‘Like closing a timber mill’: Why Wellington’s economy needs to rely less on public sector

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Source: Radio New Zealand Wellington’s spending dropped 2.8 percent over the year, compared to a fall of 1 percent for the country. File photo. RNZ / REECE BAKER Wellington’s struggling economy is expected to be hit with another blow, with the government planning to cut 8700 jobs from the public sector by mid-2029. There are…

NZ exporter says ‘bit of a relief’ EU might exclude leather from deforestation rules

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Source: Radio New Zealand Part processed skins at a Tasman Tanning facility. Supplied A European Commission proposal to exclude leather products from new anti-deforestation import regulations is being labelled as a “bit of a relief” by a readied leather producer, but “nonsense” by campaigners. The European Union was working to reduce global deforestation in the…

Modern imaging technology for Southland Hospital

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Source: New Zealand Government Patients in Southland will benefit from higher-quality diagnostic imaging following the installation of an upgraded fluoroscopy machine at Southland Hospital, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. “This is a significant step forward in the quality of diagnostic imaging available locally, meaning Southlanders can access more advanced care close to home,” Mr Brown…

Dairy Industry Restructuring Act statutory review begins

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Source: New Zealand Government The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has today published the terms of reference for a statutorily required review on the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA), Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. “The review will examine whether the DIRA’s current competition provisions that regulate Fonterra remain necessary, fit-for-purpose, and achieve net benefits for…

Meth flee terminated in Terminus Street

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Source: New Zealand Police Attribute to Inspector Mike Henwood, Area Commander: Eastern Waikato. A 38-year-old man has been arrested following a pursuit on Terminus Street in Te Aroha last night. At approximately 7pm an officer observed a vehicle parked on the main street of Te Aroha with a number of people gathered around it. Officers…

Construction in Asia Pacific Region Remains Resilient as Insurers Emphasize Risk Governance, Aon Report

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Source: Media Outreach SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, today released insights from its 2026 Global Construction Insurance and Surety Market Report for Asia Pacific, highlighting that construction activity across the region remains resilient in 2026, supported by sustained investment in … Read more

Fleeing driver lands in court

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Source: New Zealand Police The driver of a stolen vehicle snapped speeding through Papakura is now facing a raft of charges. At about 11.15pm, officers attempted to stop a BMW travelling along East Street, which had been flagged as stolen. Counties Manukau South Area Response Manager, Senior Sergeant Clive Wood, says Police elected not to…

RAM hosts Hong Kong investor briefing as New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus Visa attracts growing global interest

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Source: Media Outreach HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – Real Asset Management (RAM) has hosted an exclusive Active Investor Plus investor briefing at its Hong Kong office, bringing together distribution partners, investors and representatives from Invest New Zealand, as offshore investor interest in New Zealand’s residency-by-investment pathway continues to … Read more

Green Party says National’s education law changes undermine teaching council

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Source: Radio New Zealand Green Party Education spokesperson Lawrence Xu-nan. VNP / Phil Smith A primary teachers union says a last-minute amendment from Education Minister places the Teaching Council under total ministerial control. The Green Party says it bad lawmaking and an ideologically driven undermining of the Council’s independence. Erica Stanford unveiled the changes to…

Fish go to great lengths in the Whanganui River

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Source: NZ Department of Conservation Date:  19 May 2026 Native migratory fish have been detected nearly 300 km inland from the Whanganui River mouth in recent research aimed at guiding restoration of the river. The research, conducted in partnership by Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust and the Department of Conservation, has involved surveying 16 sites through the…

Public service to be overhauled

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Source: New Zealand Government The Government is embarking on a fundamental overhaul of the public service to improve services, lift productivity and deliver better value for money, Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government Paul Goldsmith say. “The overhaul will reduce the number of government departments, increase the use…

Pre-Budget speech to Business North Harbour

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Source: New Zealand Government Good afternoon everyone. It’s my pleasure to join Business North Harbour once again and to speak with you about this year’s Government Budget. Let me acknowledge my colleague, Paul Goldsmith, the Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government. Most importantly, let me acknowledge the business leaders, employers, entrepreneurs and Kiwi…

Locked or looted, vehicle burglaries in Whataupoko

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Source: New Zealand Police Police are appealing for information following a series of vehicle break-ins reported in the Whataupoko area overnight. Detective Marshall Robb from Gisborne Police says they received seven reports of vehicles being unlawfully entered, and property stolen, between 6pm on Friday 15 May and 6am on Saturday 16 May. Items taken include…

Nearly 9000 public sector jobs to go, government agencies to merge, Nicola Willis announces

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Source: Radio New Zealand The government has announced plans to slash public service jobs by about 14 percent over the next three years in a shake-up it says will deliver $2.4 billion of savings. The changes announced in a pre-Budget speech delivered by Finance Minister Nicola Willis on Tuesday would result in about 8700 job…

Qing Dynasty Imperial Chef Descendant Anthony Lai Adopts Exotica Umami EX M Sauce

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Source: Media Outreach HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – Exotica Umami (EX M), the revolutionary multifunctional cooking sauce, has recently been adopted by acclaimed Hong Kong Chinese cuisine master Anthony Lai, a chef with over five decades of culinary experience. Through five distinctively contrasting dishes incorporating EX M from … Read more

Rents rise, but not in main centres

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Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Quin Tauetau Rents have risen at a national level for the first time since November – but places such as Wellington are still recording drops. Trade Me said the national median weekly rent advertised on its site dropped month-on-month in April by $5, to $625. Rents rose 6.7 percent…

Disability Support Services Bill ‘worst piece of legislation I’ve ever seen’ – advocate

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Source: Radio New Zealand Disability advocate Jane Carrigan. RNZ / Ana Tovey A disability advocate says a bill to clarify the purpose of Disability Support Services is the worst piece of legislation she’s ever seen. The government introduced the Disability Support Services Bill on Monday, aimed at “providing clarity and stability” to the system supporting…

Christopher Luxon says public service cuts will be on ‘case-by-case basis’

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Source: Radio New Zealand The Prime Minister says the public service isn’t a “make-work” scheme as he signals there will be job losses as a result of proposed government changes. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will set out three proposals in her Auckland pre-Budget speech on Tuesday afternoon in an effort to create efficiencies in the…

Public electric vehicle charger useless after copper cables chopped

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Source: Radio New Zealand Wires on a Meridian high capacity EV chargers pulled off was reported to police. Michael Taylor A public electric vehicle charger in Wellington has been left without charging cables, prompting a police report for copper theft. Hutt Valley resident Michael Taylor was in his friend’s vehicle on Friday, when they pulled…

Amplexd Therapeutics Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Investigational EGCg-Based HPV Therapy

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Source: Media Outreach HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 May 2026 – Amplexd Therapeutics, Inc. (“Amplexd”), a U.S.-based clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on women’s health and underserved therapeutic areas, today announced authorization from the Hong Kong Department of Health to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating its novel EGCg-based investigational therapy … Read more

Fresh Laundry: Forget Spotify, try the spin cycle

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Source: Radio New Zealand Aucklanders can listen to tunes while waiting for their washing courtesy of art installation Fresh Laundry. Fresh Laundry put out an open call in February asking artists for songs “dying on their hard drives”, artist and musician Jefferson Chen, AKA Goodspace told RNZ’s Culture 101. Over 70 responded and that compilation…

University of Canterbury’s space lab ready for lift-off

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Source: Radio New Zealand Associate Professor Sarah Kessans with protein crystallisation experiments sent to the International Space Station in 2024. Claire Concannon / RNZ Researchers from the University of Canterbury have created a shoebox-sized laboratory designed to help develop better medicines in space. The fully-automated lab means biotechnology experiments can be conducted in microgravity, between…