Category: LiveNews

MIL OSI

Source: Media Outreach

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 March 2026 – On March 20, 2026, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vincom Retail hosted the event “The New Era – Partnering to Shape the Future”, welcoming more than 500 domestic and international partners. The large-scale forum served as a platform for stakeholders to exchange market perspectives, update on emerging trends, and explore collaboration opportunities as Vietnam’s retail sector enters a new growth cycle.

The event brought together 500 key partners, including leading international retail brands such as UNIQLO, MUJI, Decathlon, Pandora, CGV, AEON Beta Cinema, SuperPark, KOHNAN, Central Retail, WinMart, Starbucks, Dookki, Guardian, and MEDICARE, alongside major domestic brands and chains including ACFC, Maison, Phoenix Group, Golden Gate, Aladdin Group, Takahiro, RuNam, Highlands Coffee, and The New Playground…

At the event, Vincom Retail’s leadership emphasized the rapid transformation of the retail industry, where shopping malls and commercial streets are evolving beyond traditional retail spaces to become lifestyle destinations. These destinations integrate immersive experiences, foster community connections, and lead modern consumption trends. This shift reflects changing consumer behavior, with a growing preference for experience, emotion, and interaction over mere purchasing and ownership.

Setting the direction for future growth, Vincom Retail unveiled its strategic vision toward 2030, focusing on developing world-class destinations. The company aims to position itself as a leading retail real estate developer and operator in Asia, setting benchmarks in trend leadership and customer experience, with a diverse and expansive asset portfolio and an extended international footprint supported by a global ecosystem. This unique platform enables pioneering brands and concepts to converge and co-create breakthrough experiences, many of which are being introduced in Vietnam for the first time, delivering fresh value to consumers while shaping the future of retail and establishing new regional standards.

In terms of product strategy, Vincom Retail is focusing on two core formats. Vincom Mega Mall is positioned as a “Mega Shoppertainment Destination”, a large-scale experiential hub that leads market trends. Meanwhile, Vincom Collection is developed as a “Retail-tainment Destination”, combining shopping and tourism, built around five key pillars: Play – Discover – Shop – Savor – Relax.

A prime example is the “super destination” model integrating Retail – Tourism – Entertainment at Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio, featuring 15 next-generation retail complexes. Among them, Vincom Mega Mall Can Gio and Vincom Collection Cosmo Bay are the first projects to be unveiled, promising multi-layered experiences that harmonize with nature and prioritize sustainable operations.

Beyond strategic insights, the forum also featured real-world success stories and forward-looking perspectives from pioneering brands that have helped shape Vietnam’s evolving experiential retail landscape. Mr. Vu Ngoc Thuan, Founder of restaurant chains Longwang, Tianlong, Bo To Quan Moc, and GMaster, shared: “Partnering with platforms like Vincom provides a strong launchpad for brands to accelerate growth, expand further, and professionalize according to international standards.”

Mr. Shin Jae Hyuk, representative of Dookki, also highlighted growth strategies to capture market opportunities: “Together with our trusted partner Vincom, we will continue to create new milestones for Vietnam’s F&B market. Our goal is not only to sell tteokbokki, but to deliver the joyful culture of Korean cuisine to customers at an accessible price point.”

Vincom Retail plays a critical role as a developer, platform, and connector, bringing international brands to Vietnam while supporting Vietnamese brands in their journey to expand globally.

Additionally, SuperPark, a global indoor activity park brand, shared insights into the development of family-oriented active entertainment, one of the fastest-growing trends in next-generation shopping malls. These real-world examples highlight the strong opportunities for brands to collaborate with Vincom Retail to scale operations, develop innovative retail concepts, optimize performance, and enhance customer experience.

As the market enters a new phase of growth, the event not only facilitated strategic dialogue but also strengthened sustainable partnerships between Vincom Retail and its stakeholders. As a market pioneer, the company continues to support brands in scaling up, elevating business models, and capturing long-term growth opportunities. Notably, emerging super destinations such as Can Gio – envisioned as a future national tourism hub – are expected to serve as powerful growth drivers, contributing to the transformation of Vietnam’s retail landscape.

Vincom Retail is currently the largest retail real estate developer in Vietnam and ranks among the top three in Southeast Asia by scale. The company operates 90 shopping malls with a total gross leasable area of 1.9 million square meters, and manages 5,500 shophouses totaling 1.5 million square meters across 31 out of 34 provinces and cities nationwide, partnering with more than 1,000 brands.

Hashtag: #VincomRetail

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

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

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 March 2026 – DFI Retail Group (DFI or the Group) is pleased to announce its 2025 Sustainability Disclosure, highlighting the Group’s continued progress and commitment to advancing sustainability across Asia.

In 2025, DFI delivered strong progress on key sustainability commitments:

• 22% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions compared to the 2021 baseline, with a target of 50% reduction by 2030.
• Waste diversion rate improved to 66%, up from 61% in 2024, with a target of achieving 80% by 2030.
• Invested US$3.9 million in community initiatives across markets.

The Group also advanced Scope 3 decarbonisation across supply chain of four key commodities – rice, coffee, dairy and beef. Initiatives included the launch of 380 tonnes of Low-Carbon Rice achieving a minimum 30% on-farm emissions reduction, sourcing 100% deforestation-free certified coffee beans for 7CAFÉ Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore, and IKEA, and partnering with The Mills Fabrica to launch the DFI Sustainability Innovation Challenge to identify global solutions for beef and dairy emissions.

Scott Price, Group Chief Executive, DFI Retail Group shared, “We remain committed to our purpose of sustainably serving Asia for generations with everyday moments. In 2025, we made clear progress on our pathway to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030, with investments in refrigerant management, energy efficiency and behaviour change initiatives across our operations. At the same time, we continued to deliver affordable, sustainable products that meet customer expectations, including the introduction of Low-Carbon Rice in Hong Kong and the expansion of our ‘Grounds to Green programme’ at 7Eleven. These efforts, together with disciplined waste and packaging management, keep us firmly on track to meet our 2030 sustainability targets.”

Erica Chan, Group Chief Legal, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer added, “Strong governance and transparency remain central to how we deliver on our sustainability ambitions. By streamlining our disclosure and enhancing our materiality assessment, climate scenario analysis, and transition plan, we are aligning with global standards such as IFRS S1 and S2. This ensures stakeholders gain a clear, holistic view of our progress and priorities, while reinforcing our commitment to creating long-term value across People, Products, and Planet.”

In 2025, DFI continued to be guided by its Sustainability Framework, centred on the three pillars of People, Products and Planet, with Governance as the cornerstone. This framework remains integral to the Group’s approach, ensuring robust leadership and oversight while driving initiatives that empower people, expand sustainable product choices, and reduce environmental impact across operations and supply chains.

Highlights of 2025 Initiatives:

1. People: DFI Group and its business formats continued to support communities through Our Community Giveback initiatives, investing US$3.9 million and reaching 1.25 million beneficiaries across 12 markets. The Health and Beauty segment launched professional health services at Mannings and Guardian, extending access across more than 450 pharmacies in all markets. For team members, capability building was strengthened through major initiatives such as the launch of DFILEARN, enhanced leadership programmes, and structured career development frameworks, empowering growth across all levels of the business. At the same time, DFI upheld rigorous standards for suppliers, maintaining 100% ethical audits of Own Brand factories in high-risk countries and reinforcing responsible practices across supply chains through comprehensive assessments, audits, and engagement.
2. Products: In 2025, 48% in-scope Own Brand products carried third-party sustainability certificates, up from 28% in 2024. At the same time, 83% Own Brand plastic packaging component that is recyclable, reusable or compostable, keeping us on-track to meet the target of at least 85% by 2030. The expansion of the 7Eleven’s ‘Grounds to Green” Coffee Grounds Upcycling Programme further reflected our efforts to embed circularity principles where relevant. The programme repurposed used coffee grounds into natural fertiliser to grow fresh produce, which was then incorporated into 7-SELECT juices and ready-to-eat items.
3. Planet: DFI recorded a 22% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2025, compared to our 2021 baseline, on track towards our 50% reduction target by 2030. As refrigerant leaks remain one of the primary sources of these emissions, the Group continued upgrading refrigeration systems and, in April 2025, commissioned the first CO₂-based natural refrigerant system in Hong Kong’s food retail sector at the Cloudview Market Place store in North Point. This was followed by the installation of a sub-critical CO₂ refrigeration system in Oliver’s The Delicatessen in Central Hong Kong in September 2025, marking important milestones in advancing low-carbon operations across the portfolio. Waste diversion improved from 61% to 66% in 2025, as part of our efforts to achieve 80% waste diversion by 2030.

By embedding sustainability into our strategy, operations, and value chain, we are not only tackling today’s challenges but also building a resilient, responsible business that creates lasting value for our customers, communities, and the environment.

For detailed information on the various sustainability initiatives undertaken by DFI, please refer to the Sustainability Disclosure in the Integrated Annual Report 2025. To learn more about DFI’s efforts, please visit DFI’s website.

https://www.dfiretailgroup.com/en/

Hashtag: #DFIRetailGroup #SustainabilityDisclosure #PeopleProductsPlanet #Mannings #Guardian #7-Eleven #Wellcome #MarketPlace #IKEA #yuu

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fonterra’s first half result is expected to deliver to expectations, but with a murky outlook as the war in Iran threatens global supply chains, along with rising energy and other costs.

Generate KiwiSaver investment specialist Greg Smith said strong demand for dairy products as well as the low value of the New Zealand dollar would help Fonterra through the ongoing volatility, though there could be some disruption to its cheese exports to places such as the United Arab Emirates, as an example.

“So there are some impacts there, and product that potentially will need to be re-routed,” Smith said.

The market consensus for the six months ended January was for revenue in the order of $11 billion, with an underlying profit of $976 million and a normalised net profit of $445m.

The first half dividend was expected to be about 21 cents per share, in addition to a special Mainland dividend in a range of 14-to-18 cps, following the completion of the sale of Fonterra’s Mainland Group of global consumer and associated business to Lactalis for $4.22b.

Where is the growth coming from?

The company was forecasting growth in its ingredients and food services business to fill any gap left by the sale of the consumer business by the year ending July 2028.

“Unlike other company results, I think the focus this time in particular (will be) less on the numbers… and I think that’s principally reflecting the strategic reset that’s underway,” Forsyth Barr senior equities analyst Matt Montgomerie said.

Two key focuses will be on where Fonterra’s debt levels, following the divestment and how the ingredients and food services businesses were planning to fill the earnings gap left by the sale of the consumer businesses.

Forecasts

• FY26 forecast earnings guidance from continuing operations at between 45 and 65 cents per share.
• Current season forecast Farmgate Milk Price midpoint $9.50 per kgMS – range of $9.20-$9.80 per kgMS.
• Target to close Mainland underlying earnings gap of $300m – FY28 to match FY25.

“Delivery and execution and messaging around that target is the key for the next few years,” Montgomerie said.

Who will lead Fonterra?

Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell resigned this month following a 25-year career with Fonterra, including eight years as chief executive after the resignation of the late Theo Spierings in 2019, who failed to connect with farmer-shareholders and left the company in a poor financial position, with high debt levels to deal with.

Montgomerie said farmers will want to see someone who operates in a similar mode to Hurrell, who was able to relate to farmers on a day-to-day business and deliver on the turnaround strategy.

“The farmers are looking for consistency and continuity. Obviously, change can bring about new perspectives, but I would be surprised if there are any notable changes in strategic direction with the new CEO,” he said.

“It feels like there’s a strong desire to provide sort of an opportunity for someone internally to continue the strategic direction of the business. But I think the key thing is that reliability and trust from a farmer point of view, but then also Fonterra’s customers all around the world.”

Smith said the next chief executive will have “big gum boots to fill”.

“I’m sure there’ll be a swathe of high quality internal candidates put forward but also no doubt there’ll be a global benchmark process,” he said.

“I don’t really think there’ll be a significant change in strategy, given all the effort that has gone into refocusing and simplifying the business.”

The bigger picture?

Smith said the sale of the Mainland business will give the New Zealand economy a much needed boost.

“The Mainland sale is going to inject potentially around $3 billion, if not more into the Kiwi economy,” Smith said.

“So that’s a positive story for the second half of the year, economically.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fonterra delivered a strong first half result, beating market expectations, while lifting its full year earnings outlook and forecast farmgate milk price.

The co-operative said a “favourable product mix and resilient global demand for high value dairy Ingredients and Foodservice products” enabled Fonterra to deliver and better than expected result.

The dairy co-operative’s net profit for the six months ended January rose 3 percent, with group revenue up 9 percent.

Key numbers for the six months ended January compared with a year ago:

• Net profit $750m vs $729m
• Revenue $1.231b vs $1.107b
• Earnings per share 45 cents vs 44cps
• Normalised earnings per share 51 cps vs 47cps
• Return on capital 11.2% vs 10.4%
• Interim dividend 24cps vs 22cps
• Special Mainland dividend 16cps – Capital return of $2 a share – expected to be paid 14 April

Current forecast vs previous forecast

• FY26 forecast earnings guidance from continuing operations between 50 – 65cps vs 45 -65 cps
• Current season forecast Farmgate Milk Price midpoint $9.70 per kgMS vs 9.50 per kgMS.
• Reaffirms target to close Mainland underlying earnings gap of $300m – FY28 to match FY25

Outgoing chief executive Miles Hurrell said the changes to the forecast Farmgate Milk Price and earnings reflected improvement in global commodity prices and the co-op’s strong underlying

margins and cost control.

However, he said significant volatility remained, particularly as the conflict in the Middle East continued.

“The underlying performance of Fonterra’s continuing business is stable, allowing the Co-op to return all earnings associated with the Mainland Group business and lift our forecasts for the remainder of the year ahead,” Hurrell said.

“Demand for our products is strong, and we’re focused on our plan to maximise both the Farmgate Milk Price and earnings.”

The co-op also delivered a return on capital of 11.2 percent, in line with its target range.

“The first half of the year has been shaped by strong milk flows, with the Co-op collecting record milk volumes in the South Island so far this season,” Hurrell said, though several adverse weather events had put pressure on operations.

“Our performance shows that we are growing the high-value parts of our business through optimal allocation of milk solids across our product mix, which is driving a strong return on capital for shareholders and unit holders.”

Managing geopolitical volatility

Hurrell said war in the Middle East was having an impact on its supply chain through the region, with potential to increase Fonterra’s inventory levels and costs over the course of the second half of the year.

There was also the potential for further volatility in global commodity prices, he said.

“The conflict is a complex and dynamic situation that is changing daily, but we are confident that we’re on the right track to get product to customers.”

He said Fonterra’s business was designed to manage volatility.

“Our scale and strong relationships with customers and logistics provider Kotahi will help us to navigate through these challenges better than most.

“With this in mind, we remain focused on delivering on our strategic targets.”

Where the growth is coming from

The company said it was focused on deepending its position as a world-leading provider of dairy ingredients.

“In line with the co-op’s strategy, we have continued to focus on optimising our product mix by allocating milk solids effectively to the highest accessible demand.

“With milk collection tracking at 2.3 percent growth year-on-year, we have leveraged flexibility in our asset network and increased the manufacture of our highest returning product portfolios, such as cheese and proteins,” it said in its interim report.

Fonterra said it was also expanding its Foodservice business in and beyond China to grow earnings.

“Diversifying our cream portfolio and expanding our customer base remains a key focus. Anchor Easy Bakery Cream continues to perform strongly in China, valued for its functionality, quality and accessible price point.

“The cream has now launched in Indonesia and Thailand, with other markets across Southeast Asia to follow.”

In addition the company said it was investing more in operations.

“During the half, we continued to invest in our assets to drive growth in our Foodservice and Ingredients businesses, and in projects intended to improve energy security, operational resilience, and reduce the Co-op’s emissions.”

It was also investing more in science and technology.

“In line with our strategy, the co-op has continued to advance its innovation pipeline across products, processes, data and new business models.

“Our team and dedicated research and development centre remains focused on core dairy and advanced nutrition, manufacturing performance and capability, and strengthening in-market application capability to support long-term growth, efficiency and resilience.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The finance minister will reveal “targeted and temporary” support for hard-hit families on Tuesday, as fuel costs continue to rise.

Nicola Willis gave notice of the announcement at Monday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones.

Jones also announced plans to align New Zealand’s fuel standards with that of Australia, allowing the import of fuel destined for Australia to New Zealand instead.

Willis said the decisions on support had been taken at Cabinet, and while some of the details were still being worked out, that would not affect how quickly families could get it.

“This conflict is impacting just about every New Zealander, it has pushed up the price of petrol, diesel and jet fuel and those increases are already hurting our people and our businesses. Unfortunately the government is not in a position to mitigate that impact on everyone,” she said.

“The approach we are taking is consistent with the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the response to the Covid pandemic, which highlighted the damage that can be done by untimely, untemporary and untargeted spending.”

It was unclear when the support would be rolled out, with Willis saying that would be made clear when it was announced.

Motorists should fuel up as and when they needed to, she said, with the government’s solution set to target income rather than fuel prices.

‘No concerns’ about fuel supply

For now, there were no concerns about fuel supplies in New Zealand, she said.

“To date, all shipments have arrived as scheduled and fuel importers have not raised any concerns about shipments that are due here in future.

“It remains the case that we have to be prepared for the possibility of disruptions in the medium to longer term, particularly because the refineries in Southeast Asia from which we import more than 90 percent of our fuel may have challenges getting the feedstock crude oil that they need.”

Luxon said the country had at least enough fuel for the next seven weeks, although the government was preparing in case of long-term further disruption.

“If you are someone who has just faced a 30 percent increase in your fuel bill or a 60 percent increase in your diesel bill since the actual crisis, since this conflict has commenced, it’s real.

“We cannot do the Covid learnings and mistakes, which was just spray a heap of money around that has short term gain but long term pain – massive long-term pain – and equally we’ve got to find a way to get people support in a temporary, targeted kind of way.

“The reality is that we are not going to be able to alleviate the pressure of rising prices for everyone, but what we’ve been clear about are the parameters for any support that we provide, which is that it must be targeted, it must be timely, and it must be temporary and not drive inflation or debt higher.”

The latest data from 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.

The data, accurate to last Wednesday, marks about two days fewer than was reported last week.

One new fuel shipment arrived on Sunday, and two more – carrying between them another 20 days of each kind of fuel – are expected to arrive in the next fortnight.

The next update is due on Wednesday, but the ministry says New Zealand is not yet experiencing the kind of sustained disruption that would justify emergency measures under the national fuel plan.

Luxon said nothing had changed about New Zealand’s position on the Iran conflict, but that Iranians “holding hostage a whole bunch of ships to bring fuel and critical supplies … that’s not acceptable”.

“What we want to see is a quick resolution to this conflict and that means that actually respecting civilians and civilian infrastructure is really important … we think the best thing is de-escalation.”

Willis confirmed some consideration had been given to which industries could be prioritised if fuel rationing was needed, but this would not be revealed until a later date.

“We will not be having to hit the button tomorrow, but we will outline what our proposed phasing of response is … we recognise that it’s useful for people to understand what could be coming under a range of scenarios,” she said.

She noted the high prices would also naturally limit fuel use.

“It is pinching people’s pockets already and that is changing people’s choices. So Auckland transport have reported they had their biggest day of public transport use in seven years, I think that’s people deciding to use their cars a little bit less because it’s pretty expensive right now.”

‘Anzac pact’ in fuel and other standards

Jones outlined the government’s plan to temporarily allow fuel that meets Australian specifications to be supplied to the New Zealand market for up to a year.

Fuel companies had said this could allow them to secure shipments more quickly, and from a wider pool of suppliers.

Jones said long-range vessels typically carried about 120 million litres, and New Zealand consumed about 24 million litres of fuel a day – with about 47 percent of that being diesel, about 35 percent being petrol, and the remainder being aviation fuel.

“Should such a vessel be on its way to Australia then we would have the ability to also benefit from such a vessel.”

He said fuel refined to Australian standards was compatible with New Zealand vehicles, and met safety and quality expectations, pushing back on the suggestion it would allow dirtier fuels than under current standards.

“It’s unkind of us to refer to our Aussie compatriots as dirty,” he said. “There’s two things – whether or not fuel used in a high-temperature northern Australian environment, we are advised that a lot of that fuel is suitable for the North Island … with the South Island the fuel importers assure us that they will have the optionality to service both of those markets.”

He said officials had spoken to Australian counterparts.

“We pushed the idea that at some point in time we should explore and ANZAC pact and I would say to you this is the first step that we’re taking to join forces.

“It’d be fair to say that I’ve got a fair degree of support in our Cabinet to actually move towards permanent harmonisation of not only these standards but a variety of other standards in the economy.”

Willis and the associate ministers of finance would make further improvements, he said.

The government would not follow Australia’s lead in relaxing standards to allow higher-sulphur fuel, he said, at least not yet.

“At this stage it’s not our intention to do so, however, we will take advice should the situation change – and that could be an option that expands our supply.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

US President Donald Trump has vowed to ‘obliterate’ Iran energy facilities if it doesn’t’ open the Strait of Hormuz.

The threat has added to worries in global markets.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Sunday New Zealand’s fuels stocks remain at seven weeks’ worth, including stockpiles.

Fuel price app Gaspy has altered features in an attempt to avoid errors and deliberate misinformation about current prices of petrol.

And the government has announced a $50 million plan to double electric EV chargers in New Zealand.

Follow all the updates in our live blog at the top of this page.

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

MIL OSI

Source: Media Outreach

How TVB’s ACN is shaping the creator economy by empowering brands to leverage premium talent-turned-creators for authentic, multi-platform storytelling

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The finance minister says New Zealand’s fuel stocks remain at seven weeks worth, including stockpiles.

But Nicola Willis concedes that keeping that buffer was still “dependent on ships like this continuing to turn up”.

Speaking on Sunday afternoon at Channel Infrastructure’s Marsden Point Energy Precinct, Willis said she wanted to provide more information to address peoples’ concerns about delays in that supply.

She said New Zealand had a number of places fuel supplies arrive into the country, but Marsden Point is the largest.

Today’s visit comes amid fears of an energy crisis, with the global price of oil skyrocketing in the wake of the US and Israel’s attack on Iran.

Iran’s response has included threatening ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a key channel for the transportation of fuel exports from the Middle East, and strikes on US-friendly neighbours’ energy infrastructure.

Marsden Point is New Zealand’s fuel import terminal, and until 2022 also had an oil refining facility. New Zealand now relies on imported refined fuels, without a facility to refine raw products.

Senior coalition politicians are at odds over whether the facility should have been closed.

Willis told Morning Report on Friday price increases were extremely tough and affecting all New Zealanders, but some were feeling it more than others.

“I can’t solve the pain for everyone. The cost of doing that would potentially involve levels of spending that would drive inflation higher, and certainly would put us in a more fragile position in terms of debt.

“So what we are looking at, is there something very targeted and temporary that we could do to assist those workers in particular who are most acutely impacted by these household budget squeezes?”

IRD and Treasury have been asked to come up with a package that could be implemented with urgency ahead of the Budget.

Willis will talk to the media at 2pm – watch it live here.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Analysis: Christopher Luxon’s personal performance and that of his party is worse, and more people think the country is headed in the wrong direction under his government.

Those are the bleak messages being sent by voters in the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll.

The poll has National on just 30.8 – only just scraping above the death knell threshold of anything with a 2 at the start of it.

For Luxon personally his preferred prime minister score is 17.3 – down from 19.4 in RNZ’s last poll in January.

While there’s been speculation in recent weeks off the back of another bad poll that Luxon’s time as leader could be running out, the RNZ-Reid Research poll doesn’t point to any obvious successors.

Housing Minister Chris Bishop only reached 0.6 percent – down from 1.3, while often tipped future leader and Education Minister Erica Stanford registered 1.4 percent, up slightly from 1.2 at the last poll. Not exactly threatening results.

For Luxon, however, it’s his net favourability – the difference between those who think he’s doing well and those who rate his performance badly – where things really take a dive.

The Prime Minister has a net favourability score of -20.6, even worse than the dismal result he got in the last poll of -14.

If it’s the economy that Luxon will turn to for a brighter outlook, it’s only bad news there too.

Half of respondents – 50 percent – now think the country is headed in the wrong direction under this coalition government, while just 32.3 think it’s headed the right way.

Compare that with January when 46.6 percent picked wrong direction versus 36.3 that picked right and it’s another public sentiment tracking the opposite way to what Luxon and his team would like.

It’s worth noting 72.6 percent of National voters felt the country was headed the right way but a much smaller number for Act – just 57.5 percent – and an even worse showing for New Zealand First – only 26.6 percent – paints a story of coalition supporters also feeling gloomy.

While the net figure for wrong and right direction has been dropping since the first RNZ-Reid Research poll in March 2025, it did lift slightly in the last poll in January, only to plunge to an even lower score this time round.

The grim warnings are hot on the back of another poll that had National on 28 percent.

The Taxpayers’ Union Curia poll that was published on March 6 was a catalyst for questions over Luxon’s leadership and speculation that grew so fevered he had to go on air at the last minute for an unscheduled interview to dampen it down.

On RNZ-Reid Research’s poll numbers Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens had a slight improvement on their party vote while everyone else suffered drops.

Labour has the biggest share with 35.6, while New Zealand First is on 10.6, the Greens 10.1, Act 7 and Te Pati Maori 3.2.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins was also down in his preferred prime minister rating, on 20.7, while his net favourability was comfortably ahead of Luxon’s on +0.3.

While this poll covers the period in which Hipkins was in the media denying a number of allegations made by his ex-wife, which she had posted to social media, at least half of those polled had already been counted before that story broke.

If this poll result played out on election night, both the centre-right and the centre-left blocs would get 60 seats – not enough to form a government, leaving a hung parliament.

It’s been a tough month for New Zealanders already suffering a years-long cost of living crisis, with spiking prices at the pump, at the supermarket, and on other services like flights.

The ongoing war in Iran and no end-date in sight has people feeling nervous about the months ahead.

Winter is also looming, when Kiwis inevitably feel the pressure of sky-rocketing power prices.

It’s a less than rosy outlook and what this poll suggests is that National is wearing a lot of the responsibility for that and people aren’t enamored with Luxon.

Unpopular prime ministers have won elections before and it’s still seven months out from polling day, but the runway for turning the economy around is growing shorter by the week.

The problem with campaigning on getting the country back on track, as National did in 2023, is that sometimes situations well outside of its control can have an overwhelming impact on whether that’s achieved or not.

Rather than quietly cursing the policy-light Opposition at home, it’s political friends (perhaps turned foes) abroad who are causing Luxon the most grief.

*The RNZ-Reid Research poll covered the period of the 12th to the 20th of March and interviewed 1000 respondents online. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The finance minister will reveal “targeted and temporary” support for hard-hit families on Tuesday, as fuel costs continue to rise.

Nicola Willis gave notice of the announcement at Monday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones.

Jones also announced plans to align New Zealand’s fuel standards with that of Australia, allowing the import of fuel destined for Australia to New Zealand instead.

Willis said the decisions on support had been taken at Cabinet, and while some of the details were still being worked out, that would not affect how quickly families could get it.

“This conflict is impacting just about every New Zealander, it has pushed up the price of petrol, diesel and jet fuel and those increases are already hurting our people and our businesses. Unfortunately the government is not in a position to mitigate that impact on everyone,” she said.

“The approach we are taking is consistent with the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the response to the Covid pandemic, which highlighted the damage that can be done by untimely, untemporary and untargeted spending.”

It was unclear when the support would be rolled out, with Willis saying that would be made clear when it was announced.

Motorists should fuel up as and when they needed to, she said, with the government’s solution set to target income rather than fuel prices.

‘No concerns’ about fuel supply

For now, there were no concerns about fuel supplies in New Zealand, she said.

“To date, all shipments have arrived as scheduled and fuel importers have not raised any concerns about shipments that are due here in future.

“It remains the case that we have to be prepared for the possibility of disruptions in the medium to longer term, particularly because the refineries in Southeast Asia from which we import more than 90 percent of our fuel may have challenges getting the feedstock crude oil that they need.”

Luxon said the country had at least enough fuel for the next seven weeks, although the government was preparing in case of long-term further disruption.

“If you are someone who has just faced a 30 percent increase in your fuel bill or a 60 percent increase in your diesel bill since the actual crisis, since this conflict has commenced, it’s real.

“We cannot do the Covid learnings and mistakes, which was just spray a heap of money around that has short term gain but long term pain – massive long-term pain – and equally we’ve got to find a way to get people support in a temporary, targeted kind of way.

“The reality is that we are not going to be able to alleviate the pressure of rising prices for everyone, but what we’ve been clear about are the parameters for any support that we provide, which is that it must be targeted, it must be timely, and it must be temporary and not drive inflation or debt higher.”

The latest data from 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.

The data, accurate to last Wednesday, marks about two days fewer than was reported last week.

One new fuel shipment arrived on Sunday, and two more – carrying between them another 20 days of each kind of fuel – are expected to arrive in the next fortnight.

The next update is due on Wednesday, but the ministry says New Zealand is not yet experiencing the kind of sustained disruption that would justify emergency measures under the national fuel plan.

Luxon said nothing had changed about New Zealand’s position on the Iran conflict, but that Iranians “holding hostage a whole bunch of ships to bring fuel and critical supplies … that’s not acceptable”.

“What we want to see is a quick resolution to this conflict and that means that actually respecting civilians and civilian infrastructure is really important … we think the best thing is de-escalation.”

Willis confirmed some consideration had been given to which industries could be prioritised if fuel rationing was needed, but this would not be revealed until a later date.

“We will not be having to hit the button tomorrow, but we will outline what our proposed phasing of response is … we recognise that it’s useful for people to understand what could be coming under a range of scenarios,” she said.

She noted the high prices would also naturally limit fuel use.

“It is pinching people’s pockets already and that is changing people’s choices. So Auckland transport have reported they had their biggest day of public transport use in seven years, I think that’s people deciding to use their cars a little bit less because it’s pretty expensive right now.”

‘Anzac pact’ in fuel and other standards

Jones outlined the government’s plan to temporarily allow fuel that meets Australian specifications to be supplied to the New Zealand market for up to a year.

Fuel companies had said this could allow them to secure shipments more quickly, and from a wider pool of suppliers.

Jones said long-range vessels typically carried about 120 million litres, and New Zealand consumed about 24 million litres of fuel a day – with about 47 percent of that being diesel, about 35 percent being petrol, and the remainder being aviation fuel.

“Should such a vessel be on its way to Australia then we would have the ability to also benefit from such a vessel.”

He said fuel refined to Australian standards was compatible with New Zealand vehicles, and met safety and quality expectations, pushing back on the suggestion it would allow dirtier fuels than under current standards.

“It’s unkind of us to refer to our Aussie compatriots as dirty,” he said. “There’s two things – whether or not fuel used in a high-temperature northern Australian environment, we are advised that a lot of that fuel is suitable for the North Island … with the South Island the fuel importers assure us that they will have the optionality to service both of those markets.”

He said officials had spoken to Australian counterparts.

“We pushed the idea that at some point in time we should explore and ANZAC pact and I would say to you this is the first step that we’re taking to join forces.

“It’d be fair to say that I’ve got a fair degree of support in our Cabinet to actually move towards permanent harmonisation of not only these standards but a variety of other standards in the economy.”

Willis and the associate ministers of finance would make further improvements, he said.

The government would not follow Australia’s lead in relaxing standards to allow higher-sulphur fuel, he said, at least not yet.

“At this stage it’s not our intention to do so, however, we will take advice should the situation change – and that could be an option that expands our supply.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: New Zealand Government

Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo will visit New Zealand this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced. 

“We share a warm and close partnership with Tuvalu, underpinned by strong development, cultural, economic, and people to people links,” Mr Luxon says.

“I look forward to discussing how we can deliver on our shared ambitions and regional priorities, and hearing about the Pre-COP31 Leaders’ Event Tuvalu is hosting in October.”

New Zealand has a long-standing development partnership with Tuvalu, including support for education, health, economic development and coastal resilience. 

While in New Zealand, Prime Minister Teo will meet Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, Pacific Peoples Minister Dr Shane Reti and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts. He will also attend community events and engage with the Tuvaluan diaspora.

Prime Minister Teo’s visit to New Zealand will be his first official visit since he was elected Prime Minister in 2024. He will be accompanied by Tuvalu Foreign Minister Paulson Panapa and Tuvalu Minister for Transport, Energy, Communication and Innovation Simon Kofe.

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

The number of electric vehicle (EV) public chargers around New Zealand will more than double thanks to $52.7 million in zero-interest loans from the Government and co-investment from ChargeNet and Meridian, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Energy & Climate Change Minister Simon Watts say.

“Many New Zealanders have thought about getting an EV, even before the fuel challenges we’re currently facing. But research shows that the lack of public chargers is holding many back from making the switch to an EV,” Mr Bishop says.

“The private sector is reluctant to invest in charging infrastructure until there’s sufficient demand, but demand won’t grow until the lack of public chargers stops putting buyers off. Just as the previous National-led Government did with the ultrafast broadband network rollout, we’re taking action to break that deadlock.”

ChargeNet and Meridian Energy were selected through a contestable, value-for-money bid process. Both companies are co-investing a combined $60 million of their own capital alongside the Government loans, taking the total investment to over $110 million.

“Concessionary loans bring forward private investment in public EV charging infrastructure by lowering the cost of capital, while keeping the taxpayer’s contribution to a minimum,” Mr Bishop says.

“In this case, the average loan per charge point is $20,000, but once repayments are factored in, the net cost to the Crown is around $10,000 per charger, roughly a quarter of what a direct grant would cost.

“We’re also changing our planning rules to make the installation of public EV chargers a permitted activity under the RMA, meaning in most cases no consent is required – another factor that will help to speed up delivery.”

The 2,574 new charge points include 1,374 DC fast chargers and 1,200 AC chargers. DC fast chargers deliver power directly to the battery and can charge a car in 20 to 60 minutes, making them suited to highways and destinations where people stop briefly. AC chargers are slower and better suited to places where cars are parked for longer periods, like shopping centres, workplaces, and residential areas.

“About half the new chargers will be spread across Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, the Wellington region, Christchurch, and Dunedin, with the other half throughout the regions, so drivers outside the main centres will benefit too,” Mr Bishop says.

“New Zealand currently has a bit over 1,800 public charge points, which is among the lowest charger-to-EV ratios in the OECD. Another 161 charge points are also in progress. Combined with the investment being announced today, the national total will be around 4,550. The Government is working towards 10,000 charge points by 2030, roughly one for every 40 EVs.”

“Owning an EV in New Zealand already makes strong financial sense. Electricity is cheaper than petrol and almost entirely generated from renewable sources like wind, geothermal, solar, and hydro,” Mr Watts says. 

“Kiwis are already making the shift to electric vehicles as a cost-of-living choice, and we have seen uptake grow. In February 2026, EV sales were up 10.5 per cent on the same month last year – and anecdotal evidence suggests even greater interest over the past couple of weeks as conflict in the Middle East has seen fuel prices increase.

“At a time when global fuel markets are volatile, that matters. 

“A better charging network means more New Zealanders can take advantage of it, and that’s good for household budgets and our emissions profile alike. EVs produce at least 60 percent fewer lifecycle emissions than petrol vehicles.”

Notes to editor: 

• Concessionary loans are loans at below-market interest rates (in this case, zero-interest) which incentivise charge point operators to invest in charging infrastructure ahead of demand. The repaid capital can be used for new loans if co-investment is still required or allocated to other initiatives.
• The loans are administered by National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFFCo), the successor organisation to Crown Infrastructure Partners (which delivered Ultra-Fast Broadband). EECA will provide assistance as required.
• The Government has allocated $66.145m of capital funding for concessionary loans.
• The concessionary loans will fund up to 50 percent of project capital costs, have a zero percent interest rate, and a maximum tenure of 13 years. The loans have been awarded through a contestable co-investment bid process.
• Applications were assessed against value-for-money criteria to ensure loans are awarded to projects of greatest benefit and that New Zealand’s EV charging network grows at pace.
• Consumer monitoring by EECA consistently shows that some of the main perceived disadvantages of EVs include that the driving range is not suitable for long distance travel, and that there are not enough public chargers available. Increasing the availability of public charging infrastructure gives drivers the confidence to switch to an electric vehicle. See EECA’s EV Charging research October 2025 update – EV Charging Research 

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

A cheaper bus or train fare would be far better than working from home to avoid rising fuel prices, say commuters, despite the local government minister ruling it out.

Simon Watts says the government is not looking at any change or incentive model in regards to public transport.

“Public transport usage by New Zealanders has already increased, we’ve seen that flow through in our major urban cities,” he said.

“That’s obviously a result of Kiwis making the conscious decision to take public transport versus driving their vehicle and that’s what you’d expect with prices at the pump being higher.”

He said it should be up to New Zealanders to make their own decisions, based on their own circumstances.

But petrol has sky-rocketed by more than 83 cents a litre and diesel has shot up $1.33 since the US and Israel began attacking Iran.

Auckland Transport, Greater Wellington, and Canterbury Regional Councils are asking the government to encourage people to use more buses, trains, and ferries – rather than work from home.

People RNZ spoke to in central Auckland on Monday said they would prefer that.

“I do like working from home but working in the office is also really nice, it’s more collaborative,” said one commuter.

“I would prefer to have cheaper public transport,” said another.

Shay Peters from Robert Walters Recruitment Agency said a lot of jobseekers preferred to work from home.

“As we’re in tougher economic times, people are probably erring on the side of caution and will like to be in the office but I know a number would also like the opportunity on balance to be able to just save cash and be working from home at the moment.”

Last Tuesday was Auckland’s busiest day on public transport since 2019, and the capital has seen 10 percent more passengers on the train – and six percent on the bus – within the past month.

Greater Wellington Regional Council Public Transport Committee chair Ros Connelly would also like to see subsidised fares.

“There’s no doubt in my mind and from the surveys and customer feedback that we receive that the cost of public transport still is a significant barrier to people. Obviously since we’ve seen the fuel crisis, comparatively the cost of public transport has decreased but still it is extremely expensive.”

She said the train from Masterton to Wellington can cost up to $22.50 each way, per day.

“That is a barrier for many people and so they will look at other options. Working from home is definitely popular but if there was an increased subsidy we’re really confident that we would see more people on public transport and as fuel prices increase this is one way that the government can ensure that people get to work.”

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said it was a no-brainer to make public transport free.

“Fares have gone up by as much as a third in Canterbury, by a quarter in the Manawatū-Whanganui region and Auckland also has seen fare increases in the realm of 15 to 20 percent over the last three years. We need to remove those barriers to access and also be reserving fuel supply for those who actually need it and don’t currently have the option.”

Stacey van der Putten from Auckland Transport would welcome that.

“We’re monitoring it daily so there will be adjustments that are needed but the system does have flex to be able to support it.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is taking practical steps to strengthen New Zealand’s fuel resilience by temporarily allowing fuel that meets Australian specifications to be supplied to the New Zealand market, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.

“In a tight global fuel market, flexibility matters. Countries that can access a wider range of shipments are better placed to keep fuel flowing. This decision removes unnecessary technical barriers and helps ensure New Zealand isn’t excluded from available supply our neighbours across the Tasman are accessing,” Mr Jones says.

The temporary alignment will open up more options for fuel importers by allowing fuel refined to Australian specifications to be supplied domestically.

“The change reduces the risk of supply disruptions driven purely by technical specification differences. Fuel companies have told us this could allow them to secure shipments more quickly and from a wider pool of suppliers.

“Our fuel specifications are already very similar to Australia’s. Fuel refined to Australian standards is compatible with New Zealand vehicles and meets safety and quality expectations.”

New Zealand will not, at this stage, be following Australia’s lead and relaxing standards to allow higher sulphur fuel. Australia has made the decision so it can access high-sulphur fuel from its Brisbane refinery.

“However, we will keep an eye on whether further changes to fuel specifications could open up further supply channels if necessary,” Mr Jones says.

“This is a sensible, time‑limited step that gives importers access to a broader range of fuel shipments, including those already in our region.

“We are closely monitoring market conditions and will keep under review any further practical measures that could strengthen New Zealand’s fuel supply resilience while global conditions remain uncertain.”

The temporary alignment with Australian specifications could remain in place for up to 12 months if needed.

Editors’ note:

Fuel specifications set the minimum technical and environmental requirements that petrol, diesel and other transport fuels must meet before they can be supplied in New Zealand. Each country has its own fuel specifications.
Where there are differences in fuel specifications for the purpose of catering to different climatic conditions, this is dealt with by the requirement that fuel sold in New Zealand must still be ‘fit for common purpose’. For example, this means diesel for hot climates cannot be sold in very cold ones. 

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has called critics of his Fisheries Amendment Bill “a range of noisy voices” and invited them to have their say at the select committee.

The bill, which is scheduled to have it’s first reading on Tuesday, has been welcomed by the commercial sector but condemned by recreational fishing groups.

Fishing Host Matt Watson – probably the country’s most famous recreational fisher – is dismayed by the proposals in the fishing amendment bill.

He told First Up the bill’s “designed purely to prioritise the profits of the seafood industry”.

“If these go through unchecked, it is disaster. It’s beginning of the end for our fish stocks, and that’ not over dramatising it.”

Among Watson’s concerns is the proposal to remove the minimum size limits for commercial fishers from a number of popular species, including snapper.

He said it wouldn’t encourage commercial fishers to avoid undersized fish and would decrease overall fish stocks.

The current recreational size limit for snapper is between 25cm and 30cm depending on location, while the commercial size limit is 25cm.

Minimum size limits are imposed to ensure fish can reach sexual maturity before being caught.

“If you start killing fish before they’ve had a chance to breed, you’re going to run out of fish and you don’t need to be a genius to figure that out,” Watson said.

Jones argued that allowing the commercial sector to land and sell undersize fish would prevent wastage.

Currently commercial fishers must dump undersize fish dead or alive, and it doesn’t count against their quota.

“The new provision is that if you catch them, you pay for them,” Jones said.

“With the commercial industry, we know every single kilo that they take and their conduct is now captured by cameras.”

But if Jones’ bill passes, the footage taken by cameras on board commercial boats can no longer be accessed under the official information act, effectively making it off limits to the public.

Anyone who leaks the footage faces a $50,000 fine.

“If you’ve got nothing to hide, why on earth would you behave like that,” Sam Woolford of recreational advocacy group Legasea said.

“When cameras on boats were introduced, we know that the rate of discarding, or notified discards, went up about 46 percent. For snapper and kingfish, it was closer to 1000 percent.”

Jones, a self described apostle of industry, brushed off the concerns about snapper stocks, telling First Up the “amount of snapper in our waters is almost biblical in its profundity”.

“You can almost walk on the water we’ve got so many snapper.”

Coalition support means the Fisheries Amendment Bill should easily pass it’s first reading, but Labour’s fisheries and Oceans spokesperson Rachel Boyack said she would make her concerns heard at the select committee stage.

She said her party would do their “best to make changes to the bill so that it’s not as bad as what it could be.”

Although with commercial fishing a strong feature of her Nelson electorate, Boyack was choosing her words carefully .

“It creates jobs in my local community and it’s important that we are able to produce fish for food and for export, but we also have to ensure that the fishery is sustainable”.

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment, but in a facebook post Northland MP Grant McCallum said he met with Legasea and the sports fishing council over the weekend and would strongly represent the views of the recreational sector in the party’s caucus this week.

Seafood New Zealand’s Inshore Policy Manager Tamar Wells said the commercial sector was trying to make the industry more sustainable.

“Fishers do change their methods. In terms of their selectivity of their nets, they’ll have larger mesh to let smaller fish out.

“There’s also new methods coming in, like Flowmo, which is a type of net that can keep fish kind of contained underwater so they have a higher survivability.”

The Fisheries Amendment Bill won’t require commercial fishers to change their methods though and Jones said there was no plan to outlaw trawling.

“It’s evident to me that the vast majority of the activists opposed to trawling are really seeking to undo the Māori fisheries settlement and terminate the commercial fishing industry and that’s just never, ever going to happen for as long as I’m in politics, and I look forward to being in politics for a long, long time.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government is providing interest free loans of $52.7 million to two companies to boost the number of electric vehicle public chargers around the country.

The zero-interest loans will go to ChargeNet and Meridian Energy, who are investing $60m in capital, and would see 2574 new charge points, 1374 DC fast chargers and 1200 AC chargers.

The move will more than double the country’s chargers, to around 4550.

New Zealand has about 1800 public charge points currently, among the lowest charger-to-EV ratios in the OECD.

In 2023, the National Party promised electric vehicle chargers by 2030 if elected.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the loans kept the taxpayer’s contribution to a minimum.

“In this case, the average loan per charge point is $20,000, but once repayments are factored in, the net cost to the Crown is around $10,000 per charger, roughly a quarter of what a direct grant would cost.

Bishop said it was a chicken and egg situation, with some electric vehicle charger providers reluctant to roll out chargers until there were more EVs on the road, but concerns about the driving range of electric vehicles and a lack of public chargers was one of the main perceived disadvantages of EVs for potential buyers.

“Many New Zealanders have thought about getting an EV, even before the fuel challenges we’re currently facing. But research shows that the lack of public chargers is holding many back from making the switch to an EV,” Bishop said.

“The private sector is reluctant to invest in charging infrastructure until there’s sufficient demand, but demand won’t grow until the lack of public chargers stops putting buyers off. Just as the previous National-led Government did with the ultrafast broadband network rollout, we’re taking action to break that deadlock.”

He said the below-market interest rate loans were preferable to grants.

“It’s a more commercial model, a more sophisticated model, bringing forward that private sector investment.”

“In this case, the average loan per charge point is $20,000, but once repayments are factored in, the net cost to the Crown is around $10,000 per charger, roughly a quarter of what a direct grant would cost.”

Some requirements were placed on the loans, such requiring an urban-rural split, but exactly where they went was a commercial decision for the companies, Bishop said.

“About half the new chargers will be spread across Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, the Wellington region, Christchurch, and Dunedin, with the other half throughout the regions, so drivers outside the main centres will benefit too,” he said.

“We’re also changing our planning rules to make the installation of public EV chargers a permitted activity under the RMA, meaning in most cases no consent is required – another factor that will help to speed up delivery.”

Work on the grants had been underway for some time, but that the timing was “fortuitous” given the increased interest in electric vehicles in the wake of surging fuel costs caused by the conflict in the Middle East, he said.

“People look at a petrol price of three bucks, three bucks twenty, and potentially going higher, and they say, jeepers creepers, now’s the time to go electric because the running costs are just so much lower,” Mr Bishop said.

The 10,000 chargers by 2030 target was ambitious, he said.

It was on its way to meeting it, but would require additional Crown investment which would be considered as part of the budget process, he said.

Chair of EV lobby group Drive Electric Kirsten Corston welcomed the news, but said much more needed to be done.

She said the government had promised more than $200m to go towards fast chargers several years ago, and this project only accounted for $52m.

“We’re interested to see what the other commitments are going to be.”

It seemed very unlikely the government would achieve its target of 10,000 chargers before 2030, she said.

New Zealand was falling behind other countries in [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedetail/586362/the-ev-slowdown-how-government-decisions-changed-the-road-ahead

EV uptake] following a sharp decline in purchases following the government’s cancellation of the clean car subsidy.

EVs accounted for around 27 percent of new vehicle sales in 2023, or at least one in four cars sold. Only one in nine cars sold are electric now.

“And you look at Australia, one in five cars sold are electric. In China, one in two cars sold are electric. The global average is one in four cars sold are electric.”

There had been a three-fold increase of inquiries into second-hand and new EVs in recent weeks, she said.

“The challenge for us, though, is we’ve got a country that is still very dependent on importing fossil fuels and we’ve got a government that whilst this is fantastic to see this investment into charging infrastructure we also need investment into electric vehicles to drive uptake.”

Colston said reducing road user charges – which are the same for electric vehicles as for diesel vehicles – would be one way to do that.

Other levers included a Fringe Benefit Tax for light vehicles such as Australia has, or accelerated depreciation for commercial and heavy vehicles.

Drive EV wanted to see investment in making EVs more accessible to more people, she said.

“At the moment, when the average purchase of a car for a Kiwi is around $7000, yes, they can go and access a Nissan Leaf for $5000 – $10,000. But if they’ve got four kids and they need a 200 kilometre range to get around town for the day, that’s not going to meet their needs.

“So we have to create that second, third, fourth hand market for Kiwis to bring that price down – that’s a really critical piece to make EVs available for everyone in our community.”

Getting more people into electric vehicles promised a huge financial opportunity for New Zealanders, Colston said.

“The average household spends $3000 to $4000 a year paying for their petrol or diesel, and if they could electrify, it would be around $1000 a year.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Green Party

The Green Party is offering its votes to the National Party to get on with passing a sensible and urgent fossil fuel crisis relief package. With the Greens’ and National’s combined 63 votes, no other political party’s support is necessary.

The Green’s proposed package includes:

• Making public transport free for users;
• A Relief Payment for low income people or people who live rurally to help meet additional transport costs;
• A Windfall Profits Tax to prevent corporate price gouging;
• Reversing changes to school bus eligibility and routes, and temporary expansion of eligibility for school buses;
• Reversing the Government’s intended reduction in Total Mobility Support for disabled people; and
• Increase mileage rates to the 23,000 care and support workers to meet their actual travel costs.

“We agree with the Prime Minister that hope is not a plan. That’s why the Green Party is presenting our plan to support our country through the fossil fuel crisis, targeting support to those who need it most, and reducing demand for petrol,” said Green Party Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.

“New Zealanders expect politicians to do everything we can to support people through this immediate crisis, and to minimise future vulnerability by reducing fossil fuel dependence. That’s why we have written to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance offering our votes to make these obvious solutions a reality, urgently.

“Free public transport is a no-brainer. We remove the barriers to access, reduce congestion, and free up fuel supply for those who don’t have a public transport option.

“If the Government means what it says about ‘preparing for the worst’, now is the time to pull the plug on exorbitantly expensive, low-value projects like the Roads of National Significance and LNG import facility. The Green Party is ready, willing and able to provide the support necessary to invest in building real resilience through renewable energy generation.

“The Green Party’s Fossil Fuel Crisis Relief Payment would be targeted at adults earning under the median income and also people living rurally, where public transport is not available,” said Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson.

“The Fossil Fuel Crisis Relief Payment will put money in the pockets of those being squeezed the hardest and those with few other transport options, easing stretched household budgets right now.”

“Petrol companies shouldn’t be unreasonably profiting from this or any economic crisis. A windfall tax would mean any exorbitant profits are redirected to our communities.”

“We need to ensure that corporations aren’t profiting while people in our communities who are struggling or have no alternative transport options pay the price. The Green’s package will provide immediate help for those who need it, reduce demand for petrol, and keep a check on corporate greed,” said Davidson.

Read the letter here.

MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

National has slipped further behind Labour in the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll, falling to 30.8 percent support.

While a better result than the 28.4 percent it recorded in the most recent Taxpayers’ Union Curia poll, it still makes grim reading for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who has recorded his lowest personal approval rating yet.

If replicated on polling day, the numbers would leave the country in limbo, producing 60 seats each for the coalition and opposition blocs.

The poll, published Monday, puts Labour in the top spot on 35.6 percent, up 0.6 points from January, while National is down 1.1 points to 30.8 percent.

New Zealand First continues its upward trajectory, climbing 0.8 points to 10.6 percent, its highest score since July 2017.

The Greens are on 10.1 percent (up 0.5 points), ACT is on 7 percent (down 0.6 points), and Te Pāti Māori sits at 3.2 percent (up 0.2 points).

The poll surveyed 1000 eligible voters online between 12-20 March. Half of the respondents, however, were surveyed before 14 March, meaning the result won’t fully reflect the public response to the dispute between Labour leader Chris Hipkins and his ex-wife.

Undecided or non-voters made up 7.1 percent of those polled.

If the results were repeated at a general election, National would win 38 seats, NZ First 13 and ACT nine. On the left, Labour would bring in 44 MPs, the Greens 12 and Te Pati Māori four.

That would make a 60-60 deadlock in a 120-seat Parliament, likely sparking negotiations across the aisle to try secure a majority and prevent an election re-run.

The party vote is reflected in the preferred prime minister measure, with Hipkins leading on 20.7 percent, down 0.4 points.

Luxon has dropped 2.1 points to 17.3 percent, while NZ First leader Winston Peters sits at 13.1 percent, up 0.5 points.

More than 19 percent of voters declined to name a preferred prime minister.

Half of respondents – 50.4 percent – say Luxon is performing poorly as prime minister, compared with 29.8 percent who rate him well.

That gives Luxon a net score of -20.6 (down 6.6 points), his weakest result in the Reid Research series since becoming National leader in 2021. (Note: Reid Research did not run any public polls between November 2023 and March 2025.)

Former National leaders, however, received worse scores while in opposition: Judith Collins recorded a net rating as low as -37.9 in mid-2020 and Simon Bridges dropped to -39 in mid-2019.

Hipkins’ net performance score remains stronger, though it too is trending down.

With 35.9 percent rating him well and 35.6 percent poorly, his net rating has slipped to just 0.3 (down 0.6 points), also his lowest as Labour leader.

The poll also shows worsening public sentiment, with 50 percent (up 3.4 points) of respondents saying New Zealand is heading in the wrong direction, compared with 32.3 percent (down 4 points) who think it is on the right track

That gives a net score of -17.7, down 7.4 points from January.

About 16 percent of voters are undecided, while another 2 percent say they do not know.

National supporters are the most optimistic with a net score of +63.1, followed by ACT supporters on +24.1.

NZ First voters are much more pessimistic, recording a net score of -24.6.

This poll of 1000 people was conducted by Reid Research, using quota sampling and weighting to ensure representative cross section by age, gender and geography. The poll was conducted through online interviews between 12-20 March 2026 and has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

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