Pandemic – LiveNews.co.nz

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LiveNews Publisher — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:25:28 +0000

Source: Privacy Commissioner

Events are a great way for us to promote privacy issues, and answer questions. Our people speak to a range of audiences across New Zealand about privacy issues. The Commissioner is often asked to be a keynote speaker at conferences.

Privacy Week speaker applications are now open

During May each year we run Privacy Week, a series of free webinars that promote privacy awareness regardless of how much you already know. Applications for speakers for this year’s event opened on Wednesday 18 February.

Apply now using our form. Applications close Friday 20 March.

About Privacy Week

Privacy Week is held in conjunction with Privacy Awareness Week, an initiative by the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) network. Find out more about APPA and Privacy Awareness Week.

Privacy Week 2025
Privacy Week 2024

Previous years’ webinar recordings can be watched on our YouTube page.

Request a privacy speaker

If you’d like to request a speaker please fill in our speaker request form.

We meet every two weeks to discuss requests for speeches and will accept or decline the request soon after that. Declines are almost always owing to resourcing – we are a very small office. If you have questions please email our communications team at commsteam@privacy.org.nz

Sir Bruce Slane Memorial Lecture

The Sir Bruce Slane Memorial Lecture is delivered every two years by an invited guest, and always on a topic of privacy law. Sir Bruce Slane was New Zealand’s first Privacy Commissioner. Read more about his life.

2025 lecture (happening in 2026)
This year’s lecturer is Justice Christian Whata who will speak in February about the concept of privacy through a tikanga lens. Sign up to watch the webinar online via Teams.

2023 lecture
Professor Nicole Moreham
Balancing privacy and other interests in the social media age

(Regular lectures interrupted by COVID-19 pandemic).

2018 lecture
Hon Justice Helen Winkelmann
Privacy law at a cross roads: can the courts provide

Right to Know Day

Right to Know Day is on 28 September each year and promotes the legal right all New Zealanders have to see the information that organisations hold about them. Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to ask for personal information about you. You can do that using our About Me tool.

Personal information can include simple details such as your name, address and your pay slips. It can also include any sensitive records such as medical test results and notes.
Download a Right to Know factsheet.

Watch us on YouTube

Our recorded events and webinars can be watched on our YouTube channel.

MIL OSI

The ‘sausage sensei’ who says his snags are art

MIL OSI — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:07:33 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

If you’ve ever wanted to craft the perfect sausage, Texan Bill Dumas could make your dreams come true.

Known as the Sausage Sensei, Dumas is on his second visit to New Zealand for two sausage-making workshops.

And while sausages are a beloved barbeque staple in many parts of the world, for Dumas, they’re much, much more.

The sausage sensei’s creations.

Supplied

. I think of this as art, consumable art,” Dumas says.

His sausages certainly back that statement up. While in New Zealand, he’s created two types of sausage to appeal to Kiwi tastebuds. The first features green-lipped mussels combined with pork, bacon, white wine seasoning and galangal and lemongrass. The second is a re-interpretation of the classic meat pie – pastry and all.

“We wanted to do something that just screamed New Zealand. With my sausages, they’re not just like a regular snag, you know. Like the Aussies say, it ain’t a Bunnings snag, right?” he says with a laugh.

And while jokes come easily to the laidback Texan, he’s serious about preserving the culinary traditions of the Lone Star state.

“Barbecue’s kind of pivotal. It has quite a bit of cultural significance.”

Dumas explains the Texan style generally uses very simple seasoning.

“A brisket, nine times out of 10, just salt and pepper. That’s it. Salt, pepper, times smoked. Pork ribs traditionally would be the same way. When you start getting into sauces and glazes, now we’re talking about Kansas City, Missouri, the Carolinas. That’s not Texas.”

The Texan Sausage Sensei bringing art of sausage making to NZ

First Up

According to Dumas, that simple style of barbequing was heavily influenced by the mid-19th century arrival of Bohemian and Bavarian immigrants in Texas.

“One of the key things in German charcuterie and butchery is Wurst. Sausage.”

The hot climate meant smoking and sausage making became important both for cooking and as a means of meat preservation. That led to the development of the archetypal Texan sausage, the hot gut.

Bill Dumas is in New Zealand giving sausage-making classes.

Supplied

“It’s a 100 percent beef-based sausage, very coarsely ground, salt, a good copious amount of black pepper, a hint of garlic, and red chili pepper.”

Whether it’s a Texas hot gut, or confit duck, here’s a a lot of thought and technique that goes into creating a the perfect banger. The texture of the grind must be right.

“It really depends upon application versus the type of protein versus personal preference.” Dumas says.

“I reckon there’s really no rules, except to say that the coarser the grind the more difficult it will be to retain that tight compact inner.”

Fat content also plays an important part. Dumas says generally 70 percent protein to 30 percent fat is used, but 60 to 50, and 50-50 are also used in some sausages.

Dumas prefers to use a natural casing for his sausages, despite collagen becoming a common alternative.

Ground meat ready to become sausages.

Supplied

“I reckon you don’t get really good colour retention or snap on the casing, and it doesn’t eat as well as a natural casing,” he says.

“I like to use hog casings, which are like Goldilocks and the Three Bears in respect to size.”

Dumas says his love for making food started when he was a child, spending time with his grandfather, who had developed his barbequing skills while working as a cowhand on ranches.

“As a matter of necessity, those guys knew how to cook out on the open range and rather very well.”

In his later years, Dumas’ grandfather had a business cooking and selling chicken.

“Having the meat, the fat, dripping on the hot coals and ssssssssss, coming back up on those chickens was really good. So he would put me to work, hauling wood, cleaning ash cans, do this, do that, and it just imprinted itself on me.”

And while he’s been involved with sausage production for 15 years, he didn’t start running classes until an Italian chef suggested it during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some of the “sausage sensei’s” creations on the grill.

Supplied

“I was booked every single Saturday or Sunday for four, five years, unless I was on the road,” he says.

Since then, Dumas has taken his sausage making expertise to six countries, grateful to spread his knowledge internationally.

“I’ve had a lot of jobs that I don’t really like. I’m a Marine Corps veteran. I’ve been an industrial refrigeration technician. I’ve driven 18-wheeler semi-trucks, cross-country. None of those things have ever spoken to me quite in the same manner as the barbecue universe.

“I reckon it really does go back to my grandfather and those roots.”

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

Company boss shocked as 2500 apply for one job

MIL OSI — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:27:28 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Oppo managing director Morgan Halim said more people applied for the entry level roles, than the ones with more specialist requirements. RNZ

Oppo managing director Morgan Halim would usually consider 500 a high number of applicants for a job ad.

So when a current advertisement ticked over 2500 applications – and counting – he was shocked.

“It’s quite surprising, actually. We have multiple ads running and this particular one has far exceeded our expectations.”

The job is a customer service role based in central Auckland. It requires someone with demonstrated experience in customer service and says it is advantageous for the applicant to have experience in a call centre.

“We brought back our call centre that used to be in Malaysia back to New Zealand. We made some changes about two years ago and we’ve found in this role there’s pretty good interest every time we advertise.”

He said more people applied for the entry level roles, such as this one, than the ones with more specialist requirements. Oppo is also advertising for a content creator.

Halim said he would work with a human resources partner to do the vetting on the thousands of applicants, and then the process would be worked through between three people. “It’s usually the HR person, the manager and myself. What we do is we work as a team and understand location-wise where they’re from, that’s important because we work in the CBD and we want to make sure they’re comfortable to come in and out from the business.

“Also experience, what we’re looking fo, we can usually narrow the options down quite quickly.”

He said only 44 percent of applicants for this role were from New Zealand.

“It’s still a lot of numbers, 44 percent is about a thousand and something but it at least cuts it in half, basically.”

He said it was good to know that so many people wanted to work for Oppo, which currently has a team of 27.

Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen said there were still high numbers of applicants being recorded across all job listings.

“As of November 2025, which is the latest data we’ve got, relative to November 2019, which is sort of a fairly good pre-pandemic figure, we have seen a 243 percent increase in the number of applicants per job ad on the Seek site, at least.

“There is a substantial increase coming through, and it’s going to take a lot for that number to come back to anywhere near normal. It’s going to take both a large increase in the number of jobs being listed, noting that we’re still about 25 percent down on pre-pandemic levels in terms of job numbers, but also, clearly, there’s a heck of a lot of competition out there, given the unemployment rate is high as well.”

He said the number of applications per filled job seemed to have stabilised in the past six months but at very high levels.

“Looking through the monthly figures, there’s no indication that it’s necessarily getting any worse, but, equally, nothing to show it’s getting any better immediately, either.”

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

Adolescence writer Jack Thorne on his new TV adaptation of castaway novel Lord of the Flies

MIL OSI — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 22:09:41 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Adolescence writer Jack Thorne hopes the UK will follow Australia in introducing a social media ban for children under 16.

“I think it’s amazing that Australia is ahead of the world in terms of the social media ban,” Thorne says.

“It’s hopefully going to spread like wildfire through the world, because I think it’s an incredibly important thing.”

Lord of the Flies and Adolescence were written and filmed at the same time.

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Adolescence, the story of 13-year-old Jamie being arrested for the murder of his classmate Katie, won a slew of Golden Globes and Emmys and landed on many lists of the best TV shows of 2025.

It sparked conversations around the world about toxic masculinity, boyhood and how social media can be used to disseminate harmful ideas.

Thorne — who won an Emmy for writing Adolescence — has long supported a ban like the one in Australia, where social media companies face fines of up to $49.5 million, to address some of the issues raised in the show.

In an opinion piece last year, he called for the introduction of a “digital age of consent” in the UK, which would restrict access to social media for children under 16.

“Spend any time on most social media platforms and you end up, quite quickly, in some dark spaces,” he wrote.

“Parents can try to regulate this, schools can stop mobile phone access but more needs to be done.”

The latest project from the writer of Adolescence, Jack Thorne, is the first-ever TV adaptation of Lord of the Flies.

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But while Australia’s eSafety commissioner says 4.7 million under-16s social media accounts have been deactivated or removed since the ban was implemented in December, many, including young people, have concerns about its efficacy.

The conversation about social media, childhood and ideas of masculinity spurred by Adolescence continues this month, as Thorne releases his next project, a new TV adaptation of British author William Golding’s 1954 novel Lord of the Flies.

Today’s crisis in masculinity

Thorne’s new TV show is another harrowing story that sits at the intersection of vulnerability, violence and masculinity.

“In Adolescence, we were looking at the context in which teenage boys currently live,” Thorne tells ABC Arts.

“At the moment, teenagers are navigating a world where hate has been given an outlet in all sorts of different places: in government, in social media spaces and everywhere else.”

Thorne sees resonances between today and the “climate of populism and hate” in which Lord of the Flies author William Golding was writing during the 50s, in the wake of World War II, where he served in the navy, and in the early days of the Cold War.

“He was terrified by it,” Thorne says. “Obviously, we are not living in as extreme a moment as that.

“But it does feel like we are living at a time when opposition to others is more attractive than agreement.”

When Thorne set out to write Adolescence with actor Stephen Graham, the pair were thinking about that climate and the influx of knife crimes perpetrated by teenage boys against girls in the UK.

Thorne and Graham started the process of writing by talking about masculinity and their younger selves.

“We talked about our rage, our cruelty, and moments when we weren’t the people we wanted to be,” he says.

It was an interesting exercise — partly because the two are so different, even just in terms of their physicality.

If someone was asked to draw a man, I think they would draw some version of Stephen,” Thorne says. “They wouldn’t draw me.”

Still, they found similarities between their experiences — particularly their relationships with shame.

“It wasn’t healthy for us and certainly wasn’t healthy for the people around us.”

Those feelings of cruelty and shame fed into Adolescence — and now Lord of the Flies.

British playwright Jack Thorne (L) and British actor Stephen Graham at the Emmy Awards, September 2025.

FREDERIC J. BROWN

Why adapt Lord of the Flies in 2026?

Lord of the Flies is the story of a group of boys left stranded on a remote island after they survive a plane crash.

First, they work together to survive, after they elect the kind and fair Ralph as their leader. But their camp soon descends into warring factions, violence and brutality.

Though Golding’s book has been adapted for cinema and stage before, Thorne’s new version is the first for TV.

It’s something the 47-year-old writer has wanted to do for almost 20 years, first pitching it to a British TV channel when he was in his early 30s.

He was nine years old when he first read the book and over-identified with Simon, the dreamer of the group of castaways, who is drawn to nature, rather than either faction.

“I was quite an emotional kid, but quite a privately emotional kid,” Thorne says.

“I found huge understanding in the book for the kid I was then, which is sort of an outsider.”

Like many young readers, Thorne was reminded of school bullies when he encountered the character of Jack, who uses his strength and arrogance to encourage the other boys to hunt and follow their base instincts.

Returning to Lord of the Flies as an adult Thorne felt a lot more empathy for Jack, something he attributes to Golding’s writing.

“[The book is] full of a lot of care for all of the boys,” he says.

“People see this book as being about opposition and hate and, actually, it’s a lot more complicated than that and a lot more beautiful than that.”

The audience for the Lord of the Flies TV show is invited to care for each of the boys by hewing closely to one per episode, starting with Piggy (David McKenna). He’s a chubby, bespectacled, somewhat anxious boy who tries to establish order and structure in the camp but soon finds himself bullied.

In the following episodes, the focus moves to Jack (Lox Pratt) in his efforts to hunt a wild pig and overthrow Ralph, to dreamer Simon (Ike Talbut), and finally, Ralph (Winston Sawyers) as the camp falls further into chaos.

It was especially important, Thorne says, to get inside the mind of Jack.

“Faces are the way we tell stories in our medium,” he explains.

“Just spending that much time on Lox’s face, on Jack’s face, you do get brought into his view of the world, and you do, I hope, care for him in the way that Golding cares for him.”

Thorne wanted to create a conversation around the book and its themes: “People talk about books without reading them.”

Stan

A distinct voice

Thorne is best known for his shows tackling social issues in the UK.

The Hack, released last year, stars David Tennant (Doctor Who) as a journalist determined to get to the truth of the News of the World phone hacking scandal.

In Toxic Town, released on Netflix last year, Jodie Whittaker (also Doctor Who) plays Susan, a mother of a child with a congenital birth defect, who becomes one of the main organisers behind the Corby toxic waste case in England in the 00s.

Thorne recalls reading the brief for Toxic Town and thinking, “My dad is Sam Hagen”, the Corby council worker who leaked documents to Susan’s legal team.

He says he’s drawn to shows where “there’s something of me that can play a role”.

“I knew people like Susan,” he says. “I felt like there was enough there for me to grapple with.”

In 2021, Thorne and Graham, as executive producer, collaborated on the TV movie Help, about Sarah (Jodie Comer) who works in a care home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The telemovie won an International Emmy in 2022, but Thorne says it was difficult to find international distribution.

“I was told, ‘The accent’s too strong, it’s about British issues that don’t travel, and it’s about British governmental institutions that aren’t interesting to the rest of the world’,” he recalls.

He says an international streamer like Netflix, meanwhile, has celebrated the distinctness of the stories he tells.

What Netflix have done — not just with Adolescence, but with Baby Reindeer, Squid Game, Narcos — is realise that when you tell a story with detail and with precision, then people can get it wherever they are in the world.”

Lord of the Flies is streaming on TVNZ+

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

Media Architects Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation in Live Production Streaming and Video Learning Technologies

MIL OSI — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:42:41 +0000

Source: Media Outreach

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 February 2026 – Media Architects Pte Ltd, a systems integrator specialising in live production streaming and education technology solutions, marked its 25th anniversary in January 2026. Established in 2001, the company has spent the last two and a half decades supporting institutions, organisations, and government agencies in Singapore, providing integrated systems for video production and educational use.

Media Architects Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation in Live Production Streaming and Video Learning Technologies

From DVD Authoring to Systems Integration
Founded on 20 January 2001 as DVD Power (Asia) Pte Ltd, the company was launched to address a gap in the local video production landscape. Its founder, a key member of Singapore’s first film school at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, had recently produced an award-winning interactive DVD and identified a gap in the market for professional DVD authoring services in Singapore.

Early milestones included authoring projects for New Line Cinema, Miramax Films, Columbia TriStar and Sony Pictures, as well as locally commissioned educational and heritage content for the Ministry of Education and the National Heritage Board. As DVD technology matured, the company shifted into systems integration, rebranding as Media Architects and expanding its offerings to support professional video workflows and technical training.

Following its 25th anniversary, Media Architects continues to evolve with the industry, building on its original vision while adapting to new technologies and client needs.

Continuous Evolution with Industry Trends
Over the past two decades, Media Architects has kept pace with the evolution of media technologies. These include collaborative editing systems (2006), computer-based live production systems (2008), file-based post-production workflows (2010), and bonded cellular streaming systems for remote broadcasting (2012). More recently, the company has focused on video learning platforms, auto-tracking camera solutions, and hybrid classroom systems.

Today, Media Architects supports more than 10 higher education institutions in Singapore with integrated systems that enable lecture recording, hybrid learning, and streamlined content delivery.

Pandemic-Era Pivot to Live Streaming Services
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted live events, Media Architects adapted quickly. Drawing on its early experience in bonded cellular systems, the company developed compact live production setups with robotic cameras and a minimal crew, allowing clients to conduct virtual AGMs and live broadcasts under social distancing restrictions.

These efforts led to the establishment of a new business vertical focused on live event video streaming services and virtual event service platforms, which continued to support clients throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Future Growth: AI Tools, Partnerships, and Regional Reach
A Milestone Tender Reflecting the Next Phase of Growth
Upon celebrating its 25th anniversary, the company has secured a significant milestone tender to design and implement a clinical observation and recording system with AI-powered video analysis and reporting for a major medical institution in Singapore. This project represents a clear step forward in the company’s transition from traditional AV integration to intelligent, data-driven ecosystems that support high-stakes education and training.

The deployment spans more than 20 specialised clinical training rooms and shared spaces, with provisions for future expansion. At the system’s core is a fully redundant Q-SYS architecture powered by dual Core X10 DSP engines. This setup ensures operational continuity during critical simulations and medical examinations. Audio is captured through high-fidelity, beamforming ceiling microphones, and all network traffic is handled by NETGEAR AVLine switches configured for high-throughput, low-latency AVoIP environments.

Centralised control is achieved through the Q-SYS platform, which unifies audio, video, and automation under a modern IT framework.

What distinguishes this project is the integration of AI-powered video analytics. The system leverages a SaaS platform to enable real-time transcription, video tagging, and structured AI-powered analysis based on clinical rubrics such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation). This allows users to reference specific tagged moments during debriefs, providing objective, measurable feedback aligned with learning outcomes.

Students benefit directly from recorded sessions, instructor notes, transcripts, AI analysis, and reports saved to their accounts. This supports reflective practice, skill tracking, and individual learning progress. The implementation reflects Media Architects’ ongoing focus on scalable, systems-based innovation that transforms live video into actionable educational intelligence.

As the company embarks upon its next chapter, this project illustrates how its technical capabilities are now being applied to future-focused environments where reliability, adaptability, and data integration are essential.

Preparing the Team for the Next Chapter
In anticipation of future growth, Media Architects is focusing on organisational development and leadership transition. Current team leads are being supported through new hires and strategic mentorship, with plans for the founder to move into an advisory role. The company is also evaluating the addition of industry practitioners to strengthen its system solutioning capacity and broaden its technical depth.

“Our mission at Media Architects has always been to harness the transformative power of video technology. With the latest system, we aren’t just installing cameras; we are architecting an intelligent feedback loop for self-reflection and self-improvement. By integrating AI-powered transcription and analysis, we are turning clinical simulations into objective, measurable data that empowers the next generation of medical professionals.”

— Nick Tay, Founder and Managing Director, Media Architects Pte Ltd

Looking Ahead
Following its 25th anniversary, Media Architects remains committed to helping clients deliver high-impact content through integrated, future-ready technologies. Visit their website to learn more about their products and services.

Home

Hashtag: #MediaArchitects #ProductionStreamingSolutions #25thAnniversary #TechInnovation

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

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

Net migration gain of 14,200 – International migration: December 2025 – Stats NZ news story and information release

LiveNews Publisher — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:09:26 +0000

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Net migration gain of 14,200 – news story

13 February 2026

New Zealand had a net migration gain of 14,200 in 2025, down from a net gain of 23,800 in 2024, according to provisional estimates released by Stats NZ today.

The net migration gain in 2025 was the lowest for a calendar year since 2013 (excluding 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic).

New Zealand had an average net migration gain of 30,600 a year from 2001 to 2025.

“Annual net migration fell from a record 135,500 in the October 2023 year to a provisional low of 8,600 in the August 2025 year, before increasing in late 2025,” international migration statistics spokesperson Bryan Downes said.

“The fall in net migration in 2025 compared with 2024 was driven by 6 percent fewer migrant arrivals, while migrant departures rose 1 percent to a provisional record for a calendar year.”

Visit our website to read the full news story and information release and to download CSV files:

For media enquiries contact: Media team, Wellington, media@stats.govt.nz“>media@stats.govt.nz, 021 285 9191

The Government Statistician authorises all statistics and data we publish.

Ngā mihi,
Publishing
Stats NZ

MIL OSI

Nicola Willis urges Adrian Orr to front up in inquiry into economic responses to Covid-19

MIL OSI — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:04:03 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Finance Minister Nicola Willis. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Finance Minister Nicola Willis is urging the previous Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr to front up to the inquiry into the economic responses to Covid-19.

The government announced the independent review on Wednesday, saying it would identify key lessons from the spike in inflation and house prices.

The central bank’s actions – including official cash rate cuts and money printing – as well as its interaction with government policy, will all be in scope.

Willis said it was up to Orr whether he appeared, but had a message for him.

“Put New Zealand’s interests at the heart of your decision,” she said.

“It’s in New Zealand’s interests that you are candid about the decisions the Reserve Bank made in response to the Covid pandemic so that our country can learn from any mistakes that you made.”

Willis said she would still be going ahead with the inquiry whether Orr was still governor or not.

“Yes. I first sought advice on the shape of a potential inquiry when we first came into government. The decision I made at that time was to first focus on the legislating of a singular inflation-fighting target; the renegotiation of a funding agreement,” she said.

“At the point of Adrian Orr’s resignation, which occurred of course just a few months into our term as government, I determined it wouldn’t be appropriate while we were recruiting for a new governor to initiate the review, but the appointment of Dr Anna Breman has provided an appropriate juncture.”

Previous Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr’s resignation came more than a year after the government took office. RNZ / Dom Thomas

Opposition parties have criticised the timing of the review – with the findings set to be released in September, just weeks before the 7 November election – labelling it a politically motivated hit-job and an attack on the central bank’s independence.

Willis said the reviewers – former Cyprus central banker Athanasios Orphanides and former RBNZ assistant governor David Archer – would be travelling to New Zealand to carry out their work including conducting interviews.

They would have access to all Reserve Bank information, she said, and she expected it would also look at wealth inequality.

Orr led the bank during the pandemic but resigned unexpectedly last March over a lack of funding for the central bank.

His resignation came more than a year after the government took office.

Messy handling of his exit later led chair Neil Quigley to resign too, putting Willis under pressure over what she knew and when.

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

Reserve Bank review set for completion in September, originally due to be done by March

MIL OSI — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 04:02:52 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

The independent review will look at the Reserve Bank’s response to the pandemic. RNZ / Alexander Robertson

A review into the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy decisions during the Covid-19 pandemic was originally intended to be completed by March.

The Finance Minister says the delay was due to how long it took to appoint the right people to lead the review.

On Wednesday, Nicola Willis confirmed she had commissioned an independent review into the Reserve Bank’s response to the pandemic, including cuts to the Official Cash Rate, and the Large Scale Asset Purchase programme.

The opposition has criticised the government for the timing of the review, given it is set to be published in September, just weeks before the election.

The review will be led by monetary policy experts Athanasios Orphanides and David Archer.

Orphanides was a former governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus, and member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank.

Archer was a former Reserve Bank assistant governor and former head of the Central Banking Studies Unit at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland.

On Thursday, the Treasury released a series of documents related to the review’s establishment, which show Willis first informed the Reserve Bank in July 2025 she was considering a review, and took the matter to Cabinet for sign-off in August 2025.

At the time, Willis expected the review would be completed by March 2026.

The documents also show parts of the review’s terms of reference were changed to factor in the benefits of its decisions, after a suggestion from the Reserve Bank.

Why the delay?

Willis told RNZ the hold-up was due to the appointment of the international reviewer.

She said following the Cabinet mandate, it was her job to find the appropriate reviewers, with Treasury making recommendations.

“First, people we approached weren’t available in the appropriate timeframe. We then had a challenge where one reviewer we proposed was available in the timeframe, but another wasn’t. And so we were both trying to balance getting a balance of someone with domestic perspective and international perspective, the appropriate international credentials, and being available for their time period,” she said.

“So there was a bit of a back and forth on finding appropriate reviewers. And at all times, I was very mindful of Treasury advice on the credentials that they needed to fulfil.”

Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the delay was due to the appointment of the international reviewer. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Willis said it was “frustrating,” but ultimately felt the most important thing for the credibility of the review was the quality of the reviewers.

“I’m satisfied that we’ve landed on very credible reviewers. No one’s questioning their authority, their credibility. Clearly, these are people who are independent. There’s not a political bone about them.”

The Cabinet minute shows Willis had the authorisation to approve the selection of the experts and make changes to the terms of reference, in consultation with the associate finance ministers.

What do the documents say?

In a letter dated 10 July 2025 and sent to then-Reserve Bank chair Neil Quigley and Governor Christian Hawkesby, Willis said the Monetary Policy Committee took “unprecedented” actions in response to the “significant economic challenges” caused by the pandemic.

She acknowledged the Bank’s review and assessment of its monetary policy performance between 2020 and 2022, which commissioned independent experts to provide peer review but was not independent of the Bank.

“As such, I am considering an external review to provide the Government with an independent perspective on the MPC’s performance during 2020 to 2022. This will ensure there is appropriate transparency over the MPC’s performance during a period of significant economic challenges, and will help identify lessons for future episodes of instability,” she wrote.

Feedback from then Governor Christian Hawkesby about changing the terms of reference were taken on board. RNZ / Dom Thomas

In response, Hawkesby said the Bank had made “significant progress” in implementing the recommendations of the 2022 review, but would fully cooperate with the external review if Willis chose to proceed with it.

Hawkesby had suggested the draft terms of reference be amended, particularly a section on whether the “stimulus” provided by the Large Scale Asset Purchase and Funding for Lending programmes “justified the risks to the public balance sheet and other costs”.

“We note that this frames the benefits and costs associated with these tools in narrow terms and should be widened to capture the impact LSAPs played in stabilising markets, and their broader fiscal benefits through lowering Crown borrowing costs and increasing tax revenue,” he wrote.

This feedback was taken onboard, with the final terms of reference changed to reviewing whether the “benefits” provided by the programmes “justified the risks and costs”.

Hawkesby also raised another section which referred to the review making “recommendations to improve the monetary policy response to future shocks, including commentary around potential changes to the frameworks, having regard to the benefits of hindsight”.

He said the Monetary Policy Committee’s remit was an important part of the policy framework, and while it could be reviewed at any time there were benefits to stability in the objectives of monetary policy.

“We suggest that any recommendations related to the objectives of monetary policy would be best addressed as part of the 5-yearly formal review of the MPC Remit, which is due by mid-2028.”

This was not changed.

On 9 February she told the new chair Rodger Findlay and new Governor Anna Breman that the government had finalised the establishment of the review, with the final terms of reference showing the new expected completion date of August.

“Independent monetary policy is a central pillar of New Zealand’s macroeconomic frameworks. The review strengthens this by supporting accountability and public confidence in the operational independence of monetary policy and informing its ongoing effectiveness,” Willis wrote.

She told Findlay and Breman she had adopted the Bank’s suggestion to broaden the review’s assessment of the costs and benefits of alternative monetary policy.

Willis told RNZ she thought it was important to engage with the Bank about how to get the best lessons out of the review.

“I think the final terms of reference allow for a full and penetrating review. So the questions will be asked, the information will be furnished, and those reviewers will be able to reach conclusions.”

She said it was up to former governor Adrian Orr and former chair Neil Quigley to decided if they wanted to front up to the inquiry, but said “if they’re wise, they will.”

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

Analysis Reveals Three Major Coverage Misunderstanding for Hong Kong Travelers

MIL OSI — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 03:04:08 +0000

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 February 2026 – As Hong Kong’s outbound travel market surges, so do the headaches involving insurance claims. A recent deep dive by 10Life, the independent insurance comparison platform, shows a growing rift between what travelers think they bought and what their policies actually cover. Their data suggests that large proportion of disputes are born from simple misunderstandings, with the most significant risks lurking in cruise packages, road trips, and complex cancellation clauses.

Cruises and Road Trips: The Newest Coverage Blind Spots

Many travelers assume a standard policy for Japan or Southeast Asia is a “catch-all,” but 10Life experts warn that cruises and multi-leg journeys often fall through the cracks. A surge in rejected claims has been linked to travelers failing to add specific “Cruise Cover” to their plans. Without this specific add-on, high-cost risks like onboard medical treatment or sudden itinerary shifts are frequently excluded.

The story is similar for self-drive travellers. While most people now know to check for “snow driving” exclusions, a major point of confusion remains the difference between a ruined experience perceived loss and an actual monetary loss. For instance, if bad weather prevents you from visiting a famous hot spring, insurers view this as a non-monetary “loss of experience” and won’t pay out. However, if that same weather forces you to book an extra night at a hotel, those specific accommodation costs may be covered (subject to the policy specificity).

The Depreciation Sting: Why Your Lost Gear Isn’t Fully Covered

Losing personal property is a common travel nightmare, yet the relevant insurance policy terms are also frequently misunderstood. 10Life study showed that most policies compensate based on an item’s depreciated value rather than its original price tag. When you factor in strict sub-limits for high-value tech like iPhones or camera with depreciation, the payout is often much lower than expected.

Documentation remains the biggest hurdle for successful payouts. Many claims are dead on arrival because the travellers failed to secure a police report. Furthermore, travelers are often surprised to find that baggage delay coverage typically only applies to the outbound journey. If your suitcase is damaged, most insurers also insist you squeeze the airline for compensation first, only stepping in to cover the “shortfall” that the airline refuses to pay.

The Fine Print Behind “Cancel for Any Reason”

In a post-pandemic world, everyone wants the flexibility to cancel, but the terms “Trip Cancellation” and “Cancel for Any Reason” (CFAR) are often misunderstood. Traditional plans only trigger for “listed events” like severe illness or natural disasters.

Even specialised CFAR policies come with heavy strings attached. These plans usually require you to buy the insurance within a tight window—such as 7 days—of making your first trip deposit. Crucially, they rarely offer a 100% refund, usually only returning a fixed percentage of your prepaid costs.

Clarity Over Cost: The New Standard for HK Travelers

The tide is turning in how Hong Kongers shop for protection. 10Life’s data shows that over half of their users are now looking past the cheapest premiums to compare medical limits, property caps, and cancellation fine print. It is a clear sign that travelers are becoming more sophisticated and demand transparency over marketing fluff. 10Life concludes that for the market to grow healthily, insurers need to place greater emphasis on policy clarity and transparency in claims processes, especially regarding newer product features like CFAR coverage.

Hashtag: #TravelInsurance #Insurance #10Life

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

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

Backing ambition, building growth

LiveNews Publisher — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 02:52:58 +0000

Source: New Zealand Government

[Keynote delivered at the New Zealand Economic Forum, 12 February 2026]

Tēnā koutou katoa, and good morning.

Thank you to Professor Jennifer Kerr and the University of Waikato Management School for hosting us.

It is great to be here in the Waikato – a region that is building capability for the future, from innovation in agritech, to world-class events in the new BNZ Theatre, and soon to producing much-needed doctors and medical research through the new Medical School.

To my parliamentary colleagues, mayors, representatives of local government, members of the diplomatic corps, business leaders, economists, academics, students, and guests from across New Zealand – thank you for being here.

It is a privilege to open the 2026 New Zealand Economic Forum.

The theme of this year’s forum is Big Choices for a Small Nation. And there is one choice I want to be clear about at the outset.

We are fixing the basics and building the future by choosing smart investments that increase performance and decrease debt.

New Zealand does not grow by taxing more and investing less, and our Government is choosing a better course.

We grow by backing ambition, cutting red tape, and rewarding success.
That is the choice this Government is making.

We are meeting at a time when that choice matters.

The global environment is unsettled. Markets are volatile. Geopolitical risks are rising. Climate events are increasing. And the economic recovery has taken time, with real pressure on hardworking Kiwis.

In moments like this, it can be tempting to drift, or to reach for higher spending as an easy answer. But after the last Government more than doubled debt to 41.8 per cent of GDP, New Zealanders know the cost of that band-aid approach – it is simply not sustainable.

Small, open economies succeed by making deliberate choices.

History shows New Zealand’s biggest gains have come from disciplined decisions at home – managing the public finances responsibly, backing investment, staying open to the world, and building institutions that support long-term growth.

That is what this Government is focused on.

This morning I want to set out three things:

how we are managing the public finances and restate the case for why fiscal credibility matters;
how New Zealand is positioning itself in a more volatile global environment; and
how we are strengthening the foundations of growth – by backing ownership, investment, and productivity through a wide-ranging reform agenda.

This is about backing New Zealanders with settings that reward effort.

When we make the right choices, there is no reason New Zealand cannot grow faster, lift incomes, and build resilience – not despite our size, but because of it.

1. Fiscal positioning and economic leadership

Let me begin with the fiscal context.

New Zealand has been through a long and difficult economic adjustment. The post-Covid period brought inflation that lingered too long, interest rates that hurt too many households, and a downturn that took time to unwind.

The most recent Treasury forecasts show the economy has begun to turn a corner. Growth strengthened through the second half of last year, unemployment is stabilising, and confidence is returning. Momentum is building – but sustaining it requires discipline and focus.

At the same time, the Crown’s balance sheet remains under pressure.

Core Crown expenses are still elevated relative to pre-pandemic levels. Debt-servicing costs are significantly higher than they were five years ago. Demographic pressures, particularly in health and superannuation, continue to intensify.

That context explains the fiscal strategy we are pursuing.

Our objectives are clear and worth restating:

to return the operating balance to surplus by 2028/29;
to place net core Crown debt on a downward track toward 40 per cent of GDP; and
to rebuild fiscal resilience so future governments have options when the next shock inevitably arrives.

Those are not arbitrary numbers. They reflect the hard-won credibility New Zealand has built internationally over decades. They underpin our sovereign credit ratings. They protect households from higher interest rates. And they preserve room for governments to respond when crises occur.

They are targets easily forgotten by politicians who wish to spend more in election campaigns. But if we forget those targets, New Zealand’s economic strength will be impugned. And my view here is that fiscal credibility is not ideological. It is practical – and it is essential.

That is why Budget 2026’s operating allowance is $2.4 billion per annum. This is a ceiling, not a floor. Every dollar must be justified. Every new initiative must come with a clear case for value.

Over the past two years, this Government has made decisions delivering around $11 billion a year in savings and revenue measures. Those decisions were not easy. But they have stabilised the public finances, protected frontline services, and enabled investment in long-term growth.

That approach of delivering savings will be continuing in this budget and every future budget I deliver. Fiscal discipline is not the end goal. It is, in fact, the foundation for everything else we wish to achieve, because without it, everything else – growth, investment, resilience – becomes harder.

2. New Zealand’s position in a volatile world

We are making these choices in a world that is more uncertain than at any point in recent decades.

Geopolitical competition is sharper. Supply chains are more fragile. Energy markets remain volatile. And technological change – from artificial intelligence to advanced manufacturing – is accelerating faster than policy systems typically adapt.

Yet New Zealand’s position in this environment is stronger than we sometimes allow ourselves to believe.

We are politically stable in an unstable world. We have strong institutions, high-quality regulation, low corruption, and an independent central bank.

We produce food, fibre and energy the world genuinely needs. And we continue to generate globally competitive firms across agritech, software, advanced manufacturing and aerospace.

Our challenge is not a lack of potential.

It is whether our policy settings organise that potential, or suppress it through uncertainty, cost, and delay.

Much of what matters for New Zealand’s prosperity remains within our control: predictable policy, efficient infrastructure, credible fiscal management, secure energy supply, and settings that reward ownership and investment.

Resilience is not just about surviving shocks. It is about having the capacity to adapt, recover, and sustain growth.

3. Ownership, investment and productivity: backing growth

This global context brings us directly to the choices we are making at home to back growth

For decades, New Zealand’s productivity growth has lagged behind comparable economies, and the consequences are clear, lower wages, less fiscal headroom for investment in public services, from medicines through to classrooms, fewer globally scaled firms, and in my view, too much reliance on population growth and house price growth rather than genuine productivity gains.

And so, the task that our Government faces is not simply to repair the basics which were damaged post Covid, but to build foundations in our economy that allow us to address these long-standing productivity challenges.

Our Going for Growth agenda, which I published at last year’s forum, is grounded in a simple proposition: productivity responds to incentives. Productivity is not resolved through one silver bullet, but ongoing, substantive, systemic reform.

When people are confident, they own assets, invest in capital, and earn a return without those settings being constantly reopened, they invest more – and they invest earlier.

That is why this Government is explicitly backing ownership, investment, and productivity-enhancing settings.

Not through subsidies or short-term stimulus.

But through durable policy settings that reward productive activity.

The Investment Boost tax policy introduced in Budget 2025 was designed to do just that – change investment behaviour in favour of more capital intensity in our firms.

And it would have been easy to say at the last budget, we can’t afford a productivity-enhancing tax measure at this point, because that will require us to make difficult savings elsewhere. But the choice we made is that we can’t afford not to. We can’t afford to keep waiting to make productivity enhancing changes to our tax system.

And so, Investment Boost is not about rewarding investment that would have happened anyway. It is about tipping decisions – bringing investment forward, increasing scale, and anchoring capital in New Zealand.

And we are already seeing that happen.

Early evidence from Inland Revenue shows that among firms that invested recently, 40 per cent say Investment Boost increased their investment spending over the past year, including 11 per cent reporting a significant increase directly because of the policy.

Looking ahead, the impact is even clearer. Nearly half – 49 per cent – of firms intending to invest over the next five years say Investment Boost is positively influencing those plans, with 14 per cent anticipating a large increase in investment as a result.

What matters is not just that businesses are investing more, but how they are investing.

More than half of firms report adjusting the timing, scale and type of investment. Projects are being brought forward. Capital is being prioritised into productivity-enhancing assets. And businesses are choosing to own capital rather than lease it.

We can see that on the ground.

Dunedin-based United Machinists has brought forward investment in robotics and automation, rather than phasing it over several years.

Foot Science International has accelerated investment in automation and renewable energy infrastructure.

Christchurch-based Vynco is investing in advanced manufacturing equipment that will lift efficiency and expand capacity.

These are not abstract policy effects.

They are real businesses making real decisions – earlier, larger, and more productively – because the incentives have changed.

That matters, because capital deepening is how productivity rises. And productivity growth is how wages grow sustainably over time.

But there is a broader issue that needs to be confronted.

Investment Boost only works in the longer term if businesses believe it will endure.

Firms do not invest in long-lived capital – plant, machinery, buildings – if they think the rules may change after the next election.

So, my question to Mr Hipkins is straightforward.

Will they commit to retaining Investment Boost as a permanent fixture of our tax settings to unlock growth or will it be sacrificed to fund higher spending and new taxes?

This Government’s position is clear.

We back ownership.

We back investment.

And we back productivity-enhancing tax settings.

Policy stability, long-term reform and the growth opportunity

I want to make a broader point about policy stability, because this is where long-term growth is won or lost.

Business investment decisions depend on confidence: confidence in the regulatory environment, confidence in the tax system, and confidence that major settings will not be reopened or rewritten after every election.

There is strong evidence, here and overseas, that uncertainty around tax policy has a chilling effect on investment. When businesses hear ongoing debate about capital gains taxes, wealth taxes, inheritance taxes, or new taxes on investment and savings, they delay decisions, reduce scale, or take capital elsewhere.

That uncertainty is not theoretical. It has been lived.

This Government is taking a different approach.

We are committed to stability where stability supports growth. Not because change is never needed, but because constant churn comes at a real economic cost.

Good economic policy is not about novelty or relitigating the same arguments every three years.

It is about credibility, consistency, and giving people the confidence to invest, train, and build for the long term.

That principle runs through our broader reform programme.

If we step back, the question is not just what grows the economy this year, but what kind of economy New Zealand becomes over the next 10 to 20 years.

We have emerging sectors with enormous potential. From agritech and advanced manufacturing to digital services, biotech, clean energy and critical minerals. Unlocking that potential requires more than one-off incentives. It requires long-term settings that endure across economic cycles.

That is why we are backing reforms that strengthen both the economic and human foundations of growth.

Our reform agenda is not Band Aid solutions or quick fixes, but systemic changes, from competition reform to procurement reform to real transformation of the public sector and its delivery of services, digitising public services, enabling housing growth through investing in new funding and financing tools in competitive land markets, infrastructure funding and financing and planning.

This real reform doesn’t happen overnight, but it is essential, and in too many cases, overturned. Today, I want to focus on just three key areas where that reform agenda is significant.

The first is education. Here we are lifting performance by fixing the basics, because productivity ultimately depends on skills.

That is why we are:

refocusing the system on core skills
strengthening curriculum clarity
investing in structured literacy and numeracy,
and beginning the work to replace NCEA with a more credible, coherent qualification

These reforms are essential to give New Zealanders the skills to succeed, and give employers confidence in the workforce they are investing in. And no one will argue with the fact that achievement of those who are undergoing structured literacy has increased significantly.

According to our studies that doesn’t just mean that productivity growth, or GDP, will be increased in the next quarter, but that achieving better skills for our students is essential to our 20-year productivity goals.

The second area where we are strengthening ownership and long-term savings is through our policy to increase KiwiSaver contributions over time.

As Finance Minister, we made that commitment in last year’s Budget, and KiwiSaver default contributions will now increase half a per cent from this year and rise again in two years.

As National Party’s finance spokesperson, I’ve been proud to announce our policy of increasing KiwiSaver contributions beyond that over time – lifting domestic capital, strengthening household resilience, and supporting investment in New Zealand businesses.

And the third area is our reforms to the planning system, because growth cannot happen if building is blocked.

Replacing the Resource Management Act is one of the most important economic reforms underway. The two new Bills Chris Bishop has put forward fundamentally rebalance the system by:

reducing unnecessary delay
clarifying decision-making pathways
improving certainty for investors
enabling nationally significant infrastructure to proceed, and making growth easier rather than harder

If we are serious about lifting productivity, we cannot continue with a system that makes it harder to build than to object.

And we are making strategic investments in human capital that will strengthen our workforce and our economy for decades. That includes expanding medical education right here with the University of Waikato Medical School.

From 2028, the Waikato Medical School will train an additional 120 doctors each year, focused on primary care and community health, helping reduce reliance on overseas workforce and improving access to timely care for families, especially in rural and provincial areas.

This is a long-term investment in people – building the pipeline of doctors we need, creating new jobs, and strengthening the health workforce across this region and the country. And significantly, is occurring not just with Government funding, but with the contribution of the university and philanthropy as well.

We are also already seeing what disciplined reform can deliver.

A year into Kāinga Ora’s Turnaround Plan, performance is improving while debt is being brought under control. When this Government came into office, Kāinga Ora’s debt had grown from $2.3 billion to $16.5 billion, with forecasts showing it heading toward almost $25 billion. Clear direction and tighter discipline have changed that trajectory. Operating costs have been cut by $211 million in a single year, and peak debt has been reduced by $9.5 billion, now expected to top out much lower.

Importantly, this has occurred while outcomes have improved. Build costs are falling, renewals are accelerating, rent arrears are down by nearly 3000 households, and tenancy satisfaction has risen to 87 percent. It is a practical example of what happens when government focuses on accountability, value for money, and delivery – lifting performance, while reducing debt.

Taken together, these reforms share a common purpose.

They back ownership.

They reward investment.

They lift productivity.

And they provide the policy consistency New Zealand needs to grow with confidence over the long term.

That is what economic leadership looks like, and it is the platform on which sustainable growth is built.

Closing reflection

Let me finish where I began – with choices.

New Zealand’s future will be shaped by whether we back the people who invest, build, and create opportunity, or burden them with uncertainty and cost.

This Government has made its choice.

We are backing ownership.

We are backing investment.

We are backing productivity.

We are fixing the basics and building the future.

Others may argue for higher taxes and more spending.

But every one of those choices comes with a price – and that price is paid by hard working Kiwis.

If we make disciplined choices grounded in the simple belief: that New Zealand succeeds when people have confidence in the future, clear rules to operate within, and the freedom to invest and grow.

Then New Zealand’s future is not something to be cautious about,

It is something to be confident in — and something to build.

Thank you.

MIL OSI

Alice Robinson about to start third Olympic campaign ‘a lot more calm this time’

MIL OSI — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 23:13:10 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand skier Alice Robinson. Pierre Teyssot / PHOTOSPORT

Queenstown skier Alice Robinson feels she’s in the best place she has ever been heading into a Winter Olympics.

The 24-year-old is competing in her third Olympics and opens her Milano Cortina campaign on Thursday night in the Super Giant Slalom event.

She admits that she wasn’t in the best position to perform in her previous Games’ experiences, but that has changed in 2026.

At just 16, she became New Zealand’s youngest-ever Winter Olympian when she attended her first Olympics in South Korea in 2018.

Robinson believes she was selected to gain some experience as a future prospect. She finished 35th in the giant slalom and failed to finish the first run of the slalom event.

Four years later in Beijing, Robinson was 25th in the downhill, 22nd in the giant slalom and crashed out of the super-G.

In 2022 the world was still recovering from the pandemic, Robinson had been forced to stay away from New Zealand for a couple of years, and had just recovered from Covid herself.

“It was really tough for me and I definitely felt like I couldn’t put my best foot forward, so absolutely that is my goal to make my third time a charm and put my best skiing on show and we’ll see what happens from there. I’m a lot more calm this time around,” Robinson said.

New Zealand’s Alice Robinson competes in the Women’s Super G event of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup 2025-2026, in St. Moritz. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Robinson can’t believe that she is all set to compete in her third Olympics and admits the feeling this time is quite different.

“Probably because we’re in Europe rather than Asia so it is a bit more of a familiar environment for me. There is always that extra hype and excitement surrounding the Olympics and while my preparation hasn’t changed, there has been a lot of talk [about the Olympics].

Her form is probably also helping in her approach to the Games.

The giant slalom had been Robinson’s preferred event in recent years, but this season she has also featured in the faster super-G with a first and a second in world cup races.

“I’ve always really enjoyed racing it and it is really good to have two events as it kind of takes the pressure off a little bit putting your energy into two events rather than being solely focussed on one.”

New Zealand skier Alice Robinson © Erich Spiess / Red Bull Content Pool 2025 / PHOTOSPORT

So what has been the difference this season?

“It is a mixture of being courageous but also being smart to allow me to ski at my best. Approaching every race tactically and consciously as well, that will be my mantra moving forward.

“It is cool going into an Olympics knowing that you have the potential to do something and not just going to participate and to know that I have the capability to get results.”

Robinson credits her Kiwi team including Nils Coberger, Tim Cafe, and Alex Hull for her improvement this season, but admits she is still someway off being at her best.

“Every year I learn more and more and every year I think I’ve got it figured out and then I look back at myself and think goodness I didn’t know anything.”

First-placed New Zealand’s Alice Robinson celebrates on the podium after the Women’s Super G event of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup 2025-2026, in St. Moritz. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

She is also excited to be flying the New Zealand flag again and hopefully have more Kiwi fans watching her in action.

“In Europe there are so many resources that are behind these big teams so it sort of feels like David verses Goliath going up against these teams.

“It has always been a bit of a motivator for me to come from New Zealand and be competing against these countries where it is a religion and knowing our little team is going up against that, it makes me really proud.”

Alice Robinson’s schedule

Thursday, 12 February: 11.30pm women’s alpine skiing Super Giant Slalom – final
Sunday, 15 February: 10pm: women’s alpine skiing Giant Slalom, run 1
Monday, 16 February: 1.30am: women’s alpine skiing Giant Slalom, run 2 – final

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

Former Reserve Bank Governor supports review into Bank’s decisions during pandemic, but questions timing

MIL OSI — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 18:27:53 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Former Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash is supportive of the government’s decision to review the Bank’s decisions during the Covid-19 pandemic, but concerns from the opposition over the review’s timing so close to the election are a “fair question”, he says.

On Wednesday, finance minister Nicola Willis announced she was launching an independent review into monetary policy decisions during the pandemic, including cuts to the Official Cash Rate, and the Large Scale Asset Purchase programme.

Willis is touting the exercise as a fact-finding, lessons-learned mission.

“This is simply about New Zealand learning the lessons of history. The Reserve Bank, during the response to Covid-19, did a huge amount of money printing,” she said.

“The result, in part due to those decisions, in part due to Labour’s decisions to spend and borrow a huge amount of money, was very high inflation, house prices going up 30 percent in a year, and more than $10 billion of losses after the printing of that money. So it is appropriate for the government to look at, did we get it all right, what could we do better in the future?”

Finance minister Nicola Willis. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Brash, also a former National leader, said the effects of monetary policy were “substantial” during the pandemic, and given the costs to the taxpayer an ex-post review “almost certainly” made sense.

“The Reserve Bank did two main things: they cut the Official Cash Rate to a very low level, 0.25 [percent], and would probably have cut it below that level had they felt the banks were able to handle that,” he said.

“In the end, they didn’t cut it below 0.25, but instead, of course, they bought many billions of dollars of government bonds at low interest rates in an attempt to stimulate the economy, but at a cost to the taxpayer, which was very substantial. So I think it’s worth having a having a good look at that.”

The current governor Anna Breman said she welcomed the review, but pointedly referenced a mandatory review undertaken by the Bank of the 2017-22 time period, which found the “large scale asset purchase programme was successful in correcting financial market dysfunction and reducing long-term interest rates”.

The review also found that “in hindsight, earlier, or stronger monetary tightening could have curbed the subsequent hike in inflation,” Breman said.

Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Willis was not impressed by that previous review.

“The Reserve Bank went through a window-dressing exercise of doing their own review of what they’d done, and gave themselves essentially full marks at the time,” she said.

“In opposition, I was frank. I said they’ve marked their own homework, that’s not good enough. If I was the finance minister, I would commission an independent review, and today that’s what I’ve done.”

The opposition has questioned why, if Willis had wanted a review all along, she had waited until now to commission it – especially as it is set to be made public in September, just a few weeks before the election.

Labour leader – and former Covid-19 response minister – Chris Hipkins said it was “an exercise in cynical, political manipulation,” pointing to other occasions the government could have done a review, including when it expanded the terms of reference for the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry.

“The timing of it is very transparent. This is a very clear political exercise in the middle of an election campaign. It’s not designed to provide some impartial view of the Reserve Bank’s actions, bearing in mind that the Reserve Bank took all of these actions independently of the government of the day,” he said.

“I think the whole world has learned a lot of lessons around monetary policy in a global crisis like a global pandemic. New Zealand’s Reserve Bank, the actions they took weren’t out of line with the actions being taken by central banks around the world. And there have certainly been lessons, I think, the whole economic system have learned from that.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Hipkins described the review as an “attack” on the Bank’s independence.

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has also questioned the timing, noting she had called for a Select Committee inquiry into the economic response in 2022.

“The timing of this is so sus. Nicola Willis has been talking about these concerns since I was on the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee with her back in 2020. And it also obviously was an election issue throughout 2023. So if the minister’s intent, if the government’s intent, is pure, they would have got this out of the way with the broader Covid inquiry.”

Swarbrick said she had held former Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s “feet to the fire” on the effects of monetary policy on inequality, and did not believe Willis had any intention of addressing inequality with the new review.

“The Greens have actually been concerned since the outset of Covid-19 with unconventional monetary policy’s deployment. Because, as reflected in advice from RBNZ and Treasury at the time, that to do the Large Scale Asset Purchases and associated unconventional monetary policy without intervening or mitigating fiscal policy, we would see massive house price inflation and growing inequality,” she said.

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. RNZ / REECE BAKER

“Of course, that’s exactly what happened.”

Willis has denied the review is timed for the election, and said she had not received advice on its timing.

“I don’t need to have that raised with me. It turns out that it’s quite top of mind that there’s an election in November. I don’t need officials to give me advice on it,” she said.

“The more political question you should all be asking is why are there politicians who are afraid of an independent review of the decisions of the independent Reserve Bank? Riddle me that.”

Brash noted that when he was Governor, the incoming Labour government in 1999 commissioned a “complete review” of the Bank’s framework.

That review, published in 2001 by Swedish economist Lars Svensson, recommended the formal establishment of a Monetary Policy Committee, something then-Finance Minister Sir Michael Cullen rejected.

The Committee was later established in 2019, following a further review of the Reserve Bank Act in 2017.

Svensson found the Bank had tightened its policy too late in 1992/93, and eased it too late in 1997/98.

He also recommended the Bank change how it reported and discussed alternative measures of inflation expectations for the medium and long term, but generally found its communication of monetary policy decisions to be “exemplary”.

Brash described that review as a “fair cop,” and a reasonable thing for a government to do.

He said it was a “fair question” of why Willis had waited until an election year to commission a review of her own.

“You can debate whether the timing should have been a few months earlier or a few months later, but that there should be a review seems to me to make good sense.”

Former Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash says it’s fair to question why Willis has waited until an election year to commission a review of her own. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Brash said he could “see some logic” in having it now, rather than earlier, as Willis would have wanted to wait until a new Governor came in.

He said he was not familiar with one of the reviewers, Athanasios Orphanides, but was familiar with David Archer from when he was the Reserve Bank’s assistant governor.

Brash said he was “pleased” at Archer’s involvement, and he had a “high regard” for him.

“Not only at the Reserve Bank of course, but he was also at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel for a number of years. So he’s had very wide international experience.”

Willis said the two reviewers were “objectively credible” and had significant experience.

“They are not political figures in any way. And I actually went to great pains to work through with the Treasury who, in a domestic context, would be able to do the review, who wasn’t conflicted by previous statements, and who would be able to give this credibility and weight, so I stand by the decision.”

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

Government launches independent review into Reserve Bank’s Covid-19 response

MIL OSI — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 01:12:54 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

The review into the Reserve Bank was to identify key lessons, the government said. (File photo) RNZ

The government is launching an independent review of the Reserve Bank’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, due to be published just months out from the election.

The review – to be released in September – will focus on the central bank’s actions, including cutting the official cash rate to 0.25 percent and engaging in money printing.

It would also look at the coordination of monetary and fiscal policy – that is, how the bank’s response interacted with the government’s.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the review’s purpose was to identify any key lessons, in light of the associated spike in inflation and house prices.

“The Reserve Bank of New Zealand took unprecedented action in response to the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis. (File photo) RNZ / Nathan McKinnon

“These actions helped to preserve jobs and keep businesses afloat, but the indirect impacts included decades-high inflation, and losses of about $10.3 billion on the LSAP [Large Scale Asset Purchase] programme and a significant spike in asset values with house prices increasing 30 per cent in one year.”

In October, Reserve Bank chief economist Paul Conway told a Sydney investment conference the LSAP scheme, commonly referred to as money printing, had effectively paid for itself and helped the economy to function at a time of stress.

“By boosting economic activity during the pandemic, LSAPs increased government tax revenues,” Conway said.

“This higher revenue almost entirely covered the direct losses from LSAPs, leaving consolidated crown debt virtually unchanged over the medium term.”

Other commentators have strongly criticised the LSAP programme, the cost and the related programme of $19b of cheap loans to banks.

Monetary policy experts Athanasios Orphanides and David Archer have been appointed to carry out the independent review.

Orphanides was a former governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus and member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank.

Archer was a former Reserve Bank assistant governor and former head of the Central Banking Studies Unit at the Bank for International Settlements.

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

Independent review of Covid-19 monetary policy

LiveNews Publisher — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:48:00 +0000

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government has instigated an independent review of New Zealand’s monetary policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the purpose of the review is to identify any lessons New Zealand could learn to improve the monetary policy response to future major events.

“An independent review means the conclusions found can be objective and constructive.

“The Reserve Bank of New Zealand took unprecedented action in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This included reducing the Official Cash Rate to 0.25 per cent, and the use of additional monetary policy tools, including a Large Scale Asset Purchase (LSAP) programme.

“These actions helped to preserve jobs and keep businesses afloat, but the indirect impacts included decades-high inflation, and losses of about $10.3 billion on the LSAP programme and a significant spike in asset values with house prices increasing 30 per cent in one year.

“The purpose of the review is to learn from experience. It will focus on decisions by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), and analysis provided by the Reserve Bank to support those decisions. This includes MPC decision making and communication, the use of additional monetary policy tools, and the coordination of monetary and fiscal policy.”

Monetary policy experts Athanasios Orphanides and David Archer have been appointed to conduct the independent review.

Dr Orphanides is a former governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus and member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, and a professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr Archer is a former Reserve Bank assistant governor and former head of the Central Banking Studies Unit at the Bank for International Settlements.

The review is expected to be completed in August 2026 and publicly released in September 2026.

MIL OSI

Carbyne Fitness and IFPA Singapore Publish Study Revealing the Gender Gap Between Personal Training and Home Gyms

MIL OSI — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 02:03:43 +0000

Source: Media Outreach

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 3 February 2026 — A new joint study by Carbyne Fitness and IFPA Singapore has revealed a striking and persistent gender divide in Singapore’s fitness habits: while 80% of home gym users are male, over 60% of individuals actively seeking personal trainers are female.

The findings, based on Carbyne Fitness’ customer data and an online database of personal training enquiries compiled by IFPA Singapore’s personal trainers, point to two fundamentally different approaches to exercise motivation and engagement between men and women.

A Tale of Two Fitness Journeys
The data suggests that men overwhelmingly prefer self-directed fitness, buying equipment such as adjustable dumbbells, benches, and racks for home use. Women, on the other hand, are more inclined toward guided training experiences led by certified professionals.

According to Brian Chang, founder of Carbyne Fitness and IFPA Singapore, this split reveals not just gender preferences, but deeper social and psychological factors shaping how Singaporeans exercise.

“Men often see fitness as something they should be able to handle on their own, like asking for help somehow means they’re not strong enough,” said Chang. “That’s why many men would rather train themselves than work with a coach. Ladies, on the other hand, are usually more open to learning and getting guidance. They see working with a coach not as weakness, but as a smart way to improve safely and effectively.”

The Male Home Gym Boom
The pandemic sparked a surge in home gym investments, and Carbyne Fitness has been at the forefront of this trend. Its adjustable dumbbells and adjustable kettlebells have become popular among working professionals looking to save time and train efficiently at home.

Carbyne Fitness’ customer data revealed that four in five customers are male. “The home gym trend among men is here to stay,” Chang explained. “They appreciate the convenience, privacy, and long-term savings. For many, it’s not just fitness equipment, it’s a personal investment in staying strong and independent as they age.”

However, with about 58% of Carbyne Fitness customers living in HDB flats, 26% in condominiums, and 16% in landed properties, many still hold the misconception that home workouts, especially in smaller HDB or condo spaces, aren’t practical or effective. Landed property owners make up less than 5% of Singapore’s dwellings, yet account for 16% of Carbyne Fitness’ customers.

Dwelling Type	National Share (SingStat)	Carbyne Customer Share	Index (Representation)
HDB (Public Housing)	72.0%	58.5%	0.81 (Under-indexed)
Condominiums	23.3%	25.6%	1.10 (Over-indexed)
Landed Properties	4.7%	15.9%	3.38 (Heavily Over-indexed)

“One of the most common reasons people give for not buying home gym equipment is that they ‘don’t have the space,’” said Chang. “But in reality, a proper home setup doesn’t need much room; a good pair of adjustable dumbbells and a bench can fit comfortably within just one square meter if you choose the right equipment.”

Why Women Seek Trainers
In contrast, IFPA Singapore’s training enquiries show that a majority of personal training clients are female. Of the 392 Singapore-based individuals who sought personal training, 63% were women, even though men still represent the majority of gym members nationwide.

Category	Male %	Female %	Dominant Characteristic
Home Gym Buyers (Carbyne)	80%	20%	High Autonomy
PT Seekers (IFPA)	37%	63%	Guidance Seeking
Population (DOS 2025)	49.3%	50.7%	Balanced

“This reflects a growing confidence among women to take charge of their fitness journey,” said Chang. “But it also shows that women tend to prioritize safety and proper form. They are more willing to invest in expert guidance rather than risk injury from unguided workouts.”

Many female clients, Chang adds, have goals that extend beyond appearance: postnatal recovery, strength for caregiving, or functional fitness for daily life.

“It’s not just about aesthetics anymore,” he said. “Women are recognizing that strength training builds long-term resilience, both physically and mentally.”

Implications for Singapore’s Fitness Industry
The gender divide uncovered by Carbyne Fitness and IFPA Singapore also points to structural gaps in how Singapore’s fitness ecosystem is organized, particularly the limited avenues for personal trainers to operate independently.

Most commercial gyms and public facilities, including ActiveSG gyms, do not permit outside personal trainers to conduct sessions within their premises. Trainers who are not employed directly by these gyms are often barred from coaching clients on-site, regardless of their certification or insurance coverage.

This restriction limits both consumer choice and career opportunities within the industry. For clients, especially women who prefer guided training but may not want to commit to an expensive gym membership, the policy creates a barrier to accessing affordable, flexible coaching. For freelance trainers, it restricts their ability to build a sustainable practice or serve niche communities such as seniors, postnatal women, or first-time exercisers.

“Many independent trainers tell us their biggest challenge isn’t finding clients; it’s finding space,” said Chang. “There’s a clear demand for affordable, accessible training environments, but the system hasn’t caught up yet.”

As a result, more trainers have turned to parks, void decks, or private studios, and a growing number of clients are exploring home-based personal training, sometimes with only a pair of resistance bands. This shift reflects broader lifestyle preferences: Singaporeans want convenience, privacy, and trust, not just a gym membership.

The study suggests that expanding access to personal training across shared and public fitness spaces could help Singapore move toward a more inclusive, community-driven fitness culture, one that empowers both male and female participants to train safely, confidently, and sustainably at every stage of life.

Volunteering for the Silver Generation
Both Carbyne Fitness and IFPA Singapore are working to build a more inclusive fitness culture through the Silver Strength volunteer program, which runs weekly strength sessions for seniors using resistance bands, adjustable dumbbells, and other small equipment at Active Ageing Centers across Singapore.

The initiative, funded by the National Youth Council, empowers older adults to stay strong, mobile, and independent, while giving volunteers the chance to make a direct impact in their communities.

“Silver Strength is more than fitness. It is about bridging intergenerational gaps and helping seniors live confidently and age with strength,” said Chang.

To sign up as a volunteer, visit getcertifiedpt.com/silver-strength.

About the Study
The gender distribution insights were derived from:

Carbyne Fitness customer data, representing over 1,000 unique customer interactions across Singapore between January 2024 and September 2025.
IFPA Singapore’s independent observation of 392 prospective client profiles compiled between October 2025 and December 2025.

While the sample sizes differ, both data sets converge on a clear narrative: Singapore’s home gym market is predominantly male, while personal training demand is female-driven.

The full research can be accessed on https://carbyne.sg/blogs/articles/revealing-the-gender-gap-between-personal-training-and-home-gyms.

Hashtag: #CarbyneFitness

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

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

Meet the rangatahi Māori breaking ground in both law and fashion

MIL OSI — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:45:46 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Ellis works in Treaty law and hopes her journey shows other rangatahi Māori- particularly those from small towns – that they belong in both academic and creative spaces. Supplied

From a town of less than 4000 people, Siadin Ellis (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tūhoe) is carving out space for rangatahi Māori in places they are still rarely seen.

At just 23, Ellis has walked the runway at New Zealand Fashion Week twice while also graduating with a Bachelor of Laws and being admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court.

Now the youngest lawyer at Tāmaki Legal, she works in Treaty law and hopes her journey shows other rangatahi Māori- particularly those from small towns – that they belong in both academic and creative spaces.

“We as Māori are so much more than the stereotypes and the statistics portray us as,” she told RNZ.

“We deserve as much as anyone else to be present in these spaces, whether it be academically or creatively.”

Supplied

Ellis was born in Taupō and spent her early childhood in Tūrangi before moving to Australia at age four. Her whānau returned home when she was 11, and she later moved to Tāmaki Makaurau in early 2020 to study law.

“There wasn’t a lot of opportunity in such a small town. I was a bit lost at that age, and I felt like law would have a lot of different opportunities that I could branch out into,” she said.

Tūrangi sits on the west bank of the Tongariro River and has a population of less than 4000 people, with more than 60 percent identifying as Māori.

Ellis said growing up there shaped her desire to challenge negative narratives.

“In our town, the statistics are so bad – teenage pregnancy, suicide, gang affiliation,” she said.

“In a way, my journey is giving back to my town, family and iwi.”

While Ellis now stands confidently in her Māoritanga, identity has been something she has grappled with throughout her life, particularly after spending her early years in Australia.

“I still feel too white for Māori spaces and too Māori for white spaces sometimes,” she said.

She recalled being teased after returning to Tūrangi for not speaking te reo Māori fluently.

“That made me whakamā to even learn back then.”

Ellis said a major driving force behind her success is making her whānau proud and being a positive role model for her younger siblings. Supplied

Now working in Treaty law and involved in the Mana Wāhine Kaupapa inquiry, Ellis said her identity is a strength – both professionally and personally.

“It’s almost the only space where I’ve felt like being Māori is a privilege,” she said, describing her Māoritanga as a “superpower.”

“Understanding tikanga, it’s a strength, not a weakness.”

The transition from a small town to Auckland was not without its challenges. Ellis said isolation, financial pressure and self-doubt weighed heavily during her studies.

“I always had impostor syndrome, and I still do to this day,” she said.

“I felt like I wasn’t in the right place, like I wasn’t as smart as everyone around me.”

Being the only person from her school year to attend university added to that pressure, as did starting during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I didn’t know anyone up here besides my partner. I went to uni, put my head down and didn’t even speak to anyone.”

What kept her going, she said, was her whānau – especially her 16-year-old brother and eight-year-old sister.

“Doing it for them and letting them see that they can do more and be more, it means so much.”

Ellis walked at New Zealand Fashion Week for the first time in 2023, returning again in 2024. Supplied

Alongside law, Ellis was also building a presence in the fashion industry. She began modelling soon after moving to Auckland, despite being told she didn’t fit traditional standards.

“I’m on the shorter side, and I had some really bad experiences with agencies declining me,” she said.

She describes herself as a “bigger-bodied model” and said visibility was a major motivation.

“I always kind of felt like a background person,” she said.

“But when I’m on the runway, I feel seen. Not in an attention way, but like people can actually see me.”

Ellis first walked at New Zealand Fashion Week in 2023, returning again in 2024. She said modelling became a vital creative outlet alongside the intensity of legal study.

“I’m a very creative mind, and when I’m doing so much theory and old legal jargon, I need something else, and that was it.”

Representation in fashion, she said, matters – particularly for Māori and curvy wāhine.

“There’s not a lot of bigger Māori models,” she said.

“It felt like I wasn’t just representing me, it was for others as well.”

Supplied / KWEST

One standout moment, Ellis said, was when she appeared in a Mi Piaci campaign where her ankle tāmoko was visible across billboards and store displays.

“I thought it was going to be really whitewashed,” she said.

“But you could see my tāmoko, and that was huge for me.”

Feedback from others reinforced the importance of that visibility.

“I had a lot of people say, ‘It’s amazing to see that.’”

Ellis hopes her haerenga encourages rangatahi Māori to push boundaries and back themselves, no matter where they come from.

“It will often feel like the whole system is against you and that’s because it is,” she said.

“It wasn’t designed for us. But we owe it to ourselves, our tūpuna, our whānau and the next generation to knock down those barriers.”

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

Property Market – Does property double in a decade? Not in the last cycle, new data from realestate.co.nz shows

LiveNews Publisher — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 22:28:31 +0000

Source: RealEstate.co.nz

National average asking price increased by 55.1% in past 10 years
Auckland’s average asking price increases only 23.5%
The regions take the cake for delivering the biggest returns with seven doubling in price since 2015
Gisborne reports 145% increase from $284,134 in 2015 to $697,527 in 2025.

Lore tells us that property prices double every 10 years, but the latest data from realestate.co.nz shows this wasn’t the case nationally in the last decade. Between 2015 and 2025 New Zealand’s national average asking price only increased by 55.1%, from $556,931 to $863,747.

While the highly sought-after doubling in value milestone may not have occurred nationally, seven of New Zealand’s 19 regions did achieve the coveted accolade.

Gisborne topped the chart with a 145.5% increase in its asking price from $284,134 in 2015 to $697,527 in 2025. Manawatu/Whanganui followed with a 121.5% increase from $274,032 in 2015 to $606,985 in 2025 and Central North Island recorded the third highest increase of 119.2% from $348,659 in 2015 to $764,316 in 2025.

Of the major centres, Auckland delivered the least value increase in the last decade with a 23.5% increase from $846,730 in 2015 to $1,045,328 in 2025. Waikato was the standout performer with a 95.9% increase in average asking price over the decade, from $405,770 in 2015 to $795,097 in 2025.

Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for realestate.co.nz, says while it may be true for some, the last decade has debunked the notion as a general rule. “The idea that property always doubles in value every 10 years is a simplification that doesn’t reflect how the market really works,” says Williams. “Property moves in cycles – we have peaks, plateaus, and periods of correction, so doubling in value isn’t a guarantee and it will always depend on individual properties and locations as well.”

“Over the past decade, we’ve seen significant regional variation and, in many areas, growth has fallen well short of that aspirational ‘doubling in value’ benchmark. While prices generally rise over time, growth is rarely linear and depends heavily on when in the cycle you buy and sell.”

Which regions fetched returns for homeowners?

Southland (111.3%), Hawke’s Bay (105.0%), Wairarapa (100.7%) and Coromandel (100.1%) were the four remaining regions that more than doubled their average asking price during the past decade.

Williams says despite an ever-changing landscape, the value of property continues to increase over the long term.

“Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen the New Zealand property market navigate some of the most dramatic economic shifts in recent history, from a pandemic-fuelled boom to a sharp market reset. In the same period, we’ve seen significant regulatory change, with the introduction of loan-to-value (LVR) restrictions, the bright-line test, and more recently, debt-to-income (DTI) ratios.

Through it all, property has remained a national conversation and a first-choice of investment for many Kiwis.”

The good news? Hold on for another five years and your price may double

There’s better news for homeowners who bought 15 years ago – the national average asking price has come close to doubling over this period, increasing by 91.9% since 2010, from $450,014 to $863,747 in 2025.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Central Otago/Lakes District recorded the greatest in average asking price over the 15-year period with prices rising 125.1% from $660,246 to $1,485,995.

About realestate.co.nz | New Zealand’s Best Small Workplace (2025)

Realestate.co.nz – your home for property search.

We’ve been helping people buy, sell, or rent property since 1996. Established before Google, realestate.co.nz is New Zealand’s longest-standing property website and the official website of the real estate industry. We are certified carbon neutral (2024 & 2025) and in 2025, realestate.co.nz was crowned Best Small/Micro Workplace in New Zealand by Great Place to Work.

Dedicated only to property, our mission is to empower people with a property search tool they can use to find the life they want to live. With residential, lifestyle, rural and commercial property listings, realestate.co.nz is the place to start for those looking to buy or sell property.

Whatever life you’re searching for, it all starts here.

Want more property insights?

Market insights: Search by suburb to see median sale prices, popular property types and trends over time.

Glossary of terms:

Average asking price (AAP) is neither a valuation nor the sale price. It is an indication of current market sentiment. Statistically, asking prices tend to correlate closely with the sales prices recorded in future months when those properties are sold. As it looks at different data, average asking prices may differ from recorded sales data released simultaneously.

Price drop reflects the difference between a property’s original asking price when listed on realestate.co.nz and its price at the point of sale or withdrawal. While it doesn’t show the final sale price, it provides a strong signal of how much sellers are adjusting to meet buyer demand.

MIL OSI

Communities Against Alcohol Harm – F-Bombs away: High standards for alcohol advertising reaching new lows

LiveNews Publisher — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:35:50 +0000

Source: Communities Against Alcohol Harm

“If you want to drop F-bombs in your advertising, now you can, thanks to a new decision from the Advertising Standards Authority” said Nathan Cowie, Community Affairs Advisor with Communities Against Alcohol Harm.

“Dropping an F-bomb is now considered to be consistent with a high standard of social responsibility to consumers and society. Dropping an F-bomb does not meet the threshold to be likely to cause serious or widespread offence” Mr Cowie said.

Alcohol company Good George markets a range of gin, known as the Fuckery series, the self-proclaimed “Official Gin of the Ongoing Clusterfuck”, since the onset of the COVID-19 period and through the post-COVID era.

Good George marketed eight gin products named, labelled, and listed on their website as:

– Fuck Off 2020

– For Fuck’s Sake 2021

– What’s Fucking Next 2022

– What Sort of Fuckery is this?!

– The Fuck Stops Here 2023

– Fuck This Shit 2024

– Fuck Off 2024 (Black Edition)

– The Fuckening 2025

Under the Alcohol Advertising and Promotion Code, all alcohol advertising is required to be prepared and place with a ‘high standard’ of social responsibility, a higher standard than the Advertising Standards Code, which requires a ‘due sense’ of social responsibility.

“We submitted a complaint on behalf of a concerned community stakeholder who works as a counsellor dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault and alcohol abuse. They were concerned about the harm they see from alcohol in the community, and the incredibly poor standards of social responsibility on display from this advertiser.”

“The Advertising Standards Complaints Board has not upheld parts of this complaint related to the liberal use of F-bombs in the naming, labelling and advertising of these products.”

“Unless fixed by a higher authority, this creates a precedent where advertising standards are very permissive of profanity, and the bar for a high standard of social responsibility is significantly lowered.”

“The Advertising Standards Authority’s own guidelines are very clear, that advertisers must not use offensive or provocative copy to attract attention or promote the sale of products, however this seems to have been ignored in the decision.”

Crisis Management Pack

The Advertising Standards Complaints Board, along with the advertiser Good George did acknowledge the website advertising for a gin and tonic combo pack was breaching Rule 1(d) of the Alcohol Advertising and Promotion Code.

The rule stipulates alcohol advertising and promotion must not suggest that the effects of consuming alcohol can improve or enhance a situation.

Advertising for the Crisis Management Pack suggested that a year like 2025, with all the challenges it presented, could be enhanced by pouring a stiff G&T and riding out whatever large or small clusterf-cks needed surviving.

See copy removed from the Good George website below:

When life throws a year like 2025 at you, sometimes the only strategy is to pour a stiff G&T and ride it out. The Crisis Management Pack is your emergency kit for surviving clusterf-cks large and small.

Inside you’ll find:

1 x The Fuckening 2025 Gin, because this year needs its own spirit.
1 x What Sort of Fuckery Is This?! Gin, for the moments that leave you speechless.
1 x Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic (500ml bottle), Crafted with a blend of essential oils from herbs gathered from around the Mediterranean shores.

Whether you’re dealing with Monday, managing the family group chat, or just bracing yourself for whatever fresh nonsense 2025 dishes up, this pack has you covered. Think of it as your personal survival kit, less first aid, more first pour.

Disclaimer: Won’t fix your problems, but will make them a hell of a lot funnier.

“The Crisis Management Pack advertising copy clearly articulated the suggestion that consuming alcohol could enhance a situation, and that clearly breached the Code. The Advertising Standards Complaints Board acknowledged the “Fuckery” series of gin products was created during the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to the major strife that was experienced by many people.”

“In naming these products they way they have, it’s hard not to reach the conclusion that the consumer takeout of this series of products is that consuming them will enhance the situation that was the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing challenges of the post-COVID era.”

“The Crisis Management Pack said the quiet part out loud, but the Advertising Standards Complaint Board has failed to pick up on the advertiser’s suggestion that these products, stylised as the ‘official gin of the ongoing clusterf-ck’ would enhance a situation they have labelled an ongoing clusterf-ck.”

“The real clusterf-ck here is the lowering of standards of advertising self-regulation, and the cavalier attitude of the alcohol industry to marketing their harmful products” Mr Cowie said.

MIL OSI

Christchurch cricket club hosts visiting Australian and UK cricketers

MIL OSI — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:00:33 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Harcourt team-mates Oliver Pascoe (left) and Callum Wright during Sunday’s fixture RNZ / Adam Burns

A Christchurch cricket club turned on the charm for their first game of the season, playing hosts to a globe-trotting outfit of social cricketers from offshore.

The visitors, largely made up of amateur club players from Australia and the UK, were touring the country for the first time, the latest trip of a fledgling annual tradition.

On Sunday, they faced the Valley of Peace XI at their “picturesque” club grounds, captained on the day by James Stokes, brother of New Zealand-born England cricket captain Ben.

Although the concept may not have the history and pedigree of the Ashes, the Stanton Harcourt Lions have already completed several tours around the world.

The idea arose about 15 years after a member of Australia’s Harcourt Cricket Club in Victoria stumbled on another namesake club based in Oxfordshire, England.

Australian Callum Wright would make a cameo appearance for Stanton Harcourt when he was in the UK for a wedding.

Local player Oliver Pascoe said he kept in touch with the Australian tourist.

“It took us a while, it took us till 2017 when we went to Australia and played against them, and a couple of other local clubs,” he said. “Because we were only a small village, we didn’t have the amount of players to tour around the world on our own. So we came together.”

The team has experienced a range of conditions, climates and circumstances during their travels.

They have tripped to Australia, South Africa, India, Nepal and South America, where they were locked down in a Peruvian hotel for a fortnight during the pandemic.

New Zealand was their latest destination,

Tucked away at the foot of the Port Hills in Kennedy’s Bush, the Valley of Peace club previously hosted a friendly match against the Barmy Army XI during the England team’s tour to New Zealand at the end of 2024.

“We weren’t sure what to expect,” Pascoe said. “A friend of mine from England played here a couple of years ago. He recommended it. I wasn’t expecting it to be this picturesque, with the history as well. It’s brilliant.”

Valley of ‘paradise’

Off the beaten track, the small and secluded Valley of Peace club was not your average cricket ground.

The boundaries were ringed by various trees. The pavilion, bar and score box at the southern end were built from rough-hewn oak wood. The Hoon Hay Valley also accentuated the vista.

The idyllic Valley of Peace cricket club is located in the Christchurch suburb of Kennedy’s Bush. RNZ / Adam Burns

Club president Scott Cartwright described the 98-year-old club as “a hidden treasure”.

“The Valley of Peace speaks for itself. It’s in the valley, it’s very peaceful,” he said.

There were traditional customs players and umpires had to adhere to when arriving at the club, including the wearing of a jacket, collar and tie.

Due to the smaller dimensions of the ground, sixes were worth four runs, and boundaries were worth two runs.

Inside the pavilion were photographs, memorabilia and honours boards dating back to 1929

Century-makers at the club included English test batting great Herbert Sutcliffe and current Black Cap Henry Nicholls.

Founded in 1928 by cinema operator Harry Waters, the club began as a means to play cricket on Sundays when other council-owned grounds were shut.

With temperatures climbing to 33 degrees in Christchurch on Sunday, the tranquil backdrop left the tourists impressed.

“What a magnificent setting here up the valley,” Wright said.

“We’re only minutes out of the city of Christchurch, but you’d think you were in paradise, it’s beautiful out here.”

Valley of Peace club president Scott Cartwright. RNZ / Adam Burns

Fresh off a quick-fire captain’s knock of “30-odd”, Stokes said games like these were always special occasions.

“Everyone wants to play them,” he said,

Ashes sparring

A week after the Australians completed a resounding 4-1 Ashes series win across the Tasman, there were obvious questions about team harmony among Australian and English teammates.

“It’s been very quiet, the English don’t talk about the cricket much,” Wright quipped.

“There’s always a little niggle, that’s where the fun’s at.”

Cartwright joked that he was surprised by the concept of an Australian-English combined team.

“I thought the [English] and the Aussies hated each other, let alone get together and tour together.

“I’d love to hear the sledging in behind the scenes.”

There was also an Ashes connection on the other side of the ledger, with Stokes leading the Valley.

English cricket pundits continued to lambast the side’s Ashes showing, particularly the preparation and tactics employed by their Kiwi coach Brendon McCullum.

When asked about the Ashes, Stokes stopped short of adding to the pile-on his brother’s team was copping.

“Yeah… everyone saw it to be fair. I’m not one to comment on that, I might get a bit of stick,” he chuckled.

Valley of Peace players, captained by James Stokes (third from left), converse with one of the opposition’s players. RNZ / Adam Burns

As far as the more laid-back setting of Sunday’s game went, the Valley posted a respectable total of 192 in their 40 overs.

The game was later abandoned after a fierce thunderstorm and heavy rain hit Christchurch later that afternoon.

The Stanton Harcourt Lions were also due to play games in Wānaka and Queenstown this week.

The team plans to travel to the Caribbean for a tour in 2027.

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

From CVs to interviews: How to job hunt in a tough employment market

MIL OSI — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:31:07 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellingtonian Annalese Booker sometimes spends up to 12 hours on a single job application, in the hopes of standing out in a tough market.

She took voluntary redundancy in 2024 after nearly a decade at the same organisation. She planned to sample different industries through contract work before settling into a permanent role. In hindsight, she feels she chose the worst possible time.

New Zealand’s unemployment rate has risen to 5.3 percent, according to Stats NZ, with nearly 15 percent of unemployed people out of work for more than a year.

Annalese Booker is a senior marketing leader.

Supplied / Annalese Booker

. Jared Luff, general manager of The Recruitment Network, says summer event roles that once absorbed young job seekers have largely dried up over the past two years.

His agency, which covers roles from “paddock to plate”, now receives about 500 applications a day. Career Development Association of New Zealand executive director Jennie Miller likens it to the influx seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, when dozens of applicants quickly became hundreds.

Is now a good time to apply?

It depends on the role. Luff says summer can still offer opportunities in aged care, health and hospitality as permanent staff take leave, while education-related work often slows or shuts down.

The Recruitment Network general manager Jared Luff.

Supplied

For short-term or entry-level roles, applying late in the year can pay off. For senior or long-term positions, Luff advises applying early, as recruiters often shortlist candidates as soon as they return from leave.

What makes a strong CV and cover letter?

Miller says the process starts well before writing a CV. Job seekers need to be clear on their needs and goals (what level of preparedness are you at, what have you already tried, what do you like doing and who might pay you for it, what is your financial position) — and target roles accordingly.

CV consultant Sarah Wrightson, who has helped Booker in her job search, recommends keeping it simple, relevant and results-focused. Two pages is ideal for most roles; one page is fine for those starting out. Recent achievements should be written clearly in bullet points. Volunteering and courses can add value.

Sarah Wrightson runs a Waikato-based service helping job-seekers tailor their profiles and prepare them for job interviews.

Ryan’s Daughter Photography by Kate Ryan

If a recruiter can’t find the information they need within 30 seconds, they’ll probably move on, Wrightson says. So structure is important: Start with a short profile, move into your skills, work history, qualifications and end with referees (these should be chosen for their insight into you – not just seniority).

Many employers use automated Applicant Tracking Systems so use keywords from the job listing, include clear headings instead of creative ones like ‘my journey’, and save your file as a Word or PDF file.

Cover letters should be brief and personal, Wrightson adds, and never repeat the CV. Miller advises cutting generic openings and addressing the letter to a named recruiter where possible.

“You get about seven seconds with the eyes of a recruiter, apparently. You’ve got to really be personal and relevant.”

Should you pay for professional help?

Miller says paid career support can be worthwhile for people feeling stuck. A 2014 US meta-analysis found job search interventions helped people find work more than twice as fast.

Luff says professional help is usually unnecessary for lower-skilled roles but can be useful for senior or executive positions.

Wrightson, who turned her Waikato-based service into a full-time job after being made redundant herself, says most clients either undersell themselves or overcomplicate their experience.

“My job is to pull out the gold, the good stuff, the gold nuggets. So like the results, the stories and put it in a language that employers can understand.”

How important is LinkedIn?

Being active on LinkedIn can show you’re serious about getting a job, Sarah Wrightson says. (file image)

Unsplash / Souvik Banerjee

Wrightson describes it as a “digital elevator pitch” that shows your voice, values and network.

A half-finished profile can signal a lack of seriousness in searching for a job, she says. Focus on your headline, ‘about you’ section and try to comment or make posts every now and then to show you’re active.

Luff says LinkedIn can be used to cross-check experience, particularly for senior roles.

Is it okay to use AI?

Booker uses AI to research industries and refine her writing.

Wrightson says you can use AI to help, but “write for humans”. “Once it gets past the system, a real person is still going to want to like what they see and you want to make it easy for them to quickly see that you are a strong match for the job.”

Miller notes employers can usually spot AI use and extensive use can throw doubt on your CV.

Is applying online enough?

Not always. Networking, while it may be uncomfortable, can make a difference. That might mean attending events, reaching out on LinkedIn, or requesting informational interviews to learn about organisations without immediately pitching for a role. Miller says these conversations can and do lead to jobs – as she’s tried it herself.

If you’re looking local, drive around your neighbourhood to give you an idea.

Booker has even tried “left-field” approaches such as sending small gifts with links to her online profile. While these sometimes sparked conversations, she believes referrals were most effective — though increasingly competitive.

On the other hand, Luff believes the jobs his agency caters for would be mostly filled through the standard process but occasionally referrals may work.

I’ve got an interview – what now?

Attitude and preparation are key for job interviews. (file image)

Unsplash / Getty Images

Luff says personality can matter more than experience in junior hospitality roles.

Wrightson advises revisiting the job ad, preparing examples, practising answers out loud, and dressing one step up from usual workwear

“Interviews are a two-way conversation. They’re not an interrogation. So you’re also trying to figure out if they are the right fit for you.”

Candidates should avoid oversharing about toxic workplaces, Luff warns, but can be open about redundancies. Salary negotiation depends on experience, though going more than 10 percent above an offer may be unrealistic.

If you don’t hear back, Luff recommends waiting at least a week before following up.

Coping with rejection

Repeated rejection can be demoralising, particularly after redundancy. Wrightson stresses the importance of being kind to yourself.

Miller agrees it’s hard but says the process can ultimately lead to a better-fit role.

For Booker, short-term contracts have helped her see how transferable her skills are – even if the process has been exhausting.

“It’s an emotional rollercoaster looking for work and sometimes you sort of have regrets that you left what you had,” she says. “It’s just finding those opportunities more often when, again, you’re up against a really competitive market, and will next year be any different?”

*Get personalised career advice via 0800 222 733 or email direct_careers@msd.govt.nz. University students and graduates can also access career development services through their institutions, sometimes for up to three years after graduating.

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

Chasing delicious (and unusual) food around the world as a job

MIL OSI — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:26:09 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

For more than a decade, Kiwi couple Thomas and Sheena Southam have been chasing the world’s best food — not through fine-dining lists, but by following the locals.

Through their YouTube channel Chasing a Plate, the pair have built a following by immersing themselves in food cultures across the world.

The journey began in Melbourne, when Sheena — then a lawyer — was made redundant. New to the city and tired of endlessly applying for jobs, she started a food blog as a way to meet people.

This video is hosted on Youtube.

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“Was it the right decision at the time? Yeah, looking back [in hindsight], but it probably wasn’t [at the time]. The numbers didn’t say we should have kept going, but we did and we’re still here,” Thomas told Summer Times.

From the outset, they say they chose to rely on advertising rather than restaurant sponsorships, allowing them to eat where they wanted and stay honest. The couple says critics accuse them of being too positive, but they say that’s because they intentionally only seek good food.

“If something’s not great, we will stop filming. We’ll just finish the meal. We’ll put the camera away quietly and we just won’t publish the content, because we’re not here to bag on a small business and be negative. We want a positive outlook. We want people to enjoy amazing food,” Thomas says.

They’ve also decided not to country-hop as a tick-box exercise. Instead, they focus on the quality of their trip. India alone has taken up more than six months across three trips; Mexico and Turkey, several months each.

That depth has led them to some dishes that may be unusual for Kiwis, including brains, insects and uterus tacos (which had a slight crunch and inner softness). In Malaysia, there was torpedo soup — made from “chewy” bull’s penis. In Turkey, breakfast once involved scooping brains from a roasted sheep’s skull.

“It was delicious,” Sheena says. “Yeah, that was a really great meal,” Thomas adds.

But there are some things Sheena draws a line on. For months, she’d been fixated on trying a bread bowl filled with goulash in Budapest and savoured it for the last day of that trip, until she found out it was kidney.

“Kidney is the one thing that I’ve tried so many times to like it, but I just don’t. I don’t like the texture. I don’t like the taste. I’ve tried it in various forms and ways that it’s been prepared and cooked. I just can’t do it,” she says.

“I was just so upset. I almost wanted to cry because I’d been fantasizing about this meal for months.”

With about “a litre” of kidney goulash each, and keen to not waste food, she told Thomas he had to eat both.

“To top it off, as we started, the power went out,” Thomas says. “So we sat there in the dark, eating these two massive bread bowls.”

Their travels came to a halt when borders closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing them home to Aotearoa. And despite all they’ve eaten around the world, the couple say New Zealand holds its ground.

“There’s people doing such incredible things, be it producers, chefs, fishers, hunters, growers. I think more people need to realise that we are spoiled in New Zealand with incredible food.”

Now, they’re heading to Melbourne to grow their business but plan to be backwards and forwards across the ditch for some time to come.

Tips for foodie travellers

The pair say walking around is not only great exercise to digest food but also to discover new local spots.
Find travel or food content creators or reviewers who align with your tastebuds.
You don’t have to go far off the beaten track to find special spots. Even just a block or two away from the tourist hot spots to find the local hot spots – even the prices might drop.
Don’t eat at places just because it’s convenient with an English menu. There are many easy ways to translate menus now with phone apps, Thomas says.

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

The meal base that can turn a foodbank parcel into a one-pot meal

MIL OSI — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:07:46 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Demand on foodbanks increased in 2025, with no sign of letting up. 123rf

A meal base that can turn almost any assortment of vegetables and proteins into a one-pot meal is being distributed to foodbanks.

The New Zealand Food Network has teamed up with Nestlé to help families in need make a nutritious meal from scratch with food parcel ingredients.

The network’s chief executive Gavin Findlay said it’s a concept that has been successful with foodbanks in Australia.

“It’s a good healthy product that’s easy to use. A lot of our community’s access and capability of cooking can be challenged if they’re in transitional housing or hotels/motels while they’re waiting,” he said.

Nestlé is manufacturing and donating the meal base sachets, which can be used as a soup or to make a hearty casserole.

“You’re not making a meal per se, it’s a dried sachet product that you’re just adding water to. If you’ve got a kettle and a cup you’re there,” Findlay said.

“This is intentional giving, this is a company saying what can we do to help your community who’s struggling.”

Nestlé New Zealand chief executive Susan Catania said the one-pot meal base had been a success with foodbanks in Australia.

Supplied

“We know that food insecurity is real and is increasing but we’ve also learned through the partnership [with the NZ Food Network] that food relief often depends on what’s available in any given week,” she said.

“That means people might not know what to do with the mix of items that they get. We really wanted to create a product that would create a versatile meal no matter what mix of proteins, vegetables or pantry items you had on any given week.”

Over the past five years, Nestlé has donated more than 497,000 kilograms of food for the Food Network to distribute to 65 foodbanks and food charities – the equivalent of over 1.1 million meals.

Catania said the meal base would be part of their ongoing partnership.

“We know that now is the right time because the holiday season can be a tough time for a lot ofpeople so this really helps make it a little easier for families to put food on the table.”

Demand on foodbanks has been increasing with no sign of let up – and food charities have been calling for ongoing government funding instead of one-off grants.

The Food Network began in 2020 during the pandemic when the country needed a national organisation to collect and distribute surplus edible food that manufacturers and growers cannot sell.

The network then shares the food amongst food charities that distribute parcels to their communities.

It received a $5.8 million grant from the Ministry of Social Development but does not know if that will be extended past July 2026.

Shelves of donated food in the south Auckland storage and operations warehouse of the New Zealand Food Network. Bonnie Harrison

Findlay said more edible food would go to landfill if they could not maintain the current level of service.

“The baseline of people needing some form of support is actually quite high. We thought it was going to drop down post Covid but the cost of living environment means that hasn’t happened and in fact has trended up slightly,” he said.

“We see no let up in the need for helping those that require food support.”

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

New Year Honours: Wellingtonians in line for applause

MIL OSI — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:32:00 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Professor Graham Le Gros, Coral Shaw, Dorothy Spotswood and Scott Dixon are four of the seven being named Dames and Knights. RNZ

A philanthropist, an art collector and a medical scientist are among those made knights and dames in this year’s New Year Honours. Nationwide, three new dames and four knights have been announced – and the capital is home to three of them. Reporter Kate Green spoke to the Wellingtonians about their work, their motivation, and their new titles.

Supplied

Sir Graham Le Gros is on his gap year.

It’s a little later than most, but the recently retired director of the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research told RNZ he firmly believed in taking time to “calmly” think through his next step.

“I very much believe one has to retire from the job and let the other younger ones come over and do things before they get too old, so it’s been great passing on the role to Kjesten Wiig, who’s the new director.”

Now, with a little more free time, he spent his days trapping pests in the Orongorongos and catching up on 30 years of home maintenance – while still maintaining a seat on the institute’s trust board.

On Wednesday, Sir Graham is being appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to medical science.

He said it was those young patients with cancer – one 30-year-old mother of three still stuck with him – that pushed him to explore what was, at the time, a novel concept: using the immune system to treat cancer, and help people who “don’t deserve to die so young”.

“Science was the way to solve problems,” he said.

Under his directorship at Malaghan, which began in 2014, the institute more than doubled in size to some 130 staff, and grew its operating budget from $7.5 million to more than $30m by 2024.

Malaghan developed major new programmes in cancer immunotherapy, vaccine development, inflammatory disease and RNA technologies. Sir Graham’s leadership in bringing CAR T-cell therapy to New Zealand to build the institute’s cancer immunotherapy capability was a defining achievement.

“Now, you take it for granted that of course you use the immune system to fight cancer. But 30 years ago, there was a whole lot of people who thought, no, it may work in mice Graham, but it won’t work in humans.

“We just put our heads down and found part of the whole wave of new immune therapies for cancer.”

The Covid-19 pandemic brought a whole new set of challenges – but also, opportunities.

Sir Graham played a key role in the local development of vaccines, and under his leadership the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand was established.

“I was very proud to be a part of that coming together of a group of New Zealand scientists to make a vaccine for Covid, on-time, have it in the fridge ready if we needed it in case the Pfizer vaccine didn’t work – you know, we had to stand up for ourselves.”

In a statement alongside the announcement, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Sir Graham had “helped shape a generation of scientific leadership in New Zealand”.

Chris Parkin, arts philanthropist Photography By Woolf

For Sir Christopher Parkin, it was a successful property development career that fuelled decades of support for the arts – from visual arts, to music and film, theatre and dance.

On Wednesday, he is being made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to philanthropy and art.

“I was brought up in a family that was inclined to be generous, I suppose,” he said. “The arts itself has always been in my life.”

In 2013, he established the Parkin Drawing Prize, a national art competition which has awarded more than $300,000 in prize money, mostly to emerging artists, and he’s the principal financial supporter of the arts funding website Boosted, which has so far raised more than $16m for more than 2000 creative projects.

But his initial response to the news was disbelief.

“They basically send you an email saying that you’ve been recommended [for a knighthood], and they’re going to recommend you to King Charles. My immediate reaction was this is just another scam – I was just waiting for the line that says if you just send us your bank details…” he laughed.

“It was a pretty emotional experience really when it comes out of the blue like that,” he said. “A very warm feeling – obviously you start reflecting on your life, and what you’ve done to deserve it.”

As an art collector, more than 150 pieces of a 250-strong art collection are displayed at the QT Hotel Wellington, which he previously owned as the Museum Art Hotel, and still lives in today.

Some of it hung in his Wellington apartment and the hallway outside (“much to the delight of our neighbours”), and throughout a property in Martinborough.

A career highlight, he said – or perhaps the moment that really “turned a few lights on” – was a speech by New Zealand painter and graphic artist Robyn White, who gave a stirring address about the arts at Te Papa and strong desire to paint being one of her earliest memories.

Why the arts? Parkin said he, too, had spent a long time pondering this exact question.

In the end, he’d steered away from platitudes like “art for art’s sake”, and instead took a practical view.

“We’re unique as a species in that we put an enormous amount of effort into the arts for, really an activity, in terms of preserving life, [that] is almost completely pointless. It doesn’t feed us, it doesn’t strengthen us.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that the artistic way of thinking contributes to our intellectual capabilities in other areas that in fact allows us to make the incredible scientific breakthroughs that really do contribute to our quality of life.”

Luxon in his comments called Sir Christopher’s contribution “significant”.

RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

News of her honour might have been “very surprising” for Dame Dorothy Spotswood, but for anyone who knows the extent of her philanthropic work, both alongside her partner Sir Mark Dunajtschik and independently, it’s no surprise at all.

The couple donated $53m for the build of the Wellington Children’s Hospital, Te Wao Nui, which opened in 2022, and earlier this year, they announced $10m for the base build of a new charity hospital – to be known as the Dorothy Spotswood Charity Hospital.

Dame Dorothy told RNZ it was about giving back to the city. On Wednesday she is being appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to philanthropy.

“As Mark said, it’s been a kind city to him, and a kind city to me – we’ve always had work,” she told RNZ. “So we repaid the city with a children’s hospital.”

Sir Mark was made a knight in 2022.

The couple had made their money through property development. “When we started off, we had flats. Mark had his business, and I was working for an insurance company,” Dame Dorothy said.

In their spare time, they worked on their properties and kept investing.

“Mark is a very hands-on person, we did all the renovations ourselves, the fixing ourselves, and if we built new, we did the building ourselves. I’ve poured concrete. We were a hands-on couple.”

More recently, Dame Dorothy had bought land and funded several homes for the Hōhepa Trust, to help establish care facilities for children and adult residents with intellectual disabilities in Kāpiti.

That was a cause close to her heart – the Spotswoods’ adult niece, who had Down Syndrome, died earlier this year.

The Prime Minister said: “In honouring Dame Dorothy as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit we are reflecting the enormous contribution she alongside Sir Mark have made to New Zealand, particularly the Wellington region.”

The country “remains humbly grateful” for their contributions, he said.

To all the recipients, Luxon expressed his appreciation.

“Thank you for your dedication, hard work, and service to New Zealand. I would like to congratulate all 177 recipients of this year’s New Year honours and on behalf of the thousands of people who have benefited from your efforts, please accept my personal thanks.”

Read the full list of recipients here

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

Ngā Kaupapa Hirahira o te Tau: A look back at the year that was in Te Ao Māori

MIL OSI — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 17:56:22 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wiremu Keretene (Ngāti Hine) holds a sleeping child during the waka display at Tii Beach this morning. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

After the rollercoaster year that was 2024 te ao Māori may have expected that to continue into 2025 and in many ways it did with so many stories making for another unprecedented year.

The national Kapa Haka competition Te Matatini returned in February, rising to new heights of popularity with Te Tauihu group Te Kuru Marutea capturing hearts well beyond Māori circles with their powerful solos and of course there was that Waiata ā Ringa from eventual winners Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue.

The festival has also grown to record size, this year saw 55 haka groups competing the most ever and concerns over infrastructure in smaller regions eventually led organisers to move the next festival in 2027 to Waikato, rather than to the Nelson region which had been expected to host.

2025 was also a status qou breaking year in Māori politics, which saw the deaths of influential political leaders, an unprecedented suspension from Parliament, a by-election in Tāmaki Makaurau and a bitter feud within Te Pāti Māori.

But it began with a long and drawn out Select Committee process for the Treaty Principles Bill, a record-breaking 300,000+ submissions were made on the controversial bill which was ultimately defeated near-unanimously at its second reading in April – although its architect David Seymour has promised to reignite the debate in 2026.

The first Koroneihana of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po took place in September, one year on from her ascension as Māori Monarch and the death of her father Kiingi Tuheitia.

Te Ao Māori awaited eagerly to hear what Te Arikinui would say after a year of silence – and her kōrero did not disappoint. She told listeners there were many ways to manifest being Māori, “Kaua tātou e tuku mā ngā porotū kau noa e Māori ai tātou – Tino Rangatiratangatia tō reo, Mana Motuhaketia te taiao, Tino Rangatiratangatia tō hauora, Mana Motuhaketia tō pā harakeke, kei aua kaupapa rā te tino oranga mai o te Māoritanga,” she said.

She also took the opportunity to launch two new economic initiatives, including a multi million dollar Kotahitanga Fund. Could that be a catalyst to take Māoridom into a post Treaty Settlement era?

Here are just a few of the stories that we had the privilege of sharing in 2025:

Dame Tariana Turia

The year had barely begun when news broke that Dame Tariana Turia, the former co-leader of Te Pāti Māori, had died at the age of 80.

At her tangihanga at Whangaehu Marae near Whanganui she was remembered as a principled politician, a fighter for her iwi, including during the 79-day occupation of Whanganui’s Moutoa Gardens in 1995, but by most people simply as Nanny Tari.

She was the first of many of many Māori leaders taken in Te Kupenga o Taramainuku in 2025, less then a month later the Turia whānau were rocked again by the death of Dame Tariana’s grandson Pakaitore Turia.

Then-Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia poses during a portrait session at Parliament on 29 July 2014 in Wellington. Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images

Dame Tariana Turia is carried from Whangaehu Marae to the nearby urupā where she was laid to rest. Pokere Paewai

Several thousand people attended the tangihanga of Dame Tariana Turia. Pokere Paewai

Rātana

The annual Rātana celebrations in January commemorate the birthday of the movements founder Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana and traditionally mark the beginning of the political year.

While the political talk was dominated by the Treaty Principles Bill the event also marked the first visit of the Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po to Rātana since the death of her father Kiingi Tuheititia.

Tainui leader Tuku Morgan described the Kiingitanga and Rātana Church as two movements inextricably bound together.

Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po being welcomed to Rātana. RNZ / Pokere Paewai

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Kamaka Manuel. RNZ / Reece Baker

Waitangi

Waitangi commemorations began with the re-opening of the historic wharenui at Te Tii Marae, where at least 300 people gathered to witness the whare’s new carvings, paved courtyard and earthquake strengthening.

Among the annual attractions was the annual waka parade; a staple of Waitangi commemorations and a celebration of the various vessels used by early Māori settlers.

Keen-eyed beach onlookers would also have noticed Bosco, the water surfing French bulldog, who made headlines for his aquatic antics.

Diving of the Waitangi bridge to cool off – a Waitangi tradition. RNZ/ Peter de Graaf

The Ngāti Kahu waka Te Rangimarie is launched next to Waitangi Bridge. RNZ/ Peter de Graaf

Three-year-old French bulldog, Bosco lives the boat life in Paihia and has been surfing for over a year and a half. Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ

Iritana Tawhiwhirangi

Māori educator Dame Iritana Te Rangi Tāwhiwhirangi, a founder of the Kōhanga Reo movement, died in early February, she was 95.

During her tangihanga at Gisborne’s Te Poho o Rawiri Marae she was remembered as a stern but caring mentor, a lion, a taniwha and a keen golfer.

Many mourners made their way to Te Tairāwhiti, including Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, now the patron of the Kōhanga Reo National Trust and for whom Dame Iritana was a mentor.

Dame Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi Supplied / Te Tai

Mourners arriving at Te Poho o Rawiri Marae in Gisborne. RNZ / Pokere Paewai

Te Matatini

The largest event in Māoridom, the “Olympics of Kapa Haka” Te Matatini, returned in 2025 with Taranaki and Whanganui hosting the biggest competition ever.

Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue from the Te Arawa region emerged as Toa Whakaihuwaka, as champions on the final day at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth.

The pōwhiri at Stadium Taranaki kicked off Te Matatini. Emma Andrews

Mōtai Tangata Rau performing at Pukekura, the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth. Te Matatini Enterprises

Te Matatini champions Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue. Supplied / Te Matatini Enterprises

Matariki mā Puanga

For it’s fourth year the Matariki Public Holiday celebrations highlighted the star Puanga (Rigel) and the communities who observe the star in their astronomical traditions.

The national hautapu ceremony was hosted this year by central North Island iwi Ngāti Rangi at Tirorangi Marae near the base of Ruapehu.

The stars of Matariki pictured between the clouds as viewed from Tirorangi Marae. Supplied by Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Richie Mills

Kaikarakia group at 2025’s Matariki celebrations at Tirorangi Marae. Supplied / Richie Mills

Takutai Tarsh Kemp

The MP for Tāmaki Makaurau Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp died suddenly in June at the age of 50, the Pāti Māori MP had been at Parliament working only the day before.

Before Parliament she founded the Rangatahi Mental Health Youth Hub, managed the first crew from Aotearoa to qualify for the World Hip Hop Championships in the US and lead Manurewa Marae as its chief executive through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Takutai Tarsh Kemp. RNZ / Simon Rogers

Flowers on the House seat of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Takutai Tarsh Kemp being laid to rest on the church grounds behind Opaea Marae near Taihape. Pokere Paewai / RNZ

Koroneihana

The first Koroneihana of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po took place one year on from her ascension as Māori Monarch and the death of her father Kiingi Tuheitia

After a year of mourning many people were eagerly awaiting her first national address. In an emotional speech she told listeners that being Māori was not defined by having an enemy or a challenge to overcome.

Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po receives a koha from Te Wharekura o Kirikiriroa, as she marked the first day of her first Koroneihana celebrations. Image courtesy of Te Tari o te Kiingitanga

Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po. Image courtesy of Te Tari o te Kiingitanga

Te Arikinui with the poi after her first official address. Image courtesy of Te Tari o te Kiingitanga

Te Pāti Māori ructions

Ructions within Te Pāti Māori dominated the headlines throughout the second half of the year. It began with what should have been a moment of celebration for the party with former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara winning the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election in a landslide.

But allegations by former staffer Eru Kapa-Kingi of a “dictatorship” among the party leadership soon spiralled with Te Pāti Māori’s national council voting to expel MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, mother of Eru, and Tākuta Ferris.

Kapa-Kingi has since been reinstated as a member of the party, but the court decision which forced the issue will be revisited at a full hearing in early February next year. Just in time for Waitangi.

Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi. RNZ/Samuel Rillstone

Tākuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. RNZ/Liam K. Swiggs

Marine and Coastal Area Act (MACA)

In October the government’s changes to the Marine and Coastal Area Act (MACA) passed, making it harder for Māori groups to secure Customary Marine Title (CMT) over parts of New Zealand’s coast.

The law is also retrospective meaning groups who had their title confirmed after 24 July 2024, such as the whānau of Ruapuke Island, will have to go back to court.

Veteran Māori rights activist Reuben Taipari gathered almost 20,000 signatures in only four days on a petition opposing the Bill, which he called worse than the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004.

Ngātiwai chairman Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards also made his feelings on the Bill clear during a debate and was ejected from Parliament’s gallery for it, then a few weeks later the iwi upped the ante by landing on the Poor Knights Islands to raise a flag and erect a carved pou in protest.

Rueben Taipari after delivering the petition to parliament. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Ngātiwai members travelled to the Poor Knights Islands about 20km off Northland’s Tūtūkākā Coast, by waka hourua Supplied

Sir Tumu Te Heuheu

In September Sir Tumu Te Heuheu Tūkino VII, the Ariki or traditional leader of central North Island iwi Ngāti Tūwharetoa died, he was 84.

Succeeding his father Sir Hepi Te Heuheu as Ariki in 1997, he left behind a legacy of commitment to his iwi and to the environment. His son was named his successor, Te Rangimaheu Te Heuheu Tūkino IX.

Sir Tumu Te Heuheu outside his wharenui Tapeka at Waihī. Supplied/The Hui

Sir Tumu (centre). (He is shown here at the tangihanga for Kiingi Tuheitia, in September 2024). Supplied/ Kiingitanga – Tuteri Rangihaeata

WIPCE

After 20 years the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE) returned to Aotearoa. Some 4000 delagates representing indigenous nations the world over descended on Tāmaki Makaurau.

The conference covered many different themes on education and many more beyond including Pacific wayfinding and indigenous food, the conference also saw the return of the Hawaiian double-hulled voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa to Auckland 40 years since its voyage to Aotearoa that helped spark a revival of Pacific navigation.

Pōwhiri for the start of four-day WIPCE 2025 conference. Tamaira Hook

The historic waka hourua Hōkūleʻa returns to Tāmaki Makaurau after 40 years. Tamaira Hook / WIPCE

Hawaiian Chef Kealoha Domingo prepares kina during a foraging excursion for indigenous chefs at WIPCE. RNZ/Nick Monro

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

Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre back from brink of closure

MIL OSI — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 17:46:45 +0000

Source: Radio New Zealand

Tūturuatu/shore plover Tara Swan

Half a year ago, Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre was on the brink of closure.

The sanctuary – described as a taonga on the border of Wairarapa and Tararua – was in financial turmoil, forced to make a desperate bid for donations just as a stoush over a new home for an endangered bird hit the headlines.

Since then, the entire board has been replaced and a new general manager is at the helm.

But what became of the shore plover, the tiny wading bird at the centre of all the strife?

Manager Toby Cantwell at Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. RNZ / Mary Argue

You hear them before you see them.

As Toby Cantwell moves towards the line of brand-new aviaries out the back of Pūkaha, a series of high-pitched cheeping erupts.

The conservation manager’s footsteps signal breakfast and the shore plovers seem to know it. They’re on high alert.

Today’s menu includes a reddish-brown mush of minced ox heart, kitten biscuits, insects and supplements all mixed in individual bowls, plus a handful of live, wriggling, mealworms – bred onsite and handpicked stoically by Cantwell.

He hates creepy-crawlies but they afford him an important once-over of the birds, a visual health check.

“The mealworms are quite good, because that means they [the shore plovers] come over to us nice and close, so you can get a good look.

“Often times you’ll employ a pair of binoculars as well, so you can really see the detail of their feet.

“Is there any sign of any problem? Are they using both their feet, are they walking properly? Do they look like they’ve hurt themselves?”

The birds, with their motley white and brown feathers, take a minute to spot amongst the pebbles and tussock of their artificial coastal environment.

About the size of a fist, the endemic tūturuatu/shore plover is one of the country’s most critically endangered birds.

Decades of habitat loss and predation, mean there are fewer than 250 left in the wild, according to the Department of Conservation (DOC), most of them on offshore islands.

Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre hopes its breed and release programme will help bolster those numbers, but earlier this year that ambition was hanging in the balance.

Manager Toby Cantwell. RNZ / Mary Argue

Pūkaha’s plea for financial help

Established in 1962, the wildlife sanctuary is perhaps best known for its first species – the takahē, a Fiordland bird once thought extinct.

The flightless bird marked the start of Pūkaha’s breed and release programme for endangered species, but in June this year the sanctuary’s days were suddenly numbered.

In a desperate plea for financial help, the then-board announced that without an immediate and significant cash injection of $600,000, Pūkaha would be forced to shut its doors.

“Pūkaha has enjoyed over 60 years of community support, and we are asking our local community and New Zealand to again step up – provide financial assistance – or face the potential closure of this magnificent national treasure, ” then-board co-chair Mavis Mullins said at the time.

tūturuatu/ shore plover Tara Swan

Pūkaha’s financial woes escalated in a public stoush over payment for the construction of new aviaries for a critically endangered bird – the shore plover.

DOC had approved a grant for $530,000 for the aviaries – due to be completed before the end of 2024 – with funds to be released on the completion of agreed milestones.

But by May 2025, tensions regarding an unpaid $244,000 invoice from the contractor boiled over. BK Engineering walked off the job, and took its gear and the aviaries’ doors with it.

DOC said it hadn’t contracted the work and it was working with Pūkaha on finding a solution.

Ultimately, the department stepped in to finish the aviaries, saying they were integral for the shore plover breeding programme and urgently needed.

By mid-June the entire Pūkaha board had been replaced, and its new members were scrambling.

‘Sweat, tears and many hui’

It’s been a rollercoaster ride, according to Shane McManaway, the new board chair, who said the centre got itself into financial difficulties in the latter part of 2024 for “a whole host of reasons”.

Pūkaha’s 2023-2024 annual report shows soaring debt – hitting about $3 million – rising operational costs, and falling grant money.

While visitors numbers had increased, they were still about 12,000 below pre-pandemic levels.

By July this year, the new board closed a multi-million-dollar deal with iwi and creditors that kept Pūkaha’s doors open.

BK Engineering was paid, but McManaway says the board didn’t come up for air for months as its members sought to get a grip on Pūkaha’s finances and secure support.

“Day in and day out, all of June, all of July, and most of August we didn’t do anything else but really focus on making sure we got it back up on its feet,” McManaway says.

Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust chair Sonya Rimene said the deal with the sanctuary came after a “lot of sweat, tears and many hui”.

Ultimately, the Trust agreed to buy the sanctuary’s education complex, Whare Wānanga, (which it did in August) helping relieve some of the centre’s debt and also took on a $1 million loan from the Tararua District Council.

Masterton District Council and Central Energy Trust also came to the party, as did “many, many supporters” from across the region, Rimene said.

She said with Trust members on the board, helping to put Pūkaha “back in the black”, and the Whare Wānanga already fully booked into mid-next year, they’re feeling positive.

So is McManaway. He said the centre is currently advertising for a ‘Chief of Awesome’ to help enhance people’s experience at the sanctuary and boost numbers through the door – a key part of future revenue and financial stability.

“We want to do more than wash our face to be fair, we want to make sure we can grow the business,” he said.

“We really are putting a big effort in. A lot of hard work, but given that it’s such a special thing for our beautiful region, it’s been worth every hour that we’ve put in.”

McManaway said the sanctuary’s financial position is looking “pretty good” – a turnaround made possible by those who “rolled up their sleeves” and the staff who stuck it out during a “very awkward time”.

Sights set on future

That tumultuous period is something interim general manager Rhys Watkins would sooner leave behind.

“It was a tricky time… When the new board came in, they obviously had some work to do.”

That tumultuous period is something interim general manager Rhys Watkins would sooner leave behind. RNZ / Mary Argue

The “team of superstars” is getting things done, but he said running a conservation centre 364-days a year, doesn’t come cheap.

“[It’s] always a feel-good story and quite often it’s not wrapped around with bucketloads of money.”

Extensive trapping is required to ensure the survival of native species, such as kokako, kiwi, kakariki, and riroriro within and around the reserve’s 942 hectares, he said.

Infrastructure, for example aviaries for breeding programmes, also costs.

Despite the challenges, he’s optimistic.

“For myself, it’s a very exciting time and I think there’s opportunity on the horizon – and that’s great.

“From a place where you’re having discussions about doors closing… to now we’re opening doors left, right, and centre.”

DOC said work on stage one of the shore plover aviaries (whose doors were stripped) wrapped in August, and work is underway on a second aviary plus one for future chicks.

Lower North Island operations director Alice Heather said it took a lot of hard work to get the aviaries up-and-running and relocated the birds. There are currently 12 shore plovers on site.

She said Pūkaha is an important captive breeding site for endangered species and “the conservation of the critically endangered tūturuatu” is the current focus of DOC’s collaboration with the centre.

“While birds are co-housed, DOC is not encouraging breeding right now but will be actively encouraging the birds during the next breeding season, beginning in spring 2026.”

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