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Banking – Bay of Plenty leads, Auckland shows signs of recovery in ASB’s latest Regional Economic Scoreboard

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September 15, 2025

Source: ASB

Bay of Plenty tops ASB’s Regional Economic Scoreboard for the first time in nearly a decade.
Signs of growth and improved confidence shift Auckland into top half of Scoreboard.
Strong commodity prices lift Southland into second place.

Bay of Plenty has soared up the rankings to claim the top spot in ASB’s Regional Economic Scoreboard for the June 2025 quarter. The region’s strong performance was driven by a standout kiwifruit season, resilient employment growth, and rising consumer confidence.

Southland and Otago rounded out the top three spots, continuing the South Island’s economic dominance over the past year. Meanwhile, Wellington fell to the bottom of the rankings, weighed down by weak consumer sentiment and ongoing public sector restructuring.

The Scoreboard ranks New Zealand’s 16 regions across key indicators including employment, retail trade, house prices, and consumer confidence. This quarter’s results show rural regions outperforming urban centres, with commodity prices and primary sector strength driving momentum.

“It’s fair to say kiwifruit has brought home the trophy,” says ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley. “A strong season has boosted incomes in the Bay, supporting improvements across employment, retail, and housing.”

“The Bay’s labour market has shown impressive resilience, even as nationwide conditions remain subdued. With employment growth holding steady and optimism rising, the Bay is set for continued momentum.”

Regional highlights

Bay of Plenty has New Zealand’s highest consumer sentiment, solid employment growth (up 3.2%, ranked second), and strong house sales (up 25.8%), despite a slight dip in construction activity.
Southland jumped from eighth to second place this quarter, buoyed by strong commodity prices and a resilient housing market, with house prices rising 3.4% and sales up 32%.
Otago maintained third place, supported by tourism and retail strength, though construction and housing indicators softened.
Auckland climbed five places to rank fifth, showing signs of recovery across retail and improving consumer sentiment.
Wellington dropped to last with house prices falling 3.3% and consumer confidence low.

“Auckland showed promising signs of life in the June quarter,” says Nick. “Strong population growth and more confident consumers helped lift activity across housing, retail and construction, pushing the City of Sails up five places to rank fifth.”

“While there’s pockets of pain, particularly around employment and house sales, the region is beginning to show the resilience we expect from the country’s largest economic centre.”

National trends

Retail trade volumes rose 0.5% quarter-on-quarter, with annual growth at 2.3%.
House sales increased 3.5% quarter-on-quarter, though selling times remain longer than pre-COVID norms.
Export volumes declined 3.7% over the quarter, reflecting global headwinds and the impact of new US tariffs on NZ goods.
Net migration continued to ease, with inflows at their lowest since November 2022.

“We’re seeing small pockets of warmth in what’s otherwise an economically chilly quarter,” says Nick. “Retail spending is holding up, and consumer confidence is showing signs of life. That’s encouraging as we head into the second half of the year.”

While inflation edged up to 2.7% and unemployment rose to 5.2%, ASB notes signs of resilience in household spending and sentiment.

Looking ahead

“The new 15% US tariffs imposed on NZ goods are expected to weigh slightly on the country’s economic recovery, but the full impact remains to be watched. Meanwhile, with a further 25bp cut to the OCR in August and an additional 50bp signalled by the RBNZ, we expect improvements are on the horizon, even if the pace is slower than initially projected.”

The full ASB Regional Economic Scoreboard, along with other recent ASB reports covering a range of commentary, can be accessed at our ASB Economic Insights page: https://www.asb.co.nz/documents/economic-insights.html

Latest ASB Regional Economic Scoreboard

	Q2 2025	Q1 2025
Bay of Plenty	1	10 =
Southland	2	8
Otago	3	3
Canterbury	4	1
Auckland	5	10 =
Waikato	6	5
West Coast	7	2
Nelson	8	6
Marlborough	9	4
Tasman	10	8
Manawatu-Whanganui	11	7
Gisborne	12 =	16
Hawke’s Bay	12 =	14
Northland	14	13
Taranaki	15	12
Wellington	16	15

About the ASB Regional Economic Scoreboard

The NZ Regional Economic Scoreboard takes the latest quarterly regional statistics and ranks the economic performance of New Zealand’s 16 Regional Council areas. The fastest growing regions gain the highest ratings, and a good performance by the national economy raises the ratings of all regions. Ratings are updated every three months, and are based on 8 measures, including population, employment, retail trade, house prices, house sales, construction, consumer confidence, and new car registration.

PSA calls for meeting with ministers in wake of missing candidate information debacle

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September 15, 2025

Source: PSA

The PSA has written to Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith and Minister of Local Government Simon Watts after the alarming news that private election company ElectioNZ failed to include information about the Māori ward candidates in voter information booklets for Whanganui, Ōpōtiki, and South Wairarapa district councils.

The letter to Goldsmith and Watts calls for the Electoral Commission to take over running and publicising local elections, said Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi acting Kaihautū Māori, Marcia Puru.

“Giving the Electoral Commission the responsibility and proper resourcing to run local elections will help deliver more consistent results across the country, better serve democracy and provide more accountability for any errors that occur,” Puru said.

The PSA is also calling for a meeting with the Ministers to discuss the situation.

“The failure to send out candidate information is a scandalous failure to properly run important local government elections, which are a vital part of our democracy,” Puru said.

“This is really concerning for the integrity of the candidate election in Whanganui, Ōpōtiki, and South Wairarapa, and their referenda on whether to keep Māori wards.

“Voters in those areas are being asked to vote on whether to keep Māori representation through Māori Wards – all voters should be able to see the people standing for those seats before they make their decision.

“More widely, the public needs to know how widespread this issue is, and whether other areas are affected.

The PSA will be sending the candidate profiles directly to our members in the affected areas, so they have all the information they need.

IVD Medical Holding Limited Releases “ETHK” Ecosystem Vision: Technology for the Public, Chain for the Way On September 14

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September 15, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

NEW YORK, US – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 September 2025 – IVD Medical Holding Limited (01931.HK) officially announced its name change. Its English name was changed to “ETHK Labs Inc.”. This move marks a comprehensive strategic upgrade, shifting the company’s focus to core technology research and development and output for the digital industry and on-chain financial ecosystem. Through this name change, IVD Medical Holding Limited aims to more accurately reflect its new position as a key technology provider for the “ETHK” on-chain financial ecosystem and further enhance the group’s competitiveness and influence in the global digital asset ecosystem.

Hashtag: #IVDMedical

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

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

IVD Medical Holding Limited and ETHK Group Establish Joint Venture, On-Chain Financial Strategy Upgraded On September 14

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September 15, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

NEW YORK, US – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 September 2025 – IVD Medical Holding Limited (01931.HK) released an announcement stating its collaboration with ETHK Group, a global on-chain financial ecosystem investment holding group, to jointly establish two new companies, ETHK Inc and ETHK HOLDINGS LIMITED. ETHK Group focuses on building a global on-chain financial ecosystem, and its global perspective and ecosystem resources will provide critical support for the joint venture’s initial development. This collaboration is a strategic upgrade of IVD Medical Holding Limited’s “building RWA platform technology ecosystem” and “exploring on-chain finance” initiatives. It marks a leap from focusing on RWA trading technology to covering the entire on-chain financial ecosystem, including underlying technology, asset classes, and global compliance, with the potential to seize the global trend of digitalizing financial assets and open up a new growth curve.

Hashtag: #IVDMedical

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

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

Next level boost for Major Events and Tourism

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September 14, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government has announced the next level boost for major events and tourism projects, a package which Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says will drive economic activity and confidence across New Zealand.

“Major events, whether they are sports showdowns, the world’s most popular artists or well-loved favourites, can be a bonanza for the cities and regions which host them, supporting local jobs and incomes in the hospitality and retail sectors and beyond.

“That’s why we are significantly increasing Government investment in the events sector and opening it up to a wider range of opportunities, including concerts which haven’t previously been eligible for funding,” Louise Upston says.

“Major events boost regional economies and give Kiwis and overseas visitors something to anticipate and celebrate.

“This $70 million events and tourism investment package is about energising the events sector. The investment will allow New Zealand to compete with Australia to host big acts and will give international visitors even more reasons to come and explore New Zealand, while also encouraging Kiwis to get out and about.

“To make it happen, we’re combining a significant injection of new money with existing funding to create a critical mass to help events and tourism grow.

“New Zealand’s economy is getting back on track but we know some of our cities and regions could benefit from an additional boost in the short-term.”

Today’s package includes:

a $40 million Events Attraction Package to secure large-scale international events from 2026.
a $10 million Events Boost Fund to support existing events and attract international opportunities.
a $10 million Regional Tourism Boost Campaign to incentivise international visitors.
Up to $10 million for tourism infrastructure upgrades including cycle trails.

“This level of investment in events represents a significant funding boost and for international comparison puts New Zealand on a par with Queensland,” Louise Upston says.

“We know big events deliver. For example, over three years, 14 Auckland shows (including Coldplay and Pearl Jam) generated $33.7m for the local economy with 490,000 attendees.

“We want to see more action like that and we are stepping up with incentives to promoters to make it happen.

“Today’s announcement is also significant for local communities and local government. Communities up and down New Zealand benefit hugely from events, and it’s important that local government is also involved in supporting activity in their regions with resources, in cash or in kind.

“As part of the Coalition Government’s Q3 Action Plan, ultimately this is about more than simply putting on a show – it’s about driving jobs, tourism and economic activity in all parts of the country.

“Tourism is New Zealand’s second-largest export earner, directly contributing $17 billion to GDP and supporting nearly 200,000 jobs. This investment will see more people coming to New Zealand, staying in accommodation, eating in our restaurants, visiting attractions and shopping while they’re here.

“In the short to medium term, this package further positions New Zealand as the go-to events and tourism destination for these visitors.

“There is more work to do in developing a bold new Major Events strategy within the Tourism Growth Roadmap and ensuring a long term pipe-line under the System Coordination Workstream.

“Our current focus is to get activity happening quickly, so most of today’s announcement is intended to deliver events beginning in 2026. For practical reasons some of the attraction package funding is spread over two years so we can have contractual flexibility if needed,” Louise Upston says.

The full package will be rolled out over the next two years, with further announcements on events and infrastructure projects expected by the end of 2025.

No significant issues following gang-related gathering, Tairāwhiti

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September 14, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Please attribute to Inspector Gwynne Pennell, Eastern District Deployment Manager:

Police are pleased to report no significant issues in relation to the behaviour of those who attended a planned gang-related gathering in this weekend.

Additional Police staff were brought in from around the Eastern district to allow an increased Police presence for the duration of this event.

We were disappointed with seven people who recorded excess breath alcohol results over the weekend, with some of those results being recorded before midday.

Police continue to ask the public to report any illegal or dangerous activity by calling 111 if it is happening now, or via 105 if it is after the fact.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Fatal crash, Newbury

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September 14, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

One person has died after a single-vehicle crash on Hansens Line, Newbury, Manawatū.

The crash was reported to emergency services about 9am, having occurred some time overnight.

The sole occupant was found deceased.

The Serious Crash Unit has examed the scene, and the road has now reopened.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

China Telecom Global Showcases at the 10th Belt and Road Summit, Paving the Way for a Smarter Silk Road Future

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September 14, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 September 2025 – The 10th Belt and Road Summit was successfully held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 10 to 11, 2025. China Telecom Global Limited (hereinafter referred to as “China Telecom Global”) made a strong appearance under the theme “Empowering the New Silk Road via AI for Good.” The company spotlighted three key areas—its OneGrowth Global Partnership Program, AI global capabilities, and AI applications. Through flagship case studies, interactive showcases, and live demonstrations, China Telecom systematically presented its cloud-network-intelligence infrastructure and AI innovations along the Belt and Road. This highlighted its comprehensive strength and firm commitment to driving regional cooperation and development through digital technologies.

On the opening day, Ms. Wu Ting, Director of AI Business at China Telecom Global, delivered a keynote speech titled “A Smarter Silk Road Future: China Telecom Global’s Global AI Capability Blueprint.” Her presentation provided an in-depth overview of China Telecom’s AI framework and capabilities, unveiling a series of innovative achievements and practical applications. These included cutting-edge solutions such as the OneTouch AI Training-Inference Integrated Machine, the AIGC Security Protection System, and the Xingchen Intelligent Agent Platform. Together, these offerings underscored the company’s leadership in AI research, development, and industrial applications.

Drawing on multiple real-world cases, Ms. Wu also shared how China Telecom leverages its strengths in building international digital infrastructure and delivering intelligent solutions that empower enterprises to expand globally.

At this year’s exhibition, China Telecom Global showcased multiple interactive highlights centered around its OneGrowth Global Partnership Program and AI global capabilities, offering a comprehensive presentation of its strengths in “AI+” technologies and ecosystem collaboration.

AI Empowerment, Joint Innovation, Global Cooperation for a New Digital Ecosystem

Within the OneGrowth Global Partnership Program segment, China Telecom Global highlighted the three major ecosystem directions introduced in June 2025 under the program. Guided by its four core principles—co-creation, co-sharing, co-governance, and win-win collaboration—the company outlined three focus areas: “AI + Digital Intelligence Enablement,” “AI + Ubiquitous Mobility,” and “AI + Innovative Services.”

AI + Digital Intelligence Enablement: Establishing a global intelligent computing scheduling platform that integrates intelligent and general computing services, while jointly developing scenario-based digital intelligence enablement platforms with partners.

AI + Ubiquitous Mobility: Leveraging its multidimensional communications network—spanning land, sea, air, and space—for ubiquitous connectivity, the company is working with global partners in key areas such as 5G, satellite communications, and the Internet of Vehicles.

AI + Innovative Services: Showcasing ecosystem collaboration in visual networking through the Tianyi International Visual Networking Platform, a cross-border platform that integrates capabilities across AI algorithms, devices, cloud services, and applications. This provides customers with one-stop services tailored to diverse business needs.

In the AI Global Capabilities segment, China Telecom Global not only showcased its global digital infrastructure—including a resource network of 53 submarine cables, 251 international points of presence, and 15 overseas intelligent computing centers—but also emphasized the capabilities of its two flagship computing hubs: the Tseung Kwan O Intelligent Computing Center in Hong Kong and the Jakarta Intelligent Computing Center in Indonesia. These highlighted the company’s core strengths in strengthening the foundation of the “Digital Silk Road” and enabling regional enterprise transformation.

China Telecom Global also presented a portfolio of AI solutions and benchmark cases, such as 5GC scenario applications and low-altitude economy service systems. Real-world examples—including Chinese automotive manufacturers expanding into Europe and global operations by gaming companies—demonstrated the company’s tangible achievements along the Belt and Road, underscoring its leadership in driving industry digitalization and supporting enterprises in going global.

Meanwhile, the AI interactive experience and showcase area attracted strong engagement, featuring projects such as AI-powered Opera Face-Changing, 5GC Robotic Dogs, and the Tianshu Drone. These interactive demonstrations vividly combined traditional culture with cutting-edge technologies, reflecting China Telecom Global’s innovative expertise across 5G, artificial intelligence, IoT, and the emerging low-altitude economy, while drawing enthusiastic participation from attendees.

During the exhibition, China Telecom Global engaged in in-depth discussions with customers and partners from around the world to explore new opportunities for digital economy development under the Belt and Road Initiative. Looking ahead, the company will continue to leverage its advantages in cloud-network resources, AI technologies, and global service capabilities to deliver efficient and reliable digital solutions, advancing the construction of the Digital Silk Road to new heights.

Through its participation in the summit, China Telecom Global demonstrated its strong capabilities in resource integration, technological innovation, and ecosystem collaboration as a world-class provider of digital intelligence services—reinforcing its unwavering commitment to empowering high-quality Belt and Road development through technological innovation and building a smarter future together.

Hashtag: #ChinaTelecomGlobal

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

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

Serious crash, Newbury

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September 14, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

District:

Central

Emergency services are at the scene of a serious single-vehicle crash on Hansens Line, Newbury, Manawatū.

Police were called about 9am.

The road is closed, and motorists are advised to avoid the area.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre