Category: AM-NC

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

A law professor says if New Zealand was asked to support ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a combat deployment is unlikely.

But Professor Alexander Gillespie said a joint statement between 19 countries condemning Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf was “effectively just scoping”.

“Nothing’s been nailed down, and it would be premature to nail it down until you know what’s happening with the wider war.”

If a request was made to New Zealand, Gillespie told RNZ it could be helping with intelligence, or picking up patrolling obligations for others so they could deploy to the region.

Another option was actual deployment, which he thought was unlikely.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Minister said people should not be alarmed that “we’re going to be engaged in some military exercise” after the government signed the joint statement.

Labour had raised concerns about the “broad nature” of the statement, criticising the government for not detailing what that commitment might look like, with leader Chris Hipkins saying New Zealanders had a right to know.

But Winston Peters said there had been “scaremongering” from critics who said the government was “rushing to contribute military forces to this conflict”.

“What absolute crap, what absolute nonsense – New Zealand is not a party to this conflict, and we have absolutely no intention of joining it,” he said at Parliament on Tuesday.

It also came as the head of NATO included New Zealand as one of 22 countries “coming together” to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

On Tuesday the government said it had not made any commitment towards military action in the Middle East, but Hipkins said he was very concerned about “what the government had signed us up to”.

He was referring to the joint statement the government signed with 19 other countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, condemning Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf.

They called on Iran to immediately cease threats, laying mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block commercial vessels from travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the statement read.

The statement also expressed its signatories would be ready “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait”.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon clarified any such future support would need to be considered by Cabinet.

Luxon also outlined nothing had changed in terms of the government position on the initial attacks that started the war, after being asked about condemning Iran’s strikes, while “acknowledging” the strikes by the United States.

“What we’re talking about now is a second order consequence, which is Iranians holding hostage a whole bunch of ships that should be freely traveling to bring fuel and fuel and critical supplies to places like New Zealand.”

Gillespie said it was a “notable inconsistency”.

He said New Zealand should treat “all violations of the UN Charter the same”.

“In as much as we condemn Russia for their illegal war against Ukraine, we should act consistently with the US and Israel.”

On the ‘right side’ – law professor

Gillespie said New Zealand was on the “right side” in supporting an international principle – the freedom of navigation – but “we have to be very cautious and have our eyes wide open as we walk forward”.

He said the statement had the backing of the UN Security Council with regards to the protection of international waterways in freedom of navigation.

He said New Zealand was in good company with the other signatories, and pointed out it was not an initiative from the United States, Israel or Iran.

The protection of international waterways was a longstanding principle, “No country can effectively strangle international commerce by trying to control a waterway,” he said.

“You just can’t do that.”

In terms of the wording “appropriate efforts” in the statement, Gillespie said that could be anything, “it could be civilian, but it’s likely to be military”.

In regards to what New Zealand could offer if support was requested he pointed to the operations in the Red Sea, where the contribution had been “modest”.

The personnel had helped with intelligence, and part of the operations of a much larger system, he said.

A second option was offering “our military to relieve other militaries to be deployed to the region”.

“So we might pick up the patrolling requirements and select some American vessels in a safe area to allow the American vessels to then be deployed to the strait.”

The third option was deploying the Air Force or Navy to the war zone, which he thought was “very unlikely”.

“We’re more likely to be doing the other two, if asked.”

Ultimately he said New Zealand needed to be “very careful what we commit ourselves to, because you can start off in these exercises with a fairly good objective, but then you can find yourself in a very sticky situation that can take years to unravel”.

‘New Zealanders have a right to know’ – Hipkins

On Tuesday, Hipkins said the government had “basically” signed the country up to say “we’re ready and willing to participate in securing the strait”.

“I don’t think we should be making a broad commitment like that at this point. Any support that New Zealand provides should be after a United Nations mandate, and at this point that doesn’t exist,” Hipkins said.

“The government has signed us up to an open ended commitment to re-open the strait, without detailing what that commitment might look like.

“New Zealanders have a right to know what the government is signing us up to.”

Since the statement was released, speaking to Fox News, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said countries including Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Bahrain and the NATO alliance were working to “implement [US President Donald Trump’s] vision of making sure that the Strait of Hormuz is free, is opening up as soon as that is possible”.

Asked for clarification about this comment, Peters said Rutte did not speak for New Zealand and he had probably been misinformed.

“We haven’t been asked, and should we be asked – we would consider it. That’s all I’ve said,” Peters emphasised.

On the joint statement, he said it was “specifically narrow”.

In Parliament during an urgent debate on the conflict in the Middle East, Peters said the government was committed to working with partners to try and address one of the consequences of this conflict, that was higher fuel prices for New Zealanders.

“But that is not the same as saying we are definitely going to contribute.

“If we receive a request, or if an international coalition was established in the future to safeguard commercial shipping, any possible contribution would be a matter for – guess who – the Cabinet first of all, to determine based on careful consideration of New Zealand’s interests.”

Currently, the government would not comment on what potential resources would be considered or committed if New Zealand was requested to help, due to it being a hypothetical issue.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

MIL OSI

Source: NZCTU

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Sandra Grey is calling on the Government to pause harmful employment legislation in light of Brooke van Velden’s resignation.

“Brooke van Velden’s legacy as Workplace Relations and Safety Minister is one of the worst in this country’s history. Much of the legislation passed on her watch has wrecked the longstanding landscape of employment relations in New Zealand.

“Stealing pay equity overnight from more than 300,000 workers in low-paid, female-dominated sectors. Delivering real-term pay cuts for workers on the minimum wage for three years running. Letting multinational corporate lobbyists dictate our contractor law. These decisions demonstrate van Velden’s priorities as Minister.

“The Minister has two bills before the House that continue her track record of trampling on workers’ rights. In light of the Member’s resignation, we are calling on the Government to halt any further progress on the Employment Leave Act and the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill, and to work with unions on real, long-term solutions to the issues these Bills raise.

“The Government now has an opportunity to do right by working people. The next Minister for Workplace Relations should be one who truly understands the struggle of workers in a cost-of-living crisis, and who listens to working people and their unions,” said Grey.

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government will be hearing from officials later this week on possible steps towards “demand restraint”, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.

Petrol prices have increased by almost $1 per litre on average in the past month, according to price tracker Gaspy, and diesel even more, as global energy markets react to Iran’s military grip on the Strait of Hormuz following the war launched by the US and Israel.

Around 20 percent of the world’s supply usually transits through the strait.

The government is expected to unveil a support package later on Tuesday which it says will be highly targeted and temporary. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has regularly stated there have been no plans to restrict usage, with stockpiles remaining healthy and supplies still arriving as scheduled.

The latest data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed stocks for about 47 days of fuel, including about 50 days worth of petrol, 46 days of diesel, and 45 of jet fuel.

Jones, speaking to Morning Report on Tuesday morning, said New Zealand consumed 24 million litres a day – nearly half of which was diesel, a third petrol and the rest aviation fuel.

Towards the end of the week… we’re going to be briefed at a granular level by the officials who are in contact with different industry groups as to the steps we would take if we move towards demand restraint.

“I am focused more on enhancing advancing, broadening and simplifying access to greater levels of supply.”

Reports from importers such as Z Energy were coming in daily, he said.

“We have never once been told that they are unable to deliver, or contracts are being terminated. Naturally, we’re watching that with a pair of hawk eyes. The challenge remains… the access of the refineries owned by Exxon and other such global giants to enough feedstock so they can produce the fuel in suitable quantities.”

New Zealand no longer refines crude oil, with the Marsden Point facility shutting down a few years ago.

“The fuel import companies are operating exactly within their statutory envelopes. They are observing what they promised to bring to New Zealand.

“If we are to increase and store more diesel fuel in New Zealand, we need to increase the storage. And I keep saying, the reason we can’t do that at scale is because they closed down the refinery, and I don’t care if you get annoyed with me saying that. I want New Zealanders to bear that in mind. This is the consequence of closing down the refinery.”

Jones has falsely claimed the Labour government closed the refinery down, repeating that claim again on Morning Report. Refining NZ (now Channel Infrastructure), a private company, made the call to end refining at the Marsden Point site and transition to being an import-only hub. The government considered stepping in, but decided against it, with advice to ministers being that risks to fuel security were “very low”, because any event that cut off the supply of refined oil would likely cut off crude as well.

Jones said the government was working with Channel to “enhance” how much product could be stored at Marsden.

“That will give us additional diesel storage. However, I don’t want any Kiwi this morning to doubt whether there’s diesel in the country on its way. There certainly is.”

Speaking to Morning Report after Jones, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was a “private decision made by the fuel industry” that would not have hindered New Zealand’s fuel security.

“Marsden Point was refining crude oil that was imported from overseas, so the same supply constraints would be hitting us now whether MarsdenPoint was operating or not.”

He suggested it was ironic that coalition MPs were criticising Labour for having spent “too much money” during the Covid response, yet were now saying “we should have kept a refinery that was going out of business because it was obsolete technology and because it wasn’t economic”.

Asked whether the crisis had shifted his thinking on electrification and moving away from fossil fuels, Jones said it was a “fair point” to stay open-minded.

“There is a source of hydrogen energy in New Zealand. It’s called white hydrogen. It’s called natural occurring hydrogen. I met last week with the Auckland University who are doing extraordinary work in Wairarapa, and they believe they’ve tapped into a vein of infinite power of a hydrogen character, of all places in the hills and the valleys of the Wairarapa coast.

“So I think it’s a fair point that you’re making that we need to be open-minded. And then I say to Kiwis, OK, how do you imagine we’re going to pay for it? To do that, certain things, if we are to underwrite this electrification journey, will have to go by the way.

“And that’s why we have an election. No doubt people will be contesting all of those ideas.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Foreign Minister says people shouldn’t be alarmed that “somehow we’re going to be engaged in some military exercise” following statements by the head of NATO including New Zealand as one of 22 countries “coming together” to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

It comes as Labour raises concerns about the “broad nature” of a joint statement New Zealand was part of over the weekend, and what the commitment may open the country up to.

Winston Peters said there had been “scaremongering” from critics who say the government is “rushing to contribute military forces to this conflict”.

“What absolute crap, what absolute nonsense – New Zealand is not a party to this conflict, and we have absolutely no intention of joining it,” he said at Parliament on Tuesday.

Currently, the government won’t comment on what potential resources would be considered or committed if New Zealand was requested to help, due to it being a hypothetical issue.

Earlier on Tuesday the government said it had not made any commitment towards military action in the Middle East, but Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he was very concerned about “what the government had signed us up to”.

He was referring to a joint statement the government signed with 19 other countries condemning Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf.

Over the weekend, the government joined 19 other countries in condemning Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf.

In a collective statement, the countries including the United Kingdom and Germany, expressed “deep concern” about the escalating conflict. The statement also expressed its signatories would be ready “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait”.

They called on Iran to immediately cease threats, laying mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block commercial vessels from travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.

Luxon clarified any such future support would need to be considered by Cabinet.

On Tuesday, Hipkins said the government had “basically” signed the country up to say “we’re ready and willing to participate in securing the strait”.

He then said that was a “slight paraphrase,” but “effectively, that’s what they’ve signed up to”.

“I don’t think we should be making a broad commitment like that at this point. Any support that New Zealand provides should be after a United Nations mandate, and at this point that doesn’t exist,” Hipkins said.

Speaking to Fox News, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said countries including Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Bahrain and the NATO alliance were working to “implement [US President Donald Trump’s] vision of making sure that the Strait of Hormuz is free, is opening up as soon as that is possible”.

Asked for clarification about this comment, Winston Peters said Rutte did not speak for New Zealand and he had probably been misinformed.

“We haven’t been asked, and should we be asked – we would consider it. That’s all I’ve said,” Peters emphasised.

In Parliament during an urgent debate on the conflict in the Middle East, Peters said the government was committed to working with partners to try and address one of the consequences of this conflict, that was higher fuel prices for New Zealanders.

In Parliament during an urgent debate on the conflict in the Middle East, Peters said the government was committed to working with partners to try and address one of the consequences of this conflict, which has huge implications for us, our partners and the global economy.

“But that is not the same as saying we are definitely going to contribute.

“If we receive a request, or if an international coalition was established in the future to safeguard commercial shipping, any possible contribution would be a matter for – guess who – the Cabinet first of all, to determine based on careful consideration of New Zealand’s interests.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Almost 150,000 families will receive an extra $50 a week for up to a year to help ease the pain from soaring petrol prices driven up by the war in the Middle East.

Speaking at a media conference at the Beehive on Tuesday, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the relief would come through a boost to the in-work tax credit – part of the Working for Families scheme.

That means only low-to-middle-income workers who have children are eligible. It excludes beneficiaries, superannuitants and those without children.

“The policy is carefully targeted to families in the squeezed middle – parents who are working hard for a living, are not eligible for main benefits, and yet have modest household incomes with which to support their children,” Willis said.

“We know these families will be hit particularly hard by the global fuel-price shock. We are delivering them timely relief.”

The temporary increase would last for as long as one year, or until the price of 91 octane petrol dropped below $3 a litre for four weeks in a row, Willis said.

About 143,000 households would start seeing the full benefit in their bank accounts from 7 April, if they were paid weekly, or 14 April, if they were paid fortnightly. A further 14,000 households would receive the support but at a lesser rate.

In the current tax year, the cut-off for receiving the tax credit was around $89,000 of annual household income for a family with one child, $112,000 for a family with two children and $135,000 for a family with three children.

The policy was estimated to cost $373 million if it ran for a full year, or less if it did not, Willis said.

Willis said that cost would come out of the government’s operating allowance for this year’s Budget, meaning it had already been factored into Treasury’s fiscal forecast.

“Funding the policy this way will not add to forecast debt or inflationary pressures. It is consistent with the government’s fiscal strategy which seeks to balance the books and bend the debt curve down.”

Willis said the government could not relieve price pressures for all businesses and families who were feeling price pressures. She said “large, untargeted government spending programmes” could make the situation worse by driving up inflation and debt.

“The government is conscious that a careless response to this crisis could have long-lasting and painful consequences. We saw this in the aftermath of Covid, where excessive spending more than doubled debt and sent inflation soaring and mortgage rates skyrocketing. Kiwis are still grappling with the effects of that today.”

More to come …

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

It will be 100 days of hiked up fuel prices at the pump even if the conflict in the Middle East was to end today, according to government officials.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins and finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds were briefed by officials from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the mega-ministry, MBIE, on Tuesday morning.

“They indicated to us they’re expecting, and the government is expecting this to go on for months … that the escalated price in fuel is going to go on for months,” Hipkins told media on his way to caucus.

The officials were asked to brief the Opposition and gave a number of 100 days when asked how long the pain at the pump would continue beyond the conflict ending.

Hipkins said there were a number of questions officials were unable to answer.

“They weren’t able to tell us anything about the changes in fuel specifications that they agreed to yesterday, they couldn’t tell us what that actually means in practice, they weren’t able to tell us how much storage there might be available, they weren’t able to tell us what might trigger an increase in the government’s alert level framework,” he said.

“We’re very much relying on publicly available information.”

Hipkins used that as his defence for not having an alternative plan for what Labour would do to help New Zealanders feeling the pinch, if it were in government.

He ruled out any wage subsidy support for employees but has indicated Labour would go further than the government in other support.

However, when pressed on what that means he was unwilling to give details.

The Prime Minister and Finance Minister Nicola Willis are due to announce a “temporary, timely, and targeted” support package at Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

Later this week Willis is expected to give an update on the national fuel plan and what the various alert levels would practically mean for New Zealanders.

*RNZ will be streaming the fuel support announcement from 12.30pm and blogging the updates as they happen.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government announced almost 150,000 families will receive an extra $50 a week to help ease the pain caused by soaring petrol prices, but who can expect to see that money show up in their account next month?

Speaking at a media conference on Tuesday, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the relief would come through a boost to the in-work tax credit – part of the Working for Families scheme.

People would start seeing the full benefit in their bank accounts from 7 April, if they were paid weekly, or 14 April, if they were paid fortnightly.

Who will get $50 a week?

Only low-to-middle-income workers who have children would be eligible for the payments, Willis said.

It excluded beneficiaries, superannuitants and those without children.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Willis said for beneficiaries, there would be usual increases on April 1 which “working families” did not automatically get.

“And I’d also note, working families face the obligation to get to and from work each day. Beneficiaries do not face that obligation,” Willis said.

“The policy is carefully targeted to families in the squeezed middle – parents who are working hard for a living, are not eligible for main benefits, and yet have modest household incomes with which to support their children,” Willis said.

“We know these families will be hit particularly hard by the global fuel-price shock. We are delivering them timely relief.”

In the current tax year, the cut-off for receiving the tax credit was around $89,000 of annual household income for a family with one child, $112,000 for a family with two children and $135,000 for a family with three children.

Willis said the government could not relieve price pressures for all businesses and families who were feeling price pressures. She said “large, untargeted government spending programmes” could make the situation worse by driving up inflation and debt.

She said while families that missed out would also have welcomed support, the government was “limited by the big increase in debt that occurred in the aftermath of Covid”.

“If it’s not you getting the support today, just know it might be your friend, it might be your family member, it might be the person serving you at the cafe today. Working families who cannot easily avoid higher fuel costs.”

How long will it continue?

The temporary increase would last for as long as one year, or until the price of 91 octane petrol dropped below $3 a litre for four weeks in a row, Willis said.

How do you get it?

Families who were already receiving the in-work tax credit (IWTC) payments, would not need to do anything to receive the money, the government said, with Inland Revenue automatically delivering the increase.

For people who didn’t receive the IWTC payments who thought they might be available, they needed to contact Inland Revenue.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Christchurch locals say the city is prospering and heading in the right direction, on the back of an ASB report finding Canterbury is the best place to be in the country economically.

The region topped ASB’s Regional Economic Scoreboard for the second quarter in a row.

The survey – covering the final quarter of 2025 – showed Canterbury outperformed the rest of the country in nearly every measure, including employment, retail spending, housing activity, and population growth.

Most locals RNZ spoke to in central Christchurch on Tuesday felt the city was doing well.

“I agree [with the report], it’s a great place to live. It’s an ever-growing city, it has grown so much since the earthquakes, the people and the city that it’s growing into is very cool,” a woman said.

“I think the confidence is pretty high, people seem to be quite happy, you’ve got more flights coming into the airport, tourism is doing well. Fuel’s a bit of a worry now, I think there’s a bit of uncertainty now so hopefully things keep going as they have been,” a man said.

“It doesn’t feel like the economy is that great. It feels like every week we’re spending more and more. My friends and colleagues in Christchurch we’re all talking about I dipped into my savings this week, and ‘oh did you see how much it costs to park now’, everything feels like it’s going up in price,” one woman said.

Paige Parnell, the manager of fitness clothing store LSKD in the central city, said business had been booming and they had been getting about 1000 people through the door every Saturday.

She believed Christchurch was a top tier place to be for a retailer.

“I’ve worked with other retailers, we’ve opened up down here and it just thrives, so Christchurch does really well. I think it’s the culture, everyone here is so lovely, I’m originally from Auckland so I’ve kind of travelled around a little bit but everyone here is just so friendly, everyone wants to stop and have a conversation and everyone wants to come into a store and see the vibe,” she said.

Christchurch central Bohemian Bakery manager Barsha Gurunj said strong business had meant the bakery chain had been able to expand to five locations in the city.

She said her store had great support from locals, but there was good and bad with Christchurch being so in demand for businesses.

“I think it is a tough competition, since a lot of bakeries are opening and a lot of cafes are opening as well, but since we are open for a pretty long time like five to seven years I think it is going good,” she said.

ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley said there had been a lot of development in Canterbury.

“So you’ve had the stadium, and you’ve also had quite a lot of other development happening in that region as well. So it’s all been very supportive of employment growth, retail spending, and the housing market also doing relatively well in the region,” he said.

The ASB Regional Economic Scoreboard had Otago and Waikato tied for second place, with Auckland climbing to fourth.

Wellington ranked last of the 16 regions thanks to a weak housing market, low construction and discretionary spending, despite an improving jobs market.

ASB warned the conflict in the Middle East would create fresh headwinds for both growth and inflation.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Two senior Corrections staff are under investigation including one who faces an allegation of sexual harassment.

The other person has been suspended following multiple allegations of bullying and harassment.

Corrections said the two cases, which both involve staff at Mt Eden prison, are separate matters and do not relate to each other.

RNZ understands both involve senior staff, however they are not at an executive level.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

In response to questions from RNZ, Corrections deputy chief executive people and capability, Rebecca Powell, confirmed in a statement both staff worked in Pae Ora at Mt Eden prison.

According to Corrections’ website the Pae Ora Group is “responsible for delivering evidence-informed, culturally responsive health and rehabilitation services to people under Corrections management”.

Powell said Corrections could confirm one person had been placed on alternative duties outside of the workplace following an allegation of sexual harassment.

“Another staff member within Pae Ora has been suspended following allegations from multiple internal and external sources of bullying and harassment,” she said.

“These are separate matters and do not relate to each other.”

Powell said Corrections was one of the largest government departments in New Zealand with about 11,000 staff.

“The overwhelming majority of our people act with integrity, honesty and professionalism in what is often a high pressure and challenging environment.

“We are committed to ensuring that our workplaces are free from bullying and harassment. Our clear expectation is that staff uphold the standards of behaviour in our Code of Conduct and comply with the law.”

Powell said the outcome of any employment investigation cannot be pre-determined. Any employment investigation process must follow the requirements of the Employment Relations Act and uphold procedural integrity.

A staff member may be suspended when the staffer has admitted to misconduct but there would be some delay before a decision is made on any disciplinary action to be taken, or if the allegations were of such a serious nature that it is not appropriate for the staff member to continue to perform their duties or to remain in the workplace while an investigation is undertaken.

A staffer could also be suspended if their presence in the workplace or their contact with colleagues or offenders “might hamper a full and fair investigation” and/or potentially raise a safety risk to other staff, people in Corrections management, or themselves.

RNZ earlier revealed that Corrections commissioner of custodial services Leigh Marsh was facing an employment investigation.

In response to questions about the inquiry into Marsh, Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot said Corrections could confirm one senior leader would be investigated by an external independent investigator.

“The concerns raised relate to alleged conduct around management processes and bullying within the employment relationship.”

Marsh was one of three operational deputy chief executives who is going to undertake a six-month secondment into different DCE roles within Corrections.

“I had already been considering moving the operational DCEs into each other’s areas later this year. This is because I believe these secondments will allow each operational DCE to deepen their understanding of each other’s respective areas so we can continue building a coherent, cohesive organisation.

“Their employment agreements were developed to allow such secondments to take place.

“The decision to do this now was brought forward to ensure that a thorough and fair employment process for both parties in relation to the above complaint can be carried out.”

Marsh will be moving to Pae Ora.

RNZ asked Corrections what involvement Marsh would have with the investigations.

“In the two cases you are referring to, these were initiated while Juanita Ryan was deputy chief executive Pae Ora so any tier 2 (that is, deputy chief executive level) involvement in these matters, if required, will remain with her.”

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Source: Media Outreach

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellingtonians will face “really steep” increases in their water bills over the next decade as its new water entity tries to fix old, failing infrastructure, its chairman says.

That would start with an average increase in water charges for Wellingtonians of 14.7 percent, or an extra $310 this year, with charges possibly increasing by 28 percent in 2027-2028, and more than doubling by 2036.

Put another way, an average household across Wellington’s four cities – Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua, was set to pay about $2418 per year this coming year, and pay $6831 (with inflation) by 2036.

Releasing the indicative charges in its water services strategy on Wednesday, Tiaki Wai board chairman Will Peet said he knew the price rises would be unpopular under cost-of-living pressures, but the topic needed to be addressed now.

“We’re conscious that everyone’s been facing rising costs over the past few years, and that any increase is challenging for people.

“And I think, also for me, It’s taken 30 years to get to this position, and it will take more than five minutes to fix.”

Tiaki Wai was replacing Wellington Water and inheriting the region’s assets – managing and providing drinking water, wastewater, and piped stormwater services from July.

Wellingtonians – those living in Wellington City, Porirua, Hutt City, and Upper Hutt – who had been paying for water through council rates, would receive a separate water bill from 1 July for water services, and would have to set up a new payment plan.

Peet said this year, the exact amount of bills would vary from city to city and property to property in the same way rates varied.

For example, this year Porirua residents would pay an average increase of $368 per year for water charges, Lower Hutt residents an extra $349, Upper Hutt residents an extra $278 and Wellington residents an extra $275.

The four councils’ rating model was being transferred to Tiaki Wai for the first year’s bills, but over time, the organisation would move to a common pricing model.

Peet said he wanted to be upfront with residents about what costs would look like, and to ask them for feedback on the organisation’s strategy.

“That said, these are still really steep increases and I know you’ll see some of that from other water authorities around the country, but these are significant increases.”

He said no one would have their water turned off if they were struggling to pay a bill.

According to its strategy document, Tiaki Wai had a hardship policy, including issuing reminder notices and contacting external debt collecting agencies if necessary, but Peet told reporters debt collecting was not what the organisation was considering right now.

Peet was blunt about the challenges for the organisation, saying it would take many years to catch up with decades of underinvestment.

“Infrastructure everywhere, you can’t keep on kicking the can down the road otherwise it comes back to bite you,” he said.

“We have been deferring expenditure in water for a long time, and it’s not my place to determine past decisions, what I can tell you now is that we need to make the hard decision and start to invest.”

The strategy document noted many critical assets were in a poor condition, too old and presenting a “significant risk of failure”, including that three out of four wastewater treatment plants were non-compliant, with problems going back many years.

Wastewater networks were overflowing and stormwater systems were regularly contributed to flooding and pollution, it said.

Added to this was the organisation’s financial position – Tiaki Wai needed more money to operate, Peet said.

The organisation would take over $9 billion of water assets and around $1.7b of debt from the councils, but the amount of revenue being collected by councils – about $385 million in 2025-2026 – had not been enough to meet the long term cost for water services.

One of the organisation’s main priorities from July was to fix the Moa Point Treatment Plant, Peet said, which was still spewing raw sewage into the sea after a catastrophic failure in February.

Peet would not comment on if there was a plan to stop that, and said it was a “bit early to say” how much it would take to fix the plant, referring those questions to current owner Wellington City Council.

“We’ll be working really closely with Wellington City, as they work through the Moa Point issue. I live near the South Coast myself, I know what an impact it’s having, we all know we need to do the right fix, at the right time to make sure it stops.”

He would also not comment on any current suppliers operating the plants, including Veolia.

The organisation had been set some strict targets by Wellington regions’ mayors and mana whenua partners, including that it would not receive any abatement notices, fines, or prosecutions from Greater Wellington Regional Council for non-compliant plants.

Peet said it was the right target to aim for, but with long-standing infrastructure issues, it would not happen in first year.

“We won’t be meeting those in the initial stages, because Wellington Water is not meeting them.

“What happens on the 30 June, will be pretty much what happens on 1st July – that said I think it’s an entirely reasonable expectation that the people of Wellington, through the partner’s committee, should set us some aspirational goals to improve things.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The government will be hearing from officials later this week on possible steps towards “demand restraint”, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.

Petrol prices have increased by almost $1 per litre on average in the past month, according to price tracker Gaspy, and diesel even more, as global energy markets react to Iran’s military grip on the Strait of Hormuz following the war launched by the US and Israel.

Around 20 percent of the world’s supply usually transits through the strait.

The government is expected to unveil a support package later on Tuesday which it says will be highly targeted and temporary. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has regularly stated there have been no plans to restrict usage, with stockpiles remaining healthy and supplies still arriving as scheduled.

The latest data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed stocks for about 47 days of fuel, including about 50 days worth of petrol, 46 days of diesel, and 45 of jet fuel.

Jones, speaking to Morning Report on Tuesday morning, said New Zealand consumed 24 million litres a day – nearly half of which was diesel, a third petrol and the rest aviation fuel.

Towards the end of the week… we’re going to be briefed at a granular level by the officials who are in contact with different industry groups as to the steps we would take if we move towards demand restraint.

“I am focused more on enhancing advancing, broadening and simplifying access to greater levels of supply.”

Reports from importers such as Z Energy were coming in daily, he said.

“We have never once been told that they are unable to deliver, or contracts are being terminated. Naturally, we’re watching that with a pair of hawk eyes. The challenge remains… the access of the refineries owned by Exxon and other such global giants to enough feedstock so they can produce the fuel in suitable quantities.”

New Zealand no longer refines crude oil, with the Marsden Point facility shutting down a few years ago.

“The fuel import companies are operating exactly within their statutory envelopes. They are observing what they promised to bring to New Zealand.

“If we are to increase and store more diesel fuel in New Zealand, we need to increase the storage. And I keep saying, the reason we can’t do that at scale is because they closed down the refinery, and I don’t care if you get annoyed with me saying that. I want New Zealanders to bear that in mind. This is the consequence of closing down the refinery.”

Jones has falsely claimed the Labour government closed the refinery down, repeating that claim again on Morning Report. Refining NZ (now Channel Infrastructure), a private company, made the call to end refining at the Marsden Point site and transition to being an import-only hub. The government considered stepping in, but decided against it, with advice to ministers being that risks to fuel security were “very low”, because any event that cut off the supply of refined oil would likely cut off crude as well.

Jones said the government was working with Channel to “enhance” how much product could be stored at Marsden.

“That will give us additional diesel storage. However, I don’t want any Kiwi this morning to doubt whether there’s diesel in the country on its way. There certainly is.”

Speaking to Morning Report after Jones, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was a “private decision made by the fuel industry” that would not have hindered New Zealand’s fuel security.

“Marsden Point was refining crude oil that was imported from overseas, so the same supply constraints would be hitting us now whether MarsdenPoint was operating or not.”

He suggested it was ironic that coalition MPs were criticising Labour for having spent “too much money” during the Covid response, yet were now saying “we should have kept a refinery that was going out of business because it was obsolete technology and because it wasn’t economic”.

Asked whether the crisis had shifted his thinking on electrification and moving away from fossil fuels, Jones said it was a “fair point” to stay open-minded.

“There is a source of hydrogen energy in New Zealand. It’s called white hydrogen. It’s called natural occurring hydrogen. I met last week with the Auckland University who are doing extraordinary work in Wairarapa, and they believe they’ve tapped into a vein of infinite power of a hydrogen character, of all places in the hills and the valleys of the Wairarapa coast.

“So I think it’s a fair point that you’re making that we need to be open-minded. And then I say to Kiwis, OK, how do you imagine we’re going to pay for it? To do that, certain things, if we are to underwrite this electrification journey, will have to go by the way.

“And that’s why we have an election. No doubt people will be contesting all of those ideas.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Documents show staff at Dunedin’s Columba College complained to education officials multiple times accusing the school’s board of bullying and interfering in the day to day running of the school.

In response, the college would later say the Ministry of Education’s apparent concerns were “not made out on the evidence” that it was “at risk of overstepping” and even that the board was concerned those involved at the ministry “may not be impartial”.

In a statement to RNZ this week the school said its relationship with the ministry was “highly collaborative and positive” and that information provided by the Official Information Act (OIA) process was a “valuable opportunity for transparency and reflection on previous issues”.

In October, the school announced its principal Charissa Nicol would not be returning.

Nicol, who had been in the role since June 2023, had been on leave since 30 July. The school earlier declined to say why she was on leave.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

RNZ requested under the Official Information Act the total number of complaints made to the Ministry of Education regarding Columba College in the past two years, a summary of the complaints, and a copy of all correspondence between the school and the ministry regarding the complaints last year.

The OIA reveals the ministry received 19 complaints regarding the school last year.

In April the Ministry of Education Dunedin/South Otago manager of integrated services Judith Forbes emailed the presiding member of Columba College Board Graeme Riley and Nicol asking for a meeting.

“The Ministry of Education has received some complaints about the Columba College Board, and our first step in any situation like this would always be to discuss with the Presiding Member and the Principal the concerns that have been raised with us.

“I acknowledge that it may be unsettling to hear that the Ministry has received such correspondence.”

Ahead of the meeting, Forbes sent a summary of the complaints to Riley and Nicol as well as the president of the Board of Governors Amy Columb.

“Complaints have come from a number of staff [redacted] relating to the actions/behaviour of the Columba College Board. Summary statement from one complainant is that the board is ‘overreaching and interfering with the day to day running of the school, as well as not following policies/procedures – either by demanding certain things do or do not happen or by attempting to circumvent the limits of their reach to enforce what they wish to happen’.”

There were several examples given including the process for investigating and decision-making around a complaint against a teacher raised by more than one complainant as a breach of policy, applying additional scrutiny to departments and writing new policies to enforce decisions which would normally be made by management.

“We were particularly concerned to note that complainants stated that they were afraid to raise their concerns because of the perceived risk that they would then be targeted by past and current members of the board, with one stating that ‘targeting of complainants has unfortunately occurred in the past’.”

‘This seems like an escalation already’

In response, Riley said the board thought the usual process would have been to refer the complaints back to them in the first instance, or that any staff concerns would first have been raised with the board through Nicol.

“So this seems like an escalation already, and we are concerned that the Ministry seems to have made decisions about an appropriate process without the benefit of hearing the Board’s views or establishing the facts.”

Riley said the summary of concerns was “markedly similar” to concerns that had previously been expressed and were already being addressed by both the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees.

He added the school had engaged education consultant Cleave Hay to work with it as a “specialist governance advisor”.

On 23 April, Forbes sent an email following the meeting.

“As discussed, the Ministry is concerned to have received complaints from staff regarding the way that the boards have been operating. These complaints have a common theme: that the boards may have, over time, developed an unusual degree of involvement in the day-to-day management of the school, and that this may be having a negative impact on the smooth operation of the school and on the wellbeing of its staff.”

Forbes said the ministry was “pleased” that Hay had been contracted to support the boards, and it was “reassuring” that both Columb and Riley were “perturbed” to hear staff did not feel safe raising their concerns more directly.

She said some school boards had, in such situations, done a staff wellbeing survey with “the protection of anonymity for all respondents”.

“It would be helpful to hear back from you what plan of action the school board is thinking of putting in place to address the concerns raised, so that the Ministry can determine whether or not any further action from us is warranted and/or necessary.”

Ministry concerned about ‘ongoing operation of the school’

On 9 May Forbes received an email from Anderson Lloyd partner John Farrow who said the school’s boards had asked for advice on her email from 23 April.

He said the boards were concerned she seemed to be “forming opinions about the College without providing the information on which those opinions are apparently based, and without properly explaining the apparent concerns”.

Farrow said the boards had taken the complaints “seriously” and were taking steps to address them, in consultation with Nicol and Hay.

“In those circumstances your follow-up email, and the indication that you were still considering ‘further action’ is cause for concern. We do not see how any Ministry action could be considered at all appropriate or necessary.”

On 23 June, the ministry’s Otago central manager of integrated services Chris Bryant sent an email regarding a meeting they had the day prior referring to several matters that had been discussed.

This included that the ministry had heard from a few sources, that there was a “significant break down in the relationship between the Governance and Management. This raises concerns for the Ministry about the ongoing operation of the school”.

‘The Ministry is at risk of overstepping’

On 11 July, Farrow emailed David Tapp, the director of education for Otago and Southland on behalf of the school board and Board of Governors regarding a meeting requested by Bryant.

“Mr Bryant’s email records an option the Ministry has is to consider using its legislative powers to compel such a meeting.”

Farrow said the boards considered the ministry’s apparent concerns were “not made out on the evidence; the Ministry is at risk of overstepping; and it is too early for Ministry intervention.”

The board said the ministry may be “taking into account irrelevant considerations, including complaints made with specific agendas unrelated to concerns about the governance and effective operation of the school”.

He also said the board was “concerned those involved at the Ministry may not be impartial”.

Farrow said it was “premature” for the ministry to require a meeting with the whole school board and “almost certainly too soon for the Ministry to formally intervene”.

In response, Bryant said the purpose of the meeting was for the ministry to gain assurance that Columba College could “continue to operate effectively”.

“This is not an intervention…”

The ministry still wanted to meet with the boards.

A meeting took place in October between the Ministry of Education, Riley, Columb, Hay as well as Farrow and Fiona McMillan from Anderson Law. Following the meeting Tapp sent an email to those who attended.

Most of the email was redacted.

In a subheading titled ‘complaints process’, the email said the ministry had received 11 complaints to date. Where the complainants had included their name and email addresses, the ministry had referred them back to the school’s complaints process.

A “fear of retribution” was the common theme among the complaints.

“We positively note that the actions in Cleave’s report show that the Board is reviewing its complaints and [Professional Learning and Development].

“We are keen to see your progress on this and importantly to see how you intend to have a well-functioning complaints process which is free from the perception of fear of retribution.”

‘We have seen improvement’

In a statement to RNZ, Tapp said the ministry was in “regular contact” with the school and continued to meet with school representatives to support both the board and the leadership team.

“Last year we identified concerns about governance and leadership at the school. Columba has taken positive steps since then. We consider progress needs to occur more quickly. Several key governance matters remain unresolved, and the school is clear about the performance expectations that must be met.

“We have seen improvement. The Boards of Governors and Trustees engaged an independent governance adviser, and a working group involving staff and union representatives was established and is meeting regularly. These actions show constructive movement to resolving the governance issues identified, and we are confident the school is heading in the right direction.”

Tapp said the school continued to “operate effectively” for students on a day-to-day basis.

“At this time, further intervention is not being considered.”

In response to questions from RNZ the school’s acting principal Aaron Everett and Riley released a statement they said had been reviewed and “endorsed by staff” and was supported by both boards and the principal.

The statement said there had been changes within the school board, with seven new members joining since the board election in September last year.

The boards and staff were “working in close, positive collaboration” the statement said including formalising a dedicated working group comprising board and staff members to “ensure a unified approach and a commitment to open communication”.

They were also working together to review procedures related to the management of concerns or complaints.

“We view the information provided via the OIA process as a valuable opportunity for transparency and reflection on previous issues. It allows us to gain visibility of feedback and provides the opportunity to address these historical concerns and issues.”

The statement said the school’s relationship with the ministry was “highly collaborative and positive”.

“We welcome their partnership as we strive to provide the best possible environment for our students, staff and wider community.”

They were “encouraged” by the ministry’s confidence in the school’s current direction and its confirmation that intervention was not required.

Asked about the concerns raised about impartiality from the ministry, the statement said any “historical queries” regarding impartiality had been “fully addressed”.

“Both Boards have complete confidence in the MOE’s impartiality and look forward to our continued partnership.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Golden Bay locals are continuing to campaign against a proposed gold mine, fearing it will harm the region’s famed Te Waikoropupū Springs.

Australian mining company Siren Gold hopes to extract billions of dollars worth of gold at Sams Creek in the Upper Tākaka Valley. Exploration drilling which began in 2022, is continuing while the application for a mining permit is assessed.

Environmental advocate Timothy Firkin said two activists locked themselves to the main drilling rig at Sams Creek for about 12 hours during the weekend.

They were joined by other Golden Bay residents who remained concerned about the potential impact of the mine on the environment and the lack of engagement with the community, Firkin said.

“We feel there’s no social licence and that Siren Gold is pushing ahead without any genuine community consent,” he said.

“These are the clearest waters in the Southern Hemisphere, some of the clearest water ever measured on earth and the headwaters of the Tākaka Valley feed the Arthur Marble Aquifer that runs into Te Waikoropupū Springs and, beyond that, that water services everyone in the community.”

The group were concerned about the suitability of the site for a mine given the combination of high rainfall and seismic risk, Firkin said.

They were also worried about the management of toxic waste, arsenic-laden rock and the likely use of cyanide for extraction, he said.

The actions of activists at the weekend were a bid to disrupt the exploration drilling and came after two years of campaiging against the proposed mine, he said.

“We’ve invited them to community talks, we’ve asked for direct engagement. They’ve answered none of our questions and said that they would wait until after the mining licence was granted to engage with community,” Firkin said.

“We feel that area of the Kahurangi National Park was cut out solely for prospecting and we feel that place alone is worth protecting. Sam’s Creek is one of the most beautiful waterways I have ever set foot on and that whole area around there … I would be so heartbroken if there was a giant open cast mine in the entranceway to the Kahurangi National Park.”

The group wanted to engage with Siren Gold and voice their concerns but did not hold out much hope, he said.

Community group mounts legal challenge

Environmental advocacy group Save Our Springs last year applied for judicial review of government decisions linked to the controversial proposal.

The application was filed against Siren Gold and its subsidiary Sams Creek Gold along with Resources Minister Shane Jones and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment chief executive Nic Blakeley.

It sought declarations the exploration permit expired in March 2021 and the mining permit application should not have been accepted because it was lodged after the exploration permit’s expiry or because it did not include required information under the Crown Minerals Regulations 2007.

Siren Gold chief executive Zane Padman said the company had filed a statement of defence and a hearing date had been set for September.

The occupation over the weekend had a negligible impact on its exploration work, he said.

“I am more concerned for the safety of all involved. Entering work sites, climbing unharnessed on operating equipment and on buildings and flying drones where helicopters are operating is simply dangerous,” Padman said.

“The irony here is that the solutions to the concerns these members of the community hold are best informed by the results of the drilling.”

The company was willing to engage with people who were reasonable in their behaviour and were prepared to work with Siren Gold to identify responses to issues they hold, he said.

Exploration drilling was ongoing at the site as the company awaited the result of its mining permit application, he said.

“The mining permit is simply a procedural step that provides the holder with exclusivity to extract a specific resource from a specific location but does not give authority to activate mining,” he said.

“Any mine development is years away and any activity is required to undertake RMA consent processes for permissible activities, land owner approval, safety procedures and environmental standards to be met and community engagement including with iwi.”

Siren Gold said, in a recent update to the Australian Securities Exchange, it was part way through drilling 20 holes as part of its exploration work.

Its current estimate was that more than 800,000 ounces of gold could be mined at Sams Creek with a yield of about 2.8 grams of gold per tonne.

Drilling was expected to be completed by April with an updated mineral resource estimate to be completed after that.

MBIE minerals and offshore renewable energy national manager petroleum John Buick-Constable said the Sams Creek Gold mining permit application was still being assessed.

“There are no statutory timeframes for assessing or deciding a permit application. Each permit application brings its own complexities and there also may be times when more information is required to progress an application,” he said.

The average targeted timeframe for processing a tier one minerals mining permit was 240 working days.

The company’s existing exploration permit remained in force while its mining permit was being assessed, Buick-Constable said.

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Source: NZCTU

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Sandra Grey is calling on the Government to pause harmful employment legislation in light of Brooke van Velden’s resignation.

“Brooke van Velden’s legacy as Workplace Relations and Safety Minister is one of the worst in this country’s history. Much of the legislation passed on her watch has wrecked the longstanding landscape of employment relations in New Zealand.

“Stealing pay equity overnight from more than 300,000 workers in low-paid, female-dominated sectors. Delivering real-term pay cuts for workers on the minimum wage for three years running. Letting multinational corporate lobbyists dictate our contractor law. These decisions demonstrate van Velden’s priorities as Minister.

“The Minister has two bills before the House that continue her track record of trampling on workers’ rights. In light of the Member’s resignation, we are calling on the Government to halt any further progress on the Employment Leave Act and the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill, and to work with unions on real, long-term solutions to the issues these Bills raise.

“The Government now has an opportunity to do right by working people. The next Minister for Workplace Relations should be one who truly understands the struggle of workers in a cost-of-living crisis, and who listens to working people and their unions,” said Grey.

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