Green SM introduces a premium all-electric taxi experience to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

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September 16, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

CPA Australia is one of the largest professional accounting bodies in the world, with nearly 175,000 members in over 100 countries and regions, including more than 22,500 members in Greater China. CPA Australia is celebrating its 70^th anniversary in Hong Kong this year. Our core services include education, training, technical support and advocacy. CPA Australia provides thought leadership on issues affecting the accounting profession and the public interest. We engage with governments, regulators and industries to advocate policies that stimulate sustainable economic growth and have positive business and public outcomes. Find out more at cpaaustralia.com.au
– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

GP Industries completes strategic HK$504 million Equivalent Sustainability Linked Term Loan Facility

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September 16, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

Sustainability targets encompass eco-friendly manufacturing practices and robust corporate sustainability transformation

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 September 2025 – GP Industries Limited (“GP Industries”, SGX: G20), the 86.18%-owned subsidiary of the Hong Kong-listed Gold Peak Technology Group Limited (“Gold Peak”, SEHK: 40), today completed a 3-year syndicated sustainability-linked loan facility (the “SLL Facility”) of HK$504 million with 5 major banks, with The Bank of East Asia, Limited (“BEA”) as the mandated lead arranger and bookrunner. Other mandated lead arrangers are CNCB (Hong Kong) Investment Limited, AFFIN Bank Berhad and East West Bank, Hong Kong Branch. Lead arranger is Bank of China Limited, Singapore Branch.

Despite the challenging global environment, this SLL Facility of HK$504 million reflects strong confidence and support from the banking sector in GP Industries’ commitment and achievements in Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) principles.

Victor Lo, Chairman of Gold Peak and GP Industries, said, “Gold Peak is deeply committed to long-term sustainable development and has a proven track record in this area. The establishment of this SLL Facility not only affirms our strategic direction but also enhances our ability to pursue innovative financing solutions and operational best practices that underpin sustainable business growth.”

“Our dedication to enhancing our environmental and social performance remains unwavering. We will actively work to mitigate climate risks and prioritize investments in medium- to long-term ESG initiatives that are designed to generate enduring value for our key stakeholders and shareholders. By integrating ESG principles as a fundamental driver of our corporate strategy, we are confident in our ability to make significant strides towards achieving net-zero emissions. These efforts will yield substantial benefits not only for our diverse stakeholder group but also for our communities and the planet as a whole,” added Victor Lo.

Michael Lam, Vice-Chairman and Executive Vice President of GP Industries, commented, “As a leading company in the batteries, audio, and electronics industries, GP Industries is committed to embedding sustainability principles across its operations. We have made significant progress in advancing our sustainability agenda, reflecting our commitment to responsible corporate citizenship and long-term value creation. Since 2017, we have regularly reported our ESG performance to stakeholders as part of our disciplined approach to transparency and long-term value creation. We actively advocate for the adoption of rechargeable batteries to minimize waste, and our GP Recyko rechargeable products have received positive market reception. We have also accelerated the packaging sustainability efforts by transitioning over 1,000 GP-branded consumer battery products to paper-based packaging across Europe. This initiative has led to an annual reduction of 48 tons of plastic and 30 tons of material waste per year, marking a significant milestone in the company’s long-term commitment to environmental stewardship.”

“For our acoustics portfolio, KEF GP Group (“KGG Group”), which comprises KEF, Celestion and GP Electronics, will continue to invest in green manufacturing facility. The SLL Facility underscores our commitment to environmental preservation while delivering exceptional sound quality to our customers.”

The last financial year represents a pivotal milestone for GP Industries as the company formally announced its science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which encompass Scopes 1 and 2 operational emissions. Building on its ongoing de-carbonization roadmap, GP Industries has established interim and long-term reduction targets as follows:

a 20% reduction by 2030 compared to the FY2024 baseline;
a 60% reduction by 2040; and
the achievement of net-zero operational emissions (i.e., 100% reduction) by 2050.

GP Industries is dedicated to advancing sustainable manufacturing practices. Among many sustainability awards, four of its battery manufacturing facilities have achieved Zero Waste to Landfill Platinum or Gold validation from UL Solutions, demonstrating its commitment to diverting 95-100% of waste from landfills through effective waste reduction and diversion strategies. Additionally, GP Batteries, the battery business of the company, has gained EcoVadis badge with assessment results exceeded industry standards, reflecting its strong performance in environmental stewardship, labor practices, human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. GP Industries aspires to lead the industry in sustainability initiatives and to continually enhance its contributions to a greener future.

Kelvin Au, General Manager and Head of Wholesale Banking Division at The Bank of East Asia, Limited, said, “GP Industries Limited is an internationally renowned manufacturing company with deep roots in the battery and audio businesses. It has built a formidable legacy spanning over six decades. GP Industries Limited now stands as a global leader in consumer batteries under its “GP” and “Pairdeer” brands, and as a trailblazer in high-end audio equipment under the premium brand “KEF”. BEA appreciates the company’s dynamism and pioneering spirit in driving transformation. As the sole mandated lead arranger and bookrunner for this sustainability-linked syndicated loan and GP Industries Limited’s main banking partner, BEA will leverage our global network and comprehensive financial expertise to deliver end-to-end solutions tailored to GP’s evolving business needs.”

The 3-year SLL Facility has a tiered incentive mechanism where GP Industries is entitled to an interest reduction when the SLL Facility sustainability targets are achieved. This SLL Facility was signed by GPI International Limited and GP Batteries International Limited, with the parent company, GP Industries, providing a corporate guarantee. GP Industries plans to deploy the proceeds from the SLL Facility to strengthen its financial position, support ongoing long-term investments in advanced manufacturing technologies, enhance operational efficiencies, and reinforce its commitment to sustainable business practices.

Photo captions:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vuYH-bQ-vG9JQxhe-gzr6IhT7fzNe02l?usp=sharing

(Center left) Michael Lam, Vice-Chairman and Executive Vice-President of GP Industries, signed the SLL Facility of HK$504 million with 5 major banks.
(Back row, 6 from left) Victor Lo, Chairman of both GP Industries and Gold Peak, expressed gratitude to the banks for their staunch support on the SLL Facility.

Hashtag: #GPIndustries

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

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

Annual food prices increase 5.0 percent – Selected price indexes: August 2025 – Stats NZ news story and information release

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September 16, 2025

Annual food prices increase 5.0 percent – news story

16 September 2025

Food prices increased 5.0 percent in the 12 months to August 2025, the same increase as in the 12 months to July 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

Higher prices for the grocery food group, up 4.7 percent, contributed most to the annual increase in food prices.

The price increase for the grocery food group was due to higher prices for milk, cheese, and butter.

The average price for:

milk was $4.72 per 2 litres, up 16.3 percent annually
cheese was $12.89 per 1 kilogram block, up 26.2 percent annually
butter was $8.58 per 500 grams, up 31.8 percent annually.

Visit our website to read this 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

Selected price indexes: August 2025 – update

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September 16, 2025

Selected price indexes: August 2025 – update

16 September 2025

Three Food Price Index tables in Infoshare have not updated to include data for August 2025. However, the data can be accessed via the CSV file under Download data on Selected price indexes: August 2025 and via Infoshare using Export Direct.

The impacted tables are:

Food Price Index for New Zealand (monthly)
Food Price Index Level 2 Subgroups for New Zealand (monthly)
Food Price Index Level 3 Classes for New Zealand (monthly).

We are working to resolve the issue and will provide a further update on both the Selected price indexes: August 2025 information release and the Infoshare changes by date webpage when the data is available on Infoshare.

We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

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

XTransfer and SPD Bank Shanghai Branch Enter Strategic Partnership Agreement

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September 16, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

GUANGZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 September 2025 – XTransfer, the World’s Leading & China’s No.1 B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, announced the strategic partnership agreement with the SPD Bank Shanghai Branch during the “XTransfer TradeVision Summit 2025”. The partnership aims to enhance collaboration on key objectives, including local accounts, multi-currency settlement, and compliance risk control, to provide SMEs engaged in foreign trade with safer, more efficient, and more convenient global collection and cash management services, facilitating connections for businesses around the world.

Senior representatives from both sides attended the signing ceremony, including Bill Deng, XTransfer Founder and CEO and Zhang Xianfeng, Vice President of SPD Bank Shanghai Branch.

SPD Bank has consistently embraced open innovation and continually advanced its digital strategy. The bank has strong service capabilities and professional expertise in cross-border finance, maintaining a long-standing commitment to supporting the global development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in foreign trade.

XTransfer specialises in B2B foreign trade finance and leverages technology to connect large global financial institutions with SMEs. It offers integrated solutions, including foreign trade payments and collections, multi-currency cash management, and intelligent risk control. To date, XTransfer has served over 700,000 corporate clients worldwide.

Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, stated, “We are excited to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with SPD Bank Shanghai Branch. SPD Bank has significant experience and strong resources in cross-border financial services. By combining their expertise with XTransfer’s innovative technology and global network, we aim to offer SMEs engaged in foreign trade a higher-quality financial infrastructure. This collaboration will support their steady growth in the global market.”

Zhang Xianfeng, Vice President of SPD Bank Shanghai Branch, stated, “SPD Bank will continue to collaborate closely with XTransfer, aiming to achieve the goal of ‘local accounts that connect the globe and explore new opportunities in foreign trade’. We are committed to enhancing our cross-border financial service system, providing robust financial support for Chinese enterprises expanding globally, and working with all industry stakeholders to promote high-quality development in foreign trade.”

Looking ahead, the two parties will continue to enhance their cooperation on several key objectives, including local accounts, multi-currency settlement, and risk control system development. This collaboration aims to promote innovation and upgrade China’s foreign trade financial ecosystem, allowing SMEs to access cross-border financial services comparable to those offered to large multinational corporations.

https://www.xtransfer.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtransfer.cn
https://x.com/xtransferglobal
https://www.facebook.com/XTransferGlobal/
https://www.instagram.com/xtransfer.global

Hashtag: #XTransfer #SPDBank #Crossborder #Payment #SMEs #Partnership

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

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

Charges laid in relation to Bryndwr incident

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September 16, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Please attribute to Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill:

A 47-year-old man has been charged in relation to an incident in Bryndwr, Christchurch on 13 August, where a woman was fatally shot by Police.

The man has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon and has been summonsed to appear in Christchurch District Court on 13 November.

The charge relates to the family harm-related incident which preceded the police shooting.

A critical incident investigation is ongoing in relation to the shooting.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Clearing the path for offshore wind investment

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September 16, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is making changes to legislation to unlock New Zealand’s offshore wind potential, Energy Minister Simon Watts says.

“New Zealand has some of the world’s greatest offshore wind potential, offering a significant opportunity to generate economic growth while powering our homes and businesses,” Mr Watts says.

“Offshore wind requires a significant upfront investment. That’s why we are establishing a clear regulatory regime through the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill that was introduced last year, to give developers the certainty they need to invest and kickstart the sector.

“However, during the Select Committee Process, offshore wind developers raised concerns about their projects coexisting with other activities, particularly seabed mining.

“To address these concerns and ensure nothing stands in the way of unlocking our offshore wind potential, Cabinet has agreed to amend the draft legislation. These changes will create greater investment certainty for both offshore wind and seabed mining.

“The amendments will enable the Government to use secondary legislation to designate specific marine space where permits could be invited for offshore renewable projects while there is a pause on granting new permits for seabed mining under the Crown Minerals Act.

“This is a pragmatic step to address a key concern raised by the industry. By providing clear, designated areas for offshore wind, we’re creating the investment confidence needed to kickstart the sector.

“The restrictions will apply to seabed mining, not petroleum, activities and will not affect existing minerals projects’ rights to prospect, explore and mine.

“We have made no decisions on exactly where the first designated area will be, though it is likely to be somewhere in South Taranaki.

“The Government will take into account the impact on existing mining permit holders when determining these areas, and our expectation is the offshore wind and minerals sectors enter into constructive discussions on how their activities may exist near to each other.”

An Amendment Paper will be drafted and introduced to the legislation to formalise these changes.

Transporting New Zealand welcomes competition law shake-up

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September 16, 2025

Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Road Freight Association Transporting New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s competition law shakeup, saying that reform is needed to address limited competition in ports, airports, airlines, retail electricity and fuel.

Transporting New Zealand’s Head of Policy and Advocacy Billy Clemens says that as a highly competitive sector of over 5,000 individual businesses, 75% operating 5 trucks or fewer, road freight businesses were frustrated with large supply chain partners frequently increasing costs without improving their services.

“ Reports from MBIE and the OECD have highlighted weak competition in key sectors of the economy, including from banking, insurance, ports, and airports, just to name a few.”

“As an example, over the past few years our members have seen substantial hikes in some port access feesthat road freight companies and their customers pay to collect and deliver cargo, with no proportional increase in port productivity and performance.”

Clemens says that the proposed reforms had the potential to stop markets becoming increasingly concentrated, and could potentially enable the creation of industry codes or rules to promote competition between supply chain partners.

“This is a great opportunity to boost New Zealand’s productivity and put downward pressure on road freight costs, that will benefit all businesses and consumers.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing the Commerce Act amendments introduced to Parliament and consulted on before Christmas, and passed by mid next year.”

Employment – Tokoroa can’t take more job cuts – NZCTU

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September 16, 2025

Source: NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to help the Tokoroa community after Carter Holt Harvey confirmed the likely closure of the plywood plant in the town.

“This is another body blow to a community already reeling from the loss of jobs at the OJI Fibre plant. 100 secure, well-paid jobs are being lost. The Government must act now to help,” said Wagstaff.

“It’s not just the workers directly impacted by this change who will feel its effect. Their families, communities, and the local economy have already suffered due to job losses.

“These workers could face a brighter future if the Government were to genuinely commit to delivering a just transition for Tokoroa. The skills and talents of workers don’t need to be lost if we could build sustainable industries that provide well-paid jobs.

“This Government lacks the political will to invest and seems content to sit by and watch these workers and the Tokoroa community suffer.

“These job losses are the latest in a trend of large employers closing their operations in New Zealand. Unemployment is rising. Businesses are not investing. Working people are suffering. Yet there is no plan except cuts and empty promises.

“With a different approach, different outcomes are possible. It’s time to change track, and invest in communities like Tokoroa, and not let them fall further behind,” said Wagstaff.