Category: Politics

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Advocacy – Up to 50 New Zealanders are fighting Israel’s genocide in Gaza – PSNA

Source: Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa – PSNA

 

PSNA is calling for government accountability to stop and punish New Zealanders going to fight in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

 

A UK report by Classified, from official Israeli sources, shows 39 dual New Zealand/Israeli citizens, and 11 others with more than one additional passport, are serving in the Israeli Defence Force, which is carrying out genocide in Gaza. (The full dataset is in Hebrew at the foot of the article at this link) 

 

“The news that New Zealanders are participating in ongoing mass killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza is abhorrent,” says Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-Chair Maher Nazzal. “Our government must do what it can to stop these New Zealanders perpetrating genocide.”

 

“Israel’s political and military leaders are charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu, for example, is wanted for trial on war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

 

“As well as killing perhaps hundreds of thousands and wholesale starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, Israel is still systematically destroying all civilian infrastructure: schools, hospitals, churches and mosques, farmland and crops.  Even New Zealanders’ graves in World War One cemeteries are not immune.”

 

“There’s no excuse for anyone fighting for a state committing genocide” says Nazzal. “Our government must step in and rigorously investigate the actions of each and every one of these 50 New Zealanders in the IDF.”

 

“New Zealand has obligations under the international Genocide Convention to do what it can stop a genocide.  New Zealand charged Mark Tayor for membership of ISIS in 2004.  There is ample precedent.  The government must be consistent.”

 

“All of these New Zealanders serving in the IDF have various degrees of culpability in the genocide, certainly the moment they set foot in Gaza.  But they would also be liable for actions at military facilities inside Israel, fuelling up bombers, for example, or calculating missile coordinates.”

 

“These soldiers must be identified, and their service in Israel’s army examined, alongside their social media accounts and those of the brigades and soldiers they joined.”

 

“The government must also collaborate with international agencies for evidence of how many of these people have already been identified for investigation of war crimes.”

 

“The Hind Rajab Foundation is working to identify specific Israeli war criminals for referral to the International Court of Justice,” says Nazzal.

 

New Zealand law does not specifically prohibit citizens from fighting overseas. But the government must act in this case, where New Zealand citizens are participating in a genocide, and also under our Fourth Geneva Convention obligations, where these New Zealand citizens are also enforcing an illegal occupation of Palestinian Territory.

 

“Despite the so-called October 2025 ceasefire, Israel has continued its daily killing of Palestinians, destruction of infrastructure and occupation creep.  Israel still refuses to allow the agreed amount of food, water and humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza.”

 

“Here is a case of direct responsibility by New Zealand citizens, about which the government can’t wash its hands and ignore.”

 

Maher Nazzal

Co-Chair PSNA

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/advocacy-up-to-50-new-zealanders-are-fighting-israels-genocide-in-gaza-psna/

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Oversight agencies call for faster change to keep children safe following second review by Independent Children’s Monitor

Source: Independent Children’s Monitor, and Children’s Commissioner and Ombudsman

Oversight agencies are calling on government agencies in the children’s system to act faster in the wake of a report published today which has found children are still no safer than when Malachi Subecz was killed by his carer in 2021.

Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor has released its second review of the implementation of the 2022 Poutasi Report recommendations,Towards a stronger safety net to prevent abuse of children, which examines the progress made by government and agencies on recommendations made by the late Dame Karen Poutasi aimed at improving the child protection system.

Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor Chief Executive Arran Jones says since Malachi’s death, another 24 children were killed by someone who was meant to be caring for them between December 2021 and June 2025.

“Many of these were babies, most were under the age of five. This is equivalent to a primary school classroom of 24 children, gone in just three and a half years.”

Our review has found the gaps identified by Dame Karen have not been closed, that Oranga Tamariki is still not always able to respond when it needs to keep a child safe, and children continue fall through the gaps and die.

Mr Jones released the review alongside the heads of the other two agencies responsible for oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, the Children’s Commissioner and the Ombudsman.

Mr Jones says successive reviews going back at least two decades have pointed to the gaps in the system. Dame Karen noted her 2022 report findings were not new, and just last week Coroner Anderson also pointed to the similar themes and recommendations being made year after year, often with little evidence of substantive change taking place.

“The Government’s decision in October last year to accept all of Dame Karen’s recommendations, was a good first step. While there are some promising pilots, we need to see continued priority given to making sustained change.”

“Crucially, this review found that even if the gaps in the safety net are closed, a fundamental problem remains. That is the ability of Oranga Tamariki to respond when it needs to. Social workers need to be able to get in the car and go and check children are safe. We continue to hear from frontline staff across government and community organisations that this is not always happening when it should,” Mr Jones said.

Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad says the findings of this new review highlight the need for urgent, sustained action to make real change for children’s safety, off the back of the Government’s acceptance last year of Dame Dr Poutasi’s recommendations.

“The stark truth that 24 children – most of them babies – have died through abuse by the person meant to be caring for them must shock us into action. The lives of other children depend on it. Children and young people who have talked to me following the launch of our Dear Children campaign have emphasised to me how urgent the focus on children’s safety must be.

“Changes in our systems and communities must be made now to keep all our children safe. Between Dame Karen’s recommendations and last week’s recommendations from Coroner Anderson, the pathway for change is clear. Our nation’s children require the children’s system, and all of us at the community level, to actively work together to prioritise them and their safety. Because the fact is, all forms of child abuse and neglect are 100% preventable, but it takes all of us working together to prioritise children at every level of our society.”

Chief Ombudsman John Allen says the findings raise the important need for cross-agency collaboration – for health, education, welfare and justice – to keep working together for a better care and protection system. This is the type of shift that Dame Poutasi was calling for.”

“There are some ‘green shoots’ out there such as the new in-person hub pilot at the Oranga Tamariki national contact centre. Hub staff are helping to identify and address needs of at risk children when their sole parent enters prison. I’m also encouraged by what is happening in Whakatane, where Oranga Tamariki is working closely with a community-based provider Te Pūkāea o te Waiora. Community led organisations know the whānau well and are better equipped to intervene early and provide immediate support while at the same time taking pressure off the wider system.”

The Monitor’s review, Towards a stronger safety net to prevent abuse of children, is available on its website: https://aroturuki.govt.nz/reports/safety-net

Notes

The oversight system

The oversight of oranga tamariki system’s role is threefold, with a focus on the rights and wellbeing of children and young people known to Oranga Tamariki either through care and protection or youth justice.

Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor checks that organisations supporting and working with children and young people known to Oranga Tamariki are meeting their needs, delivering services effectively, improving outcomes and complying with the Oranga Tamariki Act and the associated regulations.

Mana Mokopuna – Children’s Commissioner is the independent advocate for the rights, best interests, wellbeing and outcomes of children and young people under the age of 25 who are or have been in the system, as well as being the independent advocate for all of New Zealand’s children.

The Ombudsman is the independent watchdog of Government, and receives complaints from children and young people (and their whānau and representatives) about decisions and actions affecting them in the system. The Ombudsman investigates concerns where needed.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/oversight-agencies-call-for-faster-change-to-keep-children-safe-following-second-review-by-independent-childrens-monitor/

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Children still no safer than when Malachi Subecz was murdered – latest report

Source: Radio New Zealand

Children are still no safer than when Malachi Subecz was murdered, according to a new report from the Independent Children’s Monitor.

It is the second review of the implementation of the recommendations from a report into Malachi’s death, and has showed little progress has been made.

Malachi died of a blunt force head injury in Starship Hospital 2021, and weighed just 16 kilograms because he had been starved.

A report into his death by the late Dame Karen Poutasi in 2022 found five critical gaps in the system, and made 14 recommendations.

One of those recommendations was for the Independent Children’s Monitor to review the recommendations themselves.

Malachi Subecz died of a blunt force head injury at Starship Hospital in 2021. Supplied

In 2024, its first review found a “disappointing and disheartening” lack of priority given to them, and committed to review them again.

Just as it did with the prior review, the Independent Children’s Monitor looked at the responses to the report, and the implementation of actions agencies set for themselves.

The 2025 review, titled Towards a stronger safety net to prevent abuse of children, found that little had changed.

“There continues to be a high proportion of reports of concern from professionals that do not result in further action by Oranga Tamariki and where tamariki and rangatahi are not seen,” it said.

The review engaged with a wider range of agencies than in 2024, including Corrections, Early Childhood Education providers, and representatives from agencies and non-governmental organisations that were party of multi-agency response teams responding to police callouts for family violence, or to reports of concern made to Oranga Tamariki.

It also spoke to Oranga Tamariki staff.

“Kaimahi from agencies and services, including Oranga Tamariki, continue to tell us they are concerned about the risk to tamariki and rangatahi,” the report said.

“System settings have not changed, gaps remain and tamariki and rangatahi are still no more likely to be seen by Oranga Tamariki now than when Malachi was killed.”

A report into Malachi Subecz’s death was made by the late Dame Karen Poutasi in 2022. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

The gaps Dame Karen found in 2022 were:

  • When sole parents are charged and prosecuted, the needs of dependent children are not well enough identified
  • The process for assessing risks to a child is too narrow and one-dimensional
  • Agencies and services are not proactively sharing information, despite having the ability
  • A lack of professionals’ and services’ reporting of risk of child abuse
  • The system allows children to remain “invisible” even at key moments

Her report also made 14 recommendations, including combining medical records to make them available for health workers working with children, and increased education and public awareness.

Initially, the government did not accept all of Dame Karen’s recommendations outright, wanting further advice on five of them, including mandatory reporting of children at high risk of harm.

In 2025, the government decided it would accept the remaining recommendations.

The report acknowledged this was a “first step” but now “careful and thoughtful” implementation was needed.

“Until change happens on the ground and in communities, tamariki will continue to be no safer. As this review finds, the gaps identified by Dame Karen have not closed and tamariki continue to fall through the safety net.”

Progress since the previous report had been slow, and while better visibility and reporting of concerns were important, it could only go so far.

“Even once all the recommendations have been implemented, it would not solve the fundamental problem – Aotearoa does not yet have a child protection system that is always able to respond when needed.”

The report noted a further 24 tamariki had been killed by someone who was supposed to be caring for them, since Malachi’s death.

While it did not go into the specifics of those children’s lives and circumstances, it found 11 were known to Oranga Tamariki before their deaths, and 19 of the alleged perpetrators were known to police in varying ways.

At the time the Independent Children’s Monitor was conducting the report, police had completed 10 family violence death reviews, with a further 12 in progress. Oranga Tamariki had completed seven child death reviews, and two more were in progress.

“Police and Oranga Tamariki, for the most part, undertake reviews in isolation from other agencies. Their reviews focus on internal practices rather than broader systemic issues,” the report said.

A coroner’s report released last week found everything possible went wrong for Malachi in the last six months of his life, with opportunities to identify the abuse and torture he suffered not picked up by those who could have intervened.

Coroner Janet Anderson found similar gaps to Dame Karen Poutasi, which were also found by the oversight agencies.

Even back in 2022, Dame Karen said her findings were not new.

“Implementing the Poutasi recommendations may make tamariki and rangatahi at risk more visible, but to make them safer, Oranga Tamariki and the wider child protection system must be able to respond when needed,” the 2025 report said.

Oversight agencies call on government to go faster

The Independent Children’s Monitor, Arran Jones, said 18 months on from the first review, three years on since Dame Karen’s report, and four years since Malachi’s death, work was “just beginning,” and until change happened on the ground and across all communities, tamariki would continue to be no safer.

“Our review also found that even if everything Dame Karen said was needed to close the gaps is done, we are not confident that Oranga Tamariki will be able to respond appropriately,” he said.

The oversight agencies, including the Independent Children’s Monitor, the Ombudsman, and the Children’s Commissioner, called on government agencies to act faster.

“The stark truth that 24 children – most of them babies – have died through abuse by the person meant to be caring for them must shock us into action. The lives of other children depend on it,” said Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad.

The Chief Ombudsman, John Allen, said the findings raised the important need for cross-agency collaboration, but acknowledged there were green shoots out there, pointing to an in-person hub pilot at the Oranga Tamariki national contact centre, and its work with community-based providers.

“Community led organisations know the whānau well and are better equipped to intervene early and provide immediate support while at the same time taking pressure off the wider system,” he said.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/18/children-still-no-safer-than-when-malachi-subecz-was-murdered-latest-report/

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New Pharmac proposal for blood cancer patients

Source: New Zealand Government

Associate Health Minister David Seymour and Health Minister Simeon Brown welcome Pharmac’s proposal to fund two new combination therapies for people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), a type of blood cancer.

“Improving access to cancer medication in New Zealand is important to cancer patients, and their families. That’s why it has been a focus of this Government,” Mr Seymour says. 

Pharmac is proposing to fund venetoclax with ibrutinib, and venetoclax with obinutuzumab, as first line treatments from 1 May 2026.

“Pharmac heard from the Blood Cancer community and from clinical advisors that venetoclax with ibrutinib or obinutuzumab will make a big difference for people with CLL, especially when used at the beginning of treatment,” Mr Seymour says.

“While CLL isn’t curable, the right treatment means patients can live longer more fulfilling lives. Venetoclax with ibrutinib or obinutuzumab will help patients achieve longer lasting remission, and avoid the need for traditional chemotherapy. Two of these medicines will be available in pill form, which don’t require an IV drip and could mean fewer hospital visits

“Obinutuzumab will be the second cancer medicine available in private clinics. When Pharmac fund a new cancer treatment, people already paying for that treatment privately are forced to make a very difficult choice: spend their savings to continue private treatment undisrupted, or transfer to a public hospital. Patients told Pharmac the latter was hugely disruptive and caused significant stress during an immensely difficult period.

“People currently paying privately for these combinations could receive funded treatment in a private hospital, provided they met the funding criteria at the time they began treatment.” 

Mr Brown says the Government is committed to improving treatment and care for New Zealanders with cancer, including blood cancer.

“That’s why this Government has funded seven new cancer medicines that target blood cancer through Pharmac’s $604 million investment – expanding treatment options for patients and their families.

“This announcement means more Kiwis with blood cancer will have access to medicines that improve their quality of life and help them live longer, fuller lives.

“We are also significantly expanding stem cell transplant services for patients with blood cancers and related conditions, helping more people access critical, life-saving treatment sooner.

“Alongside investment in new medicines, our Faster Cancer Treatment target, and wider efforts to strengthen cancer services, we are focused on improving access, reducing delays, and ensuring people get the treatment they need, when they need it.”

Notes to editors: 

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/new-pharmac-proposal-for-blood-cancer-patients/

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Pharmac looks to fund two new medicines for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Source: Radio New Zealand

Two new medicines for people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia could be on the way, with Pharmac proposing to fund venetoclax with ibrutinib or with obinutuzumab.

If accepted, the combination therapies could be available as first line treatments from 1 May 2026.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour said CLL was not curable, but the right treatment meant patients could live longer.

They would help patients achieve longer lasting remission and avoid the need for traditional chemotherapy, Seymour said.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour said the right treatment for people with CCL could help patients live longer. RNZ / Mark Papalii

He said Pharmac heard from the blood cancer community these combination therapies would make a big difference for people with CLL, “especially when used at the beginning of treatment”.

It comes after public backlash following Budget 2024 failing to include promised funding for more cancer drugs, forcing the government to subsequently announce an extra $604 million for Pharmac over four years.

Since then, the government has funded seven blood cancer drugs, but in September 2025 some blood cancer patients were still saying the government was breaking its promise on life-saving drugs.

Blood Cancer New Zealand said at the time only 180 patients benefited from that uplift, less than 1 percent of all New Zealanders with a blood cancer.

On Wednesday, Seymour said people currently paying privately for these combinations could receive funded treatment in a private hospital, provided they meet the funding criteria at the time they began treatment.

“These combination medicines will be the second and third cancer medicines available in private clinics.

“When Pharmac fund a new cancer treatment, people already paying for that treatment privately are forced to make a very difficult choice: spend their savings to continue private treatment undisrupted, or transfer to a public hospital,” Seymour said.

He explained that patients had told Pharmac it was hugely disruptive and caused “significant stress during an immensely difficult period”.

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government was committed to improving treatment and care for New Zealanders with cancer, including blood cancer.

“This announcement means more Kiwis with blood cancer will have access to medicines that improve their quality of life and help them live longer, fuller lives.

“We are also significantly expanding stem cell transplant services for patients with blood cancers and related conditions, helping more people access critical, life-saving treatment sooner.”

Consultation opens on Wednesday, and closes Wednesday 4 March. If approved, funding would begin from 1 May 2026.

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/pharmac-looks-to-fund-two-new-medicines-for-chronic-lymphocytic-leukaemia/

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Willis calls $9 Auckland crossing toll a ‘completely hypothetical scenario’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Finance Minister Nicola Willis RNZ / Mark Papalii

National’s Nicola Willis says the government has not given any consideration to putting a $9 toll on both the Auckland Harbour Bridge and a new crossing, calling it a “completely hypothetical scenario”.

And Labour says any such move would have to be “thought through very carefully” given the cost of living.

The Infrastructure Commission this week suggested twin $9 tolls as way of funding a tunnel or a second bridge across Waitematā Harbour.

In response, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said any new crossing would be tolled, but the government was still seeking advice regarding the existing bridge.

Speaking on Morning Report‘s political panel, Willis played down the $9 figure.

“I just want to be really clear that that is a completely hypothetical scenario in the Infrastructure Commission’s plan. It’s not something that the government has given consideration to.”

Willis said both National and Labour faced a challenge in paying for the “essential” multi-billion dollar project as no funding had been put aside.

“How do you pay for it? And what the experts and advisers always say is, you should make sure that the users of roads are contributing the cost to them.

“And actually, that’s a road that would have so many vehicle movements a day that actually a toll to help pay for it would mean you could deliver it sooner.”

Labour’s deputy Carmel Sepuloni said her party was “not completely opposed” to the notion of tolling but said they needed to be “thought through very carefully”.

“For someone like me who doesn’t go over the the Harbour Bridge very often, and perhaps is in a better position to be able to pay the $9, it’s not a big deal, but for someone who’s travelling over that bridge every day and going to work and perhaps not on the highest income, that becomes quite a big deal.”

Sepuloni said the government needed to think about ways to ensure any tolls were affordable given the pressures of the cost of living.

“We need to make sure that any measure, including tolls, are fair and equitable.”

Willis said both political parties had made decisions in recent years to keep petrol taxes a bit lower, meaning that road funding had had to be topped up from general taxation.

But she said that also raised questions of fairness: “we used to have the concept that those who use the roads pay for them”.

Greater Auckland editor Matt Lowrie had told Morning Report that the estimated revenue from the toll is between $7 and $9 billion, while the projected costs of the crossing could exceed $20b.

He said while a second crossing is needed to provide more capacity, other payment options could be considered.

Lowrie agreed that tolling both crossings was necessary because just tolling the new one meant people would simply continue using the existing bridge, however he suggested a lower toll be implemented to see the impact of 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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/willis-calls-9-auckland-crossing-toll-a-completely-hypothetical-scenario/

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EMA – Employment Law Changes Bring Certainty for Employers and Contractors

Source: EMA

Yesterday’s third reading of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill gives employers long-sought clarity on defining the status of contractors in the workplace, says the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA).
The EMA’s Head of Advocacy, Alan McDonald, said that wish for clarity predates the recent Uber court decision and gives employers a four-gateway test that they can apply in determining the status of contractors. In addition, for those working on contracts the new legislation clarifies what they can do within their contract, including the ability to work for other clients.
“The Bill also reverses an unpopular measure imposed by the previous government requiring employers to sign up new employees to union-based collectives and to provide information to new employees about joining unions,” says McDonald.
“In a time of declining union membership, this was seen by many of our employers as a ploy to help unions shore up their memberships, especially when employees then had to choose to opt out of that union membership after 30 days.
“The change to remediation measures is another positive for employers. The idea that reinstatement should be the first priority for remediation – if a hearing in the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) finds in favour of the employee – was anathema to many employers and had been imposed on them by the previous Employment Relations Amendment Bill.
“Generally, if the case has reached the authority, the relationship between the employer and employee is irretrievably broken – and expecting that employee to be amicably re-integrated into the workforce is unrealistic. It’s telling that of all the cases that went before the ERA, only about half a dozen employees were reinstated. They are the anomalies, not the norm.
“It also seems logical that employees who contribute to their own dismissal should have that behaviour taken into account when they later raise claims against the employer. It was counterintuitive that such behaviour was sometimes disregarded by the authority when awards for unjustified dismissal were made.”
“The other major change is that employees earning more than $200,000 will no longer be able to bring an unjustified dismissal claim.
“That threshold has risen from the previous $180,000, and it’s important to remember that it applies only to unjustified dismissal claims. The grounds for any other type of claim remain unchanged.
“These changes will help rebalance some of the current inequities facing employers,” says McDonald.
In today’s competitive and challenging workplace, employers need confidence and certainty that their employment relations practices are correct and within the law.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/ema-employment-law-changes-bring-certainty-for-employers-and-contractors/

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BusinessNZ – Better employment law will support job growth

Source: BusinessNZ

The Employment Relations Amendment Bill will help restore balance, certainty and common sense to New Zealand’s employment framework, BusinessNZ says.
Director of Advocacy Catherine Beard says the Bill, which passed its third reading last night, addresses real-world issues facing employers and workers, and supports a more flexible and confident economy.
“Clear and workable employment settings are essential to business confidence and job growth. The amendments address areas of employment law which have been caught up in recent debate – including the status of contractors in platform-based work arrangements.
“For example, recent court cases have found that four Uber drivers are in-fact full time employees – due to their individual circumstances. The issue is platform work opportunities like the ones we have now wouldn’t have come about if the platform operators were made to shoulder all the costs and commitments associated with full time employment.
“If we want to keep new enterprise and the ensuing benefits consumers enjoy, we must make sure the model can continue to work. We hope the Government has done enough with this legislation to make it clear to the courts and potential claimants that they can’t keep trying to break the model.”
The Bill also amends situations where workers dismissed for serious misconduct have up until now been able to receive financial compensation through the personal grievance process.
“Most New Zealanders understand that serious wrongdoing at work comes with consequences. Removing automatic financial rewards, for instance by penalising the employer for small procedural errors, restores fairness and reinforces accountability.
“Overall, The Bill moves employment law closer to the realities of modern work, while maintaining core protections. This is something BusinessNZ has been advocating for, for a long time. These changes will reduce administrative requirements and provide greater flexibility for employers and employees when agreeing employment terms.”
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/businessnz-better-employment-law-will-support-job-growth/

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Weekly reports to the Minister for Mental Health

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

Publication date:

The Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora provides a weekly report to the Minister for Mental Health containing regular updates on the Ministry’s Mental Health work programme and other key information.  The published weekly reports do not necessarily reflect the current status of the content.

In addition to the weekly reports published below, we also publish briefings and advice to the Minister for Mental Health, Minister of Health and Associate Ministers of Health, as well Cabinet material, including briefings to Ministers. These can be found on the Information releases page.

Some parts of this information release would not be appropriate to release and, if requested, would be withheld under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). Where this is the case, the relevant sections of the Act that would apply have been identified. Where information has been withheld, no public interest has been identified that would outweigh the reasons for withholding it.

Key redaction codes:

  • S 9(2)(a) to protect the privacy of natural persons.
  • S 9(2)(g)(i) to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers and officers and employees of any public service agency.
  • S 6(a) as its release would likely prejudice the international relations of the Government of New Zealand.
  • S 9(2)(b)(ii) where its release would likely unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied the information.
  • S 9(2)(c) to avoid prejudice to measures to protect the health or safety of the public.
  • S 9(2)(h) to maintain legal professional privilege.
  • S 9(2)(j) to enable a Minister or any public service agency to carry on negotiations without prejudice or disadvantage (including commercial and industrial negotiations).
  • S 9(2)(f)(iv) to maintain the constitutional conventions that protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers and officials.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/weekly-reports-to-the-minister-for-mental-health/

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Charging $9 toll wouldn’t cover cost of new Auckland harbour crossing, advocate says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland Harbour Bridge. 123rf

Imposing tolls on the existing Harbour Bridge won’t raise enough revenue to cover long-term costs of a new crossing, the editor of an advocacy website says.

The Infrastructure Commission has suggested a toll as high as $9 to help pay for a second crossing.

Greater Auckland editor Matt Lowrie told Morning Report that the estimated revenue from the toll is between $7 and $9 billion, while the projected costs of the crossing could exceed $20b.

When the bridge was first opened in 1959, motorists had to pay 2 shillings and 6 pence, a figure the Commission said equalled around $9 in 2025.

Tolls were removed in 1984.

Lowrie said while a second crossing is needed to provide more capacity, other payment options could be considered.

He also agreed that tolling both crossings was necessary because just tolling the new one meant people would simply continue using the existing bridge.

That would see a “multi-billion dollar piece of infrastructure … sit unused”.

Lowrie suggested a lower toll be implemented to see the impact of it.

He said the addition of the Northern Busway in 2008 had delayed the need to spend billions of dollars on a harbour crossing as the uptake from commuters had taken the pressure off the existing bridge.

Whether a toll was introduced or not, Lowrie said Aucklanders would end up paying the bulk of the cost through a road tax or fuel taxes being raised.

But the majority would come from Crown investment – and that had to be weighed up amongst the need for improvements to hospitals and schools, he said.

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the new crossing would be the biggest infrastructure project New Zealand has ever done.

While the new crossing would be tolled, a question remained over whether the existing bridge would be tolled as well.

“We are working our way through that. That’s a very big decision for the country to make,” he said.

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/charging-9-toll-wouldnt-cover-cost-of-new-auckland-harbour-crossing-advocate-says/

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Charging $9 toll wouldn’t cover cost of new harbour crossing, advocate says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland Harbour Bridge. 123rf

Imposing tolls on the existing Harbour Bridge won’t raise enough revenue to cover long-term costs of a new crossing, the editor of an advocacy website says.

The Infrastructure Commission has suggested a toll as high as $9 to help pay for a second crossing.

Greater Auckland editor Matt Lowrie told Morning Report that the estimated revenue from the toll is between $7 and $9 billion, while the projected costs of the crossing could exceed $20b.

When the bridge was first opened in 1959, motorists had to pay 2 shillings and 6 pence, a figure the Commission said equalled around $9 in 2025.

Tolls were removed in 1984.

Lowrie said while a second crossing is needed to provide more capacity, other payment options could be considered.

He also agreed that tolling both crossings was necessary because just tolling the new one meant people would simply continue using the existing bridge.

That would see a “multi-billion dollar piece of infrastructure … sit unused”.

Lowrie suggested a lower toll be implemented to see the impact of it.

He said the addition of the Northern Busway in 2008 had delayed the need to spend billions of dollars on a harbour crossing as the uptake from commuters had taken the pressure off the existing bridge.

Whether a toll was introduced or not, Lowrie said Aucklanders would end up paying the bulk of the cost through a road tax or fuel taxes being raised.

But the majority would come from Crown investment – and that had to be weighed up amongst the need for improvements to hospitals and schools, he said.

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the new crossing would be the biggest infrastructure project New Zealand has ever done.

While the new crossing would be tolled, a question remained over whether the existing bridge would be tolled as well.

“We are working our way through that. That’s a very big decision for the country to make,” he said.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/18/charging-9-toll-wouldnt-cover-cost-of-new-harbour-crossing-advocate-says/

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Annual food prices increase 4.6 percent – Selected price indexes: January 2026 – Stats NZ news story and information release

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/annual-food-prices-increase-4-6-percent-selected-price-indexes-january-2026-stats-nz-news-story-and-information-release/

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Births to under-25s decline to record low proportion – Births and deaths: Year ended December 2025 (including abridged period life table) – Stats NZ news story and information release

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/births-to-under-25s-decline-to-record-low-proportion-births-and-deaths-year-ended-december-2025-including-abridged-period-life-table-stats-nz-news-story-and-information-release/

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Government considers Auckland Harbour Bridge toll to help pay for second crossing

Source: Radio New Zealand

Tom Kitchin

The government is seeking advice on whether to bring in a toll on the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge, to help pay for a second Waitematā Harbour crossing.

The Infrastructure Commission has suggested a toll as high as $9, a figure the Transport Minister says would be a “big decision” to make.

The government continues to mull over its options as to what a new crossing would look like, such as a tunnel or second bridge.

In the newly-released National Infrastructure Plan, the Infrastructure Commission said new revenue would be needed to fund the crossing.

High-level analysis suggested a $9 toll “on both new and existing crossings” could raise between $7 billion and $9 billion, depending on the tolling period.

“Higher tolls may not raise more revenue, as they would divert too many users and erode viability, and tolling only the new crossing would sharply limit revenue,” the Commission wrote.

“Other funding mechanisms are possible, but would likely require non-users to contribute funding which may not be considered equitable or favourable.”

When the bridge was first opened in 1959, motorists had to pay 2 shillings and 6 pence, a figure the Commission said equalled around $9 in 2025.

Tolls were removed in 1984.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the new crossing would be the biggest infrastructure project New Zealand has ever done.

While the new crossing would be tolled, a question remained over whether the existing bridge would be tolled as well.

“We are working our way through that. That’s a very big decision for the country to make,” he said.

Bishop said he would not get ahead of any decision, and the government was working through it in a “methodical and comprehensive way” as the Commission said it should do.

“We’re working our way through quite a complicated series of funding questions and financing questions around the second harbour crossing. It will be a very large infrastructure project. All large infrastructure projects have to be paid for. So we’re working our way through that.”

He said “in theory,” a new crossing should be able “wash its own face, financially,” due to the number of vehicle movements.

ACT leader David Seymour, an Auckland-based MP, said $9 per trip added up to $90 a week for some people who would already be trying to pay “tough” bills.

“I think you’re going to struggle with that level of price. But you could imagine that maybe at a peak hour, when it was mostly buses and ridesharing, maybe for a part of the day. But I don’t think making everybody pay $9 with no alternative is going to fly.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/17/government-considers-auckland-harbour-bridge-toll-to-help-pay-for-second-crossing/

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Banks Peninsula still cut off after floods hit Canterbury

Source: Radio New Zealand

Little River Cafe and store owner Cameron Gordon RNZ/Nathan McKinnon

The town of Akaroa on Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula will remain cut off overnight, with State Highway 75 closed because of slips and flooding that swamped Little River.

A local state of emergency was in place for the peninsula, where several hundred people remained without power and many more affected by telecommunications outages.

Little River flooding in Canterbury RNZ/Nathan McKinnon

Little River Cafe and Store owner Cameron Gordon has lived in the settlement for 20 years but told RNZ he had never seen flooding so bad.

“This is the worst, significantly the worst by far”, he said.

“It’s the deepest water we’ve had and the most damage around town as well, no doubt.”

Gordon said the cafe had flooded five times, most recently last May when a foot of water washed through some businesses.

Flooding at the Little River Cafe on Tuesday. RNZ/Nathan McKinnon

“We can’t do much yet, everything’s covered in water. We’re just sitting and waiting, feeling very frustrated and just over it. Well and truly over it. We’ve done this too many times,” he said.

“Our house also floods regularly with any heavy rain. We just seem to be in low land with pour drainage and seem to cop it. We’ll see what happens, see what the damage is and just go from there.”

A boil water notice was in place for Little River and Wainui, while about 250 households and businesses were expected to be without power overnight.

A damaged fibre line meant One New Zealand and Spark services were off-line but Two Degrees was working.

Civil defence chiefs said people should still call 111 in an emergency because it would go through the Two Degrees network.

Little River flooding in Canterbury RNZ/Nathan McKinnon

Little River Campground owner Marcus Puentener said more than 300 millimetres of rain had fallen in the area, twice what forecasters had predicted.

“Two bridges are down, the driveway is pretty wrecked. A lot of water has come down off the road, out of the river and through the camp area,” he said.

“We’re trapped in Okuti Valley. There’s no power in Okuti Valley. There are slips on the roads blocking some residents in and at the bottom of the road there’s at least a foot, if not more, of water blocking any exit.”

Some tourists had international flights to catch but no way of making them, Puentener said.

Further down the road in Cooptown, Tim Wilson questioned whether there should have been more warning or greater urgency.

“This is right up there,” the long-time local said.

“Maybe it should have been a red weather watch instead of an orange but I don’t know if that makes any difference to the outcome. It’s going to be a big clean up.”

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said the the council was talking to the government about getting a Defence Force Unimog into the area.

“Cars can just not get through,” he told RNZ on Tuesday.

“It’s just a matter of just being able to get there with emergency services and get people out safely as well, so that’s the main concern.

“As well as getting power and comms on. People are feeling really isolated so we’ve got to sort that out as quick as we can.”

Heavy rain also caused widespread flooding in Christchurch, where the Heathcote River broke its banks.

People who lived near the river in suburbs like Opawa and Beckenham said they were used to the river flooding but the water was lapping ever-closer to their homes.

Stacey Hurst was not one of the lucky ones.

For the second time since she moved to Eastern Terrace two years ago she was mopping up in her garage after floodwater rushed in on Monday night.

Flooding in Eastern Terrace. Tim Brown/RNZ

“Once we realised it wasn’t going to slow down we moved everything upstairs to minimise the damage,” she said.

“We had an almost identical experience last year with about a foot of water coming into the shed.”

The wake from cars driving down the road made the problem worse, Hurst said.

“It just sends a big wave in here,” she said.

Hurst’s neighbours had avoided water getting into their homes but were shocked by the speed at which the river broke its banks, especially because last year’s floods followed days of heavy rain and coincided with king tides.

Georgia Sytema said the water rose quickly.

“This morning our whole yard was flooded, which doesn’t usually happen, it was up into the driveway. It’s a lot higher than usual,” she said.

Emeline Sales was also nervous as the water rose on Tuesday morning.

“We woke up to a big moat,” she said.

“This is the worst it’s been. It came all the way up to my husband’s car, it was quite deep this time around. It was cutting it close this time.

“It was the drains that started flooding first before the river actually broke. We haven’t had issues with the drains before but that’s what caused all the quite intense surface flooding and then the banks broke.”

Sam Guerin moved to nearby Hunter Terrace about three months ago.

He knew his home was in a flood management area and it was part of the reason he and his partner planned to knock down the house and rebuild further up the site.

Guerin said the scale of flooding was worse than anything he had prepared for.

“We were told that in one of the worst floods in the last 10 to 15 years, the water lapped at the driveway but it’s quite a lot worse than that and it happened so quickly,” he said.

“We were told the last time it flooded was before the council had done a lot of resilience measures, so it was surprising for the water to get as high as it did.”

The family had returned from a night out to find the river had burst its banks, the road was flooded and water was rising about 100 millimetres every hour.

“It was a bit of a sleepless night because we were coming out to check it wasn’t getting too close to the floor level and throughout the evening it was up on our verandah deck,” Guerin said.

“It was getting quite high, so that was a little concerning. It was under the house.”

Woolston was also affected, with Clarendon Terrace residents nervously watching the water as it washed over the riverbanks, onto the road and towards their properties.

Emily Jensen said she moved her cars on Monday night because the road had already flooded.

“I haven’t seen it that high up. I’m really surprised by how much flooding there is just after a day’s rain,” she said.

“It feels a little scary because if you were to think multiple days of rain and king tides on top of that, I don’t know what we’d be looking at.

“I would love to know the council are thinking about what to do in these areas because with climate change and everything’s that happening, it doesn’t feel so good to be down here. Five or six years ago we had a really big flooding event but the water didn’t come up the driveway at all, but now it’s coming up so it’s getting worse.

“It just creates anxiety about what you’re going to wake up to.”

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/17/banks-peninsula-still-cut-off-after-floods-hit-canterbury/

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Incoming law change so MSD can claw back welfare payments off ACC clients

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Minister moved a motion of urgency to introduce the bill. VNP / Phil Smith

The government has introduced legislation so the welfare system can legally claw back payments when someone has been backpaid for an ACC claim.

Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston moved a motion of urgency to introduce the Social Security (Accident Compensation and Calculation of Weekly Income) Amendment Bill shortly after 7.30pm.

It comes after a significant High Court ruling against the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) on the recovery of welfare payments late last year.

The ruling said MSD couldn’t require people to pay back supplementary assistance they’d received (like accommodation supplements and winter energy payments) once they had been paid back-dated compensation from Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).

For context, many people claim support from MSD while they wait on cover from ACC and once ACC grants cover, it then pays the person backpay for weekly compensation.

In the meantime, the person may have received support from MSD while they were waiting on cover from ACC.

In these situations, ACC automatically reimburses MSD for the main benefit and up until now, MSD was also requiring people to repay any supplementary assistance payments received during the backpay period.

At the High Court Justice Grice held that while the law allowed ACC to reimburse MSD for the main benefit, it did not extend to supplementary forms of assistance designed to meet essential costs.

Speaking at the bill’s first reading this evening, Upston said the legislation clarified the law on the impact of ACC payments on welfare entitlements, given the High Court decision conflicted with “long standing policy intent and operational practice”.

She said there were two main main cohorts of ACC compensation recipients in the welfare system: people who receive ACC and welfare assistance at the same time and people who receive welfare assistance while they wait for ACC to decide on their entitlement

“Under the current situation, as interpreted by the courts, the latter group, who receive lump sum payments, are treated more generously than the former.

“They are in effect receiving two forms of income support to address one need. This also means these clients can remain eligible for assistance which only beneficiaries receive, such as the Winter Energy Payment.

“This would not result in fair treatment between these groups and isn’t in line with the policy intent.

“The government has a duty to fix this situation and clarify the law, so it aligns with the longstanding intent of policy,” Upston said.

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/17/incoming-law-change-so-msd-can-claw-back-welfare-payments-off-acc-clients/

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Government to clarify welfare and ACC payments

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is introducing legislation to clarify the law on the impact of ACC payments on welfare entitlement and ensure the process is fair.

Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says the Social Security (Accident Compensation and Calculation of Weekly Income) Amendment Bill will: 

  • confirm the longstanding policy intent underpinning MSD’s approach to charging income, including income from ACC
  • authorise MSD to retrospectively consider a person a non-beneficiary when their backdated ACC payment reduces their benefit to zero for the applicable period, as is current practice
  • reflect the principles of a targeted welfare system; where the more income you earn, the less assistance you receive from the state
  • provide certainty in the law and remove the potential for interpretations of the law that go further than the policy intent, creating inequities between different cohorts of people receiving ACC payments.
  • people who receive ACC and welfare assistance at the same time
  • people who receive welfare assistance while they wait for ACC to decide on their entitlement 

“There are two main cohorts of ACC compensation recipients in the welfare system,” Louise Upston says. 

“Under the current situation, as interpreted by the courts, the latter group, who receive lump sum payments, are treated more generously than the former. 

“They are in effect receiving two forms of income support to address one need. This also means these clients can remain eligible for assistance which only beneficiaries receive, such as the Winter Energy Payment. 

“This would not result in fair treatment between these groups and isn’t in line with the policy intent. 

“The Government has a duty to fix this situation and clarify the law, so it aligns with the longstanding intent of policy,” Louise Upston says. 

Notes to editors: 

  • The bill will be referred to the Social Services and Community Select Committee for one week
  • The need to amend the Social Security Act comes out of a High Court case known as ‘B’ and an earlier decision by the Social Security Appeal Authority, in which a client received a backdated lump sum payment of weekly ACC compensation and MSD sought to recover supplementary assistance paid for the period covered by the ACC payment

The retrospective effect of the legislation will not apply to a small number of cases that have been filed with the Social Security Appeal Authority or the Courts before 2pm on the day of the introduction of the Bill.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/17/government-to-clarify-welfare-and-acc-payments/

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Political parties already squabbling over infrastructure plan

Source: Radio New Zealand

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Labour leader Chris Hipkins. RNZ / Marika Khabazi / Reece Baker

Political parties are already squabbling over the extent to which either side will back a bipartisan approach to transport projects.

The first ever National Infrastructure Plan lays out an independent roadmap for infrastructure investment in the coming decades.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said the coalition will consider the plan and report back on its formal response in six months’ time.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said his party had offered to work with the government in the coming months, before criticising the coaliton’s prized Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme.

The plan pointed out the major transport project pipeline had grown much faster than the funding available to deliver it, with government ambition far exceeding the revenue likely to be available over the coming years.

“It is a fairly carefully guarded criticism of the RoNS programme and it’s a legitimate criticism,” Hipkins said.

“Billions of dollars of investment without proper business cases, without real consideration of the benefits and the costs of those projects. We do need to take that seriously.”

Bishop said the 17 Roads of National Significance had been planned to “shape the nation and drive growth and productivity” and would not be rolled out all at once.

“The construction market cannot cope with 17 roads being built all at the same time and some of them aren’t even ready to be built straight away anyway.

“We’ve always said that they will be sequenced and prioritised in a way that is logical for the market and in terms of deliverability and cost benefit ratios. I think the point the commission makes is a really good one.”

On his call for a bipartisan approach to infrastructure, Bishop said any suggestion Labour had been left out of the loop on the the Commission’s plan was untrue.

“It’s been a bit frustrating to be honest to hear Chris Hipkins, he might have said on RNZ this morning, that the government’s developed a plan that the Labour Party has had nothing to do with.

“They have been briefed extensively throughout the plan. No one may have mentioned that to him, which is an issue for him, but there have been extensive engagements with the Labour Party.”

On a second Auckland harbour crossing, Bishop said he was committed to working on a project that would last beyond the three year electoral cycle.

“I’ve said for a year now that we’ll be making that decision as part of a joint approach with the Labour Party because any change of government will want to see that project through.

“I haven’t had formal advice on it but whatever ends up being built, will be tolled. The question is whether or not the existing connection is tolled. That’s a very big decision and we’re taking advice on it.”

Hipkins said a second Auckland harbour crossing was well overdue and his party would work with the government on a long term plan.

“It’s well and truly time for us to be putting in place active plans to do that. We’re talking about a decade or two to do that. This is a long term project so the more we can approach that with bipartisanship the better for the country.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/17/political-parties-already-squabbling-over-infrastructure-plan/

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Dark day for working New Zealanders as the Employment Relations Amendment Bill passes

Source: NZCTU

The passing of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill is a dark day for working New Zealanders, says New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi President Sandra Grey.

“This law strips working Kiwis of long-held and fundamental rights.

“Employers will now be empowered to misclassify employees as contractors, stripping from them key entitlements including the minimum wage, sick pay, and Kiwisaver. This threatens entire workforces, particularly in industries where work is already low-paid and precarious.

“With this change, National, ACT, and New Zealand First are once again prioritising profit over people. The National-led Government is shamelessly giving in to Uber and other multinational companies whose business models rely on insecure work.

“The legislation also makes a mockery of the personal grievance system. Workers now face the absurd situation where they could prove in court they were unjustifiably dismissed but not be eligible for remedies for this injustice.

“This Bill was strongly opposed during the select committee process. The Government was warned by employment experts and working Kiwis that it will dramatically undermine job security. It has refused to listen.

“Everyone deserves good work – work that is well-paid, secure, and provides employees with minimum rights and conditions. This Bill does the opposite, eroding fair pay, job security, and basic protections.

“National have let Uber and the ACT Party set the agenda for employment law in this country. They need to grow a backbone and stand up for the interests of New Zealand workers,” said Grey.

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/17/dark-day-for-working-new-zealanders-as-the-employment-relations-amendment-bill-passes/

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Government rams through law attacking workers

Source: Green Party

“The passing of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill is a dark day for Aotearoa, and shows this government is on the side of big corporates and against the workers.” says Green Party Workplace Relations spokesperson Teanau Tuiono.

“Workers have a basic right to seek remedies for unjustifiable and unlawful dismissal. This law effectively destroys that right, leaving workers completely exposed to abuses of power by their employers.”

 

“This law also makes it easier to dismiss workers and gives bosses the ability to mischaracterise employees as contractors, meaning that they miss out on basic rights like sick leave and holiday pay.”

 

“Minister Van Velden has proudly ignored and refused to meet with workers’ representatives, while she’s getting her ideas for reforms from multinational corporations like Uber.”  

 

“New Zealand workers already have significantly less rights at work than Australian workers, and this government is busy eroding those that we have managed to keep. It’s no surprise that young people are flocking across the ditch, and this will only see that flow increase.” 

 

Over 3000 submissions on the Employment Relations Amendment Bill were opposed to it, while only 34 were in favour. Unions, employment lawyers, and academics lined up alongside regular workers to reject this attack on basic rights.

 

“Workers are the backbone of our economy. Instead of protecting and supporting them, this Government is in the pockets of multinational corporates, delivering on their every whim.”

 

“Enhancing the rights of workers to organise collectively is the best to get decent pay and working conditions, and the Greens are committed to strengthening this,” says Teanau.  

 

“We will go further than reversing these changes when we are in government. We will introduce default union membership for all new workers and look to increase the ability for workers to take industrial action to promote their basic rights.”  

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/17/government-rams-through-law-attacking-workers/