a path there could not have been covered by COVID funding, which made the rest of the project possible.

It had added line markings to guide path users, while a link was finalised, but some residents have struggled with the layout.

Last weekend, Eastbourne resident Jessica Haines was was looking forward to trying out the cycleway with her kids to visit their grandparents in Days Bay.

“We thought it was an awesome opportunity, rather than driving, to jump on our bikes and come around.”

They ran out of path coming into Days Bay and did not know where to cycle safely.

“It was a bit scary,” she explained. “I was yelling at my son, ‘Hendrix, stop there!’

“The shared pathway ends and you end up in traffic. The other option is a very slim pathway, but then you risk bumping into people coming out of their cars to go to the beach.”

The experience made her more cautious about using the path.

Haines said how pedestrians and cyclists navigate this area needed more consideration, and was already an issue during summertime.

She wasn’t sure of the best way to address the problem, as all options would mean losing either a bit of green, beach or parking spaces.

Father-of-two Will agreed that it was especially dangerous for young children.

“For us, it hasn’t worked out, because we’re not really able to actually make it into Day’s Bay safely with the kids. The path just ends and you’re trapped there.”

He was surprised and disappointed that the council had not thought to add a crossing or markings to guide people.

“I think it’s just such a cool thing that they’ve done and I think everyone who’s used it thinks it’s really great as well, but then it just seems that there’s this massive oversight. It seems like someone without kids has thought of this.”

However, the missing link did not deter keen cyclist Peter Healy, who has used the path most days.

“Probably six days a week, I’m on the bike away, rain or shine.”

It has been a fantastic addition to his life, making getting out of the house easier in his retirement.

“I can ride safely. I can put my grandkids on it and we can whiz around, and not get bowled by a bus.”

He said it could be easily fixed.

“At the moment, there’s a bit of a gap here, but it’s just a bit of paint,” he said. “They’ll work it out.”

Hutt City Council economy & development director Jon Kingsbury said a link between Sunshine Bay and Days Bay was underway, and would be presented to the Eastbourne Community Board. It would include a path to separate pedestrians and cyclists from cars.

He added that a path through Days Bay would have resulted in the loss of carparking on Marine Drive.

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For the first time in her career, CJ Bott has had to learn how to lead without crossing the white line.

The Wellington Phoenix captain has spent much of the club’s breakthrough A-League season watching from the sidelines, since her https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/584796/phoenix-captain-cj-bott-announces-pregnancy pregnancy announcement] i January.

There was never any chance she would miss Saturday’s grand final against Melbourne City at AAMI Park though.

“I’m definitely travelling,” Bott said. “You wouldn’t be able to hold me at home just yet.

“I’ve still got a few more weeks until I’m medically unable to travel, so I’m making the most of it. I’ll be there with bells and whistles, and I’ll lose my voice screaming on the sidelines.”

Bott played seven matches at the start of the season, before stepping away from playing duties, remaining involved with the squad in an off-field leadership role, as the Phoenix surged to the first grand final in the team’s five-year history.

She described her second season with the Phoenix was “definitely a different season”.

“It started off well, being on the field, and then having to take a step back, because of the pregnancy, it took a little bit to get used to and was a tough pill to swallow in many ways, because all I want to do is be out there and doing my part with the team.

“I think as the season’s progressed, and our new signings have stepped up and really embraced their roles, and the rest of the girls have also stepped up, they’ve done such an incredible job.

“I mean, there’s been some nailbiting moments of the season, but overall, they’ve done incredibly well and I’m just so proud of how they’ve handled the season.”

Coach Bev Priestman was determined to keep Bott closely involved this season, because of her leadership and experience within the group.

“It did take a little while to see where I best fit into that role, because I wanted to give [Mackenzie Barry] the time and the space and the energy and support to do her role as captain as well.

“It’s taken a bit of adjustment, but I think now I’ve figured out where I’m best fitted, and I really just try and support the girls in whatever way and whatever capacity they need me.”

Defender Emma Pijnenburg, who replaced Bott in the squad, said the Football Ferns international remained an influential figure within the team.

“She just has this aura and, when she speaks in the circle, everybody is hanging on to every word,” Pijnenburg said. “She has a lot of experience as well, a senior player in the team, and she brings a lot to the team, whether she is on the field or not,” .

The Phoenix finished the season in second place and came from behind to win the two-legged semifinal against Brisbane Roar to secure the grand final match-up, but Bott said it was not all plain sailing to get to the pinnacle game of the season.

“I don’t think it’s a shock, given the team we had at the start of the season, but based on all our injuries and unfortunate events that have occurred during the season, it is somewhat of a surprise that we’ve somehow managed to keep our heads above water and still perform, given all the difficulties this team’s been through.

“The season has been so important towards the development of women’s football in this country, in this city specifically, and I’m so excited to see what can happen in the weekend.”

Watching from the sidelines has not come naturally to Bott.

“I hate it,” she said. “It is so hard just sitting there and not being able to do anything, but I’ve had to embrace it.

“I’ve got no other choice in the matter and the girls need me no matter what. I’ve just had to bite my nails quietly and just be their biggest cheerleader.”

Bott arrived at her hometown club last season, after eight years playing professionally in Germany, Sweden, Norway and England, and was surprised by the level of professionalism at the Phoenix.

“I didn’t quite know what to expect coming in,” she said. “I knew they had access to world-class facilities, but I think that’s one thing, having the backing from the wider club and having the staff involved.

“Our staff are incredible, they are probably some of the most professional staff I’ve ever had.

“Besides the fact that a lot of our girls have to, unfortunately, work two jobs, it is the most professional environment I’ve probably been a part of and it’s the most enjoyable environment I’ve been a part of in a long, long time.”

Bott is off contract at the end of this season and definitely has plans to return to football in the future, and “absolutely” would like that to be with the Phoenix.

Before she can think about her playing future, she will have to handle a few more “nervewracking” moments in the stands, as the Phoenix women play for the club’s first piece of silverware.

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All Whites forward Kosta Barbarouses knows the heartbreak of missing out on a Football World Cup squad, and now the happiness and relief of finally making it 16 years later.

Barbarouses has “no regrets” about his football journey, that has wound from Wellington to Western Sydney, including stops in Greece and Russia, and five different A-League clubs.

Now, his inclusion in coach Darren Bazeley’s 26-man squad for next month’s Football World Cup is reward for that persistence.

Barbarouses came agonisingly close to selection for the All Whites’ 2010 World Cup squad – so close that his boot sponsor had already prepared personalised World Cup boots, before then-coach Ricki Herbert finalised his team.

“I’ve even got the World Cup boots from Nike, personalised as well, and I never went,” the 36-year-old said. “I’ve still got those as an heirloom.”

This year’s version of the boots will mean even more to Barbarouses, who heard about his call-up for the tournament in North America while on school pick-up duty.

“I haven’t seen them yet, but now instead of my name, I’ve got my kids’ names on them, so I’m excited for those.”

Barbarouses described his club season with A-League wooden-spooners Western Sydney Wanderers as “disappointing”, but he never doubted his value to the national team.

“I always knew I was doing well for the national team, but obviously, you want to do well week to week and, honestly, I have been very disappointed.”

Barbarouses said the March window, when the All Whites played Finland and Chile in the FIA Series in Auckland, was crucial to pushing his case for a place in the World Cup squad. That period co-incided with him losing his starting role at club level.

“I’ll give myself a little bit of credit that I was able to stay professional and stay fit, and perform like I did in the March window,” he said. “I think that helped give [Bazeley] and probably the staff a lot of trust in me.”

After the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the All Whites fell short of qualification three straight times – with Barbarouses part of each failed campaign. The forward has played 31 World Cup qualifiers dating back to 2008.

“Being selected in the final squad feels great, to be honest, and it’s been a long and exciting four years full of ups and downs, and almost there now.”

Having booked his ticket, Barbarouses wants to get on the park, when the All Whites play Iran, Egypt and Belgium during the group stage.

With an injury to captain and leading goalscorer Chris Wood this year, Barbarouses has shared a role up front with Ben Waine.

“I would like to think I’m ready to play and I want as much of a playing role as possible, as I think everyone would.

“I think, even the past couple of windows, it’s clear to see that I’m well and truly up to it, and up for it as well.

“I’d love to see – like everyone in our country would – Chris Wood be there and scoring the goals for us, and I’ll be ready to support him and the team, whether that’s starting, coming on for 45 minutes, 10 minutes, five minutes.

“I’ll be ready and I’ll be ready to perform.”

For the 26 players selected, there has been celebrations.

Barbarouses’ family at the Strathmore fish and chip shop in Wellington were the first people he called with the news.

“Obviously, mum, dad, brothers, aunties, uncles, everyone’s just ecstatic.

“They know how hard I work, as do all of the boys, but they’ve seen my journey firsthand, so they’re very proud and excited for what’s to come in the next six weeks.”

While some players celebrated, others were left devastated.

Like Barbarouses in 2010, former Wellington Phoenix teammate Bill Tuiloma narrowly missed out on selection.

Tuiloma returned to New Zealand from US Major League Soccer in an attempt to secure more playing time and impress Bazeley, but ultimately fell short.

When Alex Rufer, Sarpreet Singh and Tim Payne had finished their face-to-face conversations with Bazeley on Wednesday, they knew they were capping off a tough club season with the Phoenix with something bigger to look forward to, but they were also “hurting” for Tuiloma.

“Unfortunately, Bill was left out,” Rufer said. “Bill is a very, very good player and an extremely strong person.

“We spent some time with him and it’s normal you’re going to be hurting when you don’t make the team, but I think he’s in a good headspace, and he’s still going to train and keep ticking over, because anything can happen.

“He’ll most likely be over in America, back home with his family and who knows? He’s still got that mentality to keep ticking over, and make sure that he’s ready and available, if need be.”

The All Whites can make changes to their squad before the tournament, should any injuries occur.

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Kiwifruit orchards are humming mid-harvest, but Zespri is concerned port bottlenecks are becoming a real pressure point for its fruit exports.

The Port of Tauranga is the critical gateway for most of New Zealand’s lucrative kiwifruit from growing hub Bay of Plenty to the world.

Orchardists were expected to produce around 220 million trays of fruit – equating to around 6.6 billion pieces of fruit – for export this season.

Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake said plans to double those exports in the next decade would depend on efficient ports, freight connections and well-functioning road infrastructure.

“Port bottlenecks are becoming a real pressure point for the kiwifruit industry,” said Te Brake.

“Around 95 percent of Zespri’s New Zealand fruit is exported through the Port of Tauranga, so congestion or capacity constraints directly affect our ability to get fruit to market on time, protect quality and deliver strong returns to growers.”

Te Brake said constrained transport and port networks increased costs, emissions and undermined confidence for investors.

“With around 80 percent of our fruit grown in the Bay of Plenty, continued investment in road and port infrastructure is critical – including upgrading access through the Mount Maunganui industrial area via the Connecting Mount Maunganui project, improving productivity and resilience for freight movements to and from the Port, and delivering additional port capacity to support future growth.”

Port constrained to new vessels

Port of Tauranga chief executive Leonard Sampson said while there was no bottleneck as such at present, because product was moving through, its container terminal was particularly constrained.

“We’re at capacity at the moment and unfortunately we’re unable to take any further container vessels at the container terminal, so that really is a potential bottleneck for the kiwifruit industry.”

Sampson said it had known about the kiwifruit industry’s growth ambitions for years, and was committed to growing its services.

“At the moment we’re getting it through on the services that we have, but ultimately, with the aspirations of Zespri and the potential doubling of that cargo over the next 10 years, it could mean exactly that; fruit loss, delays in terms of getting that refrigerated cargo away.

“And ultimately, it potentially makes a number of orchards or that growth unviable, because there’s simply just not that capacity to get the cargo away.”

Sampson said infrastructural constraints meant it had to decline an international shipping line recently, despite benefits like greater competition and more shipping availability it would have provided.

He declined to comment on the name of the company.

“We have a situation where we’ve unfortunately had to turn away an international service to a new market,” he said.

“That international service offered somewhere between $70-90 million of ocean freight savings back to New Zealand’s importers and exporters.

“That’s obviously revenue that would have otherwise been back in the New Zealand economy, but unfortunately we’re unable to realise it.”

The port was about seven years into trying to secure a consent for its Stella Passage berth and wharf extension, currently still under consideration for a second fast-track application.

Sampson said it re-applied for a fast track approval for the project, because the constrained nature at the port was costing exporters and importers.

Among opposition to the project was local iwi Ngāti Kuku, supported by Ngā Hapū o Ngā Moutere, due to proposed dredging, land reclamation and other issues.

“Port of Tauranga has been unable to reach agreement with opposing iwi and hapū parties on the appropriate level of mitigation for the cultural impacts of the development,” the port said in an earlier statement.

The Environmental Protection Authority had appointed an expert panel to consider the new fast-track application, with a decision due in September.

Shipping still coming, but they’ve increased prices

In light of the fuel crisis, brought on by the US-Israel war in the Persian Gulf, leaders from the port joined Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Singapore recently on his fuel security mission.

Sampson said export cargo ships were arriving on time and with little disruption, despite the fuel situation, though he said shipping services had increased their costs.

“It’s pleasing that … at this point in time, we haven’t seen any deterioration of shipping services.

“So there’s been no reduction in the shipping services coming to New Zealand, nor a deterioration in the on-time performance. In fact, it’s better than it was this time last year.”

Sampson said last month’s Cyclone Vaianu caused more disruption to the port recently than the impact of fuel.

But he said the fuel situation had led to a slowdown in some commodity exports.

“We are starting to see from a cost perspective, however, that some of the cost of fuel flowing through to the shipping prices, we are seeing a slowdown in some commodities, particularly the likes of some of the forestry commodities.”

He said around 30 percent of New Zealand’s export logs went through the Bay of Plenty port, as well as many pulp and paper products from nearby North Island forests and mills.

“It’s a challenge, and unfortunately, I guess it’s one of those commodities – unlike kiwifruit that that will need to be picked and sent – the trees can potentially not get harvested and they can be delayed for a period of time before they need to to be harvested, and wait for commodity prices to improve.”

Sampson said half of all New Zealand’s containerised exports went through the Port of Tauranga, and it was a busy period for red meat exports at the moment.

“We’re seeing strong volumes of of red meat going through the port at the moment.”

He said a number of meat containers were sent back and re-shipped at the start of the war, but most found connections to the Middle East on other shipping services via North or Southeast Asia.

“But you know, that does obviously come at a higher cost as well.”

Te Brake said Zespri strongly supported the Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal application, as certainty from government would be met with private capital.

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NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster insists halfback Luke Metcalf still has a role to play, as the Auckland club chases its first NRL championship.

Unable to displace in-form Tanah Boyd or Chanel Harris-Tavita in the starting line-up, and apparently intent on playing halfback, not five-eighth, in the long term, Metcalf was given permission to speak to other clubs about his future beyond this season.

On Thursday night, he informed the Warriors he had reached an agreement with another club, signing a three-year deal with St George-Illawarra Dragons.

Metcalf earlier attended training, but has not been selected for either first grade or the reserves this weekend, while he explores his future contract options.

During the summer, Metcalf signed a two-year contract extension until the end of 2028.

“It’s dumb for business to name people, to play people, to put them in harm’s way, until they’ve got their future sorted,” Webster explained. “The moment he does that, we’ll have him available for selection either in NSW Cup or NRL.”

Now that seems resolved, Metcalf will likely see out the rest of the season at Mt Smart, where he still has a role in the squad.

“One-hundred percent,” Webster assured. “A week in rugby league is a long time, and whoever is playing the best and deserves the opportunity will take it.

“We’re certainly not going to change that and he could have a big part to play.”

Boyd is just an injury – or State of Origin selection – away from missing time for the Warriors, with Metcalf still the next best No.7 option on the roster.

“We’re really blessed that we’ve got Te Maire Martin, we’ve got Luke Metcalf and all our young halves,” Webster said. “Luke Hanson has played this year and Jett Cleary is tracking well, so we’ve got a lot of players that could fill in.

“Luke wants to be here for the rest of this year at least and, if he’s playing well and buying in, he’s certainly available for selection.”

Webster was adamant there was no suggestion Metcalf would leave before the end of this campaign, but watching the saga play out in public had been frustrating.

“To see it in the media before we knew a lot about it… people were talking about it before we knew, but the way Luke has handled it with me, particularly in the last three days, has been awesome. I’m really proud of him.

“You always want to get ahead of it and be the first to know.

“He wants to make sure he can explore his future, but at the same time, I know he’s very grateful to this club and loves this club. His training’s been good, the way he’s been around the boys, but rugby league players are ambitious.

“His future’s here right now for as long as he wants to be here. It’s not an argument or a blow-up or anything like that.

“I haven’t seen him train poorly, it’s just unfortunate that form from other players has been exceptional, there’s been some injuries to Luke himself and he now wants to explore where he wants to go from here.”

Webster warns fans not to judge Metcalf too harshly.

“To ask if I’m disappointed they don’t want to hang around and fight, I don’t know what they’re going through,” he said. “I don’t know how much it’s hurting them and I don’t know how much strain it’s putting on them.

“I honestly think Warriors fans are awesome like that. There will always be at every club one or two idiots that will get it wrong.

“Just treat him with respect. We still love him here and have a lot of time for him, so I hope all the fans feel the same.”

Warriors skipper Mitch Barnett has put Metcalf’s wellbeing ahead of any disruption the fallout may have caused.

“End of the day, in rugby league, people come and go,” he said. “It’s a business and for us, as a team, we have to check in with Luke to make sure he’s alright – we don’t get involved in the other stuff.

“All we expect here is for people to rip in on the training field and deliver on the weekends, and buy into the team culture. He’s been doing that, so that’s as far as I go.

“For Luke, it’s his business and not something I’m willing to comment on. We just check in on the welfare of the human being.

“We’ve got a game to prepare for. Yes, we care about the individual… we’re all around him.”

Barnett himself has been granted an early exit from his Warriors contract to return across the Tasman next year on compassionate grounds, signing with Brisbane Broncos.

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Explainer – The weather is getting colder and the sneezes are getting louder – which means it’s influenza season.

This year’s season has seen warnings it might be more severe thanks to the H3N2 Subclade K or “super-k” flu strain, which saw flu season in places like the UK ending up particularly brutal this year.

“It is difficult to predict the severity of this year’s influenza season in New Zealand, but we do know that vaccination is the most effective means to reduce hospitalisations and severe outcomes from influenza,” said Dr Joan Ingram, medical advisor for the Immunisation Advisory Centre at the University of Auckland.

There has been a disruption of normal seasonal respiratory virus patterns following the Covid-19 pandemic, University of Otago Professor and Head of Department of Paediatrics and Child Health Peter McIntyre recently told RNZ.

“Covid is with us all year round, although more so in the winter, and the way that flu strains work during the year has changed a bit from the predictable winter peak with not much going on in the rest of the year to a lot more unpredictability with late and early seasons.”

The flu vaccine campaign is now underway – here’s what you need to know about it and how ‘super-k’ factors into it.

Why do we need a new vaccine every year?

Influenza changes a little bit every year, and vaccines are modified each year to match prevailing new strains.

“Everyone from 6 months of age, who is eligible for a funded vaccine and those who can afford a flu vaccine if not already funded, should have one,” Ingram said.

More than 1 million influenza vaccines are administered in New Zealand each year.

Typically around 500 people die each year from the flu, Health New Zealand said.

“For those at higher risk of complications from the flu, which is anyone over the age of 65, and particularly those over the age of 75 or 80, then it’s a very good idea to get in right now with your flu vaccine,” McIntyre said.

This year’s goal is to vaccinate 75 percent of the population over 65 years old.

“It would be wonderful if our flu vaccine uptake was higher,” Ingram said.

“All people 65 years and over are eligible for funded flu vaccine, but last year only around 60 percent had one – so cost is not the only barrier.”

New Zealand’s flu season usually runs from May to October, and the immunisation programme runs from 1 April to 31 December.

In both 2024 and 2025, flu cases saw a later than usual peak towards the end of August, the Immunisation Advisory Centre said.

This year’s funded vaccine is Influvac Tetra, which is free for those who meet certain conditions (see below).

There are also three unfunded flu vaccines available – Flucelvax, Fluzone and Fluad. More on those in a minute.

How do you book a flu shot?

You can make an appointment through Book My Vaccine or by ringing 0800 28 29 26 from 8.30am to 5pm Monday through Friday.

You can also contact your GP for a vaccination, and most pharmacies will also be offering the vaccine – check with your local.

Who gets it for free?

The flu vaccine is free for those who are at the highest risk of getting very sick. This includes:

• people aged 65 years and over
• people aged 6 months and over who have a long-term medical condition like diabetes, asthma or a heart condition
• pregnant people
• children aged 4 years and under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness, or have a history of significant respiratory illness
• people with mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder
• people who are currently accessing secondary or tertiary mental health and addiction services

Anyone who doesn’t fit into those categories will likely have to pay.

So how much does it cost?

The price for the vaccine is variable, but a check of multiple pharmacies showed it typically runs between $25 to $40 for the funded vaccine Influvac Tetra.

The three unfunded vaccines will cost more – ask your provider for details.

What happens when I get the jab?

You’ll typically be asked to wait for 15 minutes after getting the vaccine to ensure there’s no adverse reactions.

Vaccines can cause mild reactions, like a slight fever or pain where the needle went in.

Serious allergic reactions are rare and should be closely monitored at vaccination sites. They can also be reported online to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring, CARM.

For those concerned about vaccines, the Health New Zealand flu kit notes that “The flu vaccine has been around for many decades and has a great safety record. The vaccine does not contain live influenza viruses and cannot cause influenza.”

The vaccine doesn’t guarantee you’ll never catch the flu, but it does substantially lower the risk of serious illness or hospitalisation, health authorities say.

The government research organisation PHF Science said that in 2025, those vaccinated had about a 69 percent lower chance of being infected than those unvaccinated.

For now, you’re going to have to just grit your teeth and deal with the needle, but nasal spray flu vaccines are in development and may come here in the near future.

What is this ‘super-k’ influenza strain and why is it a worry?

Subclade K or H3N2 Subclade K is a strain of influenza that “has spread earlier and faster than typical seasonal influenza,” Australia’s science agency CSIRO said.

While it’s led to a more severe flu season in parts of the world, vaccines still work against it.

And New Zealand is fortunate, as vaccines have been changed for our part of the world to better deal with super-k.

“It is expected that all the flu vaccines in use in New Zealand this winter will provide protection against the K variant,” Ingram said.

“One of the strains in each vaccine is expected to provide protection against the K variant and was not included in the northern hemisphere vaccines – so we should have better protection.”

“It’s a good deal better than what they had in the Northern Hemisphere so hopefully that’s going to help us,” McIntyre said.

The super-k is not a new virus, but has undergone mutations in one of its key proteins that affect how it behaves and spreads. CSIRO said “the current best evidence suggests subclade K does not cause more severe disease.”

When it hit the UK last December, it led to record hospitalisations. The NHS’s national medical director called it a “worst-case scenario for this time of year.”

It has already arrived in this part of the world, McIntyre said.

“It turned up actually early in both Australia and New Zealand at the end of last year which was the reason why there was more flu around than would usually be the case in October and November.”

What other flu vaccines are there?

Pharmac funds the Influvac Tetra vaccine for those eligible, but three other flu vaccines are also offered at extra cost. Each is manufactured in a slightly different way.

“Influvac Tetra (funded vaccine) and Fluzone are very similar,” Ingram said, with Influvac containing an extra strain but not one that makes a “meaningful difference” to effectiveness against current strains.

Flucelvax, on the other hand, is a cell-based vaccine using cultured mammalian cells rather than the other, egg-based vaccines that are created in embryonated chicken eggs.

That “can be more effective than egg-based flu vaccines,” Ingram said. “The difference in benefit varies from season to season.”

“Over multiple seasons, Flucelvax was 8 percent more effective than egg-based vaccines. In one Northern Hemisphere season, it reached almost 20 percent more effectiveness in children and adults aged under 65 years.”

The fourth vaccine, Fluad, is free for adults over 65 in Australia, but not in New Zealand, even though McIntyre said there is evidence it’s even more effective for the elderly.

Here, Fluad is only approved for adults over age 50.

“As the name suggests it’s got this added bit in it, which is a thing called an adjuvant, which basically helps kick the immune system along to produce a stronger response,” McIntyre said.

Fluad “provides the greatest additional benefit for older adults aged 75 years and over, and those with multiple health problems,” Ingram said.

As it’s not funded, it will typically run around $50 to get Fluad, McIntyre said.

“In New Zealand, unfortunately, if you want that vaccine … you’ll have to pay for it.”

McIntrye said there are “good arguments” in favour of funding it for over 65s.

Should more vaccines be free?

Cost and access are still factors keeping flu vaccine takeup from being higher.

Ingram said on behalf of the Immunisation Advisory Centre that “we do wish that the flu vaccine was funded for all children under 5 and that older adults could have a funded enhanced vaccine.”

Last year, only 5 percent of children had a flu vaccine despite around 20 percent being eligible for a free vaccine because of health conditions.

“Funding it for all children would improve uptake and reduce sickness, hospitalisations, complications, antibiotic use and transmission in families and communities,” Ingram said.

If you’re making a flu vaccine appointment, it’s worth considering getting other vaccines done too, she said.

“When getting a flu vaccine, it is sensible to also have a dose of the updated Covid-19 vaccine if you are older or have health conditions that will increase your risk of severe Covid-19.”

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

The Government has introduced legislation today which provides Police with the power to issue move-on orders as a tool to deal with disorderly behaviour in public places, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“Our government is committed to fixing the basics in law and order, and building a future where everyone feels safe to visit, work and live in our central cities.

“Unfortunately, our streets and town centres have endured unprecedented levels of disruption in recent years. Many people no longer want to be there. Businesses, residents and visitors are paying the price.

“We currently have many tools to help those who are in need, including access to one of the most generous welfare systems in the world, but we have limited tools to deal with disorderly behaviour. It means many disruptive, distressing, and potentially harmful acts can occur before police officers have any means of intervention. This legislation changes that.

“Only people who breach those orders will face prosecution. A move-on order on its own, is not a criminal charge.

“This is about reclaiming our streets and our city centres for the enjoyment of everybody who visits, works and lives there.”

Under this legislation Police will have the power to issue move-on orders to people who are: 

• Displaying disorderly, disruptive, threatening or intimidating behaviour.
• Obstructing or impeding someone entering a business.
• Breaching the peace.
• All forms of begging.
• Rough sleeping.
• Behaviour indicating an intent to inhabit a public place.

These orders will: 

• Require a person to leave a specified area for a specified amount of time, up to 24 hours.
• Require a person to move on a reasonable distance from the area, as specified by the constable.
• Apply to people aged 14 or older.
• Be issued in writing or electronically, as is operationally appropriate.

MIL OSI

By; Chris McGavin*, Dr Andrew Lensen* and Dr Cassandra Mudgway*

Opinion: Nearly a year has passed since the Government released their so-called AI Strategy.

Nine months since we, along with other New Zealand AI Experts, penned an open letter to the Government calling for AI regulation and the establishment of some sort of responsible AI entity.

In that time, both a lot, and nothing has changed.

The world is still being bludgeoned by a maelstrom polycrisis. Youth unemployment, serious concerns about large scale job displacement, a global economy on a knife’s edge, and schools being mistakenly bombed are all top of mind.

These issues are increasingly linked to artificial intelligence (AI) and, whether we like it or not, it is here to stay.

For us to prosper in this ‘AI age’ we will have to, at some point, disregard the hype-cycle and engage with AI’s many unpleasantries.

In the last year alone we’ve seen instances of teenagers being encouraged to commit suicide, umpteen examples of chatbot related delusion and psychosis, chatbots assisting researchers to plan mass killings, and an almost incomprehensible increase in the amount of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and non-consensual sexualised images.

In fact, there is so much AI harm, that there are several resources devoted to attempting to track it.

These are human rights issues, engaging rights to privacy, freedom from discrimination and sexual exploitation, equality and dignity, and without confronting them we risk sleep-walking into a crisis of our own making.

Despite the thundering of the outside world, New Zealand’s response to these issues is largely non-existent.

The Government’s leadership on AI is lacklustre, and ignores anything that doesn’t include the words ‘productivity’ or ‘efficiency’.

The latest missed opportunity was the decision to not send an observer to this year’s Responsible AI in the Military Domain Summit.

We’ve had a presence there previously, and doing so again would have helped to maintain our reputation as a strong moral leader internationally.

It is not just the Coalition who seem flummoxed.

The majority of political parties do not appear to have any appetite for leadership when it comes to AI. In fact, of all the political parties we contacted, only The Green Party signed the letter and signaled their willingness to take part in cross-party work on responsible AI and AI regulation.

Yet, many of the parties are using AI.

Adorning their campaigns with a variety of AI generated slop to varying degrees of controversy.

Or, in their individual capacities for research which seems an odd task for a tool that hallucinates a significant amount of the time, and reduces your inclination to critically evaluate

its outputs.

The lack of engagement on AI harm is surprising.

Especially given it is an election year. The public is very clearly anxious about AI, and there is good data to back this up.

For instance, only 44 percent of New Zealanders believe the benefits of AI outweigh the risks. Only 34 percent are willing to trust AI. 52 percent are very concerned about AIs impact on society, and a whopping 81 percent of New Zealanders believe AI regulation is required.

As a nation, we are already failing to address the near-term impacts of AI.

Worse still, we have yet to even consider how we might tackle its long term impacts, such as worker displacement (both entry level and later-career) and other AI safety risks.

It goes without saying that in the absence of any political will or impetus none of this will change.

The unfortunate truth is large technology companies do not care about New Zealand. They will not, of their own volition, do anything to ensure that New Zealanders remain safe from AI harms.

It is not their prerogative; their sole goal is wealth extraction. They will bend over backwards to distance themselves from any potential wrongdoings, as they have always done.

In place of accountability, they will promise us the world: for example, a $102 billion dollar boon for our economy if we use their tools. This promise, of course, ignores the fact that their AI tools have failed to live up to the hype.

The vast majority of organisations are not seeing any return on investment from AI. Our public sector reports much the same: they are not getting a return from AI, and most of their proofs of concepts are not working.

We cannot expect technology companies to provide safer AI which uphold human rights.

We have seen other countries like Australia succeed in pushing back. We can and should expect our leaders to do the same.

This election year, we sincerely hope they do. It is vital that you, the voters, consider their policies on AI when casting your ballot. They will listen if you demand it.

*Chris McGavinis director at LensenMcGavin AI

*Dr Andrew Lensen, Victoria University of Wellington, LensenMcGavinAI

*Dr Cassandra Mudgway, University of Canterbury

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

For the past 20 years Annette Hall has been like a mother to the boaties of the Far North.

She’s kept tabs on where they are with twice-daily calls, checked to make sure they return to port when expected, provided weather forecasts, and – when things go badly awry – co-ordinated rescues at any time of day or night.

She’s done all that, unpaid, from her living room in a modest cottage overlooking Doubtless Bay.

At 6pm on Wednesday, however, the radio operator with the infectious laugh signed off for the last time.

That also meant the end of a service that’s been running since at least 1947.

Surprisingly, Hall had no maritime background – beyond a love of fishing – when she first got involved with Far North Radio and Sea Rescue in the early 2000s.

She was previously a publican, who pulled pints at well-known hotels in Ōpua, Kaitāia and Mangōnui.

Hall said she got involved by accident because she used to live next door to Far North Radio stalwarts Malcolm and Maureen MacMillan, better known as Mac and Mo.

“One afternoon, Maureen said to me, ‘You’re very good at talking a lot. Let me show you the radio’. And I said, ‘Okay, how hard could it be?’”

Initially Hall did a few evening shifts so her neighbours could have some time off.

When Maureen MacMillan sadly died of motor neurone disease, Hall agreed to step in while her husband “sorted things out”.

“I came home from work, and there was all their radio equipment on my dining table. So I said, ‘Okay, let’s just do it for a few months, and we’ll take it from there’.”

That was 20 years ago.

“It’s longer than four months. Way longer. But it’s been fun, you know? It’s a community thing, and very family-oriented.”

Far North Radio and Sea Rescue operated a VHF marine radio service from Whangaroa Harbour on the east coast up to the Three Kings Islands, and down the west coast to the Hokianga Harbour.

It also had a single-sideband (SSB) radio service with an almost unlimited range, and – until a few weeks ago – a rescue boat named Lily Walker.

A previous boat, Good as Gold, got its name from Maureen MacMillan’s favourite expression.

The service catered to commercial and recreational fishers, “blue water” sailors travelling between New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and many a fishing contest.

As the senior operator, Hall was responsible for the morning and evening calls, with other volunteers covering the day shifts so she could go to work at the local vets.

She also monitored the airwaves during weekends and public holidays, and even had a radio next to her bed so she could be roused for emergencies at any time of night.

Doubtless Bay-based commercial fisherman Nat Davey said Hall’s contribution had been “amazing”.

“Over the last good 20 years, Annette’s been like a mum to the fishermen out there,” he said.

“She’s kept a great eye on us, and if for some reason we haven’t called up in the evenings and she knows we’re out there, she’ll always check in to make sure we’re all fine. It’s pretty selfless, really. She just gets in there and does it.”

Ethan Bryant, skipper of fishing charter boat Te Ariki Nui, spoke to RNZ by satellite from the Three Kings Islands, about 30 nautical miles north of Cape Reinga.

“We look at her as our guardian angel,” he said.

“She’s one of the only people that looks out for us out here. Between 7.30 and 8 o’clock every single morning without fail you hear that sweet voice come on the radio, no matter how rough or rainy or sunny or whatever it is, you always feel comfortable. That little 30 second chat every morning and every afternoon, it means a lot.”

Bryant said Hall would be greatly missed – especially by boaties who travelled far offshore, beyond the reach of Coastguard.

“She knows exactly where everybody is. If she doesn’t hear from you or you forget to do your afternoon call, she’ll make sure she gets hold of you before the end of the day. If she can’t, then she knows something’s up,” he said.

“I know she looks at us as her boys that she looks after. It’s definitely a big help knowing that somebody’s looking over you and knows exactly where your nearest help is.”

Hall said the toughest part of her role was when tragedy struck.

The most serious events included the Enchanter sinking of 2022, when five people died, and the Karikari Peninsula fire of 2011, when a helicopter on a rescue mission crashed into the sea.

If she was woken for an emergency at night, she had a simple technique for “getting into the zone”.

“When something happens, you get up, and put the jug on first,” she said.

“One of the really big ones I had was the Karikari fire, when we lost two people in the helicopter. That was a real tragedy.”

Hall, who turns 75 later this month, said she had a number of reasons for hanging up her handpiece.

“It’s just natural attrition, really. You know, we’ve all got older, and you need to go on and do other things. My daughter’s just moved up here from the South Island, I’d like to spend some time with her. And also, I’m actually quite old, believe it or not.”

Hall said she also had “a lot of cricket to catch up on” and was hoping to finally get a chance to do some fishing.

Coastguard New Zealand told RNZ it was currently in discussion with Far North Radio and Sea Rescue about the future of VHF radio coverage in the area.

No decision had been made as yet, but Coastguard wanted to ensure Far North boaties had continued access to safe and reliable radio coverage.

Boaties could also use VHF channel 16 for trip reports and requests for help, which would be passed on to Coastguard if needed.

In 2025, Hall was named a Local Hero medallist in the New Zealander of the Year Awards, and was presented with a Te Tohu Tutuki/Lifetime Achievement Award by the Far North District Council.

Independent, volunteer-run Far North Radio and Sea Rescue received no direct government funding. Member subscriptions, sponsorship and fundraising were its main sources of income.

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

There has been an increased security presence at a West Auckland train station, after anti-social behaviour involving teenagers yesterday.

The incident occurred at the Sturges Road train station car park on Tuesday afternoon.

Auckland Transport spokesperson Hayden Rawcliffe confirmed the incident involving a group of young people, some of whom were in school uniforms.

Kelston Boys’ High School said it had students who were involved.

“The school is aware of an incident that occurred yesterday afternoon and is taking the matter seriously.

“We are currently working with other schools involved and relevant agencies to establish the facts. For privacy reasons, we are unable to comment on individual students or provide further details at this time.”

Rawcliffe said AT’s train service operator Auckland One Rail had placed security at the station on Wednesday.

“AOR is sharing CCTV footage from the station with the police, and the appropriate schools to ensure this is managed from their sides.

“AOR is also sending roving security patrols to the area this afternoon to help reassure our passengers and provide a more visible presence.

“While this was an incident that took place near a train station, it could have occurred at any public place. Although AT has a range of initiatives and staff in place to help with public safety on public transport and at our facilities, our role is limited, and we don’t have the primary responsibility or enforcement powers that Police have.

Rawcliffe said no transport officers were at the station at the time of the incident.

“Where possible, AT transport officers are often rostered to be on trains during peak travel times, including after school. This is to deter antisocial behaviour and to prevent fare evasion. However, our transport officers cannot be everywhere, all at once, and unfortunately, none were present at Sturges Road Train Station at the time of yesterday’s incident.

“We would suggest that a concerned person call 111 in cases of emergency – AT actively works with police and supplies CCTV or access to our systems to monitor situations like the below if required. They can also approach a station guard with concerns and make a report to Crime Stoppers.”

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

Good evening, everyone. Thank you to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs for the invitation to deliver this year’s annual lecture. It’s a pleasure to be here.

I would like to acknowledge NZIIA Patron and former Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, members of the diplomatic corps, distinguished guests. I would also like to acknowledge the outgoing members of the NZIIA Board, Dr James Kember and Suzannah Jessep and new board members Rosemary Banks and Dr Julia Macdonald.

The NZIIA has been asking hard questions about New Zealand’s place in the world for over seventy years. Tonight those questions are as relevant as at any point in that history.

I want to start with a simple observation. New Zealand is a trading nation. Not in the casual sense that politicians invoke when they want to sound economic – but fundamentally, and structurally.

One in four jobs in this country depends on our ability to sell to the world. A quarter of our GDP is generated offshore. We know that exporters pay higher wages at home and are more productive than domestically focused firms. We are geographically remote, domestically small, and globally dependent. That is not a problem to be solved. It is the defining condition of our economic prosperity.

And the system that has underwritten that economic life – the rules-based international trading order – is under more pressure than at any time since it was constructed after the Second World War.

The Global Trade Landscape
Two developments in the past twelve months have made that pressure acute.

The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global supply chains in ways our exporters are feeling directly. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz – which carries around 20% of the world’s daily oil supply – has driven up fuel costs and made getting products to market harder and more expensive.

The ceasefire is welcome, but the situation remains fragile, and the impacts on our exporters are real. They are navigating challenges with sourcing key inputs, maintaining competitiveness in the face of rising production and distribution costs, and finding reliable routes to market.

And even before that conflict, our exporters were already navigating a fundamentally changed approach to tariff policy from the United States. And the US is not the only one. Just ask our dairy exporters to Canada. The major economies really are playing outside the rules with very sharp elbows. These shifts are the clearest signal yet of a broader global trend: we are moving from a world governed by shared rules to one increasingly shaped by power.
For a small trading nation, that shift matters more than it does for many other countries.

I want to be clear about the stakes. Our exports rose 11.8% last year in 2025 – growth that happened because Kiwi exporters are world class and consumers will pay a premium for what we produce. That is a remarkable achievement in a difficult environment.

But it is not an achievement we can take for granted. It depends on continued access to markets, continued investment in relationships, and a continued commitment to the rules that provide certainty and transparency and enable our exporters to compete on a level playing field.

Tonight I want to talk about how this Government is responding to that challenge. Not reactively. Not defensively. But with a clear plan. Our plan has three parts: 
•    shoring up and creating new rules that underpin our trade. 
•    building resilience so our exporters can weather disruption. 
•    and innovating – because in a world where the old rules are contested, New Zealand has to earn its seat at the table.

Shoring Up Trade Rules
For a small trading nation like New Zealand, the rules-based system has always mattered more to us than it does to the large economies that can apply asymmetrical bilateral leverage.

Kiwis believe in fairness and the rules deliver exactly that. They level the playing field. They give our exporters the certainty, the transparency, and the market access that no amount of diplomatic relationship-building can substitute for.

It is worth remembering that despite everything, 72% of world trade still takes place under WTO rules. The system is battered. But it is not broken – and New Zealand has a clear national interest in saving as much of the multilateral furniture as possible.

That said, we are pragmatic. Progress at a multilateral level moves slowly. Too slowly for our exporters, who need better and certain access now. Which is why this Government has invested heavily in free trade agreements – the bilateral and regional deals that lock in the access we need and provide certainty that WTO processes alone cannot deliver.

FTAs
In 2025, 71% of New Zealand’s exports were covered by 17 high-quality FTAs. That is not an accident. It reflects a sustained, deliberate investment in trade architecture over 25 years – and this Government has moved faster and further than any that came before.

The results are tangible. Since our EU FTA entered into force in May 2024, New Zealand’s exports to the EU have grown by NZ$3 billion. Our exports to the UK grew 13% in the year to December 2025, following the conclusion of our UK FTA. 
Our exports to the UAE have seen record growth of 33% following that agreement’s entry into force.

And we have now concluded a deal with India – the world’s soon-to-be third largest economy, with 1.4 billion people and within the next 5 years a middle class of 700 million. That’s greater than the entire population of the EU or ASEAN.

When our Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement enters into force, 75% of New Zealand’s exports will be covered by FTAs. These are not theoretical gains. These are the binding international treaties that are the building blocks of long-term prosperity for New Zealand.

Shoring up trade rules is not only about securing new FTAs – equally important is investing in existing FTAs to make sure they continue to deliver for the evolving needs of our exporters. This means upgrading and expanding these FTAs. We upgrade them by negotiating new rules to meet the new issues and challenges our traders are grappling with – for example last year an upgrade negotiation for Asean- Australia New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) was informed by the COVID supply shock experience and delivered outcomes which make trade of essential goods easier and more efficient during times of crises.

We are working energetically to expand our plurilateral FTAs through accession negotiations. This brings more economies within the umbrella of FTA rules our exporters rely on and provides new preferential market access. CPTPP already consists of 12 economies that represent around 16% of global GDP, and we have concluded accession negotiations with Costa Rica, with an ever-growing list of countries queueing up to join.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is the world’s biggest FTA globally by population and total GDP, and we are working to expand it further including into important markets where New Zealand does not currently have FTAs, such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

WTO
These agreements will continue to be an essential component of New Zealand’s economic resilience strategy. And we will continue to prioritise the WTO which provides the foundation for the global system of trade rules that matters so much to New Zealand.

But let me be direct about the WTO. The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cameroon was deeply disappointing. And I say this as the Vice Chair of the Conference and as the facilitator for the negotiations on reform.

The absence of multilateral outcomes – extending WTO reform, on the e-commerce moratorium, on agriculture and fish subsidies – reflected the entrenched positions of major economies unwilling to compromise. That is a real setback, and we should not pretend otherwise.

New Zealand will not walk away. We will continue to be a constructive, pragmatic broker. We will continue to push on agricultural trade reform, harmful fisheries subsidies, trade-distorting industrial policy, and digital trade rules. Because in a world shifting from rules to power, every institution we can support and every norm we can embed makes New Zealand safer. The alternative – abandoning the multilateral system – is not an option for a country like ours. And we will invest in the institution. I am delighted that the 165 WTO members have endorsed the appointment of the New Zealand Ambassador to Geneva to lead the WTO peak body, the General Council.

Building Resilience
Trade rules alone are not enough. Our second pillar is resilience – the ability to keep New Zealand’s trade flowing when the system is under stress. I see our resilience agenda through three lenses: engagement with our exporters, diversification in our international relationships, and the unglamorous but high-value and critical work of removing non-tariff barriers.

Engaging our exporters
When the US tariff announcements hit, we moved immediately to get real-time information out to exporters and to hear from them directly. We have run regular, well-attended webinars since then. And MFAT’s website contains 754 market intelligence reports for New Zealand traders.

I have already done five India FTA roadshows around the country over the past few months with more to come. Getting out and hearing from our exporters and the public – not just in Auckland and Wellington, but across the regions – is one of the most valuable things I do as a Minister. It shapes our priorities and it builds trust.

We will continue to prioritise this kind of engagement, particularly in the current tumultuous environment. Kiwi exporters have shown time and again that they are resourceful and resilient. Our job is to make sure they have the information, the access, and the support they need to make the most of the opportunities we have secured for them.

Take for example an ice cream company that established a New Zealand and Asian plastic packaging supply chain following COVID 19.  Given the low stocks, they are now exploring how cardboard could be used instead.

Investing in relationships
This Government has prioritised both investing in our partnerships and diversifying our trade relationships.  This has included more international visits than any previous government in a parliamentary term to build and strengthen New Zealand’s relationships with key partners.  

Trade missions are about opening doors for New Zealand exporters – helping them build relationships, understand markets, and turn opportunities into real contracts, and the trade missions we’ve achieved to date have helped deliver over 200 commercial outcomes valued at more than NZ$2 billion. Those are not just numbers. They represent new connections, new contracts, and new confidence for Kiwi businesses in markets they might not have entered alone.

Our Saudi Arabia mission is a good example. We unlocked five commercial deals worth over $100 million. The 21 businesses who came with us opened doors in premium food, technology, services, construction, and the creative industries. Those doors opened because we showed up.  We invested in the relationship, and we demonstrated that New Zealand is a serious partner.

Our relationship with Singapore tells a similar story. New Zealand’s original trade agreement with Singapore was one of our first. We have invested in that relationship for over two decades. And that investment recently produced something genuinely new – the world’s first Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies, designed specifically to keep essential goods moving in times of crisis. It delivers better fuel predictability for New Zealand and food security for Singapore. 
It only became possible because we had built the relationship long before we needed it.

Not only have we prioritised engagement with our long-standing partnerships – such as Australia and the EU- but we are also future-proofing our trade resilience through diversification, which can help open alternative markets and sources of supplies.

This is why we saw the China market as a good opportunity back in 2008 – when no other developed country had an FTA with China. China is now New Zealand’s largest export market and the value of our exports to China has soared from between $2 to $3 billion to around $23 billion per annum.

Another approach we have taken to strengthening partnerships is through our leverage of CPTPP to establish formal dialogues with the EU and ASEAN – something the PM and I have prioritised in these challenging times.  This provides a valuable opportunity for large trade blocs (with the EU and CPTPP representing a third of global trade) to move on issues that are currently paralysed at the WTO.

And our partnerships with the Pacific, through the PACER Plus agreement, are essential to the prosperity and resilience of our region. That is why our government, alongside Australia, has invested NZD 38 million in Aid for Trade initiatives that strengthen countries’ trade capacity under the agreement.
I will also continue to strengthen relationships with Pacific Island Countries that have yet to join PACER Plus, including Fiji, because regional economic integration through trade makes us all more resilient.

Removing non-tariff barriers
Our relationships are also critical to resolve many of New Zealand’s non-tariff barriers (NTBs) – from certification requirements, labelling rules, testing regimes, to environmental regulations – these issues slow growth.

NTBs currently affect almost NZ$9 billion worth of New Zealand’s exports across more than 50 markets, and this government is committed to finding solutions. 
Last year alone, we resolved NTBs affecting around $600 million of exports. Some examples include unlocking access to China’s $200 million cosmetics and skincare market, signing and implementing a deer velvet arrangement with China providing market growth worth $64.5 million in the year to December 2024, and expanding access for New Zealand dairy products and blueberries to Korea worth $5 to $10 million, and $5 million, respectively.

We are also progressing a new plurilateral arrangement with like-minded partners to tackle NTBs in third markets cooperatively. This work does not generate headlines. But it directly affects whether Kiwi exporters can compete.

Innovation: Securing Our Seat at the Table
Our third pillar is innovation. I have heard the phrase: “New Zealand needs the world to trade, but the world doesn’t need New Zealand.” That just means we have to earn our place. And innovation is how we do that.

New Zealand has a record of bringing trade ideas to the world that larger countries haven’t thought of yet. The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement – DEPA – is a clear example. New Zealand, Singapore, and Chile created the world’s first standalone digital economy agreement, covering everything from business facilitation and digital trust through to AI and digital inclusion. The Republic of Korea has since joined. Costa Rica and Peru are seeking membership. That agreement started as an idea from three small, like-minded countries, and it is now shaping the architecture of global digital trade.

Similarly, we are working to maximise the commercial value of indigenous business connection through the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPECTA).

Our leadership in institutions like APEC, the OECD, and the Small Advanced Economies’ Initiative has gradually found its way into the hard rules of agreements like CPTPP. That is how small countries shape the world.

We are building on that legacy with the Green Economy Partnership Agreement. Working with Chile and Singapore, GEPA will make the green transition easier for producers, exporters, and investors, and position Kiwi businesses to compete in a global green economy projected to be worth US$11 trillion by 2040.

And through the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership – FIT-P – New Zealand is working with 16 like-minded, trade-dependent economies with a global reach ranging from Norway to Rwanda to Malaysia. Our approach is to cooperate on practical solutions for supply chains, paperless trade, non-tariff barriers, and trade-distorting subsidies. This initiative came about when I got together with trade colleagues from Switzerland, Singapore and the UAE. We knew we needed to find a way to support each other, reinforce the rules-based system, and work together to create new rules that give our traders more certainty.

Most recently at MC14, Eleven FIT-P members released a Joint Statement on maintaining open and resilient supply chains given the impact on global trade of the Middle East conflict. New Zealand and these FIT partners have committed to working together to identify disruptions to the trade of essential goods and exchanging information on how we will approach and mitigate these.

I will host my fellow trade ministers at the next FIT-P Ministerial in Auckland later this year. That is a leadership role, and we intend to use it to find new ways to support our exporters and their jobs, incomes and productivity in New Zealand.

The Long Game
Our goal is ambitious: to double the value of New Zealand’s exports in ten years. That requires growth in trade relationships – but it also requires growth in investment.

New Zealand is well below the OECD average for foreign direct investment as a share of GDP. That gap has a direct cost in productivity and wages. That is why this Government established InvestNZ – New Zealand’s first dedicated foreign investment agency – to attract more capital into sectors with the highest growth potential: renewable energy, technology, data infrastructure, advanced manufacturing. More capital means higher productivity. Higher productivity means better wages for New Zealanders.

And we are also seeing our export base diversify in ways that are genuinely exciting. Technology, commercial services, and education are growing fast. Companies like Auror – which exports retail crime prevention software to Australia, the UK, and North America – and Halter, exporting high-tech livestock management solutions globally, are proving that New Zealand innovation can compete anywhere. These are exactly the kinds of businesses we want to see more of, in more markets, with more support behind them.

We also want to venture deeper into global markets that are bursting with opportunities – like Latin America, which is fast becoming a key growth market for New Zealand exporters, with our exports to the region rising by 41% since 2021.  

This Government has already started making inroads – the Minister of Foreign Affairs led a Parliamentary and large business delegation to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay earlier this year to strengthen our partnerships, deepen our people-to-people links, and boost our profile.  

The visit was a huge success, with a range of New Zealand exporters announcing new commercial agreements with companies in Argentina – fostering connections, and growing partnerships.  

We’re also exploring additional markets in Asia and looking at opportunities in Africa.  Diversification is not just an economic strategy – it is insurance.

Conclusion
Let me finish with this.

The world New Zealand trades in today is harder and much more uncertain than the one we were trading in five years ago. The rules are more contested. The relationships are more complex. The disruptions are more frequent. I do not expect that to change anytime soon.

But this is not a new challenge for a country like ours. New Zealand has always had to work that much harder and smarter than larger economies to secure and protect its access to markets. We have always had to be more creative, more constructive, more persistent, and more present.

What this Government has done is bring that same mindset – and more energy, and more urgency – to the task.

That’s why this Government has run more trade missions than any previous administration in a parliamentary term.

That’s why this Government established New Zealand’s first dedicated investment agency.

Because 400 million people around the world get around 10% of their diet from New Zealand. Our farmers, our food producers, our tech companies, and our service exporters are among the best in the world. They deserve a government that fights for them on the world stage.

We are fighting for them. And we are not finished.
 

MIL OSI

Winston Peters has taken a fresh crack at Christopher Luxon over immigration, asking how the prime minister can talk about the need for a “careful” approach while also signing up to the India free trade agreement (FTA).

It’s the latest example of internal coalition friction as New Zealand First continues to rail against the FTA’s “ludicrous immigration implications”.

In a speech to Auckland business leaders on Wednesday afternoon, Luxon signalled a tightening of immigration policy, warning that the wrong settings would only stoke the “politics of division” seen abroad.

“You should expect to see careful policy on immigration from National as we get closer to the election,” Luxon said. “When faced with a choice between social stability and your bottom line, I will choose the former every single time.”

Asked about Luxon’s remarks on his way into Parliament, Peters responded with disbelief.

“How do you reconcile that with the Indian free trade agreement? Go and reconcile that quote with the Indian free trade agreement,” Peters said.

“The prime minister needs to reconcile that to you now … I’m asking you to go and ask him, ‘How can you say that … and yet write the free trade agreement in the way they have?’”

Luxon directly referenced the India FTA in his speech, arguing the temporary work visas it granted were evidence of a robust approach targeted at workforce shortages.

Speaking to reporters after his speech, Luxon said the debate over the trade deal had become “perverted” into a “fear of mass migration”.

“That is just factually incorrect,” he said.

“These are Kiwis who have left everything they know, chosen to come to this country, they work incredibly hard, they send their kids to school, they don’t go on welfare. And they are fantastic Kiwis.”

Luxon said New Zealand did not have the same problems as other countries because of its “very smart, targeted, fair immigration system”.

“It’s not like [Nigel] Farage and railing against it in the UK, or Pauline Hanson in Australia, or other countries that we’re dealing with. We have legal migration, but … it requires a dynamic approach where you are constantly making sure those settings are optimised and are linked to our economic strategy and our infrastructure.”

Back at Parliament, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford told media immigration should not be a major election issue because the government had done “such a good job” getting the settings right.

“In an election year, there’ll be people who say things that might whip up some sentiment, that’s unfortunate,” she said.

“But in my world … I’ve made sure that our immigration system is fit for purpose and working for New Zealanders.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said all three coalition parties were lining up some “very ugly anti-migrant rhetoric” for the election campaign.

“From Shane Jones talking about a butter chicken tsunami, to David Seymour talking about the character of New Zealand being changed forever, it’s clear this government want to blame migrants for the economic position the country is in.”

Responding, ACT leader David Seymour said Labour was partially to blame for the wider frustration growing in the wider community.

“They had hundreds of thousands of people through the border before Covid. They shut the border, and then they gave nearly a quarter of a million people residence with no questions asked,” he said.

“It’s creating a lot of problems, and the Labour Party have that firmly at their door.”

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