Departing Reserve Bank Chair thanked

August 29, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has thanked departing Reserve Bank Chair Neil Quigley for his contribution to the Bank after 15 years as a board member and nine as Chair.

Mr Quigley today tendered his resignation from the board and as Board Chair with immediate effect.

“Mr Quigley has decided that having overseen a number of key workstreams for the Bank, now is the appropriate time for him to hand over to a new Chair.

“Mr Quigley departs with a new funding agreement in place, a major review of capital settings out for consultation and the recruitment of a new Governor well-advanced.

“He leaves the Bank well-positioned for the future. I thank him for his service and wish him well for the future.

“Deputy Chair Rodger Finlay will exercise the functions of chair until an appointment is made.

“Mr Quigley’s departure creates a vacancy on the board which will be filled in due course.”

MIL OSI

Two arrested following West Coast search warrants

LiveNews Publisher

August 29, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Two men have been arrested after West Coast Police found three firearms, a cannabis grow room, drug paraphernalia and stolen property.

As part of a pre-planned operation, two warrants were executed in the Hokitika area about 7:30am on Wednesday (27 August).

Police located three firearms, a cannabis grow room, dried cannabis, utensils for cannabis and methamphetamine, and stolen property.

“Taking more guns off the streets is a win for our whole community,” says Senior Sergeant Brent Cook, West Coast Response Manager.

“Unfortunately, where we find drug operations, we often find guns, which are both damaging to the West Coast public.

“Police will continue to shut down grow operations wherever we find them.

“These arrests continue on from good Police work earlier in the week, where officers seized over 100 cannabis plants, a firearm and ammunition in Cobden.

“It’s also been great to get stolen property back to its owner.”

A 61-year-old man is due to appear on charges of cultivating and procuring/ possessing cannabis, burglary, possession of methamphetamine utensils, receiving stolen property, and possession of restricted weapon.

A 33-year-old man is due to appear on charges of burglary, receiving stolen property, procuring cannabis, and possession of a cannabis utensil.

Both are due to appear in Greymouth District Court on 3 September.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Spring in sight but winter weather (and driving conditions) hanging on

LiveNews Publisher

August 29, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Snow is expected to keep falling in the South Island as we move into spring over the next few days and road users are urged to be cautious on affected state highways.

Following a closure this morning of State Highway 7/Lewis Pass because of snow, further snowfalls are expected to affect SH7 at least through until Monday, according to forecasts supplied to New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

The forecasts show there is a risk of heavy snow in the Lewis Pass area on Monday before 10am, with 5 to 10cm above 750m. Lesser amounts of snow are expected over the weekend.

On State Highway 73, snow showers are expected through to Monday in and around Arthur’s Pass and east of Craigieburn Cutting.

Gusty winds and rain are also forecast for these areas over the next few days.

In the Mackenzie Basin, there is a risk of about 2cm of snow falling in places on State Highways 8 and 80 on both Sunday and Tuesday.

NZTA system manager for the central South Island, Mark Pinner, says roading crews will be ready to respond to snow accumulating on the highways.

“Our focus will be keeping those highways open and safe for people to travel on. If the risk is too high, we may close the roads or put in place temporary speed reductions. Road users can play their part by planning ahead and driving to the conditions.”

“The usual messages apply for driving in winter conditions – be visible, reduce your speed, adjust your travelling distance behind other motorists and avoid sudden braking or turning movements.”

On State Highway 94 Milford Road, MetService is predicting 10 to 20cm of snow may settle near the summit through to Saturday night, with lesser amounts down to 700 metres.

The road will close from 5pm today between Hollyford Junction and Donne River bridge and is expected to reopen tomorrow when the road is clear.

Snow showers are also expected this afternoon for the Queenstown area.

People can plan ahead by visiting our Journey Planner site(external link), and helpful tips about winter driving.

MIL OSI

Have your say on proposed speed limit change for SH3 Waiwhakaiho, New Plymouth

LiveNews Publisher

August 29, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is seeking public feedback on a proposal to lower the speed limit on a busy stretch of State Highway 3 (SH3) in Waiwhakaiho, New Plymouth.

The proposal would reduce the current 80km/h speed limit on the 0.9km stretch of State Highway 3 (Devon Road) from north of Vickers Road to east of the Egmont Road intersection. This change would extend the existing 60km/h zone further north of New Plymouth.

NZTA Director of Regional Relationships Linda Stewart says there have been several crashes at the SH3-Egmont Road intersection, prompting strong community concern.

“The proposed lower speed limit aims to make it safer and easier for drivers to turn at Egmont Road by reducing traffic speeds and improving reaction times.

“While longer-term infrastructure upgrades are being considered for the intersection, these depend on national priorities and funding. In the meantime, a lower speed limit is a practical step to improve safety now and in the future”, she says.

Have your say

Community feedback is a vital part of the decision-making process. People can find out more and share their views on the NZTA website:

SH3 Waiwhakaiho speed limit review

Consultation closes at 5pm on Friday 10 October 2025.

All feedback will be considered alongside safety, technical and cost-benefit information before any recommendation is made on whether to change the speed limit.

MIL OSI

Work about to begin for State Highway 2/Moonshine Hill Road safety improvements

LiveNews Publisher

August 29, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

People travelling on State Highway 2 through Upper Hutt can expect to see activity at one of its more notorious intersections with safety improvement nightworks beginning in September.

Safety upgrades for the SH2/Moonshine Road intersection were confirmed by the Minister of Transport in July.

SH2 Riverstone Terraces safety upgrades(external link)

The upgrades will see new traffic lights installed at the intersection to reduce crash risk, and extra safety measures put in place to protect cyclists. The new measures are a response to community concerns about the intersection’s safety.

SH2 Moonshine Hill Road intersection

Roxanne Hilliard, Wellington Alliance Manager, says construction work is about to begin at the intersection.

“We have brought the schedule forward slightly from the earlier planned start date of October. This is because we want to make sure the intersection is complete and operating before the end of year holiday season.”

“Initially, contractors will do ground and pavement investigations and minor concrete works. Construction will begin around 21 September. Road users can expect to see heavy machinery near this intersection day and night, but the road will be fully open during the day and weekends,” Ms Hilliard says.

Safety benefits

The new design and introduction of traffic lights will help vehicles move through the intersection more safely and will help avoid confusion and crashes. A traffic light-controlled intersection will significantly reduce the risk of crashes from vehicles turning across this busy section of State Highway 2.

Ms Hilliard says while people may think traffic lights will slow people down, safer intersections help prevent the significant disruption crashes cause.

“Serious crashes can and do close roads and, when they require a full police investigation, these closures can last for hours, and even minor crashes can have major impacts on traffic flows.”

“Add into that the devastating impact serious crashes have on victims and their families, making intersections like this safer is the right thing to do,” Ms Hilliard says.

View larger intersection upgrade map [PDF, 2.2 MB]

Other works

The Moonshine Hill Road project coincides with planned resurfacing work on State Highway 2 between Moonshine Hill Road and Totara Park Road. It is scheduled to run from mid-September to late October. The two programmes will require weeknight road closures and local road detours.

Ms Hilliard says it means drivers and Riverstone Terrace residents can expect some disruption and delays when accessing State Highway 2 while both projects are completed.

View larger detour map [PDF, 79 KB]

Riverstone Terraces access

While Riverstone Terraces will be within the road closure area, residents will retain access to their properties.

This will only be available via the northbound lanes on State Highway 2 – residents will need to enter this section of the highway from Silverstream and travel north towards Moonshine Hill Road.

Drivers will also have to stop at a waiting area for a short period before being allowed through. This is to ensure contractors are aware of traffic movements and can allow drivers to safely move through the works area.

Speed review consultation

The intersection changes are just part of the planned safety improvements for this section of State Highway 2. Consultation continues on a proposal to reduce the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h. This is due to close on Friday, 12 September.

Further announcements will be made after submissions have been considered and analysed, and a decision made by the Director of Land Transport.

The outcome of the consultation will inform what speed signs are installed at the State Highway 2/Moonshine Hill Road intersection once it is finished.

View larger speed limit review map [PDF, 444 KB]

More information

SH2 Hutt Valley intersection safety improvements – Moonshine Hill Road

Moonshine Hill Road to north of Whakatiki Street – Speed Review

MIL OSI

Privacy News – August 2025

LiveNews Publisher

August 29, 2025

Source: Privacy Commissioner

29 Aug 2025, 09:00

Read about the Biometrics Code, the Device Location Information (DLI) service, and a new Compliance Comment we’ve published. Our privacy tool, Poupou Matatapu, has also been shortlisted for one of the Global Privacy and Data Protection Awards. Read the August 2025 issue.

MIL OSI

Dataplugs launches Tokyo Dedicated Servers to power low‑latency workloads across Japan and Asia-Pacific

MIL OSI

August 29, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 August 2025 – Dataplugs announced the launch of its Tokyo Dedicated Server platform, bringing enterprise‑grade bare metal performance, low‑latency connectivity, and 24/7 onsite technical support to customers targeting Japan and the wider Asia‑Pacific region. The new location is engineered for latency‑sensitive workloads and compliance‑focused deployments, with a default 250Mbps BGP International bandwidth and an optional upgrade to CN2 Direct China routing for optimized access to Mainland China.

Low‑Latency Performance Across APAC

Built in state‑of‑the‑art Tokyo data centers, the platform delivers fast, consistent reach across Japan, China, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Dataplugs’ BGP‑optimized multi‑carrier backbone and 99.9% network uptime help ensure responsive user experiences for real‑time applications.

High‑Speed Connectivity and Stability

Default 250Mbps BGP International Bandwidth, unmetered traffic
Optional CN2 Direct China routing for reduced latency to Mainland China
BGP multi‑carrier architecture for resilience and route optimization
99.9% network uptime backed by redundant power and network infrastructure

Enterprise Hardware and Rapid Provisioning

Latest‑generation Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC CPUs
NVMe SSD storage and ECC DDR4/DDR5 memory
Dedicated IPMI out‑of‑band management
Preconfigured servers deploy within 1 hour

Security, Management, and Add‑ons

Anti‑DDoS protection
Acronis Backup Service
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Bandwidth Upgrades and Managed Services

Designed for Demanding Use Cases

Ideal for e-commerce, gaming, financial trading, RTC/communications, AI/ML pipelines, video streaming, and other mission‑critical workloads that require consistent throughput and predictable performance in Japan and across APAC.

Executive Statement

“With our Tokyo Dedicated Servers, customers gain strategic access to Japan and the broader Asia‑Pacific region,” said a Dataplugs spokesperson. “The combination of default 250Mbps BGP International connectivity, an optional CN2 Direct China upgrade, and enterprise hardware gives teams the performance headroom and routing flexibility they need to scale with confidence.”

Availability and Links

Tokyo Dedicated Servers are available now. For configurations and deployment options, please visit:
Dataplugs Homepage: https://www.dataplugs.com/en/
Japan Dedicated Server: https://www.dataplugs.com/en/product/japan-dedicated-server/

https://www.dataplugs.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dataplugs-limited/
https://x.com/dataplugs
https://www.facebook.com/dataplugs

Hashtag: #Dataplugs #DedicatedServers

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

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

Appeal for information to locate missing man, Chartwell

LiveNews Publisher

August 29, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Police are continuing to appeal to the public for sightings of missing 39-year-old Aydan, who has not been seen for nearly two weeks.

Aydan was last seen in Chartwell in the early hours Sunday 17 August in Snell Drive, believed to be driving his 2016 Grey Mazda ute, registration QYA209.

Police and Aydan’s family have serious concerns for his wellbeing.

We’re asking any residents of Snell Drive, or the surrounding areas to please check any CCTV or dashcam footage for sightings of this vehicle between 9pm on Saturday 16 August and 4am Sunday 17 August.

We also ask that anybody who sees a vehicle matching the above description, to please get in contact with Police.

If you have any information, please contact Police via 105, either over the phone or online, referencing file number 250819/5160.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Man arrested for burglary, theft, assaulting a dog handler and police dog

LiveNews Publisher

August 29, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Attributable to Inspector Andrea McBeth, Hamilton City Area Commander:

One man has been arrested for stealing a phone off a passerby, cash from one restaurant and attempting to steal cash from another restaurant in central Hamilton yesterday evening.

At about 9.30pm last night Police were made aware of a man who had stolen a mobile phone from a member of the public walking near Alma Street.

The same man had been seen earlier in the evening, stealing cash from the till at a Victoria Street restaurant and attempting to steal cash from an Alma Street restaurant before staff members intervened.

The man ran towards the river path with the stolen phone and Police moved swiftly to locate him outside a nearby Mexican restaurant.

While police were placing him under arrest he smashed a glass storefront window of a business premises. The offender then threw shards of glass at a dog handler and Police dog, causing the handler to receive cuts to his hand, and the dog to suffer cuts to his paws.

The offender also received large gashes to his own arm while in the process of breaking the window, and a dog bite after the Police dog was deployed to aid in his arrest.

During this apprehension, another man has intervened, who was then arrested and charged with obstruction.

This was a cowardly assault on our staff and dog, and the violent behaviour exhibited last night is not acceptable.

This arrest serves as a clear message to anyone who steals from retailers or the public and assaults Police executing their duty. We do not condone this offending and if people choose to engage in this behaviour they can expect to be held to account.

We continue to ask our retailers to report any offending – reporting offences is the first step to help Police locate these individuals and put them before the court.

The dog handler and dog are receiving support and both are expected to make a full recovery.

The offender was taken to hospital by ambulance for medical attention.

A 35-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault, assaulting Police, burglary and receiving property.

A 50-year-old local man has been charged with assaulting and obstructing Police and injuring a Police dog.

Both appeared in the Hamilton District Court today and the 35-year-old has been remanded in custody to appear at a later date.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre.

MIL OSI

Seconds count: New tech already proving its worth

LiveNews Publisher

August 29, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

A world-first tool to assist emergency services in locating people in need is proving it’s weight in gold after being put to the test this week.

The Device Location Information (DLI) technology was launched last week, making it faster for Police to narrow the search area for people who are unable or unwilling to say where they are, in circumstances where it is neccessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to the life or health of the individual concerned or another individual.

Northern Emergency Communications and Dispatch Centre Manager, Inspector Dan Weir, says the technology can be used by emergency services to find the network location of a mobile phone of the person in need.

“Last night, Police received a report of a person with an intellectual disability missing from their home in Matamata.

“The person hadn’t been seen for 30 minutes and had left their Wandatrak at home; it was raining and the persons family were becoming increasingly worried.”

Inspector Weir says the decision was made to allow the DLI service to be used, sending officers to the person’s location at a nearby park.

“The person was returned home 37 minutes after being reported missing, which is an incredible result.

“When every second counts, this service is yet another tool to help our teams get people the help they need to keep them safe.

“One of the most stressful parts of our job is trying to find out where people are when they’re distressed and in need of help but can’t tell us or don’t know where they are, or equally if someone is reporting a loved one missing and doesn’t know where they could be.”

The DLI service delivers an improvement on the previous capability, which meant manual requests had to be made to mobile network operators to try and locate a device.

“Earlier in the week the service was used to assist in locating a person who’s family had immediate concerns for their welfare.

“The person was found after being involved in a single vehicle crash in Piha, thankfully uninured, and was able to get the help they needed.

“Time can often be the difference between life and death and we’re thrilled to have access to this service.”

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

MIL OSI

1...868788...1,066 Page 87 of 1,066