NZ-AU: FY2025 Financial Results

August 28, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-NZ-AU)

PERTH, Australia, Aug. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX:PDN, TSX:PDN, OTCQX:PALAF) (Paladin or the Company) advises that it has released its 2025 Annual Report (including its Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2025) and management discussion and analysis (MD&A) for Paladin Energy Ltd and its controlled entities for the three and twelve month periods ended 30 June 2025 (FY2025 Financial Results).

The Company has also released an accompanying presentation on the FY2025 Financial Results, and its Corporate Governance Statement and Appendix 4G.

These documents are available on Paladin’s website (https://www.paladinenergy.com.au/investors/asx-announcements/).

For further information contact:

About Paladin

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX:PDN TSX: PDN OTCQX:PALAF) is a globally significant independent uranium producer with a 75% ownership of the world-class long life Langer Heinrich Mine located in Namibia. In late 2024 the Company acquired Fission Uranium Corp. in Canada, resulting in a dual-listing on the both the ASX and TSX. With the integration of Fission’s operations, the Company now owns and operates an extensive portfolio of uranium development and exploration assets across Canada, which include the Patterson Lake South (PLS) project in Saskatchewan and the Michelin project in Newfoundland and Labrador. Paladin also owns uranium exploration assets in Australia. Through its Langer Heinrich Mine, Paladin is delivering a reliable uranium supply to major nuclear utilities around the world, positioning itself as a meaningful contributor to baseload energy provision in multiple countries and contributing to global decarbonisation.

– Published by The MIL Network

Institute of Intelligence Professionals Conference

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.

Thank you to Dan Wildy for the kind invitation and for the hard work you do to keep this institute alive while balancing your day job at New Zealand Police.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you in person today. However, it is comforting to know that our intelligence professionals come together like this to share ideas and update each other on best practice. I say that because there has probably never been a time when your work is more in demand.

For a long time, intelligence insights from professionals like you, have been a key source of information and insight for decision makers like me.

You have enjoyed a monopoly on the best tradecraft; you have had the best relationships with overseas partners; and the best access to specialised technology from which to draw your insights.

It is fair to say that there are signs that monopoly is beginning to crumble.

Intelligence professionals are now competing in a highly contested information environment where there is some very interesting work happening in the open source.

My colleagues and I as decision makers rely on your hard work to cut through the noise by giving us clear, impactful and credible insights on the things that truly matter.

I am fortunate that I to get to read rich and impactful intelligence across all of my portfolios.

You can count me as a happy customer, but I’m not the only one that can benefit from your insights.

A key challenge for you is to understand how to use your insights to support a wider range of New Zealanders: from the private sector, to critical infrastructure operators, to community organisations.

These groups all make decisions that can have implications for our national security.

How can you provide actionable intelligence and guidance that organisations and citizens can actually use?

There will always be intelligence that is too sensitive to be shared broadly.

No one is expecting you to relinquish the Crown jewels, but there’s an opportunity to find a balance.

How you engage as intelligence professionals is crucial to ensuring New Zealanders have confidence that you are focused on what matters to support our nation’s prosperity and security.

Another key challenge is to understand how innovation and technology can support this endeavour.

New Zealanders need you to stay ahead of the threats. That’s not going to happen without an innovation mindset and embracing the technological solutions that can help us solve our biggest problems.

Today I will share my thoughts on these challenges, to hopefully set the scene for some of your discussions today.

Implementing the national security strategy

This Government is focused on ensuring a secure and resilient New Zealand- one that is protected as a free, open, and democratic society for future generations.

This is the vision outlined in our national security strategy.

The strategy sets out three priorities:

Acting early to prevent national security threats and build resilience;
Working together with our international partners, businesses, and people across New Zealand; and
Adopting an integrated approach for our national security system.

As Minister of the NZSIS and GCSB, Defence, and Space, I’m lucky to see the great work happening in this area.

We are achieving some wins, and I think you can help us drive further change.

Acting early

The first priority is acting early.

Intelligence insights are absolutely crucial to helping the national security system, and the country as a whole, to act early on a range of threats.

I see this regularly in the reports that come across my desk.

In the cyber-security space the sooner we become aware of and take action against a threat, the stronger our defences are.

The National Cyber Security Centre’s Malware Free Networks, or MFN capability, is an excellent example of how early access to intelligence gives us the awareness needed to protect New Zealanders.

MFN has disrupted more than 500 million threats since it started operating in 2021.

If that’s not a success story for intelligence then I don’t know what is.

But there is the potential to deliver even greater impact.

There is some excellent thinking underway across the national security system about how we act earlier to disrupt the capabilities of these malicious actors and legally prevent them from striking in the first place.

When it comes to countering violent extremism, early intelligence insights are supporting efforts to disengage individuals from a radicalisation pathway.

The next step is to think about ways we can disrupt individuals when they are first engaging in violent extremist propaganda.

In order to stay ahead of the threats, the intelligence and security agencies need to do more than just collect intelligence and provide protective security advice.

What if the NZSIS was able to covertly divert an individual in some way? Or encourage a potential violent extremist to seek help and support? We could achieve an even greater impact.

In the murky world of foreign interference and espionage, early intelligence insights and protective security advice help prepare government officials and the private sector to visit countries where they may be targeted.

These insights can also support communities who are being targeted by transnational repression activities such as surveillance or harassment.

The new foreign interference legislation currently before the House will send a message to foreign state actors that this behaviour is unacceptable in New Zealand. It will also make it harder for them to operate here.

Working together domestically and internationally

The second priority from the strategy is about domestic and international collaboration.

We’ve seen significant advances from this intelligence community to make your insights more accessible to a broader audience of New Zealanders.

I may be biased as their Minister, but both the GCSB and the NZSIS have been shining lights in this regard- for example the GCSB’s annual Cyber Threat Report and the NZSIS’s Threat Environment Report.

I would like to congratulate the Service for publishing another excellent document last week.

This report brings these threats to life through clear descriptions of what we face and case studies based on actual activities that have been observed over the past year to 18 months.

There are some challenging issues in the report that will need to be addressed by our broader society.

It’s about time these conversations were normalised and for more people to understand why our national security is worthy of attention.

There is an attitude in some quarters that security and economic growth are somehow in competition with each other.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. You can’t have prosperity without security, and you can’t have security without prosperity.

In my space portfolio, we talk about growth and security in the same conversations.

We attract investment into this sector not only because we have brilliant people and technology, but also because we’re a safe place to do business with an enabling regulatory system and strong security provisions.

The most recent example of this is the ground-based space infrastructure legislation I recently passed in Parliament.

To be attractive to potential investors, New Zealand needs to show we can protect our IP and those of our customers.

That’s why I’m glad to see the NZSIS and GCSB raising awareness about the threat of foreign interference, espionage and cyber attacks. This is encouraging much more mature conversations about identifying threats and managing risk.

I would like to see these conversations taking place in boardrooms across the country, but particularly in our technology and research sectors.

If we don’t take security seriously enough, it will be a foreign state actor benefiting from our leading edge innovation, not New Zealand.

To foster collective understanding we must also focus on the work you do with our international partners.

I know those relationships are strong and I know they are vital.

You as intelligence professionals are well regarded, particularly within our most important relationship with the Five Eyes intelligence partnership.

We receive tremendous value from these relationships, but I know we contribute significant value too.

That’s why it is so galling to hear commentary that questions the value of our Five Eyes participation or claims that it interferes with our independent foreign policy.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and frankly it is time people grew up. We remain firmly in charge of our own destiny. In fact, our Five Eyes relationships help us to maintain our independence. When we receive good intelligence, we make good decisions.

I think it is time we talked more about the kind of value we receive.

It is as simple as this: our membership of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership contributes to the safety and security of New Zealand each and every day.

Being part of the Five Eyes gives us access to capabilities that help to disrupt drug flows. It helps us counter violent extremist, terrorist and foreign interference threats. It keeps us in the fight on espionage and cyber attacks.

Any cooperation with Five Eyes partners is always on our own terms. It needs to be done in accordance with our own laws and priorities, and our sovereign decision-making abilities are maintained throughout.

I think there are plenty of reasons for New Zealanders to have trust and confidence in these relationships.

The debate misses the real point – our security and prosperity, now and into the future.

Thank you for the work you do as intelligence professionals to keep our Five Eyes relationships so strong.

Adopting an integrated approach

I will finish with the third priority from the national security strategy: adopting an integrated approach.

Because of our size, we can only achieve the scale we need by working together and sharing resources across government.

New Zealand risks being left behind by the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence if we don’t look at how to achieve greater technological integration.

It’s important to get the transition to AI right, but we also can’t afford to muck around.

From a security and intelligence perspective, AI is important for three reasons:

AI has huge potential to make your agencies more efficient and effective.
Our adversaries are already using AI in ways that undermine our interests; and finally
Intelligence professionals need to support New Zealanders to embrace AI safely and securely.

I am pleased that your agencies have work underway in these areas, but it would be even better if we went faster, if we were more joined up, and if we better leveraged private sector capabilities.

There is no point undertaking this work within our agencies’ silos – an integrated approach will make us both stronger and safer.

If you were after a challenging and rewarding career, you have come to the right place.

There are some incredible opportunities to deliver credible, impactful and actionable intelligence that has the potential to make a real difference. You are excellent at countering threats but let’s consider how you can disrupt threats too.

You are lucky enough to work with the best of the best both here in New Zealand and alongside your international partners.

My message to you is to make the most of those opportunities and always strive for better.

Thank you for keeping us well informed and for the great work you do to keep New Zealand safe and secure.

MIL OSI

Government reforms to improve alcohol regulation

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee today announced proposed changes to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, and says the focus is on restoring fairness and practicality to the system without compromising public safety.

“Most New Zealanders who choose to drink alcohol do so responsibly. Our reforms recognise that responsible drinkers should not be penalised because of the behaviour of a few who do not drink safely,” Mrs McKee says.

“The Government is making targeted reforms to alcohol legislation to remove unnecessary red tape while continuing to uphold protections that minimise alcohol-related harm.

The package aims to improve how the law operates in practice, removing compliance burdens that don’t meaningfully reduce harm, while strengthening areas where regulation can have a real impact.

Key changes include:

Fairer, clearer licensing processes, including ensuring that objections to licence applications come from the local community, and allowing applicants the right to respond to objections;
Modernised rules for national events, enabling Ministers to declare major televised events without the need for legislative amendments each time;
Stronger safeguards, such as improved age verification under the Government’s Digital Identification Trust Framework, and clear responsibilities for alcohol delivery services to prevent sales to intoxicated or underage people.

“These are practical changes that maintain the core objective of the Act – minimising alcohol-related harm – while recognising that regulation must also be proportionate and workable,” Mrs McKee says.

The reforms also reflect growing consumer demand for non-intoxicating alternatives. Licensed premises will be required to offer a wider range of zero- and/or low-alcohol beverages, and outdated definitions in the Act will be updated to reflect modern products and preferences.

“People deserve to have choices, including the choice to enjoy a drink responsibly, or to opt for non-alcoholic alternatives that suit their lifestyle. The current rules around non-alcoholic options are overly restrictive and don’t reflect how people actually drink today,” Mrs McKee says.

Mrs McKee stressed that territorial authorities will retain all current powers to regulate alcohol within their communities through Local Alcohol Policies and District Licensing Committees.

“I trust local councils to make the right decisions for their communities. If people have concerns about alcohol in their area, they should raise them directly with their council, and many already do.”

“These changes strike a careful balance: they make life fairer for responsible drinkers and honest businesses, while continuing to target the areas where alcohol misuse can cause real harm,” Mrs McKee says.

Cabinet decided to

Allow licence applicants a right of reply to objectors.
Only allow objections to applications from local communities.
When renewing a licence under a new LAP, require DLCs to change licence conditions, rather than completely decline the application.
Allow hairdressers and barbers to supply small amounts of alcohol to customers without a licence.
Allow premises like wineries, such as breweries and meaderies, and distilleries, to hold both on- and off-licences to support cellar door sales.
Update regulations so that rapid delivery services will be better supported to reduce alcohol-related harm.
Enable the responsible Minister to declare a stand-alone exemption to special licensing requirements for national televised events.
Allow age verification digital identity credentials as approved evidence of age documents for alcohol purchases.
“Non-alcoholic” drinks are drinks with no alcohol content. E.G., water and soft drinks.
“Low alcohol” drinks are drinks with negligible alcohol content. E.G., kombucha.
“Zero-alcohol” drinks are drinks with no alcohol content, but which simulate alcoholic drinks e.g. 0.0% gin.

MIL OSI

Police response to IPCA findings

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police

Police acknowledge the findings of the Independent Police Conduct Authority in relation to the actions of two officers during an arrest.

On 17 September 2023, Police approached a man (identified only as Mr X) who was sitting in the drivers seat, to request his name and address.

One of the officers reached into the vehicle to remove the car keys from the ignition.

Mr X has tried to stop the officer, resulting in an altercation ending in his arrest.

The IPCA found the officers were justified in speaking to Mr X and requesting his details, and their use of force during the altercation was justified as self-defence.

However, the Authority found that Police were not justified in removing the keys under the Land Transport Act 1998.

Acting Waikato District Commander Superintendent Scott Gemmell say Police investigated and self-referred the matter to the IPCA.

“Our staff experience unpredictable behaviour from people we encounter every day, and the officers made decisions and acted based on the circumstances as the incident unfolded.”

ENDS

MIL OSI

Top of the South drivers – take it easy at road work sites

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Top of the South drivers are being urged to cool down, calm down, and slow down when driving through road work sites.

Rob Service, System Manager Nelson/Tasman says with multiple parts of the state highway network needing repairs following the winter floods, contractors are seeing some unsafe behaviour from people driving through road works.

“We completely understand that drivers have places to go and people to see, and that having to slow down for road works can be frustrating.”

“However, that is no excuse for speeding and breaking temporary speed limits,” Mr Service says.

He says it is a huge safety risk for road crews.

“Live traffic lanes are incredibly dangerous, and our crews are often just centimetres away from them. It only takes a tiny mistake to have horrendous consequences. Temporary speed limits are there for a reason, please respect them,” Mr Service says.

His view is shared by Acting Inspector Chris Brooks, Tasman District Road Policing Manager NZ Police, who says a lot of crashes Police see are due to people not driving to the conditions.

“This doesn’t just apply to weather; it also includes when roads are not operating at 100 percent.”

“Dangerous driving of any kind, including not adhering to the speed limit – whether it be temporary or otherwise – is taken very seriously by Police, and following road works signage and speed limits through these areas is essential in keeping yourself, other drivers, and workers on site safe,” Mr Brooks says.

Mr Service says safety is key but, so too, is protecting damaged sections of the highway to ensure they do not degrade further.

“For example, on State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill we have six separate sites we need to fix. Some of these are vulnerable underslips where unsafe driving and excessive speed creates a real risk of worse damage occurring.”

“We have already had to introduce a pilot vehicle on the Drummond’s slip site to keep traffic speeds down. This just adds unnecessary time and expense to the job. Damaging the road further means we will have to work there for longer and spend more money”, Mr Service says.

Mr Service says drivers also need to keep their cool when they’re delayed at road work sites.

“We are getting anecdotal reports of issues from our contractors. Please realise our crews are doing their best to fix the road so you can get where you are going.”

We ask they be respected. We treat any incidents of abusive or aggressive behaviour very seriously and will report them to the Police.”

Acting Inspector Brooks agrees, saying aggression and abuse towards road workers is unacceptable.

“It’s honestly disappointing to hear that this has become an issue – please remember that this is someone’s mum, dad, son, or daughter working at these sites.”

“We urge the public to report any dangerous driving matters or abuse, by calling 111 if it is happening now, or through our 105 channels if it is after the fact,” he says.

With the summer road works season about to get underway in October both NZTA/Waka Kotahi and NZ Police are encouraging drivers to do the right thing – respect road workers, respect speed limits, and make sure they drive safely on the roads.

Watch the keeping safe around roadworks video:

[embedded content]

MIL OSI

Demolition by neglect stops here

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: New Zealand Government

The Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand will receive an increased annual contribution to support its restoration efforts of rail heritage buildings and structures, Rail Minister Winston Peters announced today.

“This is about our national industrial heritage and the volunteer power and engineering pride of railway communities,” Mr Peters says.

“Only fools steam ahead without any knowledge of where they have been, and communities that value their past are not fools.

“KiwiRail has a small amount of funding for public good initiatives like rail safety campaigns, helping the public enjoy historic steam locomotives and carriages access on the network, and minor infrastructure works for community benefit.

“We requested KiwiRail’s board consider increasing its public good investment in heritage and were pleased to hear from new Chair Sue Tindal that they have increased the annual contribution to the Trust from $125,000 to $500,000.

“The Trust has restored many railway buildings, including the famous Cass railway station, as depicted in the painting by Rita Angus. The Trust has a long list of valued sites which they want to support with local financial and volunteer backing.

“Discussions are underway to transfer ownership of the historic Mataura Railway Station from KiwiRail to the Trust, with this funding increase enabling its restoration with the support of local volunteers and donors. This project has been at an impasse for too long, and we have heard the provincial champions who have worked hard to see it restored so we are fixing it.

“Resolving another neglected heritage site, KiwiRail is repairing the historic rail footbridge at Moana on the West Coast and is in discussion with the Trust about it taking responsibility the for the bridge’s ongoing upkeep,” Mr Peters says.

MIL OSI

UPDATED 3 – Education – Improvements needed to professional development for teachers – ERO

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: Education Review Office

New research from the Education Review Office has found how we can provide our teachers with better professional development.

“Quality teaching is the single most important driver of student achievement. It affects outcomes more than other factors, including class sizes. Developing our teachers by providing high-quality professional learning and development is one of the most significant ways we can lift student achievement,” said Ruth Shinoda, Head of the ERO’s Education Evaluation Centre.

When it works, professional development has a big impact. ERO’s research found that it works when it has evidence-based techniques, includes practical tools, builds teachers’ knowledge, and motivates them to use what they learn. For example, ERO found that teachers are four times more likely to improve their practice when professional development includes stepped-out teaching techniques.

The recent professional development on English for primary teachers shows how quality professional development can have tangible results. Nearly three-quarters of teachers are using what they learnt every day, and six in ten teachers report seeing improvement in students’ learning.

“Recent professional development for English has been really impactful because it is a whole package of evidence-based teaching techniques alongside clear expectations, ready to use tools and helpful resources and guidance.”

Too often though, it is difficult for school leaders to choose high-quality professional development that delivers what teachers need. Half of teachers report they are not completely clear about how to use what they have learnt, a third report little improvement to their practice, and a quarter report that their professional development does not lead to much improvement in student outcomes.

“Our research found that we can do better for our teachers.”

ERO recommends that the government continues to invest in centralised, quality professional development, makes it easier for school leaders to choose quality development for their teachers, and make sure it reaches all teachers.

To support school leaders, ERO is today sharing a Good Practice Framework on how to design, select, and embed quality professional development.

The report is based on more than 2000 survey responses, interviews with more than 140 participants, site visits to 20 schools and observations of professional development sessions, alongside international and New Zealand data and evidence.
The full research report, Teaching our teachers: How effective is professional learning and development? is available on ERO’s education research website: www.evidence.ero.govt.nz

MIL OSI

UPDATED 3 – Environment Events – Advanced Recycling Conference 2025: From Industry Crossroads to Circularity

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: Advanced Recycling Conference

Alongside core-topics like plastics and polymer recycling, this year’s program explores new developments in biochemical, textile and automotive recycling, plus digital tools supporting scalable solutions for circular systems.

On 19-20 November 2025, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) in Cologne, Germany, once more unites industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, innovators, and policy-makers to address urgent recycling challenges in various waste-streams. Alongside core-topics like plastics and polymer recycling, this year’s event places strong emphasis on pollution-intensive sectors like textile and automotive, that pose significant environmental problems due to their complex material streams. While textile recycling rates in the EU remain below 20 %, hindered by difficult fibre blends, automotive plastics and rubbers face regulatory pressure and material complexity under the End-of-Life Vehicle Directive.

To address these challenges, ARC 2025 spotlights four new focus areas: biochemical recycling, textile and automotive recycling, and advanced digital tools such as AI-enabled sorting, traceability systems, and process optimisation for scale up. These solutions complement established recycling methods across physical processes (extrusion, dissolution), chemical recycling (solvolysis), and thermochemical techniques (pyrolysis, thermal depolymerisation, gasification), as well as carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), that remain key-elements of the ARC program.

At ARC 2025, attendees will gain valuable insights into the latest technological developments, regulatory frameworks, and market conditions shaping the future of advanced recycling and the circular economy. Putting partnership at centre, the event facilitates collaboration and informed decision-making across sectors and industries, proving that sometimes success is only a handshake away.

Responding to EU recycling targets and industry needs

The conference comes at a critical time when significant changes in recycling target across several legislations are taking place. For example, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation introduced quotas for 2030 of recycled post-consumer plastic ranging from 10 % to 35 % for different packaging plastics which should be increased by 2040. Moreover, the End-of-Life Vehicle Proposal includes a mandate for a minimum of 25 % recycled plastic in new vehicles, which, if approved, can considerably increase the demand of recycled post-consumer plastic. Meeting these targets demands the deployment and implementation of innovative recycling technologies and expansion of necessary infrastructure. The event will therefore also address regulatory impacts, market dynamics, and environmental considerations.

Full conference programme now available

Packed with international expertise, ARC 2025 features experts from a broad range of sectors and industries, e.g., BASF, Covestro, Evonik, Fluor, Green Dot, ISCC, LEGO, LyondellBasell, NFIA, Siemens, Sulzer, Trinseo, Vaude, but also research and academic institutions like Chalmers University of Technology, Fraunhofer IVV, Research Centre Jülich, Recycario Data Science – Institut for Economic Plastics Recycling and TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering).

While putting a focus on plastics and polymers, the programme provides a comprehensive overview in different focus-sessions:

Advanced Recycling as a Pillar of Renewable Carbon and its Challenges
Thermochemical Recycling
Biochemical Recycling
Textile Sorting and Recycling
From Py-Oil Quality to Valuable Resources and the Chain of Custody in Advanced Recycling
Recycling Solutions for End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV)
Sustainable Polymers
Thermochemical Solutions for the Recovery of Valuable Resources and Energy
Physical Recycling via Dissolution.

The full conference program is available at https://advanced-recycling.eu/program/.

The Advanced Recycling Conference provides a unique platform for technology providers, waste management companies, brands, investors, policymakers, and scientists to exchange knowledge, build partnerships, and advance towards circular value chains.

ARC 2025 is supported by visionary sponsors, dedicated to advancing circular solutions. nova-Institute thanks Gold Sponsor Siemens and Bronze sponsors BUSS ChemTech, Erema Group and Starlinger.

The Advanced Recycling Conference is supported by industry and trade associations, non- profit organisations, research institutions and interest groups that are thematically linked to the conference: BCNP Consultants (DE), C.A.R.M.E.N. (DE), ChemCologne (DE), Chemical Recycling Europe (EU), Chemie-Cluster Bayern (DE), CLIB (DE), IBB Netzwerk (DE), ITA – International Centre for Sustainable Textiles (DE), kunststoffland.NRW (DE), Plastics Europe (DE), Renewable Carbon Initiative (International).

For detailed information and registration, visit https://advanced-recycling.eu/

nova-Institut GmbH has been working in the field of sustainability since the mid-1990s and focuses today primarily on the topic of renewable carbon cycles (recycling, bioeconomy and CO2utilisation/CCU).

As an independent research institute, nova supports in particular customers in chemical, plastics and materials industries with the transformation from fossil to renewable carbon from biomass, direct CO2utilisation and recycling.

Both in the accompanying research of international innovation projects and in individual, scientifically based management consulting, a multidisciplinary team of scientists at nova deals with the entire range of topics from renewable raw materials, technologies and markets, economics, political framework conditions, life cycle assessments and sustainability to communication, target groups and strategy development.

50 experts from various disciplines are working together on the defossilization of the industry and for a climate neutral future. More information at: nova-institute.eu – renewable-carbon.eu

MIL OSI

Save the Children International CEO warns UN: Indecision on Gaza is complicity as children are being starved to death

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: Save the Children

UNITED NATIONS, 27 August 2025 – Below is a statement from Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing to the UN Security Council on Wednesday 27 August.

“The Gaza Famine is here. An engineered famine. A predicted famine. A man-made famine. As we speak, children in Gaza are systematically being starved to death. This is a deliberate policy. This is starvation as a method of war in its starkest terms.

“Save the Children’s clinics in Gaza are overwhelmed by need; every bench packed with malnourished children and their mothers. Yet our clinics are almost silent now. Children do not have the strength to speak or even cry out in agony.

“They lie there emaciated, quite literally wasting away. Their tiny bodies overcome by hunger and disease. The medical and specialised nutrition supplies they need all but used up. Without these, malnourished children will die.

“A few kilometres away stand ready a sea of supplies. Thousands upon thousands of truckloads of lifesaving items. All blocked. The Government of Israel could end this famine tonight if it chose to end its deliberate obstruction and let humanitarians do our job. Instead, there are reports of escalations in Israeli military activity in Gaza City, more attacks on hospitals, more killing.

“At our Child Friendly Spaces, children draw what we call ‘wishing clouds’ so that they can imagine a better future. In Gaza, children used to wish for school, or peace, or to see their friend again. Once the total siege began in March, children would increasingly tell us they wish for food, for bread. These past few weeks, more and more children have shared that they wish to be dead.

“One child wrote “I wish I was in in heaven where my mother is, in heaven there is love, there is food and water”.

“Children are being killed in Gaza – by bombs, bullets, and now starvation – an entire generation at risk of being wiped out. Every decision maker in every capital in the world – everyone in this room – has a legal and moral responsibility to act to stop these atrocities

“Famine means there are no more breaking points and no more alarm bells. It is the worst-case scenario.

“We told you this was coming, loudly and clearly- it has been constructed by design for two years.

“Famine is a technical term – it is determined by an independent, globally respected body known as the IPC. When there is not enough food, children become acutely malnourished, and then they die. Slowly and painfully. This, in simple terms, is what a famine is. By measuring a child’s weight relative to their height, and their upper arm to assess the amount of body fat and muscle they have left, we can objectively measure in real time the slow descent into the horror of starvation. The lives of at least 132,000 children under the age of five in Gaza are now at risk from acute malnutrition. This number has doubled since May 2025. Every other indicator confirms the IPC’s assessment.

“In the first two weeks of August, well over half of pregnant women and new mothers screened at Save the Children’s clinics were malnourished – seven times higher than before the siege began in March.

“We have since run out of the supplement designed to prevent pregnant women and new mothers becoming malnourished. This is the predictable result of a policy of a sustained siege on food, medicine and fuel.

“This month over 100 aid organizations called for an end to the weaponisation of aid in Gaza. These NGOs have worked in the occupied Palestinian territory for decades and are trusted and experienced. Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods to Gaza, and have tied continued operations to new registration rules. These registration rules require impartial humanitarian actors to take actions that are unlawful, unsafe, and incompatible with humanitarian principles. The result is a further obstruction to unhindered, principled humanitarian access.

“Children in Gaza do not need so-called creative solutions. Not air drops that deliver almost no aid while occasionally killing civilians. Nor creating inhumane, militarized distribution systems where hundreds of civilians have been killed seeking food, forcing those who survive to choose between being maimed and humiliated collecting scraps of food, or watching their loved ones waste away before their eyes. Families we support increasingly refer to these distribution points as “the jaws of death”.

“Instead, children in Gaza need Member States to take action. The endless violence, cruel and illegal siege, block on the UN-led humanitarian system, mass killing of humanitarian workers, ban on UNRWA, and obstruction and threats of deregistration against NGOs are driving the humanitarian catastrophe which in turn is causing famine.

“Independent entities mandated to conclude and determine whether atrocity crimes and war crimes are taking place have done so. In addition, grave violations against children are being committed at an unprecedented rate across the occupied Palestinian territory according to the Secretary-General’s annual reports. The overwhelming majority were perpetrated against Palestinian children, though there are violations against Israeli children also, including children taken hostage. Every child has a right to survival, safety, and a future. Any violation is a breach too far.

“Violence in the West Bank has been escalating at an alarming rate. Children face home demolitions, displacement, harassment and intimidation by Israeli forces and settlers, including on the way to and during school. The mental health toll this has on their still-forming minds is devastating. Save the Children is particularly alarmed by the detention of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system, which is a long-standing child rights crisis.

“No child should ever come in contact with a military court, yet Palestinian children are the only ones in the world who are systematically prosecuted in military courts. These courts do not meet international juvenile justice standards. It is an abusive, inhumane system, where children consistently report being physically, emotionally and sexually abused, humiliated and starved. Children held in this system must be released immediately to prevent further harm and protect them from practices that could amount to torture. The military detention of Palestinian children must end. There must be accountability for all crimes committed against children, against civilians, and hostages.

“Children in Gaza urgently require the following: An immediate and definitive ceasefire, and the release of all children deprived of their liberty including hostages and children held in military detention. The Government of Israel must lift the siege and let the aid flow. The only way to achieve this is through unimpeded UN-led coordination. Member States must take action. Support accountability mechanisms, end arms transfers, refuse to fund militarised aid schemes. Do not risk complicity in atrocities.

“I would like to conclude by explaining briefly what malnourishment and starvation mean for a child. After one day without food, children begin to change – they suffer a loss of energy, concentration, and become upset. After several days without nourishment, their bodies start to degrade. Their bodies begin consuming their own fat to survive. They lose their appetite and become unable to focus.

“After two weeks, the process accelerates, and their small bodies rapidly deteriorate. Heart, liver and kidneys weaken, infections spread with ease as their immune system collapses. They become vulnerable to diarrhoea, pneumonia, sepsis. At this stage there is no fat left, so the body begins to literally consume itself, slowly, painfully eating the muscles and the other vital organs.

“Bellies swell and skin becomes fragile. At three weeks the process of starvation has reached its final catastrophic phase. Children get lesions on their eyes and go blind, hair falls out, organs shut down. Unable to move or speak or cry out, they draw their last breath. Those who do get urgent nutrition and medical support often grow up stunted. A stunted child will likely have impaired cognitive development, a weakened immune system and increased risk of chronic diseases.

“Babies born to malnourished mothers are likely to be forever smaller themselves. Many effects of famine cannot be reversed. The death and loss, the physical and mental harm, will last lifetimes and even generations. In the words of a nutrition nurse who works in our now silent clinics, “Hunger is written on the bodies of our children, a constant reminder that survival itself has become uncertain in Gaza.”

“For almost two years, the international community has failed to protect Palestinian children. Until you choose to act, this is the fate you are guaranteeing a generation of children in Gaza. Inaction is a choice. Indecision is complicity.

“Children have reached their breaking point. Where is yours?”

MIL OSI

Property Market – NZ housing affordability at most favourable level since 2019, but challenges persist – Cotality

LiveNews Publisher

August 28, 2025

Source: Cotality

Lower mortgage rates, steady income growth and a decline in property values have combined to improve housing affordability across New Zealand, easing the burden on households.

The Official Cash Rate is now at its lowest level in three years, having been reduced by 250 basis points since August 2024, while national property values remain almost 17% below their post-COVID peak despite more recent signs of stabilisation.

Cotality NZ’s latest Housing Affordability Report shows these factors have contributed to a national value-to-income ratio of 7.5 in Q2 2025, the lowest level since mid-2019. The time required to save a deposit has also reduced to 10 years, compared to almost 14 in 2021 and not far above the long-term average of 9.1.

While the metrics remain higher than their historical norms the differences aren’t huge, and Cotality NZ Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson said the most significant change has been in mortgage serviceability.

“Mortgage repayments now absorb around 44% of median household income, compared with a peak of 57% in 2022. That takes servicing costs back to their lowest level in more than four years and only marginally above their long-run average of 43%,” he said.

“Servicing costs at or near their long-term average suggest that affordability is no longer the handbrake it was during the downturn. That doesn’t mean housing is suddenly cheap, but it does mean buyers and existing borrowers are operating in conditions that are much more manageable than they were a few years ago.”

Regional differences

Affordability gains have been most visible in Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington, where mortgage repayments are now sitting slightly below their long-term norms, a notable turnaround from conditions only 18 months ago.

Tauranga remains the least affordable of the main centres in absolute terms, with house values sitting around 8.5 times household incomes.
Mr Davidson said while the figure remained relatively high, it was a significant improvement from the peak of nearly 12 in late 2021.

“Relative to its own history, Tauranga is now only a little more stretched than normal, and in fact looks more fairly priced than Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin, where affordability has not improved to the same extent,” he said.

Auckland’s conditions have also improved, with a value-to-income ratio of 7.9 the lowest level in a decade, while Wellington sits at 6.4, back in line with its long-run average for the first time since 2016.

“Wellington is not suddenly a cheap market, but it is more affordable than it has been for many years,” Mr Davidson said.

“The fact that key measures are now back at long-term norms in a number of key centres is a clear sign of how far conditions have adjusted, and helps to explain the renewed interest we are seeing from some buyer groups.”

By contrast, Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin have seen more limited improvements, as property values in those cities have been more resilient.

Rental affordability

Nationally, the rent-to-income ratio sits at 28%, compared to a long-term average of 26%.

Auckland and Wellington are broadly aligned with their historical levels, at 25% and 23% respectively.

Mr Davidson said while those figures suggested conditions in the two largest centres had normalised, the picture was more challenging elsewhere.

“In Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin, households are now spending close to 30% of their income on rent, which is a record high for each of those markets,” he said.

“That’s at least three percentage points above normal, and reflects the fact that incomes in those cities have not kept pace with the steady increases in rents.”

He added that rental conditions in Tauranga had not improved either, with the highest rent-to-income ratio of any of the main centres at 34%.

“Overall, although housing affordability has improved for buyers, renting remains challenging. It’s even more stretched for households that are having to pay typical rents but perhaps have below average incomes.”

Affordability outlook

Mr Davidson said the August rate cut and the possibility of further easing, could provide additional relief for borrowers and underpin housing activity in the months ahead.

“With mortgage servicing costs already back around long-term norms, affordability is unlikely to constrain the market to the same degree it did during the downturn,” he said.

“However, the wider backdrop remains important. The labour market is subdued, debt-to-income restrictions are in place, and housing supply is still elevated in many areas. These factors are likely to moderate the speed of any recovery, which is great for housing affordability”

Beyond the immediate cycle, Mr Davidson noted that structural factors remain critical to the country’s long-term affordability issues.

“New Zealand’s affordability challenges have been driven by a persistent imbalance between demand and supply,” he said.

“Sustained progress will depend on delivering more dwellings, more land and the infrastructure to support growth – both in terms of property available to buy and for renters. Recent policy moves are encouraging, but addressing supply will take sustained effort over many years.”

MIL OSI

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