The Government is strengthening plant variety rights (PVR) to protect investments underpinning high‑value exports, regional jobs and global demand for New Zealand produce, Trade and Investment and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer say.

“High‑value horticulture relies on years, often decades, of breeding, testing and commercialisation. Strengthening the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 gives New Zealand the intellectual property settings it needs to compete internationally, protect our investment and grow export returns,” Mr Brewer says.

“From drought-resistant grass seed that benefits pastoral farmers, to higher-yielding and better-tasting produce for New Zealanders and our export markets, these changes will provide vital support for growers,” Mr McClay says.

“In 2024, 75 per cent of the $3.5 billion in export returns from kiwifruit and an estimated 55 per cent of the $979 million in export returns from apples came from plant variety rights‑protected varieties. This shows the vital contribution that new plant varieties make to growing export earnings and taking us closer to New Zealand’s ambitious goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years.

“A successful sector means thriving communities, economic growth, secure jobs and a prosperous economy.”

“Zespri’s projections show that extending the PVR term by five years for SunGold Kiwifruit alone would mean additional revenue of around $1.8 billion over five years from the time of the extension, to the kiwifruit industry and the Biosecurity Science Institute,” Mr Brewer says.

“Growers will also benefit from additional returns as PVR varieties maintain their market value for longer, allowing growers to continue to build high value demand ahead of supply.

“Directly and indirectly we all benefit when our domestic growers are thriving. 

“Breeding and importing new varieties can be a long, expensive and uncertain process. Breeders and importers take a significant risk, and we need to ensure they are supported in this process.”

The Government is also restoring provisional protection, so breeders are covered from day one of their rights application instead of when it is granted.

“This means plant breeders can take immediate legal action if new varieties are stolen and commercially exploited during the application process, which can take up to five years and sometimes much longer,” Mr Brewer says.

“By providing greater certainty and support, we are empowering plant breeders to keep innovating – driving economic growth and ensuring New Zealand remains competitive on the world stage,” Mr McClay says.

“The National-led Government is fixing the basics and building the future by making common-sense changes for industry that help support more opportunities for New Zealanders.” Mr Brewer says.

MIL OSI

A paediatrican who treats obese teens expects funding to come swiftly for weight loss drug Wegovy.

Pharmac has added the drug to its list of medicines suitable for future funding.

In a decision released on Thursday, the drug-funding agency confirmed it had added Semaglutide – brand name Wegovy – to its list of ‘Options For Investment’, which includes all the medications that Pharmac would fund, if the budget allowed.

Currently unfunded, Wegovy would cost someone about $400 a month.

The order of Pharmac’s list is not made public for commercial reasons, but if chosen, the drug would be available to people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 50 and also to those with a BMI of more than 35 with at least two co-morbidities.

Auckland University paediatric endocrinology professor Wayne Cutfield said questions remained over final eligibility criteria, whether the drug would be fully funded or subsidised, and – crucially – when, but he did not expect to wait long.

“This isn’t the only drug in their cross-hairs that they [Pharmac] are considering,” he said. “Yes, it’s big and, yes, it’s important, but I don’t know if it will be weeks or months.

“I have no idea, but it’s not going to be years.”

Cutfield said the cost of the drug was prohibitive for many and, if approved as recommended, a huge number of New Zealanders – including teens – would benefit.

“They use the term ‘people’, which doesn’t exclude teenagers, because Wegovy in New Zealand [is] licensed for those over the age of 12. In Australia, it is a far more exclusive recommendation that has been imposed.”

Weight loss specialist Gerard McQuinlan said the addition of Wegovy to Pharmac’s list was significant and the recommended eligibility criteria made sense.

He said comorbidities, such as high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea and diabetes, were all improved by weight loss and funded Wegovy could potentially deliver savings to the healthcare system.

McQuinlan hoped approval would come before 2030 and expected Wegovy to be fully funded, with people paying no more than the standard $5 prescription fee.

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

Pharmac has added the weight-loss drug Wegovy to its list of medicines suitable for future funding.

In a decision released Thursday, the drug-funding agency confirmed it had added Semaglutide – brand name Wegovy – to its list of ‘Options For Investment’, which includes all the medications that Pharmac would fund, if the budget allowed.

The order of that list is not made public for commercial reasons.

If chosen for future funding, Wegovy would be available to people with a Body Mass Index of 35 or more with at least two comorbidities.

In February, Pharmac’s obesity treatments advisory group recommended the drug be funded with high priority.

Currently unfunded, Wegovy would cost someone about $400 a month.

The original application was for Wegovy to be funded for chronic weight management in adults with a BMI of more than 30.

According to the 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey, that would apply to an estimated 34 percent of New Zealanders over 15 years of age, but the committee’s recommendation bumped that up to a BMI of 35, in line with comparable countries like Canada, England and Scotland.

“However, the group also considered that this threshold could be raised to a BMI of 40… if funding treatment down to this level proved to be cost-prohibitive or not cost-effective.”

With a BMI over 50, a person would not need comorbodities to qualify, according to the recommendation.

Below that threshold, a person would need to have at least two of the following – dyslipidaemia, hypertension, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea or established cardiovascular disease.

It also included a condition that treatment would stop, if someone did not experience at least a 10 percent reduction in weight after six months.

It noted that, due to the “relatively high prevalence of obesity and weight-related comorbidities, the budget impact of funding semaglutide for weight management would be very high”.

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

Communities will have more power to decide how social services funding is spent locally under a new approach being delivered through the Government’s Social Investment Fund, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says.

“Expressions of interest are now open for Community-led Commissioning, which will give trusted local leaders and organisations with a proven track record more say over how funding is used in their communities, while holding them accountable for delivering measurable results,” Nicola Willis says.

“The Social Investment Fund is driving this new approach to social services which is focused on improving outcomes for New Zealanders and ensuring taxpayer funding is directed towards what works.

“Every year, the Government commissions more than $8 billion worth of social services – choosing who delivers support, what is delivered, and where funding goes – from non-government organisations, iwi and community providers, in addition to core health and education services.

“Too often, the current way of commissioning means that funding is tied up in siloed contracts, duplicated reporting requirements and Wellington-designed processes that do not reflect local needs.

“This new approach is about giving communities the flexibility to design solutions that work for their people, while maintaining a strong focus on outcomes including; fewer people on the Jobseeker Support benefit, higher educational achievement, better health outcomes, and fewer victims and offenders of crime.

“Following the expression of interest process, shortlisted groups will work with the Social Investment Agency to agree shared objectives, outcomes and accountability measures. A request for proposals process will then follow.

“Ultimately, we want community led commissioning to become the norm – moving away from fragmented government contracts and backing communities to deliver better outcomes for the people they serve.”

The Social Investment Fund is supporting reforms including consolidating NGO contracts, commissioning new outcomes-based contracts, enabling Community-led Commissioning, and developing future funding partnerships with philanthropists.

Notes to editors: 

The Government allocated $190 million in Budget 2025 for the Social Investment Fund. 

Social Investment Fund Ministers will consider recommendations for up to two community commissioning design partners. Expressions of interest will be assessed on their potential to support improved outcomes for their target cohort. Following the design phase, Social Investment Fund Ministers will consider formal Community-led Commissioning proposals for implementation.

Accountability for Community-led Commissioning will be achieved through reporting on progress against the measures and requirements set out in the outcome agreement between the Community-led Commissioning entity and the Social Investment Agency.

More information on criteria and specifics of applying can be found here.

Social Investment Fund FAQs can be found here.

MIL OSI

Transformational Acquisitions Expected to Contribute to Long Term Growth Starting 2Q26

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

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

The Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation (Guardians), manager of the $90 billion New Zealand Superannuation Fund (Super Fund), has confirmed it will not appeal a recent Judicial Review that found two of its policy documents were not formulated in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements.

In a decision published on 16 May 2026, Justice Mount said parts of the Guardians’ Statement of Investment Policies, Standards & Procedures and its Sustainable Investment Framework were “materially less clear and specific than the previous iterations” and “framed in such general terms as to provide no practical benchmark for those applying them in relation to alleged breaches of human rights standards.”

General Manager of Corporate Affairs Cristina Billett said the Guardians accepted that its policies need more specificity and would be amending them accordingly.

“Our mandate requires us to manage the Super Fund in a manner consistent with, among other things, avoiding prejudice to New Zealand’s reputation as a responsible member of the world community, and our investment policies are designed to ensure we achieve that objective,” Ms Billett said.

“We accept Justice Mount’s finding that it is important we not only adhere to and comply with our sustainable investment policies, but that the standards and procedures underlying those policies must be identified more clearly in our policy documents.

With that in mind, we are now working on how we can reformulate those documents to ensure they satisfy that condition.”

Ms Billett said the court decision focused on the way the Guardians’ policy documents described the Guardians’ sustainable investment decision-making processes.

Updates to the policy documents in recent years had not, however, materially changed the Guardians’ actual engagement and exclusion practices.

Further information about the Guardians’ sustainable investment approach is available in our Stewardship Report: https://nzsuperfund.cmail19.com/t/d-l-guthuud-hujkdust-n/

And in the investment section of our website: https://nzsuperfund.cmail19.com/t/d-l-guthuud-hujkdust-p/

MIL OSI

Story Highlights:

• New IDC research commissioned by Dell Technologies finds Sovereign AI has surged to the second-highest investment priority for Asia Pacific governments.
• Almost all (99%) government leaders in Asia Pacific believe agentic AI will accelerate AI adoption with the majority calling for strong governance frameworks to unlock its full potential at scale.
• Nine in 10 government organizations report critical skills shortages that could determine whether pilots become trusted national platforms.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 May 2026 – New research commissioned by Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) and conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC), reveals that governments across Asia Pacific (APJ) are moving decisively from AI exploration toward structured activation of Sovereign AI.

The study, based on a survey of 360 government IT decision-makers across eight APJ markets, finds that Sovereign AI has risen from the seventh to the second-highest government investment priority in just one year. This signals a fundamental shift in how the region’s public sector leaders view AI, seeing it as critical national digital infrastructure rather than a simple technology upgrade.

APJ governments are shifting from awareness to activation, but investment needs to catch up

The research reveals that Asia Pacific governments have moved well beyond conceptual discussion. Nearly half (46.1%) are actively evaluating Sovereign AI technologies, while more than a third (36.1%) are running initial proofs of concept.

This activation is underpinned by a clear strategic rationale. More than three-quarters (76.9%) of government leaders agree that investing in Sovereign AI enhances their agency’s resilience against geopolitical risks and supply chain disruptions.

Despite this, only 3.1% are investing significantly so far. Meanwhile, only 1.7% of respondents say they have no plans to adopt Sovereign AI.

Across the region, governments are pursuing “selective sovereignty” to maintain strong control over sensitive data, critical systems, and regulated workloads, while continuing to leverage global technology ecosystems for innovation and scale. Hybrid sovereign models that combine on-premises infrastructure and sovereign cloud environments with broader ecosystem access are emerging as the preferred deployment approach.

Agentic AI poised to accelerate government AI adoption across Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific government leaders are signalling near-universal confidence in agentic AI as a catalyst for accelerating AI adoption in the public sector. The research reveals that 99% of leaders see agentic AI as an accelerator, with more than a third (36.9%) believing it will play a major role and a further 62.1% expressing strong confidence in its potential when paired with robust governance and oversight frameworks. Only 1.1% remain uncertain.

This positions Asia Pacific as bullish on agentic AI suggesting the region’s governments are not hesitating on agentic AI, rather, they are actively preparing the governance foundations that will allow them to deploy it with confidence and at scale.

This confidence is driven in part by operational necessity. With nearly nine in 10 APJ government organizations reporting critical digital skills shortages, agentic AI is emerging as a practical workforce multiplier, capable of automating complex administrative and analytical tasks and enabling government teams to deliver more with the talent they have. In a region where technology is outpacing workforce capability faster than the global average, autonomous AI systems offer a path to close the gap between ambition and capacity.

In this context, Sovereign AI is increasingly functioning as the trust layer that unlocks the adoption of next-generation AI capabilities. By ensuring that agentic and generative AI systems operate within national policy, security, and auditability frameworks, governments can move faster precisely because the right controls are in place from the outset.

Skills shortages emerge as the region’s most critical constraint

Despite strong strategic intent, APJ governments face acute workforce bottlenecks that risk constraining the transition from pilot to production. Nearly nine in 10 organizations report digital skills shortages, and more than half say these shortages are having a major impact on digital initiatives, significantly more so than the global average of 66.8%.

The hardest-to-hire roles map directly to Sovereign AI readiness: AI safety and alignment researchers (42.5%), data architecture, management, and analytics professionals (35%), sovereign data governance (30%), sovereign cloud architecture and operations specialists (25.3%), and AI policy and governance specialists (25%).

The research findings recommend a four-layer capability model in which governments retain direct ownership of policy, governance, and data stewardship roles while partnering with trusted ecosystem providers for frontier AI specialization and delivery at scale.

Mission-critical public services drive investment priorities

Governments expect Sovereign AI to deliver the greatest citizen benefit in high-consequence public domains. National security and cyber-resilience top the list at 45.6%, followed by justice and public safety (37.5%), financial and taxation (37.5%), public healthcare (34.4%), social services and welfare (32.2%), education (31.7%), and workforce development (31.1%).

Investment decisions are increasingly policy-led. More than half (53.3%) of government leaders cite alignment with national security and sovereign priorities as the top factor in technology investment decisions, followed by security capabilities and reliability of technology providers (52.5%). Four of the top six decision factors are directly linked to sovereignty considerations.

Perspectives:

“This research confirms what we’re hearing from government leaders across Asia Pacific: the question is no longer whether Sovereign AI matters, but how to operationalize it at national scale,” said Nicole Jefferson, Vice President, Global Government Affairs, Dell Technologies. “What stands out is the region’s confidence in agentic AI as an accelerator and the understanding that strong governance is an enabler of progression, not a hinderance. The findings show a region that is serious, structured, and pragmatic about building AI capabilities it can trust. Governments want partners who understand that sovereign-ready infrastructure, skills transfer, and governance maturity are inseparable from the technology itself. At Dell Technologies, we’re committed to helping public sector organizations build AI on their own terms – with the security, resilience, and openness that mission-critical national services demand.”

“Agentic AI is moving quickly from concept to practical consideration for government and executive decision-makers,” said Ravikant Sharma, Research Director, IDC. “The study shows strong momentum, with public sector leaders looking to autonomous systems to help close skills gaps, ease workforce pressure and accelerate AI adoption. However, that momentum is conditional. Governments will only move at scale if they have confidence in the security, privacy, sovereignty and infrastructure foundations underpinning these systems.”

About the study

The findings are drawn from IDC’s Asia Pacific Government Survey, conducted in December 2025 on behalf of Dell Technologies. The survey polled 360 government IT decision-makers supplemented by 13 in-depth interviews with senior government officials across eight markets: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. Respondent organizations spanned national civilian government, defense, financial administration, public safety, healthcare, education, critical infrastructure, and other public sector functions. To view the full Asia Pacific research findings, click here: building-a-sovereign-ai-foundation-for-apj-governments.pdf

IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Dell Technologies, Building a Sovereign AI Foundation for Asia/Pacific Governments, #AP24257IB, May 2026

Hashtag: #Dell

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 – 11 May 2026 – Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) is set to broaden its strategic engagement with the African continent as Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion Ms Loretta Lee today (May 10) embarks on an eight-day visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Kigali, Rwanda. The mission aims to strengthen economic ties with African economies and promote Hong Kong as the premier springboard for African enterprises to tap into the Chinese Mainland and Asia-Pacific markets.

Ms Lee said, “Africa holds a strategic position in the Global South, representing a vital engine of growth in an era of global economic uncertainty. Interconnectivity is the key to unlocking this potential, and Hong Kong plays a strategic role in linking capital, talent, and innovation and technology between Africa, the Chinese Mainland, and international markets to drive high-quality, multilateral growth. As the Government’s arm for both inward investment and Chinese Mainland enterprises aiming to go global, InvestHK facilitates two-way investment through strategic market insights, extensive global access, targeted promotion and policy facilitation. “

Ms Lee will visit Johannesburg from May 10 to 13 to meet with representatives from the local chambers, financial institutions, banks, fintech interests, and business and professional services sectors. Extending her mission to Kigali, Rwanda, from May 13, Ms Lee will represent InvestHK at the Africa CEO Forum to drive high-level exchanges with C-suite executives from the continent’s leading multinationals.

African enterprises establishing a presence in Hong Kong can benefit from a globally recognised common law system and Asia’s most competitive tax regime. Most recently, Hong Kong has further sharpened its competitive edge by announcing a halve in the profits tax to 8.25 per cent from the standard 16.5 per cent for qualifying physical commodity traders. By combining this fiscal incentive with the city’s status as the world’s pre-eminent offshore Renminbi hub, Hong Kong offers African commodities exporters a high-liquidity, efficient gateway to Asian markets.

In line with the advancement of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong is leveraging its status as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” to support national development. As China-Africa economic relations pivot towards high-value trade and investment, Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to accelerate two-way capital flows – spurring growth across finance, shipping, and innovation and technology.

Citing the South African national rugby team’s recent first-ever title at the Hong Kong Sevens, Ms Lee emphasised that such vibrant people-to-people connections are not merely symbolic, but serve as a meaningful foundation for driving bilateral economic connection.

Hashtag: #InvestHK

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

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

Highlights

• Canyon to materially increase strategic stake in Camrail from 9.1% to 26.9%, securing greater influence over critical rail infrastructure
• Completion of strategic 42.8% Investment in Terminal Bois du Port de Douala S.A., operator of Port of Douala, strengthening control over export logistics
• Preparation for tracklaying underway at both Inland Rail Facility and Port of Douala, advancing integrated logistics network
• First bauxite shipment from Minim Martap on schedule for late Q3, 2026 with first production imminent

PERTH, Australia, May 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canyon Resources Limited (ASX: CAY) (“Canyon” or “the Company”) is pleased to present an update on development activities at its Minim Martap Bauxite Project (“Minim Martap” or “the Project”), located in Cameroon, as the Company progresses towards first production and initial shipments.

The Company is pleased to advise that its in-country subsidiary Camalco Cameroon S.A. (“Camalco”) has paid a cash consideration of XAF 9.852 billion (approximately A$23.8 million) to increase its equity holding in Camrail from 9.1% to 26.9%, representing a significant strategic investment in the country’s primary rail transportation company. This enhanced stake will strengthen the Company’s ability to remain closely informed and actively engaged in developments relating to the PQ2 upgrade, while also securing timely bauxite transportation slots with Camrail. The increased involvement is expected to enhance oversight, coordination and strategic alignment with the Minim Martap Project, further de-risking the Company’s mine-to-port logistics chain as it advances toward production.

The increased investment in Camrail follows Canyon’s initial investment in Cameroon’s rail network operator in the first quarter of 2025 and is expected to complete in Q2, 2026, following in-country administrative registration of the newly acquired shares in Cameroon.

To further de-risk logistics, Canyon, through its in-country subsidiary Camalco, has completed a CFA 347.447 million (approximately A$0.8 million) strategic investment in Terminal Bois du Port de Douala S.A. (“TBPD”) to obtain a 42.8% stake in the operator of the Port of Douala.

The agreement complements Canyon’s existing Port Access Agreement which grants Canyon the right to export bauxite and alumina, as well as import raw materials essential for mining operations at Minim Martap.

The Port Access Agreement also provides Canyon with access to the Bois du Port de Douala to evaluate and optimise key logistical solutions in relation to site layout plans, construction requirements, and anticipated production metrics to ensure a seamless infrastructure network from mine to port. Refer to the ASX announcement dated 28 April 2025 for further details regarding the Port Access Agreement.

Commenting on the Company’s recent strategic investments, Chief Executive Officer Mr Peter Secker said: “By increasing our stake in Camrail to 26.9% and executing a strategic 42.8% investment in Terminal Bois du Port de Douala S.A. which operates the Port of Douala, Canyon is securing direct influence over the critical rail and port infrastructure that underpins our operations. These initiatives significantly enhance coordination, improve operational certainty, and materially de-risk our mine-to-port logistics as we move into imminent production.

“These are strategic, high-impact investments that reinforce our integrated logistics strategy, support the efficient ramp-up of Minim Martap, and position the Project for a long and reliable operating life.”

Image 1: Port of Douala

At Minim Martap the surface miner was mobilised to site at the Daniel Plateau in April, for the commencement of trial mining in mid Q2, 2026 allowing bauxite stockpiles to be built up at the mine, Inland Rail Facility (IRF) and port before the first bauxite ore shipment in late Q3, 2026.

Initial production will be a major milestone for the Minim Martap Bauxite Project and coincides with upgrade works on the haul road that connects the Danielle Plateau to the IRF.

Tracklaying at the IRF and bulk earthworks at the Port of Douala have commenced in preparation for rail operations to allow storage of bauxite ores at the port prior to the first shipment. The first seven locomotives are expected to arrive at the Port of Douala in late Q2, 2026 followed by the rail wagons in July 2026 ahead of first shipment of bauxite ore in late September, 2026.

Image 2: Site works at IRF

Canyon continues to engage with several potential offtake partners, with the Company aiming to finalise agreements following the completion of initial bauxite shipments, allowing Canyon to demonstrate the high grade, high purity of the Minim Martap ore reserve, which comprises of 51% alumina and approximately 2% silica.¹

The Feasibility Study for the proposed value-adding alumina refinery is scheduled to be completed by Q3 2026.

This announcement has been approved for release by Canyon’s Board of Directors.

About Canyon Resources

Canyon Resources is developing its flagship Minim Martap Bauxite Project in Cameroon, which contains over 1.1 billion tonnes of high-grade, low contaminant bauxite, with significant exploration upside. Minim Martap ranks among the world’s richest bauxite deposits, with an Ore Reserve of 144DMt at 51.2% Al₂O₃ and 1.7% SiO₂ and a JORC Mineral Resource Estimate of 1,102Mt at 45.3% Al₂O₃.

^{________________________________
1} Refer ASX Announcement dated 1 September 2025 Definitive Feasibility Study Results and Reserves Upgrade

(1) Ore Reserves reported as per JORC Code
(2) Mineral Resources reported as per JORC Code, at a cut-off grade of 35% Al₂O₃. Makan & Ngaoundal tenements are included

Table 1: Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources – September 2025

Forward looking statements

This announcement contains “forward-looking statements” and “forward-looking information”, such as statements and forecasts which include (without limitation) financial forecasts, production targets, industry and trend projections, statements about the feasibility of the Project and its financial outcomes (including pursuant to the DFS), future strategies, results and outlook of Canyon and the opportunities available to Canyon. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “is expecting”, “budget”, ‘outlook”, “scheduled”, “target”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes”, or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might”, or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Such information is based on assumptions and judgments of Canyon regarding future events and results. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, targets, performance or achievements of Canyon to be materially different from any future results, targets, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information.

Forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, sensitivities, contingencies, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are beyond the control of Canyon and its directors and management. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. Key risk factors (including as associated with the DFS) are detailed (non-exhaustively) in this announcement or in Canyon’s previous ASX announcements. These and other factors (such as risk factors that are currently unknown) could cause actual results, targets, performance or achievements anticipated (including in the DFS) to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements and information.

Forward-looking statements and information (including Canyon’s belief that it has a reasonable basis to expect it will be able to fund the costs of the Project for its estimated life of mine) are (further to the above) based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of Canyon made in light of its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that Canyon believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although Canyon believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and information (including as described throughout this announcement) are reasonable, readers are cautioned that this is not exhaustive of all factors which may impact on the forward-looking statements and information. Canyon does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Investors should note that there is no certainty that the Project will be feasible and there can be no assurance of whether it will be developed, constructed and commence operations, whether the DFS results will be accurate, whether production targets will be achieved or whether Canyon will be able to raise funding when it is required (nor any certainty as to the form such capital raising may take, such as equity, debt, hybrid and/or other capital raising). It is also possible that such funding may only be available on terms that dilute or otherwise affect the value of Canyon’s shares. It is also possible that Canyon could pursue other ‘value realisation’ strategies such as sale, partial sale, or joint venture of the Project. Risk factors which are set out (non-exhaustively) in this announcement, or in Canyon’s previous ASX announcements, highlight key factors identified by Canyon which may cause actual results to differ from the DFS or may otherwise have material detrimental impacts on Canyon and its business.

Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves

This announcement contains estimates of the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves estimated for the Project. This information in this announcement that relates to those Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves has been extracted from Canyon’s accompanying ASX announcement entitled “Definitive Feasibility Study Results and Reserves Upgrade Confirms Minim Martap as a Tier-One Bauxite Operation” dated 1 September 2025, a copy of which is available at www.asx.com.au. Canyon confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in that announcement and, in relation to the estimates of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, confirms that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in that announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Competent Person for the Mineral Resources estimate in the announcement was Mr. Rodney Brown and the Competent Persons for the Ore Reserve estimate in the announcement was Mr. Donald Eld.

Production Targets and Financial Forecasts derived from the Production Targets

This announcement contains production targets for the Project, which are 100% underpinned by the Proved and Probable category Ore Reserves estimated at the Project pursuant to the JORC Code (2012). The estimated Ore Reserves underpinning the production targets have been prepared by a competent person in accordance with the JORC Code.

The Inferred category Mineral Resource estimates at the Project have not been included in the Ore Reserves or production targets and have not been included when determining the forecast financial information detailed in this announcement. There is a low level of geological confidence associated with Inferred Mineral Resources and there is no certainty that further exploration work will result in the determination of Indicated Mineral Resources (or Ore Reserves) in relation to that mineralisation.

The production targets for the Project and the financial forecasts disclosed in this announcement (including as derived from those production targets) are based on the material assumptions outlined in this announcement and are subject to various risk factors, such as those (non-exhaustively) outlined, or referred to, in this announcement and in previous ASX announcements. These include assumptions and risk factors about the availability of funding. While Canyon considers all the material assumptions to be based on reasonable grounds, there is no certainty that they will prove to be correct or that the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimates are accurate or that the production targets or financial forecasts as indicated in this announcement will be achieved.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fe7ec6d8-dec9-4d74-b0f8-44cde1e5f482

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e135a9be-e363-4859-b95f-6f34c590bb05

– Published by The MIL Network

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 May 2026 – Yeebo (International Holdings) Limited (“Yeebo” or the “Company”, stock code: 259, together with its subsidiaries is referred to as the “Group”) today responded to the preliminary notice of penalty issued by China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) against Suzhou QingYue Optoelectronics Technology Co. Ltd. (“Suzhou QingYue”, SSE Stock Code: 688496), reiterating that the Company and its subsidiaries are not involved in the relevant investigation, and that the incident had no significant impact on the Group. Yeebo’s prompt response fully demonstrates the management’s adherence to prudent and responsible governance principles, as well as its commitment to safeguarding the overall interests of shareholders and investors.

Swift Action Taken to Maximize Risk Segregation

The Group clearly stated that it had previously disclosed in its 2025/2026 interim report that, the Group confirmed neither the Company nor its subsidiaries were involved in the investigation initiated by the CSRC in connection with the “Notice of Case Filing” issued to Suzhou QingYue regarding alleged false information included in its periodic financial reports. In response to the incident, and based on prudence and corporate governance considerations, the Board of Directors has resolved to initiate a process to reduce the Group’s level of involvement in Suzhou QingYue.

Emphasizes No Involvement by the Group’s Management or Governance, with a Complete Exit from Suzhou QingYue

Mr. Leung Tze Kuen, Executive Director of the Company, has resigned as a non‑independent director of Suzhou QingYue, with effect from 31 March 2026. Following the resignation, the Group has fully exited the Suzhou QingYue Board and has ceased all involvement in Suzhou QingYue’s financial, operational, and management decision‑making. The Group further emphasizes that none of its directors or employees has ever been involved in Suzhou QingYue’s daily operations, nor involved in the Incident whatsoever.

Minimal Investment Stake and Limited Financial Impact

From a financial perspective, as at 30 September 2025, the carrying value of the Group’s investment in Suzhou QingYue amounted to approximately HK$294 million, representing approximately 5.2% and 6.0%, respectively of the total assets and net assets of the Group. Should the Group be required to recognize any impairment provision on its investment in Suzhou Qingyue in the future, it is not expected to have any material impact on the Group’s cash flow.

Hashtag: #Yeebo

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

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

Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster told the chair of the police watchdog that a woman who was accusing Jevon McSkimming of sexual offending had “effectively acknowledged her desire to ruin his career”.

In the letter, obtained by RNZ, Coster said the disgraced former Deputy Police Commissioner was “highly remorseful” for having an affair and had “owned it publicly” in his church community.

The letter was first revealed in a scathing report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) into how police handled allegations of sexual offending by McSkimming relating to a woman he had an affair with.

The IPCA’s report said the letter was sent by Coster to the chair of the IPCA, Judge Kenneth Johnston KC, on 22 October 2024, just over a week after the IPCA informed police they were doing an independent investigation into the woman’s allegations.

RNZ has obtained a copy of the letter under the Official Information Act.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

The letter begins with Coster saying he was writing to “formally express my concerns” about the chain of events leading up to the launching of an independent investigation by the IPCA into McSkimming and “its potential impact” on McSkimming’s career.

“My primary concern relates to the Authority’s decision to commence an investigation at such a critical point in the Commissioner appointment process, given all of the circumstances of this case.”

Coster then listed 13 “key facts as I understand them”.

The first was that McSkimming had an affair with the woman, referred to as Ms Z in the IPCA’s report, “many years ago”.

“He is highly remorseful of this fact and has worked through it not only with his wife but within his (large) church community, where has owned it publicly.”

Coster also said McSkimming had declared the relationship through “multiple appointment processes”.

The former police commissioner said that following the end of the relationship Ms Z was “clearly impacted”.

“She has embarked on a persistent course of communications directed at Jevon, aimed at discrediting him. These communications have been sent far and wide over an extended period of time (to Police email addresses, politicians, media and the Authority).”

He said Ms Z had never put her name to the communications, adding that the allegations had “never been supported with information beyond the bare allegation itself”.

“The only way that Police or the Authority knows (Ms Z’s) identity is because Deputy Commissioner declared it to Police as part of expressing his concern about the course of conduct aimed at him.”

Coster also alleged that Ms Z had in communication with McSkimming “effectively acknowledged her desire to ruin his career”.

McSkimming brought a complaint of criminal harassment after exploring a “wide range of options to stop the behaviour directed at him and his family”.

Police initially tried to provide support to Ms Z through the joint Police / Health multidisciplinary Fixated Threat Assessment Unit (FTAC) using a “mental health-led approach”.

“Only when a supportive intervention failed to shift the behaviour, did Police take the step of prosecution for criminal harassment. This was not a path we embarked on lightly, given the circumstances.

“It is clearly the Police view that Jevon is the victim of the offence and that there is evidential sufficiency to prove the charge.”

Coster said that through the same period police had tasked Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves to review all of the correspondence received and then approach Ms Z to see whether any complaint would be forthcoming.

“Despite this extended history and opportunity for the Authority to set expectations of any Police investigation or commence its own investigation in this matter, it was only after receiving a request from the Public Service Commission for the interim Commissioner appointment process that the Authority decided to initiate a Category A investigation.”

In the letter, Coster said he understood the IPCA considered Police did not share all of the relevant information that it should have about some anonymous allegations made to Police 105.

However, he said the communications were “not materially different” to allegations that had been known to the IPCA for some time, and that they were made anonymously and without any information to “properly support an investigation”.

“They were made as part of a course of conduct by [Ms Z] that amounts to criminal harassment, of which Jevon is the victim.”

Coster said as a result of the investigation “belatedly commencing”, McSkimming had missed out on the opportunity to be interim Commissioner.

“Which otherwise he would have been. This will make a material difference to him in the substantive appointment process.”

The Public Service Commission (PSC) had advised McSkimming that the IPCA had indicated the investigation would take three to six months to be resolved.

“If that is the case, his name will not go forward for consideration for appointment to be the next Commissioner,” Coster said.

“All of this is occurring whilst Jevon has not been advised of the nature of the investigation against him in terms of any substantive complaint or the allegations that are being investigated. This is seems contrary to principles of natural justice. [sic]”

Coster wrote he was concerned the IPCA may “inadvertently significantly increase Jevon’s victimisation” from the “pattern of harassment” which could be “irreversible in terms of his career”.

“This is against the backdrop of an issue that has been visible for a very long time and was capable of being resolved long ago – indeed Jevon considered that it had been.

“I do understand the difficult position for the Authority in the circumstances. However, it is unfair for Jevon to suffer the consequences of this. A standard investigative approach and timeline in this situation risks a very unjust outcome.”

He said the matter needed to be resolved before the substantive appointment process reached its point of making recommendations to Ministers.

“I respect that the Authority must exercise its own judgement but I trust this background may assist. I would be happy to discuss further.”

About 20 minutes after sending the letter he forwarded a copy of it to McSkimming.

The IPCA said in its report it was “abundantly clear” the version of “facts” that Coster set out were based on what McSkimming told him.

RNZ approached a spokesperson for Coster this week for comment on the letter. They said Coster has “said all that he intends to on this matter” and referred to his earlier statements.

After resigning from his role as chief executive of the Social Investment Agency, Coster released a statement and said his resignation was “a result of my acceptance of full responsibility for the shortcomings” identified in the report.

“I regret the impact on the young woman at the centre of this matter and sincerely apologise to her for the distress caused.

“I accept that I was too ready to trust and accept at face value Deputy Commissioner McSkimming’s disclosure and explanations to me. I should have been faster and more thorough in looking into the matter.”

Coster acknowledged he should have more fully investigated the allegations when they were brought to his attention, “rather than assuming that their previous disclosure to senior Police staff a few years earlier would have resulted in an investigation if necessary”.

“It is clear that Police’s handling of the whole matter was lacking and that I was ultimately responsible for those matters. It was sobering to read of a number of missed opportunities which should have proceeded differently and more appropriately.”

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

The failure of the economy to fire up means New Zealanders will spend five fewer days paying tax this year.

Business advisory network Baker Tilly Staples Rodway estimated the total tax take rose 1.9 percent on last year, which meant New Zealanders would spend just 130 days paying tax this year, five days less than last year.

Tax Freedom Day, which was the hypothetical date New Zealanders would have paid their tax bill for the year, was expected to take place on 10 May, meaning whatever they earn after that date was theirs.

Baker Tilly Staples Rodway tax director Michael Rudd said the reason for the shorter forecast date was because this year’s tax increase was far less than last year’s increase of 3.9 percent, or 15.6 percent in 2022, when the economy grew 4-point-3 percent.

A flat corporate tax take of 1.2 percent indicated businesses were struggling to grow, with inflation outpacing GST revenues and a sugar rush of trust dividend payments drying up.

“An optimist might say that corporates are managing their tax payments to take advantage of the new Investment Boost regime, which provides a 20 percent year-one tax deduction for new business assets purchased after May 2025,” Rudd said.

However, he said a large increase in the number of business liquidations was probably having a bigger influence.

“The cost of those failures is often borne by suppliers who never get paid, affecting their bottom line.”

In contrast, Rudd said Australians were paying three days more tax this year, not five days less.

However, they celebrated their Tax Freedom Day three weeks ago, which was fairly typical.

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

The Regulation Minister is taking aim at what he says is excessive red tape around rooftop solar that makes it too hard for home-owners and businesses to set up panels.

David Seymour is ordering a review of the installation process, saying he wants to make New Zealand the easiest place in the world to switch to solar.

He said just three to four percent of New Zealand households used solar, despite average power savings of about $1000 a year.

“Solar installation in New Zealand is a red tape nightmare. Just getting it approved can take months,” he said.

“There are up to eight layers of sign-off before small-scale solar systems can be switched on. This requires up to five separate site visits, from four separate entities. For example, during installation the installer often cannot turn off or reconnect the fuse, update the meter, or carry out the required independent electrical inspection. These tasks must be done by other entities, requiring additional site visits.”

In parts of Australia, approval of similar low-risk solar could be granted within 24 hours, Seymour said.

“In Victoria Australia there is one layer of sign-off for small-scale solar installation. The whole solar installation process is managed and carried out by the chosen installer. Standard installations are inspected by a licensed electricity inspector without a site visit. Photos clearly show compliance. A site visit is only carried out in person if something unusual or non compliant is identified in the photos.”

Seymour said more than 30 percent of Australian households used solar power.

He made the announcement at Electric Cherries near Cromwell on Thursday, which is believed to be the world’s first fully-electric farm, powered largely by solar.

Owner Mike Casey, who is also the chief executive of Rewiring Aotearoa, said regulations needed to keep pace with technology and he was pleased to see the government looking at ways to help.

“In Australia, virtual inspections allow the installs to be approved remotely and much more rapidly and other countries have centralised systems that don’t require a physical visit and use an auditing process to ensure standards are being met,” he said.

Researchers have said New Zealanders investing in solar will almost certainly save more money than they spend.

Casey said Rewiring Aotearoa wanted to see national standards across lines companies for solar and legalisation for plug-in solar set-ups which were becoming popular overseas.

“We need more solar in New Zealand, it is very safe when installers are well-trained and given our very low uptake rates at this stage, it is unlikely to affect the network. Approval should be instant here.”

Bureaucracy not the biggest barrier – solar expert

Alan Brent, professor and chairperson in Sustainable Energy Systems at Victoria University of Wellington, said upfront cost was the biggest barrier for most households considering solar – not the installation time.

“It’s not a technical issue in terms of how long it takes. I mean, I have a solar and a battery system in my house, and they came and installed it within a day. We have all the regulations in place … all the technology is there,” he said.

“It is quite a significant investment up front. And it’s quite complicated for people to think about what the long-term savings will be.”

Brent said the best thing officials could do to boost solar uptake was a public information campaign highlighting what residents would spend and what they would save.

The government could also help residents with the upfront costs, he said.

“Something similar to what we have with industry, like the GiDI (Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry) fund – that might be an option … a long-term loan that’s underwritten by the government,” he said.

German and Australian residents also received “quite reasonable” tariffs for returning electricity to the grid, he said.

“That’s provided the incentive for people to put up solar systems,” he said.

However Seymour said cutting red tape would help with upfront cost.

“The more people involved the more expensive it is. So if you’ve got to pay someone to come and do your disconnection and then another person to do the installation, then the first person comes back to do the reconnection, that all adds cost. But I think it’s also about hesitancy and being able to just do it. If you knew that you could get this done in a weekend, you’d be a lot more likely to do it than if you’d heard that your neighbours ended up taking a couple of months to do something that could have been much simpler,” he said.

“If I can honestly say that we have the simplest, most straightforward system in the world, then how much people take advantage of that is up to them.”

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

Investment spans equity positions in both SOMOSHOTELS and Cocana Resorts, with plans to bring the brands to five additional locations across Asia.

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

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has welcomed the appointment of Ambassador Clare Kelly as Chair of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) General Council. 

It is only the second time a New Zealander has chaired the General Council, which is the highest-level WTO decision-making body in Geneva. 

“Ms Kelly brings deep trade and foreign policy expertise and experience to this job. Her appointment adds to New Zealand’s strong track record of contributing to an organisation that has well served our interests as a small, export driven economy,” Mr McClay says.

“As Chair of the General Council, Ms Kelly will focus on finding a way forward after the disappointing outcomes at the 14th Ministerial Conference of the WTO.

“She will be working hard to reach consensus on proposals to reform the WTO and to extend the WTO-wide prohibition on the imposition of tariffs on digital trade flows.”

Ms Kelly has served as New Zealand’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO in Geneva since February 2022.

She previously served as Assistant Secretary of the Trade and Economic Group at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and as New Zealand’s Ambassador to Mexico.

Ms Kelly will serve in the position for one year. She takes over from Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel of Saudi Arabia.

MIL OSI

The company behind the Bendigo‑Ophir gold project in Central Otago has received Overseas Investment Office consent to purchase the land required to progress the development.

It’s a project that has faced public opposition from actor Sam Neill and some local landowners.

The consent allows Santana Minerals, through a New Zealand subsidiary, to buy around 3680 hectares of freehold land across Bendigo and Ardgour Stations.

The land will be used for open‑pit mining areas, processing and administration infrastructure, tailings storage and environmental offsetting, including 1200 hectares of large‑scale native planting and habitat enhancement.

Santana said the Bendigo‑Ophir project represents a capital investment of more than $500 million over its expected 13 to 14‑year life, with about 350 full‑time equivalent jobs during construction and operations.

The company said the project would also lift export receipts and provide a boost to the regional economy.

The OIO approval is subject to several conditions, including full settlement by the end of 2026 and securing fast‑track resource consent to build and operate the mine.

A final decision under the Fast‑track Approvals Act is due in October this year.

If those approvals are granted, Santana is targeting first gold production in early 2028.

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

TikTok leads new BOI approvals as Thailand moves to strengthen power readiness, clean energy access and fast-track strategic investment

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

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has welcomed Costa Rica to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) today. 

“Costa Rica is a close friend to New Zealand with shared values and a likeminded approach to trade rules and liberalisation, and their accession offers opportunities for our exporters,” Mr McClay says. 

Over 94 per cent of New Zealand exports to Costa Rica will be duty-free from day one, rising to over 99 per cent within 10 years.

For New Zealand, key outcomes include full tariff elimination on day one on products such as sheep meat, seafood, horticulture, wine, and therapeutic respirators.

The agreement is also good for Kiwi meat and dairy farmers. Beef becomes tariff free after eight years, with dairy duty rates falling to zero over 13 years.

New Zealand has also secured strengthened commitments for investors as well as streamlined processes to do business with Costa Rica.

“The CPTPP is one of the most comprehensive trade deals ever concluded. It is a high standard agreement that underpins rules-based trade and economic integration in our region and beyond,” Mr McClay says.

“The continued expansion of the CPTPP is important for growing New Zealand’s preferential access to markets, as well as in response to increased challenges to the rules-based trade system.”

Note to editor:

Costa Rica will become the 13th Member of CPTPP and the second economy to accede to the Agreement, following the United Kingdom, which entered into force on 15 December 2024.

The next steps for Costa Rica’s accession are the signing of the Accession Protocol, expected in November, then individual parties will undertake their internal processes of ratification. For New Zealand this will include parliamentary review. 

Entry into force is expected in the second half of 2027.

CPTPP economies include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Viet Nam. Together they account for more than 15 per cent of world GDP – worth more than NZ$27 trillion.

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The NZ Transport Agency has restored millions of dollars of funding for the police to carry out driver breath testing after revelations last year that officers had falsely recorded thousands of tests.

The agency has authorised $18 million of funding to police following an independent analysis of breath testing data.

It comes as Minister of Transport Chris Bishop says he’s “frustrated” at the length of time it’s taking the agency to release the report.

“I’ve told them to get on with it ASAP,” he told RNZ.

RNZ revealed last year that about 130 police officers were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.

Each year, $24m of funding from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) for the Road Policing Investment Programme (RPIP) is dependent on the successful delivery of all speed and impairment activities to agreed specified annual levels, known as delivery dependent funding (DDF).

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

This is assessed on a quarterly basis, with a pro-rated amount of DDF available to be authorised to spend ($6m per quarter).

Following RNZ’s reporting last year, NZTA halted $12m worth of funding until it was satisfied police had met their breath test targets.

In December it was revealed NZTA had commissioned an independent analysis of breath testing data to try and identify the full scale of falsely recorded tests.

On Monday, an NZTA spokesperson said the agency had confirmed police performance had met the required targets for the first three quarters of the 2025/26 financial year.

“Based on this a decision has been made to authorise the spending of the delivery dependent funding.”

NZTA expects to publish the findings of the independent analysis in the coming weeks.

Acting Assistant Commissioner of road policing and district support Superintendent Steve Greally said resolution of the issue required “extensive analysis and reassurance work across police”.

He said it had provided police an opportunity to “further strengthen our systems and reinforce the high standards expected of our people”.

“There has been a considerable effort made by our dedicated road policing staff across police to provide assurance that our practices and data remain accurate and reliable.

“The independent finding in respect to the significant efforts of our frontline being legitimate is pleasing.”

Greally said the continued expectation of staff was that they “deliver road policing activities every day with utmost professionalism and a vigourous commitment to preventing harm on roads”.

RNZ earlier obtained a series of weekly reports to Bishop on the issue under the Official Information Act.

One update, from 27 October, said NZTA had identified a preferred supplier to independently analyse the breath screening test data file provided by police.

“This independent analysis will identify whether any further irregularities (over and above any detected by NZ Police) are discernible.”

In an update to Bishop on 13 October, NZTA said police could not determine if any irregular testing was undertaken while officers were stationary.

“NZTA is supporting and encouraging NZ Police to identify what, if any, options exist for removing these limitations, and to look beyond current detection methods to ascertain the true scale of irregularities.”

Then Acting Deputy Commissioner Mike Johnson earlier told NZTA that while the algorithm had “proven effective” in identifying tests conducted while the device was in motion, “there remains limitations in detecting all forms of irregular testing, including those undertaken in specific locations”.

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

The NZ Transport Agency has restored millions of dollars of funding for the police to carry out driver breath testing after revelations last year that officers had falsely recorded thousands of tests.

The agency has authorised $18 million of funding to police following an independent analysis of breath testing data.

It comes as Minister of Transport Chris Bishop says he’s “frustrated” at the length of time it’s taking the agency to release the report.

“I’ve told them to get on with it ASAP,” he told RNZ.

RNZ revealed last year that about 130 police officers were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.

Each year, $24m of funding from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) for the Road Policing Investment Programme (RPIP) is dependent on the successful delivery of all speed and impairment activities to agreed specified annual levels, known as delivery dependent funding (DDF).

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

This is assessed on a quarterly basis, with a pro-rated amount of DDF available to be authorised to spend ($6m per quarter).

Following RNZ’s reporting last year, NZTA halted $12m worth of funding until it was satisfied police had met their breath test targets.

In December it was revealed NZTA had commissioned an independent analysis of breath testing data to try and identify the full scale of falsely recorded tests.

On Monday, an NZTA spokesperson said the agency had confirmed police performance had met the required targets for the first three quarters of the 2025/26 financial year.

“Based on this a decision has been made to authorise the spending of the delivery dependent funding.”

NZTA expects to publish the findings of the independent analysis in the coming weeks.

Acting Assistant Commissioner of road policing and district support Superintendent Steve Greally said resolution of the issue required “extensive analysis and reassurance work across police”.

He said it had provided police an opportunity to “further strengthen our systems and reinforce the high standards expected of our people”.

“There has been a considerable effort made by our dedicated road policing staff across police to provide assurance that our practices and data remain accurate and reliable.

“The independent finding in respect to the significant efforts of our frontline being legitimate is pleasing.”

Greally said the continued expectation of staff was that they “deliver road policing activities every day with utmost professionalism and a vigourous commitment to preventing harm on roads”.

RNZ earlier obtained a series of weekly reports to Bishop on the issue under the Official Information Act.

One update, from 27 October, said NZTA had identified a preferred supplier to independently analyse the breath screening test data file provided by police.

“This independent analysis will identify whether any further irregularities (over and above any detected by NZ Police) are discernible.”

In an update to Bishop on 13 October, NZTA said police could not determine if any irregular testing was undertaken while officers were stationary.

“NZTA is supporting and encouraging NZ Police to identify what, if any, options exist for removing these limitations, and to look beyond current detection methods to ascertain the true scale of irregularities.”

Then Acting Deputy Commissioner Mike Johnson earlier told NZTA that while the algorithm had “proven effective” in identifying tests conducted while the device was in motion, “there remains limitations in detecting all forms of irregular testing, including those undertaken in specific locations”.

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

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

The official ceremony underscores Southeast Asia’s growing role in the global semiconductor value chain through collaboration, innovation and ecosystem-wide partnerships

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

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has concluded a two-day visit to Singapore, where he met Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and shored up critical fuel supply with the signing of the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES). 

“The visit was an opportunity to bolster New Zealand’s resilience to global shocks and strengthen our economic ties to Singapore,” Mr Luxon says. 

“The inaugural Annual Leaders’ Meeting between Prime Minister Wong and I was an important step in turning our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into practical action.

“The AOTES, signed by Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay and Singapore Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology Dr Tan See Leng, protects the movement of essential goods, such as fuel and food.

“In these uncertain times, having a reliable and trusted partner such as Singapore matters more than ever.

“Singapore is a critical partner in New Zealand’s economic development and there is huge scope for us to deepen our trade and investment links. That was the focus of the Singapore-New Zealand Leadership Forum, and it was exciting to see our senior government and business leaders coming together to explore new opportunities to work together.”

The Prime Minister also visited Jurong Island, the centre of Singapore’s refining and chemicals industry, with Finance Minister Nicola Willis.

“Jurong Island showed in practical terms why Singapore matters to New Zealand. As the supplier of a third of our fuel, Singapore is central to the fuel supply chains and infrastructure that support our economic and energy security.

“We spoke to executives from the major fuel companies to better understand how they are responding to the global fuel crisis and are confident that Singapore will continue to supply fuel to New Zealand,” Mr Luxon says.

The Prime Minister also called on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam during the visit.

“It was a valuable opportunity to reflect the depth of the New Zealand-Singapore relationship and our shared commitment to a stable and prosperous region.”

Mr Luxon visited Changi Naval Base for a defence engagement showcasing uncrewed surface vessels and new capabilities.

“This is a defence partnership forged over time and proven in practice. For generations, our troops have trained in each other’s countries. 

“Built on trust and shared service, our defence ties continue to support national and regional stability while evolving into new areas of capability and commercial collaboration,” Mr Luxon says.

MIL OSI

New Zealand and Singapore have today signed a major agreement to protect the movement of essential goods such as fuel and food.

The signing of the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES), witnessed by Prime Ministers Christopher Luxon and Lawrence Wong, guarantees neither country will impose export restrictions on the other, and formalises practical cooperation on supply chain resilience. 

“The past few months have shown we live in a volatile world – Kiwis are seeing that every time they fill up their car. That is why we are hustling in the world to protect New Zealand and build our resilience in uncertain times,” Mr Luxon says.

“The AOTES is a demonstration of New Zealand and Singapore working together as trusted partners. In times of crisis, we know we can rely on each other.

“With a third of New Zealand’s fuel refined in Singapore, this Agreement turns trust into action – and right now, that’s keeping fuel flowing to New Zealand when it matters most.

“As the best food producer in the world, New Zealand has what the world wants. With this Agreement we are leveraging that special skill to protect what Kiwi communities need,” Mr Luxon says.

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay, who signed the AOTES, says it aims to reduce the risk of supply‑chain disruption.

“It is built on cooperation forged during the COVID‑19 pandemic and recognises that reliable access to essential goods is most critical during times of crisis.

“New Zealand and Singapore have a strong record of developing practical, modern trade rules together, including through the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement.

“This Agreement is a world first and the latest example of our shared commitment to keeping fuel, food, medicines and other critical goods moving when they are needed most,” Mr McClay says.

The AOTES establishes binding commitments preventing either government from imposing export restrictions on an agreed list of goods – including fuel, foodstuffs, construction materials, and other essential supplies. 

It will be incorporated into the existing New Zealand-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, following domestic approval processes in both countries.

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Cancer patients across the lower South Island will benefit from more precise and advanced treatment with a new $4.3 million Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine at Dunedin Hospital, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

• High-precision, targeted cancer treatment
• Next-generation technology
• Shorter treatment times for patients

“This is a significant step forward for cancer care in the South, giving patients access to more advanced, highly targeted treatment closer to home,” Mr Brown says.

Dunedin Hospital operates three LINAC machines. This latest generation unit replaces one that had reached the end of its working life, ensuring patients continue to receive vital treatment for cancer, as well as some debilitating benign conditions.

“The new machine can target very small lesions to within one millimetre and can deliver radiation to tumour sites from many different angles. This allows higher doses of radiation to be delivered while minimising damage and side‑effect risks to surrounding healthy areas, including critical areas such as the brain.”

“The updated software also allows clinicians to treat multiple tumours at the same time, reducing overall treatment times for patients and allowing for some treatments that are not possible with older models.

“It also supports ongoing service development by giving clinical teams the opportunity to train on the latest technology and continue improving how care is delivered.”

The installation is part of a wider programme to upgrade and expand cancer treatment capacity across New Zealand, including a recent installation at the Taranaki Cancer Centre, with more planned across the country.

Mr Brown says the Government is focused on improving cancer outcomes for New Zealanders.

“Investments like this about building a stronger future for cancer care in the South, ensuring patients and their communities have access to quality, modern cancer treatment closer to home, now and for many years to come.”

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