New business pathway welcome but don’t repeat mistake of setting English language bar too high

August 27, 2025

Source: New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment

Immigration advisers support a new residence pathway for migrants but urge the government not to repeat its mistake of setting the bar too high on English language requirements.

“The Business Investor Visa announced today is a positive step, but it’s concerning that the requirements around English language have yet to be defined,” says the Chair of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment, Simon Laurent.

“Immigration advisers certainly don’t want to see a repeat of the mess around the Skilled Migrant Visa, which is bordering on racism as it discriminates against people from non-English language speaking countries.

“It’s important that migrants can communicate in English, but the bar is set too high for the Skilled Migrant Visa. This harsh requirement must not be repeated in the new Business Investor Visa.

“New Zealand has a long and shameful history of immigration policies that have discriminated against people from non-Anglocentric countries. One of the principal tools for enforcing this
racial and cultural bias was — and continues to be — how well they spoke English.

“The legacy of discrimination remains embedded in our current immigration system. And nowhere is this more evident than in the language requirements for permanent residence under the Skilled Migrant Category. The settings today are, irrefutably, too high.

“The current International English Language Testing System (IELTS) requirement for Skilled Migrant Residence is higher than that needed for international students to enter undergraduate study at University of Auckland.

“A Skilled Migrant applicant from a non-Anglocentric country must have a current test score at or above 6.5, whereas the University of Auckland requires students from countries that are not from a predominantly English-speaking country to provide a current test score at or above 6.0 for entry into a Bachelor of Arts degree programme.

“The requirement also surpasses the language standards required for enrolment in trades-based qualifications approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, which are typically set at a minimum of IELTS 5.0.

“If we are serious about equity and about selecting migrants based on their potential to contribute, rather than their country of origin, then our language requirements must reflect that, ” Laurent says.

The Association wants the Government to change these settings, ending discrimination against applicants from non-English speaking backgrounds who might otherwise make a material contribution to New Zealand.

“It’s time to ensure our immigration rules reflect fairness, not old colonial prejudices.
“Similarly, it is difficult to justify setting an English threshold for applicants under the new Migrant Investor Visa scheme that is too high, when at the same time we wish to encourage them to make a significant investment of their wealth and their business skills to our economy.

“A final point is that while the government has unveiled a pathway for experienced businesspeople, we await keenly the other half of the policy – that for start-up entrepreneurs. Both pathways are important to New Zealand, which has large numbers of mature business owners who want to retire and are looking to sell their business, plus opportunities for talented migrants to bring their new ideas to the New Zealand market,” Laurent says.

Simon Laurent is Chair of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment, the longest-standing organisation for immigration professionals.

MIL OSI

Northbound lanes blocked, SH 1, Transmission Gully near Whitby

LiveNews Publisher

August 27, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Police have been called to a two-vehicle crash on Transmission Gully near Whitby about 3.25pm.

All northbound lanes from Waitangirua Link Road are closed, and motorists are advised to avoid Transmission Gully and take the old State Highway route.

Southbound traffic on the highway is down to one lane, and motorists should expect delays.

One motorist is reported to have critical injuries and will be airlifted to hospital.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

ENDS

MIL OSI

Police shut down cannabis grow operation

LiveNews Publisher

August 27, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

A man is facing a range of charges after Police seized over 100 cannabis plants, a firearm, and ammunition in Greymouth.

About 12:30pm on Monday (25 August) Police executed a search warrant at an address in Cobden.

During the search of the property Police uncovered an indoor grow setup with over 100 cannabis plants, a rifle, and a small amount of ammunition.

The warrant is part of Tasman Police’s continued effort to crack down on criminals profiting from the sale of drugs.

“Anytime we can put a grow setup out of action it’s a good result,” says Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood.

“Police will continue to target people producing illegal drugs in our communities.

“We are particularly pleased to also take an illegal firearm out of circulation, given the significant risk it creates to our wider community and our staff.”

The 41-year-old man is due to appear in Greymouth District Court on 24 September.

Charges include supplying cannabis, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawful possession of a firearm part.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre.

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Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence centre announces new name

LiveNews Publisher

August 27, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

The Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour has today confirmed the new name for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence multi-agency organisation.

“I am pleased to announce that it will now be called ‘The Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention’.

“This name reflects the role this team plays in aligning government strategy, policy and investment to improve the family violence and sexual violence system through the implementation of the National Strategy and its Action Plan,” said Min Chhour.

The Centre supports government agencies to take a collective, community-led and people-centred approach to delivering solutions that prevent and respond to violence, strengthen and heal.

It has significant work underway in partnership with communities and plays a central role in enabling evidence-based responses to family violence and sexual violence.

For information about The Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention, visit their website at www.preventfvsv.govt.nz.

MIL OSI

Gender Pay Gap lowest since records began

LiveNews Publisher

August 27, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand’s gender pay gap has decreased from 8.2 percent in the June 2024 quarter to 5.2 percent in the June 2025 quarter, which is the lowest since the series began in 1998 according to Stats NZ data released today.

“This is fantastic news for women across New Zealand,” Minister for Women, Nicola Grigg says.

“The Government is committed to growing the economy to lift wages, opportunities, and living standards for all New Zealanders. Inflation and interest rates are down, wages are growing faster than inflation, and growth is expected to average 2.7% per year creating 240,000 jobs over the next four years.

“Last year I launched the first ever, government-backed gender pay gap calculator to support businesses to reduce their gender pay gap. I want to thank everyone who has taken up the challenge, calculated their pay gap, and taken action to address it. Collectively we are all working towards achieving my ambition of growing economic empowerment for women across the country.

“The data today shows women’s median hourly earnings in the past year have grown to $33.76. However, pay gaps remain wider for women from some ethnic groups, so I will be launching the second iteration of the toolkit to address those ethnic pay gaps in the coming months,” Ms Grigg says.

The gender pay gap declined 3.0 percentage points, the first statistically significant decline since 2017.

“I’m incredibly proud of the businesses that have leaned into addressing their gender pay gaps. We know there is more to do to keep growing incomes and closing the pay gap and I encourage all employers to make this a priority.

“Our Government is focused on supercharging the economy so that all New Zealanders are better off, including women and girls across the country.”

MIL OSI

Northland Police carry out tens of thousands of breath tests

LiveNews Publisher

August 27, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Northlanders thinking they can get away with driving after a few drinks are more likely to be stopped, with Police calling out a “reckless culture” amongst some.

It comes after Northland Police conducted 37,000 breath tests across the region within the past two months.

Police officers in a variety of roles are all playing their part in reducing harm on their roads, Northland’s Road Policing Manager Inspector John Fagan says.

In the past week alone 5,500 breath screening tests were carried out as part of regular duties.

“Concerningly, we found 30 drivers to be driving well beyond the legal breath alcohol limit,” Inspector Fagan says.

“It’s 30 too many, and those drivers could have gone on to cause serious harm or death to themselves or other people in their community.”

Those apprehended by Police were at opposite ends of the day, from 10am in the morning through to the very early hours.

Police are calling on the community to stamp out “reckless” old habits.

“There’s a culture amongst some in Northland that think it’s okay to drive after drinking – it’s not,” Inspector Fagan says.

“It’s reckless behaviour and it just endangers everyone else on the road.”

The message is simple: If you’re drinking, don’t drive.

“We’re not just catching drunk drivers – we’re out there every day and night working to prevent deaths and serious injury on Northland roads.”

Police remind motorists to be sober and wear a seatbelt.

“A seatbelt saves lives, whereas alcohol takes them. Make the right choice – every trip, every time.

“Just don’t be surprised to be stopped anytime by one of our officers,” Inspector Fagan says.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL OSI

Trend Micro Named a Leader in Exposure Management by IDC MarketScape

MIL OSI

August 27, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

Measurable reduction of operational silos and cyber risk delivered with Trend Vision One™ Cyber Risk Exposure Management

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 August 2025 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, is today delighted to announce it has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Exposure Management 2025 Vendor Assessment* for its Cyber Risk Exposure Management offering.

To learn more about Trend Micro’s leadership in this IDC MarketScape,, please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/explore/idc-marketscape-exposure-management

Kevin Simzer, COO at Trend: “Running a successful business is all about managing risk effectively. With our exposure management solution, organizations are empowered to proactively understand and manage exposure across their entire environment from a single location. It’s compliance and risk management made easy to help align cybersecurity to business and innovation objectives.”

The IDC MarketScape highlights several strengths for Trend:

“Trend Micro combines native security posture management tools with several third-party integrations to provide exposure telemetry to CREM, bringing many types of exposure, including those in identities, into a centralized platform. Users can also create Vision One playbooks for automated endpoint and account remediation tasks.”
“Users may launch the Trend Companion GenAI assistant to ask natural language questions about the exposures in the platform as well as suggestions for making themselves more secure. Suggested prompts are available and depend on where the user is in the platform.”

The IDC MarketScape notes, “Trend Vision One Cyber Risk Exposure Management is particularly well suited for enterprises aiming to consolidate security tools and automate remediation, with the added ability to report on compliance requirements within the Trend Micro ecosystem. The solution is an optimal fit for buyers that value integrated asset discovery, predictive analytics, and automated response within a single platform, especially where reducing operational silos and achieving measurable risk reduction are strategic priorities.”

*IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Exposure Management 2025 Vendor Assessment, #US52994525IDC, August 2025

About the IDC MarketScape:
IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of technology and suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each supplier’s position within a given market. The Capabilities score measures supplier product, go-to-market and business execution in the short-term. The Strategy score measures alignment of supplier strategies with customer requirements in a 3-5-year timeframe. Supplier market share is represented by the size of the icons.

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Hashtag: #trendmicro #trendvisionone #visionone #cybersecurity #crem #exposuremanagement

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

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

Wētā translocation marks species protection milestone

LiveNews Publisher

August 27, 2025

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date: 27 August 2025

The translocation marks a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to protect the critically endangered species.

The Māhoenui giant wētā is one of the world’s largest insects, measuring up to 7cm and weighing approximately 15 grams. Originating from a single site in the North Island and found at only three other North Island locations, they are classified as “Nationally Critical” and face serious threats.

DOC staff have been working closely with Ōtorohanga Kiwi House – where there is a captive breeding programme and specially built laboratories – and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari on the translocation, which follows earlier releases to the sanctuary in 2012-13. Previous translocations to private land at Warrenheip (near Cambridge) and Mahurangi Island (off the Coromandel coast) have played a crucial role in protection of this species.

“Today’s translocation reflects just how successful Ōtorohanga Kiwi House’s captive breeding programme has been,” says DOC Senior Biodiversity Advisor Amanda Haigh.

“Releasing the precious offspring of captive wētā into a natural habitat at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari – free of predators and threats – is really rewarding for everyone involved. Our hope is they breed with offspring of those Māhoenui giant wētā released at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in 2012-13.”

Amanda says support of Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, who regard the wētā as a taonga species, has been vital for the captive breeding programme.

“To have our iwi partners providing guidance on the appropriate tikanga for the handover of the wētā from Ngāti Maniapoto to Ngāti Koroki Kahukura demonstrates the partnership which has made this translocation possible.”

The tono (request) of this taonga to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari reflects the shared kaitiakitanga and enduring relationship between Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and Ngāti Maniapoto. It strengthens iwi connection to the whenua and collective commitment to restoring balance to the ngahere.

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari CEO Helen Hughes echoed the importance of collaboration.

“This translocation of Māhoenui giant wētā to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is a powerful example of what can be achieved through strong conservation partnerships and collaboration.

“Working alongside iwi, the Department of Conservation and Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, we’re proud to support the recovery of this nationally significant species and once again contribute to the protection of Aotearoa’s unique biodiversity.”

The nocturnal animals were released by experienced wētā handlers into pre-selected locations across Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.

Ōtorohanga Kiwi House Wildlife Manager Mathew Ronaldson says each wētā underwent thorough health checks and individual monitoring to maximise survival and successful adaptation to the wild habitat. The captive breeding programme is the only one of its kind for this species, with every wētā released at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari the result of a carefully managed and intensive multi-year effort.

“The programme began in 2021 with founder individuals transferred from the Mahoenui Scientific Reserve, laying the foundation for a long-term recovery plan,” he says.

“Specialist wētā husbandry techniques have been developed at Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, including artificial incubation, climate-controlled environments, species-specific diets, and custom-designed enclosures mimicking the wētā natural behaviours.”

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

MIL OSI

Express lane for new supermarkets

LiveNews Publisher

August 27, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government will remove barriers preventing competitor supermarkets from launching or expanding in New Zealand with a series of urgent legislative and policy changes Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says.

“We’re creating an express lane for new supermarkets to boost competition and deliver better deals for Kiwi shoppers.

“Earlier this year we ran a Request for Information (RFI) process asking what would help challenger supermarkets take on the current duopoly.

“The responses revealed widespread frustration with restrictive zoning, slow consenting, and cumbersome regulations that make it extremely difficult for new competitors to gain a foothold in the New Zealand grocery sector.

“In response to this feedback the Government has agreed to:

Legislate so that new supermarkets which would improve grocery competition regionally or nationally will qualify as fast-track referrable projects under the Fast-Track Approvals Act. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament in November and passed by the end of the year. It will be supported by a new Government Policy Statement on Grocery Competition.
Streamline building consenting processes for new supermarkets by selecting a single building consent authority to standardise and streamline building consent processes for grocery developments that would enable competition regionally or nationally.
Amend Building Act regulations to facilitate pre-approved “MultiProof” building plans for multiple grocery developments.
Improve the operation of the Overseas Investment Act regime by clarifying the pathways available for grocery investments, including through grocery-specific provisions in the Ministerial Directive Letter.
Amend the Commerce Act to better combat “predatory pricing” with the introduction of an objective economic test for the prosecution of firms misusing their market power to exclude or stamp-out competitors.
Actively explore options for potential importers of food to bring new product lines into the country.

“The responses to the RFI revealed five prospective new domestic competitors and credible growth aspirations among several existing grocery retailers.

“Ultimately those businesses will make their own investment decisions about whether and when to launch new supermarkets – the Government’s policy changes are intended to give them more confidence to do so.

“We have been in talks with Costco about its plans to open more stores in New Zealand. Costco is a major international grocery player whose annual revenue exceeds New Zealand’s GDP. Their single West Auckland store has already markedly changed competitive dynamics in that local area and has provided a major export-pathway for New Zealand food producers.

“Costco has confirmed the Government’s express lane consenting approach will assist with their future expansion plans. They have also confirmed they can see opportunities for new stores to be built in New Zealand in the next few years.

“It is disappointing that other major international retailers such as Aldi and Lidl opted not to take part in the initial RFI. It’s possible that the changes we are announcing today will encourage them to take a more serious look at New Zealand.

“I note that many responses to the RFI reinforced the importance of work to ensure existing fair trading, grocery and competition legislation is adequately promoting the interests of consumers and effectively deterring anti-competitive behaviour.

“The Commerce Commission is progressing a number of enforcement actions under existing law and is investigating stronger protections for suppliers under the Grocery Supply Code.

“The Government has completed consultation on changes to promote consumer interests by strengthening enforcement and penalties under the Fair Trading Act. Potential changes will shortly be considered by Cabinet.

“Some respondents to the RFI argued that the only way to truly improve supermarket competition is for the Government to forcibly break up Foodstuffs and/or Woolworths due to their entrenched market positions.

“A decision to restructure the supermarkets is not a decision that would be taken lightly. It would be a significant intervention that would carry costs and risks that would need to be rigorously weighted against the potential benefits to shoppers.

“A cost-benefit analysis is underway on specific options for restructuring the duopoly and will inform future advice I intend to take to Cabinet on whether further legislative changes are required to improve competition.

“Our objective is a more competitive grocery market that delivers better prices and more choice for Kiwi shoppers. We remain open to potential market-led solutions that may be put forward by the major incumbents.

Notes to Editors:

The Government ran a Request for Information process from 30 March to 12 May 2025. The RFI asked about the barriers to entry and investing and growing at scale in the market.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) received 24 responses to the RFI. Responses came from a mix of existing companies, prospective competitors, advocacy groups and other interested parties.
Due to commercial sensitivities, RFI responses will not be publicly released.
The grocery work programme has three streams:

Regulatory: reducing regulatory barriers to make entry and growth of retailers easier and more attractive.
Enforcement: strengthening fair trading and competition legislation to deter anti-competitive behaviour and promote the interests of consumers.
Structural: investigating the costs, benefits and risks of restructuring the incumbent retailers in order to promote competition.

MIL OSI

HID Unveils Next-Generation FIDO Hardware and Centralized Management at Scale

MIL OSI

August 27, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

The Next Generation of HID’s FIDO Portfolio Features Hardware Authenticators and a Centralized Management Experience that Simplifies Passkey Deployment

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 August 2025 – HID, a global leader in trusted identity and access control solutions, has announced a new line of FIDO-certified credentials—now powered by the new Enterprise Passkey Management (EPM) solution— designed to help organizations deploy and manage passkeys at the enterprise scale. New research from FIDO Alliance shows that while 87% of enterprises are adopting passkeys, nearly half of those that are yet to deploy cite complexity and cost concerns as primary barriers. HID’s solution streamlines the shift to passwordless authentication.

Seos® FIDO-Enabled Card enables secure access to both physical spaces and business applications.

This next phase of HID’s passwordless authentication roadmap gives enterprises choice, flexibility, and speed to deploy FIDO without compromising user experience or security posture. The expanded portfolio delivers phishing-resistant authentication with enterprise-grade lifecycle management, making scalable passwordless security accessible to organizations of all sizes. The solution works seamlessly across diverse work environments while reducing IT support requirements through centralized visibility and control.

Unlock Enterprise-Grade Passkey Management – at scale

Rolling out FIDO across the enterprise isn’t just about secure hardware—it’s about control, continuity, and compliance. HID’s new subscription-based solution empowers IT and IAM leaders to drive passwordless adoption at scale—securely, efficiently, and with full administrative oversight.

With HID’s Enterprise Passkey Management, you can:

Remotely initiate and manage provisioning — Issue FIDO credentials on behalf of users to reduce manual effort, end user training requirements and accelerate deployment.

Gain full lifecycle visibility — Manage issuance, revocation and audit trails at scale to support compliance and operational efficiency.

Physical access control support

Organizations facing the inefficiencies and complexity of managing physical and logical access separately can now address these challenges with HID’s one-card solution. Combining HID’s robust physical access control portfolio with FIDO-based, passwordless authentication, the solution enables secure access to both physical spaces and business applications. This unified approach streamlines deployment and management, driving higher workforce productivity and operational efficiency.

Seos^®FIDO-Enabled Card – Combines Seos physical access technology with phishing-resistant FIDO 2.1 authentication in a secure, single credential.
MIFARE DESFire EV3 FIDO-Enabled Card – Integrates advanced DESFire EV3 smart card technology with FIDO 2.1 support for unified access.

“As the line between physical and logical access continues to fade, organizations are increasingly seeking trusted partners to help streamline the credential management across both domains,” said Jerry Wang, Head of Physical Access Control Solutions, North APAC at HID. “With our proven strength in trusted identity and access control solutions, we’re well-positioned to help organizations make that transition securely and efficiently with HID’s one-card solution.”

The Seos FIDO-Enabled Card and MIFARE DESFire EV3 FIDO-Enabled Card are now available to order.

For more information, visit the website.

https://www.hidglobal.com
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http://www.facebook.com/hidglobal
https://www.hidglobal.com/main/media-center/

Hashtag: #HID #FIDO #credentials

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

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

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