Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
Making human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing available to all women increases the number of people screened for cervical cancer, a new study led by researchers from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington has confirmed.
“We know from our previous research the HPV self-test is acceptable and accessible for under- and never-screened wāhine Māori. This new study proves HPV self-testing is a game changer, lifting cervical cancer screening rates for all women and people with a cervix,” said Professor Bev Lawton, lead author of the study and director of the University’s Te Tātai Hauora o Hine—National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa.
The study, which took place before HPV self-testing was rolled out nationwide in September 2023, included 22,511 people enrolled in 14 GP practices in Te Tai Tokerau Northland. Half the practices offered HPV self-testing and half offered a vaginal speculum exam by a doctor or nurse, the standard screening method before self-testing was introduced.
During the study period, which ran from February 2022 to September 2023, screening coverage was 10.8 percent higher among practices offering self-testing. Coverage was higher for all groups, including both Māori and non-Māori populations.
“The evidence is clear.Universal HPV self-testing offered through primary care increases screening coverage, which reduces illness and death caused by cervical cancer. Millions of people around the world can be spared an invasive vaginal speculum exam by doing their own HPV test,” said Professor Lawton.
HPV causes 95 percent of cervical cancers.Since HPV self-testing was introduced in 2023, 81 percent of those being screened have opted to self-test. In the two years to July 2025, screening coverage rose by 7.4 percent.
“Our new study adds to the evidence HPV self‑testing lifts screening rates across the board. This effect has been clearly demonstrated in Aotearoa New Zealand, where the introduction of universal HPV self‑testing—guided by this research—has led to a marked increase in coverage,” said Professor Lawton.
Professor Lawton and her colleagues are discussing the study findings at an international conference on HPV, being held this week in Austria.
“Cervical cancer is now preventable but remains a problem in many countries due to programmes not reaching high coverage levels. We believeall national cervical screening programmes should urgently consider a universal offer of HPV self-testing through primary care.
“HPV self-testing—offered by trusted providers, with training and on-going education for primary care staff, and supported by clinic ‘champions’—contributes to successful screening programmes. Universal HPV self-testing is acceptable, safe, and increases screening coverage. This will reduce harm, save lives, and make an important contribution to the equitable elimination of cervical cancer worldwide,” said Professor Lawton.
The research was funded by the Health Research Council, the Ministry of Health, and Mahitahi Hauora.
Billy Proctor celebrates scoring a try with team mates.MARK EVANS
The Hurricanes top the Super Rugby standings, but the real tests of their title credentials are yet to come.
They face the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday night in their first New Zealand derby of the season, before games against the Reds, Blues, Chiefs, Brumbies and Crusaders.
All Blacks centre Billy Proctor returns to the Hurricanes lineup after missing last week’s win over the Force in Napier, and he faces a monumental challenge in trying to contain Highlanders midfielder Timoci Tavatavanawai, nicknamed ‘Jim the Difference’.
“It seems like a lot of teams have been struggling with Big Jim,” Proctor said.
“I guess our ability to shut down the space and not give him too much time on the ball and eliminate his threat at the breakdown is going to be big this week and will go a long way for us trying to get the win.”
This time last year the Hurricanes were languishing near the bottom of the ladder. All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard said they are pleased with how they’ve started in 2026, with three wins from four games.
“Yeah it’s been good, we’ve done a bit of reflecting and I think this time last year were dead last, so it’s quite the contrast.
“It’s been a unique start with the bye round one and we haven’t played a New Zealand team yet. We know that it’s going to be a massive challenge this week.”
Hurricanes half back Cam Roigard kicks ahead during the Super Rugby Pacific game against the Western Force.Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz
So far the Hurricanes have played Moana Pasifika, the Fijian Drua, the Waratahs and the Force.
Roigard knows they’ll have to lift their performances if they want to keep winning, and he’s wary of a Highlanders side coming off a loss to the Crusaders.
“It’s our first New Zealand derby, whereas the Highlanders have had three or four already. So they’re going to be battle-hardened and they’re going to be ready for this game.
“It was [an] unfortunate result for them, losing to the Crusaders. But they’re back at home and there’ll be plenty of passion and they’ll be wanting to get one back over a New Zealand team.”
The Highlanders are seventh in the standings with just two wins from five games. However, they’ve played the Chiefs and Crusaders (twice) already this season and Proctor believes the hosts will be tough to beat in Dunedin on Friday night.
“They have a dangerous back three – there’s a lot of X-factor there. We touched on Big Jim before, someone that probably leads the comp in defenders beaten and he’s up there in the Jackal [winning turnovers] list too.
“There’s a few threats right there as well as their big ball-carrying forwards to go along with it. So plenty to handle out there, but we’re excited and looking forward to it.”
Billy Proctor of the Hurricanes celebrates scoring a try.MARK EVANS
Proctor himself has been in strong form, scoring five tries in the three games he has played to be third-equal with Blues wing Caleb Clarke on the list of the season’s top tryscorers.
The Brumbies’ Charlie Cale leads the way with seven tries, while Max Jorgensen of the Waratahs has six.
“It’s guys like Cam making all the breaks and me being on the end of it,” Proctor said. “I’ve been benefiting from a lot of good play from everyone, so I’ve been enjoying it.”
Roigard will play inside Ruben Love for the first time this season, with the latter named to start at first-five against the Highlanders after returning from injury via the bench in last week’s victory over the Force.
“I think my first start for the Hurricanes was with him at 10 back in 2021. So it would be cool to wind the clock back,” Roigard said.
“I think he’ll bring a lot of control. He’s got a real dominant voice and I think that control in the right areas of the field is an element I’m looking forward to having and obviously his X-factor, the ability to break the game open and as it goes on, hopefully he’ll be able to pick on some tired bodies.”
The Ministry of Transport currently factors elements such as road closures, emergency service response, and the social costs for the life lost into the total cost of a road fatality.RNZ
A transport consultancy firm says analysis of traffic data reveals the total cost of a crash is up to 70 percent higher that previously calculated.
The Ministry of Transport currently calculates the social cost of a road fatality at more than $15 million, which includes elements such as the road closure, emergency service response, and the social costs for the life lost.
But Abley Principal Transportation Planner Chris Blackmore told Nine to Noon data analysis shows that the impact of a crash on the overall road network is not factored into that calculation.
“There’s a lot of big immediate costs that we see when you look at the impacts of road trauma – be that FENZ, hospital admission, recovery costs.
“We do occasionally take into account any easily visible impacts of closing a road … but at the moment that’s only really included at a high level, and it ignores a lot of the secondary and following impacts.”
Councils and the Transport Agency had traditionally relied on physical equipment such as pneumatic road tubes to measure traffic data.
“That’s really what has prevented, up until now, having a more holistic view of the impacts of what we call network disruption.”
But a system called TomTom Area Speed enabled the analysis of more information, and more sophisticated data about the wider impacts crashes had, Blackmore said.
TomTom takes information from sources such as Apple, data from the cars themselves, and other apps motorists might be using to show exactly how widespread the congestion is, for how long, and what activities might be affected.
Blackmore provided the example of a crash between a bus and a car on Auckland’s Tamaki Drive, which closed the significant connection between the eastern bays and the city centre for more than 24 hours.
“What we could see with TomTom was that as that link closed, people had to find their way around.
“Say five O’clock, six O’clock in the morning, that’s all right … but what happens when you get into the peak hour … we see all of the other connections from the eastern bays massively overloaded.
The TomTom data showed exactly how people reacted to road closures, he said.
“Some people do u-turns, some people turn of earlier and try and get through some back roads, some people try to tough it out in the queue.”
When the data was added up, it revealed the overall impact the crash had on travel times, and the total disruption to the road network.
Crashes on rural roads also could carry a heavy unseen cost, Blackmore said, using the example of a crash on State Highway 6 near Kington in Otago.
“What we saw there was that travel time increases weren’t as significant because there’s not a heap of congestion. People could figure out that there’s a crash before they started driving down State Highway 6 and make their choices.
“But we did see hundreds of thousands of extra kilometres that people had to travel, and that has impacts on people’s lives and their routines as well.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster spoke on Tuesday 17 March at Takina in Wellington
It’s great to be here today to:
share some observations, from my perspective as Privacy Commissioner, about the place of cyber security in the minds of decision-makers, organisations, and the everyday person in the street, and
talk about the linkages between privacy, stewardship of personal information, and cyber security.
But, before I get into that – a pop quiz …
Who said, less than a month ago, “It’s a reason why I have been advocating very strongly that we need to strengthen our cyber security laws here in NZ and also make sure that we are not laid back … I think in 2026 sometimes our New Zealand business environment has been way too laid back, and not taking the risks and the threats seriously enough.”
Yes, that was Prime Minister Chris Luxon.
And who said, again less than a month ago, “digital threats are growing and New Zealand must strengthen its defences … Every New Zealander who provides data to a government agency, or to a company contracted by one, is entitled to the same standard of care. When that data is breached, it is a violation of trust … We could improve incentives for entities holding New Zealanders’ data. We could increase penalties for hackers and scammers. We should also question whether it is even reasonable to demand New Zealanders provide sensitive information or digital identification for everyday activities.”
Yes, that was Deputy Prime Minister, David Seymour.
Now, like a lot of organisations, at my work we subscribe to a media alerts service, for media and other stories about privacy and related matters – including cyber. I arrived at work a week ago, the morning email from the service had just popped into my in-box … no privacy breach stories this time … but every story was a cyber one … every story!
It seems that the public policy and media spotlights have swung their beams of light on to you.
You have to wonder, given this sort of political, public, and media interest, if we are on the cusp of cyber security leaving the wings, and coming to centre stage.
The question is, are we ready – and if we are, what are we going to do next?
Surveys and attitudes to cyber security
It’s always instructive to take ourselves out of our busy day to day context, and see how other organisations, and even other countries, are seeing cyber-security, and cyber threats.
Each year the Institute of Directors conducts a Directors’ Sentiment Survey and publishes the results with some commentary.
In the 2025 report, the IoD noted, and I quote, that:
“Technology epitomises this shift from curiosity to commitment. Six in ten boards are now working with management on how AI and automation can lift productivity – the second-highest result since records began. Digital oversight has re-entered the mainstream, no longer the preserve of tech committees or early adopters. But the enthusiasm is tempered by uneven assurance: cyber vigilance has plateaued, with the proportion of boards discussing risk or receiving breach reporting barely moving in three years. In effect, boards are accelerating innovation without upgrading the brakes.”
While 57.2% of directors said their board discusses cyber risks, this figure has softened slightly from 2024, which was 62.2%.
Likewise, 55.2% of boards report receiving comprehensive data breach or cyber-risk reporting, largely unchanged for three years after a sharp rise in 2023.
Privacy and data protection show similar stagnation; 57.2% of directors said their board regularly reviews privacy risks, a figure largely unchanged from 2024.
Internet NZ’s recent survey results show New Zealanders continue to have concerns in the data space.
65% of those surveyed were extremely concerned or very concerned about the security of personal data.
Kordia have just released their 2026 NZ Business Cyber Security Report.
Some key take outs from that:
44% of large businesses were subjected to a cyber attack or incident in the past 12 months
17% of cyber incidents resulted in personal information being accessed or stolen
61% of businesses impacted by a cyber incident suffered a serious business disruption
30% of businesses surveyed said they lacked confidence that they could recover from a major cyber-attack.
25% said they had no cyber security awareness or training programme for their employees, and
Around half had not practiced their incident response plans.
That’s not a brilliant picture.
Hence, the International Telecommunication Union’s global cybersecurity index last year ranked New Zealand in the third of five tiers, as an ‘establishing’ nation along side the likes of Kiribati and Myanmar.
The heightened cyber security risk environment has seen countries like Australia and Singapore among others, implement new cyber security legislation.
New regulatory frameworks are also increasingly being backed up with tools and manuals to support businesses to aim for and stay on the right side of the regulatory line.
And that is something the New Zealand Office of the Privacy Commissioner is also focused on.
Privacy and cyber security
It’s clear that there are many linkages between privacy and cyber security – and I want to begin by acknowledging that while my focus is on the stewardship of personal information, those working in cyber security are concerned about keeping all information – personal, financial, commercial, legal, marketing, the list goes on – safe and secure from harm.
Some of you here today will of course be working in or managing the IT/IS/cyber teams in organisations, ensuring systems are hardened against cyber-attack, and that your work colleagues engage in cyber smart practices.
Some of you will be advisors, providing organisations with advice on the latest developments in cyber threats and defences.
Some of you will be involved in research and development, seeking to get ahead of the cyber criminals and threat actors in the never-ending cyber war we all seem to be engaged in these days.
And some – like my Office – are focused on the risks to personal information.
My focus is making privacy a core focus for your agencies – in order to protect New Zealanders from harm, to enable organisations to achieve their own objectives, and to safeguard our free and democratic society.
And when things go wrong – when there’s a serious privacy breach which might see personal information exfiltrated, or deliberately corrupted – we ask questions about what happened and why, and – if it’s needed – we can hold agencies to account.
Security of information and IT infrastructure is a critical component of a robust privacy programme.
Both security and privacy staff must work together to identify external and internal risks, and to ensure that security is prioritised and resourced accordingly.
The Privacy Act 2020 is built around 13 privacy principles that govern how agencies (organisations and businesses) can collect, store, use and share personal information.
The Privacy Act makes sure that:
you know when your information is being collected
your information is used and shared appropriately
your information is kept safe and secure
you can get access to your information.
As many of you will know, Principle 5 is concerned with storage and security of information.
It states that organisations must ensure there are safeguards in place, that are reasonable in the circumstances, to prevent loss, misuse or disclosure of personal information.
There are a number of different aspects to consider, including physical security, electronic security, operational security, security during transmission and during destruction.
What steps are appropriate will depend entirely on the circumstances, including:
How sensitive is the personal information involved?
What are you using the personal information for?
What security measures are available, and how will using these measures impact on your agency’s functions?
What might the consequences be for the individual if the information is not kept secure?
I thought you might be interested to get a sense of the state of play with privacy breaches in New Zealand.
So, this morning, I have the latest breaking stats and news for you.
In the most recent quarter, 61% of serious privacy breaches were due to intentional or malicious activity, and 36% were due to human error … the days of most breaches being due to an email whoopsie seem to be long gone.
For the reporting year to date, 21% were unauthorised access breaches (including ransomware), and 28% were unauthorised sharing or employee browsing.
Employee browsing
Can I take the opportunity to touch on an increasingly serious privacy risk: that is, employee browsing.
The greatest threat to your workplace information security could be sitting in the office next to you at work.
Employee browsing or the unauthorised access and misuse of personal information is becoming one of the most common privacy breaches.
NZ is a small place, and there’s a good chance a familiar name will crop up in a database or on a file at work, and it can prove very tempting for some to have a look.
In some circumstances employees look up information and then pass it on for the explicit purpose of causing harm of some sort.
If your business or organisation holds sensitive personal information that your customers or clients would really, really not want to be revealed to someone else, like a violent former partner, or revealed to the public if someone happens to be a bit of a celebrity – then your organisation’s employees will, one day, come under pressure from others to access and hand over that information.
Attempts will be made to coerce, bribe, blackmail or threaten employees to access and misuse the personal information the organisation holds.
So, my question for you is, has your organisation invested in the systems, regular database audit checks, employee induction processes, and so on, to deter and, if it happens, identify unauthorised access and misuse of personal information?
Of course, my Office doesn’t always want to occupy the space of the privacy “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff”; increasingly, our focus is on working with people like you to “build the fence at the top”.
As I think I mentioned at last year’s conference, Poupou Matatapu is guidance on our website to help New Zealand agencies do privacy well – you can find it at privacy.org.nz.
It sets our expectations about what good privacy practice looks like and then helps organisations toward achieving that.
One of the components of this guidance focuses on security and internal access controls.
The obligation to keep information safe and secure applies to information that is held by the organisation (for example, in on-premises servers) and information that is held on the organisation’s behalf by a service provider (for example, a cloud-based data storage provider).
Remember, organisations are liable under the Privacy Act for the personal information stored and processed on their behalf.
The most effective strategy is having a well-thought-out security plan for all personal information you hold.
At a high level, this component of Poupou Matatapu describes key security controls across three areas – physical, technical, and organisational.
These controls are not exhaustive and are continually evolving.
Organisations need to ensure that they update their knowledge on security risks, including seeking advice from external experts where necessary, and implement all reasonable security safeguards in a timely way.
I don’t need to tell this audience that there’s a world of cyber security guidance and standards out there.
Providing security and IT advice is not a core function of my Office, so, in our guidance, we have provided links to advice and resources from other authoritative sources, such as NCSC, and others.
But, of course, like you, I have seen commentary around how to assess whether an organisation had reasonable security safeguards in place at the time of a security or privacy incident.
Reasonable security safeguards are those that are proportionate to an organisation’s role, scale, and risk exposure.
They reflect recognised national expectations at the time the safeguards were implemented and operating prior to the breach.
This approach does not require best-in-class or exhaustive controls, instead focusing on intent, decision-making, and proportionality.
It anchors reasonableness in nationally recognised frameworks, uses well-understood national standards like the NCSC Minimum Cyber Security Standards as a defensible baseline, and applies sectoral-specific standards – such as those applying to the health sector – as contextual overlays.
This approach provides a clear basis for determining whether reasonable security safeguards were in place at a given point in time.
The other day I was reminded of a comment from Misti Landtroop, the NZ country manager for cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks.
She said that many cyber breaches were preventable, with things like security culture, level of knowledge, and willingness to invest, all factors that left organisations vulnerable to cyber-attack. Organisations also make mistakes because they either don’t understand the value of privacy, or don’t care.
Sometimes privacy is as easy as just ensuring your IT systems are up to scratch and making sure you’ve thought about access, have got the permissions set correctly, and have tested them.
For example, a while back the UK Information Commissioner issued a 4.4million pound fine to a company which, in the Commissioner’s view, failed to follow up on the original alert about some suspicious activity, used outdated software systems and protocols, and had a lack of adequate staff training and insufficient risk assessments – all of which ultimately left them vulnerable to a cyber-attack.
The Commissioner commented at the time: “The biggest cyber risk businesses face is not from hackers outside of their company, but from complacency within their company. If your business doesn’t regularly monitor for suspicious activity in its systems, and fails to act on warnings, or doesn’t update software, and fails to provide training to staff, you can expect a similar fine from my Office.”
From my perspective, and reflecting on all this commentary, since taking up my role I have made it clear that agencies need to keep front of mind that, in the case of a cyber security incident resulting in a data privacy breach, one of the first questions I will ask is “has the agency undertaken all reasonable security safeguards” to protect the personal information under their care.
Health sector
Turning to the cyber elephant in the room, recent events in NZ would suggest that one sector which is well and truly facing some cyber security challenges, is the health sector.
Just a reminder: on 22 February, MediMap — a private portal used by aged-care homes, hospices, disability services and community health providers to coordinate prescriptions and record medication histories — was taken offline after it was discovered that some patient records had been tampered with by an unauthorized actor.
MediMap’s early investigations identified changes to fields including names, birthdates, assigned prescriber, and location of care and resident status, with some living patients incorrectly marked as “deceased.”
This event was unsettling not only because of the direct impact on individuals and clinical operations, but also because it followed another high-profile breach —the Manage My Health breach in late 2025, which involved the exfiltration of hundreds of thousands of medical documents.
One of New Zealand’s leading privacy commentators, Daimhin Warner, commented at the time:
“Taken together, these events suggest a broader pattern of cyber risk in health tech that goes beyond isolated vendor errors.”
“Several key themes are starting to emerge. First is the need for clarity of expectations. What baseline technical and organizational safeguards should be required for systems handling highly sensitive health information? Mandatory controls — for example, multifactor authentication, encryption at rest and in transit, regular independent security audits and incident response obligations — could help raise the floor of protection.”
“Second is making sure the health sector understands who is really accountable for ensuring these baseline safeguards are in place. It is alarmingly clear from these recent breaches that many organizations in the health sector do not fully understand their accountabilities and responsibilities.”
Daimhin Warner notes that the recent publication of the National Cyber Security Strategy has occurred at a time when some of the government agencies tasked with cyber security are making it clear that New Zealand has a long way to go before we can say our standards and approach meet international good practice.
And by the same token, then, we have a long way to go before we can assure New Zealanders, whoever they are … customers, clients, citizens … that their privacy is being protected and respected.
GCSB Director-General Andrew Clark said recently that “unfortunately, there are … pockets, including in our critical infrastructure, where cybersecurity is barely meeting that foundational level that we would expect.”
AI
And of course, AI is only making the challenge facing the cyber security industry even harder.
Reports show increasingly that AI agents are supercharging cyber-attacks by industrialising the scale of them.
In the Internet NZ survey I referred to earlier, 59% of those surveyed were very or extremely concerned about the use of AI to violate privacy.
And the Kordia survey found that a quarter of medium to large businesses now rank staff misuse of AI among their biggest cyber challenges, and that attacks involving AI-related vulnerabilities have more than doubled year on year.
Director-General Clark also noted that while smaller organisations might not meet the critical infrastructure description, many still hold a lot of sensitive personal information that needs protection.
So, no matter the sector, and no matter the size, there are questions we all need to be asking, and expectations that need to be met, in today’s increasingly super-charged threat environment:
From where I sit, those expectations include:
Security controls are specific to the type and sensitivity of information held across the organisation, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Regular auditing of systems is undertaken to ensure appropriate access.
An organisation follows industry guidelines and security standards relevant to its business context.
There is a remediation plan for managing and/or replacing legacy systems (where necessary).
Identified risks are proactively managed – for example, by incorporating them into the organisation’s risk and assurance reporting processes to ensure visibility, and Organisational controls – policies, procedures, and decisions – are regularly reviewed and fit for purpose.
Conclusion
People of cyber … at this time in New Zealand’s history you face your greatest challenge, and your greatest opportunity.
Source:Aotearoa Clinical Trials and Medical Research Institute of New Zealand
MRINZ and ACTT Launch CRANZ to Strengthen Clinical Research in New Zealand
The Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ) and the Aotearoa Clinical TrialsTrust (ACTT) are pleased to announce the establishment of theClinical Research Alliance New Zealand (CRANZ), a new national partnership to strengthen and expand high-quality clinical trial research across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Both organisations are dedicated to improving health outcomes through rigorous, evidence based clinical research.CRANZ brings together MRINZ’s internationally recognised research expertise with ACTT’s nationwide, public hospital-embedded clinical trial delivery network to create a coordinated platform for medical research.
The Alliance will:
Increase the number and support of high-quality investigator-initiated trials (IITs) and collaborative group trials (CGTs)
Work with overseas funders and research institutes to enable more medical research to be performed in New Zealand
Enable New Zealand clinicians to design and lead trials that improve patient care and inform clinical practice
Strengthen collaboration across hospitals, universities, and research institutions
Investigator-led trials are essential for addressing locally relevant health challenges and generating evidence grounded in real-world patient care.CRANZ will provide the systems, governance expertise, and delivery infrastructure required to support efficient, high quality trial execution across New Zealand.
CRANZ will initially focus onRespiratory, Vaccines, Dermatology, and Infectious Diseases– areas of significant public health priority and established research strength.
Professor Richard Beasley, Director of MRINZ, said: “Clinical trials allow us to answer the questions most relevant to patient care in New Zealand. CRANZ strengthens our ability to support clinicians to access and lead high-quality trials, generating evidence that improves clinical practice.”
Dr. Edward Watson, Chief Executive of ACTT, said: “CRANZ connects research leadership with nationwide hospital-based delivery, creating a more capable and coordinated environment for all clinical research. This Alliance will expand access to high-quality trials for patients and strengthen New Zealand’s clinical research capability.”
Further details on CRANZ programmes and collaborative initiatives will be announced in the coming months.
Master Plumbers has been fixing problems and advocating for regulation that protects public health for a long time.
Chief Executive Greg Wallace says its work has kept communities functioning, and most importantly, healthy.
“Nowhere is that more obvious at the moment than in Wellington, where the importance of good plumbing infrastructure has been getting quite a bit of attention.”
Today the organisation is celebrating 125 years of service to the plumbing industry with a function at Government House hosted by Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro and attended by Hon Minister Penny Simmonds and Mayor of Wellington, Andrew Little.
“When systems work well, nobody notices. But safe drinking water, healthy homes, effective drainage and modern sanitation all depend on the skills of plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers throughout New Zealand,” Mr Wallace says.
Over 250 people, including Master Plumbers members from across the country as well as industry leaders and partners, are attending the event, which will celebrate the association’s contribution to raising plumbing standards and safeguarding public health since 1901.
Several member businesses have been around long enough to have played a part in shaping New Zealand’s landscape.
Hamilton-based FB Hall & Co Ltd helped build the Waikato region, from dairy farms and factories to high-rise buildings. Founded by English immigrant Frederick Benjamin Hall in 1923, the company has been involved in projects at Waikato Hospital, Waikato University, The Base Shopping Centre and Tristram Precinct in its 103 years in business.
Brockelsby’s Plumbing and Gasfitting Ltd started from a residential house in Lower Hutt in the 1930s, and Mander & Co Ltd has operated from the same site in Johnsonville since the company’s inception more than 70 years ago. Both have been members of Master Plumbers since the 1940s.
While tools, technology and workforce diversity have evolved, Master Plumbers’ role in advocating for key regulatory advances has remained constant throughout its history.
In 1912, the passing of the Plumbers’ Registration Act – the forerunner of today’s Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act – was largely thanks to lobbying by the national association.
More recently, Master Plumbers has been a vocal advocate for New Zealand’s new lead-free product legislation coming into effect this May. It has also spearheaded calls to allow plumbers and drainlayers to certify their own work, which is expected to become a reality later this year.
“Self-certification is a significant step forward that recognises the professionalism and capability of our trades and that skilled, licensed tradespeople can be trusted to stand behind their work,” he says.
Looking ahead, the sector faces significant challenges. The growing need for housing, infrastructure renewal and climate resilience all put pressure on an industry with longstanding workforce shortages.
Mr Wallace says he is encouraged by the quality of people entering the industry, but more are needed.
“Apprenticeships are increasingly recognised as a smart and rewarding career path, and we see talented young people entering the trades with real ambition and capability. They represent the future of our industry.”
AboutMaster Plumbers: Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers NZ Inc is the national membership body representing plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying businesses, with 19 regional branches across New Zealand. Members undergo a rigorous Quality Assurance programme and are supported with training, resources and industry guidance to meet evolving technologies, products and compliance standards. Master Plumbers also advocates on behalf of its members and the wider industry.
Masterlink, owned by Master Plumbers, is a group training scheme delivering managed, mentored apprenticeships nationwide. Regional Managers support both apprentices and host businesses throughout the training journey.
Sales volumes have fallen again across New Zealand’s housing market, extending a slow start to 2026 even as property values remain broadly stable on the back of improved affordability and lower mortgage rates.
The Cotality NZ Monthly Housing Chart Pack for March shows sales volumes in February were 6.8% lower than the same month a year ago, following a 7.8% fall in January. It marks the first time in almost three years that sales have declined in two consecutive months.
Property values remain relatively stable, with the national median edging 0.2% higher in February, although values are still 1.2% lower than a year ago and around 17.3% below the early-2022 peak.
Cotality NZ Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson said buyer caution had remained a defining feature of the country’s broader housing market through the first two months of 2026.
“Sales volumes remain fairly sluggish and that’s a reminder that confidence takes time and is still rebuilding,” Mr Davidson said.
“December activity looked unusually strong, so some of the recent softness may reflect timing rather than a new downward trend. But even allowing for that, the housing market is still in a phase where buyers are taking their time.”
Some markets showed larger price gains in February, with Hamilton and Dunedin each recording a 0.9% rise in values, while values in Invercargill also moved higher.
First home buyers remain key market force
First home buyers continued to play a major role in the market, accounting for around 27% of property purchases across January and February combined.
Mr Davidson said improving affordability and lower mortgage rates are helping many first home buyers enter the market, even in a high-priced market such as Auckland.
“First home buyers remain a significant presence, and in Auckland they’ve taken an even larger share of purchases at around 30% so far this year,” he said.
“KiwiSaver withdrawals continue to play a role in helping buyers assemble deposits, while the banks’ low-deposit lending allowances are also supporting access to credit.”
“In some cases, mortgage repayments can now look similar, or cheaper than rents, which can encourage tenants to move from renting to buying if they’re able to save for or access a deposit,” he said.
Movers accounted for just over 26% of purchases across the first two months of the year, while mortgaged multiple property owners held a 24% share.
Mr Davidson said the behaviour of owner-occupiers trading homes would be an important factor to watch through 2026.
“A stronger economic backdrop could encourage more movers to return to the market over time. When that group becomes more active, it tends to support higher transaction levels across the entire housing market.”
Rental market remains subdued
Conditions in the rental market remain soft, with net migration well below previous peaks and rental listings still relatively elevated.
MBIE bonds data shows the median national rent fell by 0.8% in the three months to January compared with a year earlier, a relatively rare outcome after several years of strong growth.
Mr Davidson said the combination of softer population growth and already high rent levels relative to incomes is limiting further increases.
“Rents have already risen significantly in recent years, and wage growth has eased, so there isn’t a lot of scope for further increases at the moment,” he said.
“More likely we’ll see a period of flat or only modest rental growth while the market adjusts.”
Market outlook remains measured
Several economic and financial factors would influence how the NZ housing market performs during the rest of 2026, Mr Davidson said.
Around 59% of existing mortgages by value are due to be repriced over the next 12 months, which could provide some relief for households if borrowers move onto lower interest rates. However, global uncertainty and inflation pressures continue to pose unknown risks.
“The US-Israel-Iran conflict and higher fuel prices are potential inflation risks in the near term, but if those pressures prove temporary the Reserve Bank should still be able to hold the OCR steady,” he said.
“That would allow the housing market to gradually rebuild momentum, although any recovery in prices and sales volumes is likely to remain modest rather than rapid.”
The Cotality NZ Monthly Housing Chart Pack provides the latest breakdown of sales activity, listings, buyer classification, property values, rental trends, lending conditions and economic indicators across New Zealand.
Originair has serviced Westport with an 18-seater Jetstream aircraft.Supplied
Buller’s mayor says it’s “devastating” Westport could lose its only air direct service.
Originair said the Wellington to Westport route is not commercially viable, asking central government to step in.
Buller District Council Mayor Chris Russell told Morning Report the service was a “lifeline connection” for isolated communities.
“The reality is that the route is just not economical which is quite devastating for us here in the Buller District.”
He said air travel could be the only way to evacuate if roads were cut off after a major earthquake or flooding.
“Losing the link, puts Buller and Northern Buller at risk of losing that connection in the event that something goes wrong, and we’ve got a business opportunities here too, particularly in Reefton, also mining in the Buller area too.”
Russell said it was a critical route, and in a major event coastal shipping is too slow, and an airport is vital.
“We’ll have to talk to government about that too, because keeping an airport open is not cheap either, and we are a small ratepayer base – so if we are not getting revenue to come in to help cover that, we have to ask the question of whether we go with it.”
Russell said the former mayor and staff had worked hard to bring Originair in after Sounds Air pulled out in 2024. He said he would be meeting with ministers late next week to discuss whether government support was possible.
Westport Airport.Nomad Audio and Video
Associate Transport Minister James Meager said in a statement that concessionary loans for regional airlines were available, but Originair had withdrawn its expression of interest for those loans.
He said the airline had expressed an interest in an alternate form of operational funding, which would require Cabinet to reconsider funding decisions.
Originair managing director Robert Inglis told Morning Report the route wasn’t economically viable, and concessionary loans for managing debt would not help in this case.
“They’re certainly not designed to support loss-making routes, and we’ve made that very clear to associate transport minister Meager, that we see absolutely no point in borrowing money to run a loss-making route.”
Inglis said it had been challenging operating the route with Buller district’s small population, and the company has had to reduce flights and increase fares.
He said the company had tried to operate a safe and reliable route for the past 15 months.
“This provides strategic oversight and co-ordinated leadership to agencies to ensure a quick and effective response to any potential disruptions to petrol, diesel, and jet fuel supplies, as well as other key supply chains.”
Moana return to Albany for the first time in 2026 this weekend.Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Moana Pasifika are finally back on the North Shore, entering round six of Super Rugby Pacific without having played a home game at North Harbour Stadium.
Albany became a fortress for the franchise in 2025, with fans turning out in force to witness historic results.
Among them was a first-ever win over the Blues, inspired by one of the greatest individual performances in Super Rugby history from Ardie Savea.
However, with Moana now languishing at the bottom of the Super Rugby ladder, there are concerns that the early-season momentum has stalled.
Head coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga expressed frustration with the schedule.
“It’s tough, but that’s out of our hands and we can’t do much about that. Hopefully it’ll change next year.”
Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea celebrates his side’s win over the Blues.Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
Albany bore witness to Ardie Savea’s masterclass in 2025.
Under their current licensing agreement, Moana can host only five games in Auckland per season.
Umaga suggested the arrangement was driven by the Blues to avoid oversaturating the Auckland market.
“It is what it is, but we’re here now. We’ve got a few games on the trot at home, so we’ve just got to make sure that we don’t just talk about it. We’re actually living what we talk about, and we’re excited about being home. It really does excite us.”
Despite the delayed return, Umaga remains hopeful fans will turn out for Saturday night’s clash with defending champions, the Crusaders.
“We’re playing at home and that’s important for us, in front of our people and our family. Everyone loves playing at home. We had a home game in Pukekohe and obviously it’s not like it is here (Albany) for us, but it’s just one of those things, and wherever we go, we’ve just got to be good.”
After opening the season with a road win over the Drua, Moana have since suffered four straight defeats, several by heavy margins.
“We’re in search of playing our game and hopefully we can get it.”
Adding to their woes, Moana have lost former All Blacks halfback Augustine Pulu for three weeks after he received a red card for a high shot on Blues halfback Sam Nock in Sunday’s loss at Eden Park.
“I’m happy that he (Nock) was able to get up straight away. It’s disappointing for us because we’ve had a few injuries in our halfbacks, and for Augie as well, because it’s only his second game back after a long layoff, and he’s worked so hard to get back to where he was.”
With their season at a crossroads, a return to Albany may provide the reset Moana Pasifika desperately need.
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Christopher Luxon speaks at Tonga’s police headquarters, announcing further support for the Pacific Detector Dog programme.Giles Dexter / RNZ
Analysis: When stuck in a bind, Christopher Luxon can always rely on talking about law and order.
It’s one of the few things National continues to outpoll Labour on in the Ipsos Issues Monitor, and something he took with him to the Pacific.
Luxon has weathered the storm of some bad polls, and the Pacific is always a perfect location to get away from the grind of Wellington and leave the sticky issues to his ministers.
Though this trip almost got derailed before it had even began, he will be returning from Samoa and Tonga satisfied that the New Zealand government is doing its bit to help its Pacific neighbours with transnational crime and the fight against drug trafficking.
But questions over what specific support New Zealand can offer on fuel resilience remain, as does the pain point on visa access.
RNZ / Giles Dexter
Those calling for New Zealand to allow its Pacific family to have the same rights as people from 60 other countries, and be granted visa waivers at the border, would have felt Luxon’s trip was a perfect opportunity for him to announce a liberalising of immigration laws.
Instead, just ahead of the trip, the government announced a trial of cheaper visas, which Luxon pointed to as New Zealand doing its bit.
The gesture was certainly appreciated by Tonga’s prime minister, Lord Fakafanua, but Samoa’s more bellicose prime minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt will continue to make the call for New Zealand to go further.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Samoa.RNZ / Giles Dexter
On the eve of the trip, La’aulialemalietoa caused a minor diplomatic incident, which threatened to overshadow Luxon’s entire time in Samoa.
The ‘did-he-didn’t-he-no-he-didn’t-stop-asking-about-it’ over Luxon’s matai title Tuisinavemaulumoto’otua is likely to be the subject of ongoing discussion in Samoa even as he leaves Apia behind, as will whether New Zealand should be doing more in compensation for the sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui. On that point, Luxon was clear that the compensation was full and final, but is open to further discussions on the wreck’s future.
There is no doubt Luxon was annoyed by the entire matai title episode, though he would never admit it. He was keen to brush the incident off, and instead talk about where he and La’aulialemalietoa were aligned.
NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is greeted by cabinet minister Dr. Taniela Fusimalohi in a rainy Nuku’alofa, Tonga after arriving with his delegation.RNZ / Giles Dexter
Luxon will take home a feeling that he dodged a bullet somewhat, escaping what was on the verge of turning from a minor diplomatic headache into a full-blown squabble.
It did not help that every time New Zealand made it clear he did not ask for his matai, La’aulialemalietoa would dig in deeper, telling an gala dinner audience in front of Luxon (but speaking in
Samoan so Luxon would not immediately hear) that it took phone calls in the wee small hours of Monday morning to smooth things over.
His rapport with Lord Fakafanua was certainly calmer, with Luxon speaking fondly of the time he had lunch with the prime minister nearly two years ago, when he was still the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
While it is normal for leaders to recall previous meetings, the warmth and specificity of Luxon’s memories of the occasion look like he has found another strong ally in the Pacific, joining the likes of Dalton Tagelagi and Sitiveni Rabuka as leaders he has genuinely enjoyed strong rapport with.
RNZ / Giles Dexter
The fuel crisis is of growing concern in the Pacific, and Luxon and his Pacific counterparts have vowed to share whatever information they get with each other.
Both Tonga and Samoa are focused on having enough energy-in country, with Tonga’s prime minister less concerned about the prospect of Air New Zealand cutting back its Pacific connections than he is on ensuring he manages his people’s expectations. For now, Lord Fakafanua is reassuring Tongans that the fuel supply is fine.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s bilateral with Tongan counterpart Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua in Nuku’alofa.RNZ / Giles Dexter
Both countries see information-sharing as the main thing they can do for each other, for the moment. Luxon sees the question of whether New Zealand would divert some of its fuel to Samoa or Tonga as a hypothetical, but the longer the conflict goes on, the more New Zealand may have to think about the options. It would be a good gesture to a friend and neighbour, but if New Zealanaders start paying significantly more at the pump, it may be politically unpalatable.
Transnational crime, as well, will rely on New Zealand, Samoa, and Tonga scaling up their information-sharing. Agreements between police and customs, more money for detector dogs, and allowing Samoa and Tonga to subscribe Starboard’s maritime intelligence platform were all welcomed by Luxon’s hosts.
RNZ / Giles Dexter
The presence of the police commissioner, chief executive of customs, and the police minister on the trip were all a sign of how seriously New Zealand takes the matter (although Mark Mitchell’s main responsibility appeared to be as morale booster – raising the flag at a school rugby league game as sports minister, and ably attempting to fill time before a long-delayed joint-Cabinet meeting in Apia by talking rugby league and wondering whether the long wait was because the prime ministers had decided to get a head start on the roast pig.)
It will take a lot more to solve the problem, but these are all good starts, and show the Pacific uniting on a response to a Pacific problem. Luxon will be keen to get updates if he does end up attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau later this year.
RNZ / Giles Dexter
Luxon leaves Samoa and Tonga with a renewed satisfaction the countries are on top of the drug crisis, but also returns with some rather special gifts.
In addition his matai title, a fue, and model fale and school buildings, Luxon was also presented with a portrait, painted by students from a local Methodist church.
It was slightly less flattering than the one they painted of La’aulialemalietoa, but Luxon laughed it off. Exactly where it will be displayed is still to be determined, with Luxon saying it would go “straight to the pool room.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters is known to distribute some of the many gifts he receives amongst his staff, so perhaps one lucky Dignitary Protection Service staffer will have something to take home with them.
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After announcing her retirement, Angela Brazier told RNZ she felt “targeted” by police leadership.RNZ / Anneke Smith
The executive director of the Firearms Safety Authority has been cleared of misconduct following an employment investigation in relation to disgraced former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.
The investigation says that given the knowledge Angela Brazier had when providing a reference check for McSkimming, it would have been “prudent” for her to disclose the fact he was receiving harassing emails and that there was a police investigation.
However, the investigation found there were “shortcomings” in terms of how the Public Service Commission (PSC) obtained the reference check and that Brazier’s conduct did not bring police into disrepute and therefore could not be considered to amount to misconduct.
Speaking to RNZ, Brazier says the investigation was “another waste of taxpayers’ money” and wants police to publicly clear her name.
Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz
The Independent Police Conduct Authority’s report recommended employment investigations against three staff – former Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham, Detective Superintendent Chris Page, and Brazier.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers engaged Kristy McDonald KC to lead the investigations.
The investigation into Brazier – who announced her retirement in January – related to a reference check she provided to the Public Service Commission when McSkimming was vying for the role of Interim Commissioner in 2024.
The IPCA said that when the Public Service Commission approached her for a reference check, she knew McSkimming had an affair, that he was being “harassed” with emails from the woman and that former Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura had informed McSkimming that she had to investigate him as part of the police response.
However, Brazier told the PSC she had nothing relevant to disclose. She told the IPCA she did not think her knowledge was relevant to PSC’s question.
“[Brazier’s] disclosure was inadequate in light of her knowledge at the time,” the IPCA said.
RNZ has obtained a copy of the McDonald’s investigation report, dated 19 February.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers.Calvin Samuel / RNZ
In the report, McDonald said Brazier declined to be interviewed but did provide additional information she requested, including her response to the draft IPCA report.
McDonald said the reference obtained by the PSC on 8 October 2024 was part of what the PSC described as a “shortened version of their vetting process”.
“Following Commissioner Coster’s resignation in 2024, an interim Commissioner needed to be appointed. By convention the longest serving statutory Deputy Commissioner is appointed, which in this case would have been Mr McSkimming.”
She said McSkimming went through a “thorough vetting process” run by PSC when he was appointed statutory Deputy Commissioner in 2023. This included full reference and probity checks.
However, when considering McSkimming for interim Commissioner the PSC took a “shortened version”.
This was for several reasons including that McSkimming had been deputy commissioner for about 18 months and had already been interim Commissioner on several occasions and “by convention” was the person who was going to be appointed to the role.
“Mr McSkimming had recently been thoroughly vetted when appointed as a statutory Deputy Commissioner. Therefore, there was an anticipated inevitability of Mr McSkimming’s appointment which impacted the manner in which the probity checks were undertaken.
“As a result, the normal checks were not conducted in an in-depth way as would typically be done. For example, only three references were obtained and they were from people nominated by Mr McSkimming.”
Former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.RNZ / Mark Papalii
McDonald said the PSC’s focus was whether anything had occurred in the 18 month period from when McSkimming had been vetted for his current role.
“This context coloured the approach PSC took to the appointment process, including the reference obtained from Ms Brazier.”
As part of her investigation, McDonald interviewed the PSC employee who took the reference check from Brazier. McDonald said she understood the employee was not interviewed by the IPCA.
The employee confirmed she called Brazier on 8 October 2024 and asked Brazier if she was able to provide a reference check for McSkimming. Brazier agreed and the interview was then carried out.
“As such, Ms Brazier did not have time to reflect on matters that she may have wished to discuss,” McDonald said.
The reference checking process took up to 7 minutes, McDonald estimated, finishing at 1.45pm.
The employee did not tell Brazier she should provide “full and frank answers” at the beginning of the interview.
“In response to the Integrity Question Ms Brazier stated: ‘Nothing that I am aware of that would impact [Mr McSkimming’s] ability to do the job or bring the agency or the NZ government into disrepute’.”
McDonald said all of Brazier’s answers were brief, and that the employee did not ask any follow up questions “to try to illicit more information from Ms Brazier”.
McDonald said it was “clear that there were shortcomings in terms of the way the reference was obtained from Ms Brazier”.
This included that the employee did not read the PSC script that interviewers typically read out at the beginning of reference interviews.
The script used by the employee did not include any statements designed to encourage Brazier to provide “fulsome responses.”
Asked why this was, the employee told McDonald she believed the interview with Brazier was “an open and closed reference check”.
“The PSC Employee stated that: given that Mr McSkimming was the longest serving Deputy Commissioner he was the obvious candidate for the interim Commissioner role; that she did not think that there was anything wrong with Mr McSkimming; and that her job was to see if Mr McSkimming still met the fit and proper person test – having been found to satisfy this requirement in 2023.”
The employee also said that the then Assistant Commissioner at PSC had already spoken to Coster before Brazier was contacted to provide a reference. Coster had told the PSC about McSkimming’s affair, and that the woman was being prosecuted for harassment of McSkimming, McDonald said.
McDonald said a manager at PSC said that if this information was known by the employee, then they ought to have asked further questions of Brazier given her “short but caveated response to the integrity question”.
McDonald said in response to her draft findings, the PSC said the employee could not have known that information at the time she called Brazier. This was because the PSC said Coster was interviewed only shortly before Brazier was spoken to. Following her final report, McDonald issued an addendum which said while additional documents provided by the PSC showed when the interview with Coster began, it did not say when it ended.
“Given the above and the fact that when I interviewed the PSC Employee she repeatedly stated that she already knew, at a high level, about the disclosures made by Commissioner Coster prior to her interviewing Ms Brazier, it is possible that [a manager at PSC] had already spoken to the PSC Employee about those disclosures before the PSC Employee interviewed Ms Brazier.”
Regardless of whether or not the PSC employee knew about the discussion before calling Brazier, it did not “materially alter” her findings in relation to Brazier’s conduct.
McDonald said the employee had only recently started conducting reference interviews and had done about 15 previously which were “for very different roles”.
“The PSC has now changed the manner in which it obtains references, including how it asks integrity questions and has provided additional training to interviewers. The PSC Employee confirmed that the manner in which she conducts reference interviews now is significantly different to the way she approached Ms Brazier’s interview.”
McDonald concluded that given the knowledge Brazier had when providing the reference it would have been “prudent” for her to disclose the fact that McSkimming was receiving harassing emails and that there was a police investigation into those emails – even if she believed that investigation looked at him as a complainant.
“Such information was still relevant contextual information. Given Ms Brazier’s work experience, having worked in senior positions for the Police for over twenty years, she ought to have understood the relevance of such information.
“I have considered, in light of the factual findings I have made, whether Ms Brazier’s conduct could be viewed as amounting to a breach of the Police Code of Conduct by bringing Police into disrepute. My recommendation is that it does not.”
Kristy McDonald KC.RNZ/Marika Khabazi
McDonald said while Brazier “could have been more forthcoming”, there were several “highly relevant” factors.
This included that the PSC employee did not advise Brazier of the expectation to provide full disclosure of any relevant information she may have at the start of the interview, and that they did not do any follow up questions.
“Ms Brazier was not given advanced warning of the interview and it is likely that she did not have time to prepare or reflect on matters that she may wish to discuss.”
McDonald also noted that the IPCA did not interview the PSC employee as part of their investigation.
“And, therefore, did not take account of the manner in which the interview was conducted before making its findings against Ms Brazier.”
On 27 February, Brazier received a letter from police confirming that Deputy Commissioner Mike Pannett had accepted McDonald’s recommendation that Brazier’s conduct did not amount to a breach of the Police Code of Conduct and was not misconduct. He also agreed no further action was required.
Brazier told RNZ the investigation was a “waste of taxpayers’ money”, but was “pleased” when she read that the report cleared her of any misconduct but was not surprised as she did not think she had done anything wrong.
“I was annoyed that the IPCA hadn’t interviewed the person that did the reference check with me… they basically made their decision without any facts about what the referee process was.”
She said the IPCA report and the subsequent fallout had a significant impact on her.
“It impacted on the way I felt about the organisation, it impacted on my health and wellbeing, because it was publicised and my name was in the media, and that would have made it very difficult for me to find another job in the public sector whilst I had an under investigation against my name, even though there was nothing to it.
“It also meant that my team will have been questioning what my involvement was. It had wide-reaching impact, unfairly.”
After announcing her retirement, Brazier told RNZ she felt “targeted” by police leadership. She said this week she stood by those comments.
“It’s been completely unfair. I’m not the only person that’s been targeted. If you were to look at the number of people that have left, kind of under a cloud, I guess, over the last 18 months, then, yeah, a lot of people who have worked very hard and have been very credible and trustworthy individuals have left.”
Brazier her reference check was done “very quickly with no prior notice”.
“It was not a thorough interview in terms of a reference checking process for a senior role. So I think that they should have owned that from the outset, but instead they try and point the finger at me.”
She said that when she was interviewed by the PSC there was nothing she thought that would or could prevent McSkimming doing the job at the time.
“If they had asked me if he had had an affair, I would have been very clear, because my choice then would have been tell the truth or tell a lie, and I would have told the truth without question of a doubt.
“But it wasn’t. It was never tabled in that way. So I didn’t feel that it was, it was an important element of his ability to do the job, because he had been a statutory deputy for a number of years and had regularly covered for the commissioner, so he had no issues with doing the job, in my mind, even though he’d had an affair, but it was so long ago.”
In a statement to RNZ on questions about the investigation into Brazier, Deputy Commissioner Mike Pannett said police had the same privacy obligations as any other employer and therefore could not provide any information or comment.
“As previously announced, Ms Brazier is retiring from her position at the New Zealand Firearms Safety Authority in April.”
Deputy Commissioner Mike Pannett.NZ Police
Police said two of the investigations being carried out by McDonald remained in progress.
“Police will not be commenting on the findings.”
Brazier is “unhappy” police won’t publicly confirm she was cleared of misconduct.
“They could have said there was no finding of misconduct or no breach of the Code of Conduct about me… I’m happy for them to say that, because it’s my privacy that apparently they’re trying to protect. So I don’t see why they couldn’t say that… they’re choosing not to.”
She believes police have not given thought to her being a “loyal, hardworking, trustworthy employee”.
“They have just gone about carte blanche doing an investigation on this and on that, without actually considering me as a senior member of police for over 20 years with no history of ever having any sorts of issues, they just went straight to investigation.”
A Public Service Commission spokesperson told RNZ the matter was “thoroughly and independently examined by the IPCA”.
“The IPCA found that disclosures made to the Public Service Commission during the 2024 interim Commissioner appointment process were inadequate and fell well short of what would reasonably be expected in a process of that significance.
“Separately, inquiries made by the Public Service Commission to the IPCA confirmed that a complaint was under active consideration at the time. As a result, Mr McSkimming was not recommended for appointment to the interim role.”
The PSC also commissioned an independent review by Miriam Dean KC into its reference checks and probity processes for senior Police appointments such as the Police Commissioner and Deputy Police Commissioners.
“The Commission accepted the findings of the Dean Review in full and has implemented improvements to strengthen its appointment processes and disclosure requirements.
“Ms McDonald carried out a confidential employment investigation for Police into the conduct of one of their former employees. Any findings or actions are therefore a matter for Police.”
A IPCA spokesperson told RNZ that in drafting their report, they relied on the file note of PSC’s reference check with Brazier.
“We also had access to Miriam Dean KC’s report, which had considered the way PSC conducted reference checks. Further, we relied on the evidence of Ms Brazier, including her submissions during our natural justice process. She did not deny the non-disclosure.”
The spokeperson also referred to paragraphs of the report in which Brazier “provided us with reasons for why she did not disclose relevant information”.
“We have not seen the employment investigation report.”
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Nicola Willis said the help could be available, for example, to a cleaner needing to drive to work early in the morning when there was no public transport.
E tū union member Ayesha Paki had a roughly 30-minute drive, six days a week, to her job at Auckland Airport.
“Everything is expensive and now the petrol has affected all of us cleaners and low pay workers. We are so worried,” she said.
Paki, who worked 10pm to 6am shifts, said it was a very tough time.
“Petrol is going up everytime I go in my car,” she said.
“We are renting and we have to pay the bills, electricity, put the food on the table, it’s hard for us.”
Paki said any government support would be appreciated.
“If our wages go up it will be easier for us. That’s why we fight for our Fair Pay agreement but then they scrapped it, and we cleaners are suffering and struggling.”
On Monday, Willis said the government was “anticipating, and to the extent possible mitigating the impact on the New Zealand economy, including what could potentially be acute cost of living pressures for some households”.
“From the government’s point of view, we need to ensure that any support we provide to households is temporary, is targeted and is timely,” she said.
Willis said official advice was that reducing fuel excise would “send the wrong signal” and not be sufficiently targeted.
Willis said her household would not need as much help financially as others, using the example of a South Auckland airport cleaner who could not take the bus to work.
“We need to make sure that we have in mind those New Zealanders who face the most acute cost of living pressures rather than having blanket responses which tie up a lot of others.”
She would not give a price petrol would have to reach at the pump before the government would take action, saying prices had been higher in the past.
“I am working with the Treasury and we will have a range of options,” she said, which would be discussed with Cabinet. She said whatever the government did would have to be prudent and not contribute to inflation.
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Inviting visitors to Hong Kong Art Month for a cultural journey connecting art and the city
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – Art Central, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, is launching a digital Hong Kong Art Month Discovery Guide alongside a series of travel and experience packages for the Fair’s eleventh edition. These offerings bring visitors from the Greater Bay Area and overseas a seamless art travel experience, allowing them to enjoy Hong Kong’s diverse hotels, dining, attractions, and transport networks alongside their visit to the Fair.
As a cornerstone event of Hong Kong Art Month, Art Central returns to the iconic Central Harbourfront from 25 to 29 March 2026. The Fair brings together contemporary art, curated programmes, and a vibrant community of galleries, artists, collectors, overseas visitors, and local audiences to build a dynamic platform for artistic exchange. Art Central 2026 is financially supported by the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
Entering its second decade, Art Central 2026 will assemble 117 galleries and 500 artists from Hong Kong, Asia, and around the world, further reinforcing its position as an integral platform for discovery and exchange among collectors and curators. Co-curated by Enoch Cheng and Zoie Yung, the Fair’s eleventh edition will present a series of artistic programmes—including performances, video art, large-scale installations, and talks—examining the frictions and intimacies that shape contemporary social and virtual life, foregrounding emergent Asian voices.
To enrich the artistic journey for visitors, Art Central, in partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, proudly presents the digital Hong Kong Art Month Discovery Guide. The guide compiles exciting events across the city’s art districts, covering gallery exhibitions, special museum showcases, and performing arts programmes across Central, Sheung Wan, Wan Chai, Tai Hang, the Southern District, Tsim Sha Tsui, and the West Kowloon Cultural District. Beyond visual arts, the guide offers detailed dining recommendations in the vicinity, perfectly illustrating Hong Kong’s diverse culinary culture. The curated selections range from local street food and refined Cantonese cuisine to Michelin-starred contemporary European dining. Featured establishments include MIAN, Amber, Belon, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Chinesology, Gu Liang Cai, and the historic Luk Yu Tea House. Through this comprehensive guide, visitors can easily navigate the city’s streets and alleys alongside their visit to Art Central, seamlessly transitioning from visual arts to culinary delights while deeply experiencing Hong Kong’s unique charm as Asia’s events capital. Explore more in the Hong Kong Art Month Discovery Guide.
To allow visitors to incorporate the Fair into their broader Hong Kong itineraries with ease, Art Central has introduced a brand-new Flexible Date Ticket, available in limited quantities exclusively during the advance sale period. Holders of the Flexible Date Ticket may select any single day between 25 and 29 March 2026 for entry during general admission hours without the need for advance date selection.
Art Central has also launched comprehensive packages on various travel platforms covering accommodation, attractions, and transportation for the convenience of visitors. For example, through Ctrip, visitors can book curated packages combining Fair admission with selected offers and enjoy a HK$50 no-minimum-spend Uber Taxi promo code with the purchase of any ticket, easily charting a cultural journey connecting art and city life.
Ctrip’s accommodation bundles span top-tier five-star luxury properties such as Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, and The Murray, Hong Kong, as well as boutique options including The Pottinger Hong Kong, offering convenient and elevated choices for cultural getaways and weekend itineraries.
Additionally, attraction bundles will extend the Fair experience to multiple transportation options and popular leisure destinations, including the Peak Tram, the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, the Star Ferry, and the Airport Express. This allows visitors to integrate transportation, accommodation, and urban cultural experiences, extending their exhibition visit into a city journey exploring Hong Kong’s art and lifestyle.
Furthermore, Art Central has launched combo packages on Klook, pairing the Flexible Date Ticket with admission to the Hong Kong Observation Wheel at the Central Harbourfront (HK$302) or a Cupping Room coffee e-voucher (HK$314). These allow visitors to take in the spectacular views of Victoria Harbour or take a relaxing coffee break following their visit to the Fair. After viewing the exhibition, visitors can also take the “WestK Ferry” from Central Pier 9—a short eight-minute ferry ride—to effortlessly reach the West Kowloon Cultural District and continue their exploration at M+, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and the WestK FunFest.
Package offers are exclusively available for purchase via Ctrip and Klook. For more details regarding participating hotels, dining, attractions, and transport partners, please visit artcentralhongkong.com/tickets. Ticket Packages might be subject to change without prior notice and are available in limited quantities while stocks last.
Hong Kong Observation Wheel Ticket + Uber Taxi HK$50 Promo Code
Adult: HK$164 Child: HK$54
Ctrip
Experience
Art Central Advance Ticket + Star Ferry World Star / Shining Star Water Tour Ticket + Uber Taxi HK$50 Promo Code
Adult: HK$351 Child: HK$188
Ctrip
Transport
Art Central Advance Ticket +
Airport Express Ticket to/from Central (Hong Kong Station) + Uber Taxi HK$50 Promo Code
Child: HK$89
Ctrip
F&B
Art Central Advance Flexible Date Ticket +
Cupping Room HK$50 Coffee E-Voucher
HK$314
Klook
Experience
Art Central Advance Flexible Date Ticket +
Hong Kong Observation Wheel Ticket
HK$302
Klook
Hotel
Art Central Advance Ticket + Hotel Bundle
RMB ¥581+
Ctrip
Options include: Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong / The Upper House / Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong / Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong / The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel / JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong / The Pottinger Hong Kong / Two MacDonnell Road, Hong Kong / Lan Kwai Fong Hotel @ Kau U Fong / Bishop Lei International House
Opening Dates and Hours Tuesday 24 March VIP Preview (by invitation)
Wednesday 25 March Fair Hours 12 pm – 5 pm Night Central 5 pm – 9 pm
Thursday 26 March Fair Hours 12 pm – 7 pm
Friday 27 March Fair Hours 12pm – 7 pm
Saturday 28 March Fair Hours 11 am – 7 pm
Sunday 29 March Fair Hours 11 am – 5 pm
Venue Central Harbourfront Hong Kong, 9 Lung Wo Road
SHANGHAI / HONG KONG – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – HealthMutual Group (HMG) and SinoUnited Health (SUH) today signed a collaboration agreement to establish a comprehensive cross-border medical service framework. This partnership is designed to meet the clients’ growing demand for high-quality medical services in China.
Under this agreement, SinoUnited Health will serve as HMG’s anchor hospital and primary healthcare hub in Shanghai. The partnership establishes a standardized framework for cross-border care, focusing on clinical excellence and financial predictability. HMG members will gain access to SinoUnited Health’s elite specialist network across Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou, supported by fully transparent fee structures.
The collaboration is backed by HMG’s significant operational scale. Currently ranking within the top three in the industry for total new business premium, HMG supports its insurance partners in serving over 700,000 clients. With HK$150 million in medical expenses processed to date, HMG’s network connects 700 specialists and 13 private hospitals in Hong Kong with over 2,000 hospitals across Mainland China.
“The demand for cross-border medical services is increasing rapidly,” said Mr. KC Chan, Founder of HealthMutual Group. “Partnering with SinoUnited Health is a natural expansion of our robust GBA network. SUH’s reputation for excellence ensures that our vision—maintaining medical insurance as a sustainable funding source for quality care—now extends firmly into the Shanghai region.”
Sharon Cheng, Vice President of Business Development, SinoUnited Health added: “This collaboration aligns perfectly with our ‘patient-first’ philosophy. By combining HMG’s massive regional reach with our world-class medical care, we are creating a seamless ‘home-away-from-home’ experience for patients. We are proud to serve as the Shanghai gateway for HMG’s 700,000+ policyholders, offering them professional integrity and access to the latest medical technologies.”
To ensure long-term service quality, the two groups will conduct quarterly professional exchanges and site inspections, allowing Hong Kong insurance partners to directly interface with SUH’s international medical teams and advanced clinical facilities.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – On the opening day of Hong Kong FILMART, global leading game enterprise, MOONTON Games, hosted a film-game intellectual property (IP) launch conference under the theme From Spark to Spotlight, officially announcing its cross-border upgrade from the game industry to full ecological incubation of film-game IPs. At the event, MOONTON Games unveiled three flagship original IPs—You Ming Zhi, Cetus, and Project: Lovania—spanning Eastern fantasy, sci-fi adventure, and cozy genres, with diversified formats including feature films, animated series, and video games. An industry forum was held to explore the new-era development of film-game integration.
Distinguished guests attended the conference, including Cloud Zhang, Head of ByteDance’s Game Business and CEO of MOONTON Games; Yaguang Ma, also known as Link Ma, Head of MOONTON Games’ Lighthouse Studio; renowned screenwriter Ran Ping; celebrated author Jiang Nan; acclaimed animation director Shen Youbafang; Wang Shanshan (Film and Television Director of Science Fiction World); as well as leaders from the National Radio and Television Administration; the Hong Kong Trade Development Council; numerous media representatives; and industry peers.
Founded in 2014, MOONTON Games has crafted a portfolio of classic game IPs loved by gamers worldwide. Its debut at Hong Kong FILMART marks the launch of MOONTON Games’ global incubation journey for premium IPs with a brand-new vision, completing a cross-dimensional creative leap from a digital game kingdom to a cinematic light and shadow realm, and empowering Chinese culture-rooted original content to shine on the international stage. MOONTON Games’ Lighthouse Studio, the core vehicle for its film-game IP development, made its official debut at the conference, and its unwavering commitment to long-termist creative philosophy has become the cornerstone of Moonton’s film-game integration layout. The three distinctive original IPs form MOONTON Games’ first film-game IP matrix; all anchored in high-quality content, they pose profound emotional inquiries around What it means to be human, what it means to live, with unique themes and expressive formats.
You Ming Zhi: Rooted in Chinese Folk Customs, Forging a Benchmark for Eastern Fantasy Theatrical Animated Films
As MOONTON Games’ maiden cross-border film and television project, the Eastern fantasy IP You Ming Zhi—deeply rooted in Chinese folk culture—officially kicked off at the conference. The IP builds a distinctive worldview where the world is governed by animal Spirits of Light, and humans embark on a quest to uncover their own history and the meaning of survival. Breaking free from the clichés of traditional immortal and chivalric fantasy, it returns to a narrative core rooted in mortal life and journey experiences. The growth story of protagonist Zhou Chu mirrors the self-discovery and identity exploration of contemporary young people, embodying both profound Chinese cultural heritage and universal emotional resonance.
The IP’s first concept short film made a stunning debut at the conference. Wanzhou Yu, the IP producer, shared that creative inspiration stemmed from personal emotional resonance, aiming to create a humanistic Eastern fantasy work where the protagonist achieves inner growth through witnessing rather than conquering. Cloud stated that this IP was chosen as the starting point of MOONTON Games’ cross-border endeavor for its compelling narrative rooted in Chinese folk customs that transcends media boundaries; it reflectsand MOONTON Games’ aspirations to set an aesthetic and narrative benchmark for it with the ceremonial essence of film. Yaguang Ma highlighted the IP’s pure creative team, original worldview and systematic aesthetic system, believing it to be an IP seed with sustainable growth potential for a decade. A landmark announcement was made: national first-class screenwriter Ran Ping officially joined the project as the animated film’s screenwriter. Ran Ping noted that the IP’s allure lies in exploring profound propositions of civilization, loneliness and coexistence through a fantasy lens, integrating the traditional heritage of ancient supernatural tales with modern narrative consciousness, and a great fantasy work ultimately reflects reality. The MOONTON Games team presented Ran Ping with a framed original art poster of the IP, marking his official joining in a highly ceremonial way.
Cetus: Debut of a Dieselpunk Sci-Fi IP, Launching a Global Co-creation Plan
Following You Ming Zhi, MOONTON Games released the high-concept sci-fi IP Cetus, with the first concept short film of its dieselpunk post-apocalyptic adventure animated series also unveiled at the event. The IP constructs a post-apocalyptic world shrouded in a sea of clouds, where humans have built a unique civilization based on whaling in an isolated island setting, and cling to hope and resolve amid ruins and steel.
Cetus boasts celebrated author, Jiang Nan, as co-creator and acclaimed sci-fi animation director, Shen Youbafang, as director—two core creative forces with profound expertise in building grand worldviews and crafting sci-fi animations. Yaguang Ma commented that Jiang Nan has endowed Cetus with a profound textual foundation and epic grandeur, while Shen Youbafang masterfully captures and presents the distinctive texture of this sea of clouds world to audiences. Jiang Nan explained that the core of Cetus is to depict the essence of humanity in desperate situations: even if only one tower remains in the world, there will still be stories, warmth, and dignity. Shen Youbafang frankly shared that the challenge and joy of creation both lie in building a dieselpunk visual system that blends industrial ruggedness with the warmth of life, making every gear and rust mark an integral part of the narrative. Moonton also announced the official launch of the Cetus Global Co-creation Plan at the conference, opening up the IP’s worldview setting to global sci-fi writers, illustrators, animators and game designers, and inviting creators worldwide to jointly build this magnificent sea of clouds universe. The plan is jointly promoted by MOONTON Games and Science Fiction World, the benchmark platform for Chinese sci-fi literature. Cloud, Wang Shanshan and three other distinguished guests launched the plan with a jigsaw puzzle ceremony, marking Cetus as the first Chinese dieselpunk sci-fi IP nurtured by global creators.
Project: Lovania: A Cozy Game Surprise Debuts, Creating a Spiritual Haven
As a delightful surprise at the conference, MOONTON Games launched the original cozy game, Project: Lovania, whose promotional short film brought a warm and heartfelt experience to the audience. The game builds a fairy-tale wonderland named the Hometown Never Forgotten, where players take on the role of a little puppet and embark on a magical adventure following a long-eared star. In the game, players can build exclusive homes, customize their avatars, and pursue the starlight and the moon hidden in fascinating stories. In an era driven by efficiency, Project: Lovaniacenters on the core of healing, serving as a warm emotional complement to MOONTON Games’ IP matrix and adding greater diversity to the company’s film-game IP layout.
For The Future: MOONTON Games Releases the Core Strategy for Film-Game Integration
At the conference, MOONTON Games showcased the creative aspirations and team spirit of Lighthouse Studio through a corporate short film, with original aspiration and unwavering faith as the studio’s core tenets. On behalf of the studio, Yaguang Ma released MOONTON Games’ core strategy for film-game integration, stating that the establishment of Lighthouse Studio stems from MOONTON Games’s persistent commitment to long-termist content creation. The studio rejects rushed content production, focuses on returning to the essence of creation itself, and builds a tailored creative ecosystem for the sustainable growth of premium IPs.
MOONTON Games’ film-game integration layout is not a simple cross-media expansion, but is centered on building a living, evolving world. Each IP is enabled to naturally evolve into diverse formats including games, films and animations, based on a complete worldview and a profound emotional core. Cloud emphasized that MOONTON Games has always believed that a good story transcends media and time, and the core of film-game integration is to take high-quality original content as the foundation, allowing IPs to realize value amplification and enduring vitality across different media. The three IPs released at the event represent the first implementation of this core strategy, and Moonton will continue to deepen its focus on original content creation, fueling the incubation and growth of more film-game IPs in the future.
Industry Elites Gather at the Forum to Explore the Key to Success for the Future of Film-Game Integration
After the IP release session, MOONTON Games hosted an industry forum themed What is the Decisive Factor for the Future of IP-Based Film-Game Integration, moderated by Li Xingwen, a famous cultural critic and Chief Editor of Film and Television Critic. Cloud, Ran Ping, Jiang Nan, and Huang Haibo, Director of Phoenix TV Movie Channel, engaged in an in-depth discussion from diverse professional perspectives.
The forum delved into core topics including the key factors for translating film-game integration concepts into practical execution, the essential traits of IPs with sustainable cross-media vitality, the creative differences between animation and traditional film and television production, the creative adaptation of literary IPs for film and game cross-border development, the new forces urgently needed in the film and television industry, as well as the opportunities and challenges for game enterprises venturing into the film and television sector. Combining their rich practical experience and insightful industry observations, the guests offered multi-dimensional insights and ideas for the industrial development of film-game integration, helping the on-site audience gain a clearer and more in-depth understanding of its future development trends.
MOONTON Games’ film-game IP launch conference at Hong Kong FILMART marks the official launch of the company’s global film-game IP layout, emerging as a pivotal practice for game enterprises in cross-border film-game integration. From deepening its roots in the game industry to incubating film-game IPs, MOONTON Games takes these three original IPs as its starting point, integrating the essence of Chinese culture with modern creative expression. With its long-termist creative philosophy and open co-creation operation model, Moonton sets a new paradigm for the development of the global film-game integration industry. As the conference theme From Spark to Spotlight implies, this launch is not the end of MOONTON Games’ cross-border film and game journey, but the beginning of a new chapter. In the future, Moonton’s Lighthouse Studio will continue to polish high-quality original content, drive the in-depth integration and global development of film-game IPs, and let Chinese original film-game IPs shine brightly on the world stage.
Hashtag: #MOONTONGames
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) today hosted the CTC Marketplace Showcase Event: From Clinical Trials to Fundraising, Licensing Deals and Acquisitions, reinforcing its commitment to accelerating the city’s life and health tech sector. The event brought together 110 industry pioneers, investors, and corporate partners for a deep dive into the critical pillars shaping biotech success—from Hong Kong’s unique policy advantages for innovation and the evolving IPO landscape, to the city’s emergence as a global clinical trial hub.
The event featured a compelling lineup of company founders and executives who have leveraged HKSTP’s ecosystem to reach critical milestones, including Health Hope Pharma, Arthrosi Therapeutics Inc, Nuance Pharma and InxMed (Hong Kong) Limited.
With over 300 life and health tech companies in its ecosystem and strong policy support from the nation and the HKSAR Government, HKSTP is uniquely positioned to drive the next generation of medical breakthroughs. Through its end-to-end translational ecosystem, HKSTP accelerates biotech commercialisation by bridging the critical gap from lab discovery to global market access—delivering world-class infrastructure, strategic funding, and expert regulatory guidance.
As a strategic catalyst, HKSTP actively connects innovators with top-tier Principal Investigators (PIs), leading clinical centres, and institutional investors, helping to de-risk development pathways, streamline regulatory approvals, and fast-track clinical trials for transformative growth.
“At HKSTP, we recognise that a great idea is only the beginning. The real challenge is navigating the long and complex journey from lab to clinic, from concept to cure,” said Terry Wong, CEO of HKSTP, in his opening remarks. “Today’s CTC Marketplace represents the physical embodiment of our execution strategy. Our mission is to connect, collaborate, and accelerate, because every step forward brings us closer to the patients and communities who depend on our innovations.”
Health Hope Pharma is a Hong Kong-headquartered late-stage clinical oncology biopharma, specialising in novel oral anti-cancer drugs towards a safer and more convenient alternative to conventional intravenous therapy. Prof Dennis Lam, Founder of Health Hope Pharma, shared his experience in securing a major licensing agreement with global biopharmaceutical leader Gilead Sciences, with a potential value of up to USD 82.5 million for HHP, including milestone payments.
Arthrosi Therapeutics Inc. is a US-based clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing treatment option aimed at lowering uric acid levels and reducing joint damage for people living with gout. Dr Shunqi Yan, Co-founder and COO of Arthrosi Therapeutics, joined virtually and shared the company’s remarkable success in achieving USD 153 million in Series E funding and a subsequent acquisition valued at USD 1.5 billion.
Nuance Pharma is an innovation focused biopharma company, with late-stage clinical pipeline and commercial stage asset portfolio across respiratory, emergency care, iron deficiency anemia and pain management. Dr Charlie Chen, COO of Nuance Pharma, discussed how the company leveraged the “1+” mechanism to expedite commercialisation in Hong Kong. The Department of Health approved Ohtuvayre in March 2026, marking it as the first drug targeting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to gain approval under this scheme.
InxMed (Hong Kong) Limited is focused on addressing a key challenge in cancer therapy: drug resistance stemming from tumor defense mechanisms. The company officially submitted its IPO application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in August 2025. Mr Francis Cao, Co-founder and COO of InxMed, emphasised the critical role of fundraising in advancing their research, having completed five rounds of financing that total over USD 130 million.
Hashtag: #HKSTP
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The council is pushing ahead with plans to reduce the Takapuna Gold Course to nine holes.Nick Monro
Hopes of retaining an 18-hole golf course in Takapuna have been sunk – but 12 holes could still be on the cards for the golfers.
Auckland Council is turning half of the existing 18-hole golf course at AF Thomas Park into a floodwater catchment, aimed at mitigating the city’s increasing flood risks.
The Wairau area on Auckland’s North Shore has been hit hard by floods, and the council has said its decision was about “saving lives, protecting homes and businesses, and strengthening the city against flood risk”.
But thousands of people have signed a petition to keep the 18 holes on the course – with supporters including Hall of Fame golfer Dame Lydia Ko.
But Takapuna Golf Course is taking another swing at the proposal, and has come up with a plan to give the council the area it needs for the wetland, while squeezing 12 holes into the remaining space.
Takapuna Golf Course head greens keeper Stephen Dowd told Checkpoint the three extra holes would make a big difference, and followed moves in Europe and the United States towards 12-hole golf.
“It just gives us a more meaningful round of golf. We can play two sixes, which you can associate with playing two nines, and it can be more like a normal round of golf, rather than just playing nine holes, and it lets us operate pretty much as we are now. We can sell an extra tee-off time in the morning for a couple of hours, so people can play the other six.
“It just lets us operate and then we can continue to provide more affordable golf to as many Kiwis as we can, and get more people on the course.”
Head greens keeper Stephen Dowd.Takapuna Golf Club
Dowd said the golf course had not yet seen the council’s full proposal, but they were confident they could make the 12 holes work.
“We just have to come up with our own plan. They’ve seen our plan and we believe some of them actually like it.
“We anticipate the wetland will take up around a third of the course. So we need about 22 hectares of the rest of the course.”
He said they were working with a designer and were trying to accommodate other peoples wishes that they wanted extra recreation on the course.
“If we want more land, it won’t be very much more, only two or three more hectares.”
The local community board will discuss the new proposal at a meeting next week.
While the golfers had fought to keep the 18 holes, Dowd said they had accepted that the course needed to change.
“Obviously, the flooding was a massive issue and that was last year’s fight, we made the decision last year that we needed to start working with the council.
“And we think this is a good plan that accomplishes all their goals, while leaving meaningful golf on Takapuna Golf Course for our 100,00 users we get every year.”
The Takapuna Golf Course.Nick Monro
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
New Zealand First’s leader Winston Peters says he’s not interested in weighing in on the personal relationship of Labour’s leader Chris Hipkins.
He’s issued a statement, however, clarifying that Mr Hipkins’ ex-wife Jade Paul does not work for his party or have any affiliation or role with it.
“We are not interested in a politician’s current personal relationship issues and won’t be commenting at all on the matter – apart from the fact that there are lies now being spread including that the person involved works for New Zealand First – this is false.
“This person does not work for New Zealand First nor has any affiliation or role with New Zealand First. They worked for a short period of time in an office then left amicably for another role around a year ago.”
It was understood Paul worked as a ministerial advisor for Cabinet minister Casey Costello.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hipkins said he did consider his future in politics after his ex-wife levelled claims at him on social media, but he remains “absolutely committed” to staying on.
Hipkins appeared on a suite of morning media shows – including Morning Report – where he again flatly denied all the claims, but said he would not be litigating them in public for the sake of his children.
The claims are not criminal and relate to a lack of support for his ex-wife Jade Paul during and after their relationship.
Speaking on Morning Report, Hipkins acknowledged he had considered stepping down, noting the impact on his family.
“It would be untrue to say that those thoughts hadn’t crossed my mind in the last 48 hours, but everybody in their lives at some point goes through rough patches, and you just have to keep getting out of bed every day.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins.RNZ / Mark Papalii
“I love my job and and I’m absolutely committed to continuing to do it.”
Later on Wednesday outside Parliament, Hipkins told reporters people should not read “too much” into his comments, insisting he was “not going anywhere”.
“I’m passionate about my job, I’m passionate about New Zealand. I’m passionate about many, many things that I care deeply about. But these things have a big impact on the people who I care a lot about.”
On Morning Report, Hipkins said the public debate was “very unfair” on his children, partner and parents – “you do pause and think about that” – but he had received a lot of support over the past day or two.
“Our marriage broke up. That was a traumatic thing. You know, clearly, there are always going to be lots of regrets in a situation like that.
“Many, many people have contacted me in the last 24 hours to indicate that they’ve been through a relationship break-up that has been difficult. I think people will understand that litigating those things through the public is in no one’s best interest.”
Hipkins confirmed he had sought legal advice about the further publication of his ex-wife’s allegations by others, as well as the addition of other “completely unsubstantiated things”.
“The online world is a bit of a sewer pit, and it seems that no one has any hesitation in adding to that,” he said.
“Social media certainly has emboldened a lot of people, and, you know, we have a virtual vigilante approach on social media that anybody in a public profile role now has to contend with. I don’t think that’s been healthy for democracy.”
Paul’s initial post was published on her private Facebook page on Sunday evening, but screenshots were quickly circulated online.
Paul later removed the post, but told RNZ she stood by the comments.
Since then, false rumours have circulated online that Paul works for New Zealand First. In a statement on Facebook on Wednesday, leader Winston Peters said that claim was not true.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
KIGALI, RWANDA – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – XTransfer, the world’s leading B2B cross-border financial platform, was honoured to have its Chief Strategy Officer, Neil Ni, speak at the Inclusive FinTech Forum 2026 in Rwanda, underscoring the company’s growing expansion across Africa to deliver more inclusive financial services for SMEs engaged in international trade across the continent.
XTransfer’s CSO, Neil Ni (Left), speaks at the Inclusive FinTech Forum 2026 in Rwanda.
Neil joined the panel discussion, “Securing the Global Payments Highway: Cybersecurity for Real-Time Cross-Border Transactions” during the forum to share perspectives on how the industry can strengthen cybersecurity, anti-money laundering (AML) controls, and operational resilience as cross-border payments scale in speed and volume.
Drawing on XTransfer’s experience supporting SMEs in international trade, Neil noted that traditional B2B cross-border payments often pass through multiple correspondent banks, creating complex procedures, settlement delays and high costs that can strain SME cash flow. He shared that transfers can take several days to settle, and fees can materially impact businesses operating on tight margins, sometimes pushing SMEs toward unlicensed channels that raise compliance and transparency risks.
“As the industry scales, the challenge isn’t only transaction volume, it’s speed and trust,” Neil said. “To keep legitimate trade moving safely, risk and compliance must become more intelligent, consistent, and scalable.”
Neil shared that AI is now foundational to XTransfer’s risk and compliance capability. He highlighted TradePilot, XTransfer’s self-developed large language model (LLM) tailored for the global foreign trade financial sector, which helps identify suspicious patterns earlier, prioritise alerts, reduce false positives, and support more consistent decisions across markets, strengthening AML and compliance at speed.
Neil also discussed XTransfer’s accelerating expansion in Africa, noting more than 300% growth in the region in 2025 as SMEs seek faster and lower-cost ways to manage cross-border trade payments. He added that XTransfer is focused on working with ecosystem partners and regulators to support safer, more standardised cross-border information flows, one reason XTransfer is building X-Net, the industry’s first Unified Global B2B Trade Settlement Network and Risk Control Platform, to enhance interoperability and shared security standards across payment rails.
“Building resilience requires collective effort,” Neil added.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – HealthMutual Group (HMG) and Hong Kong Data Ltd. (HK Data) (formerly known as CU Datahub) signed a Cooperation Agreement today to integrate and scale a pioneering electronic Third-Party Administrator (eTPA) system. This collaboration marks a definitive shift toward a data-driven insurance ecosystem, integrating advanced AI to bridge the gap in, and thus enhance cross-border healthcare administration.
The partnership centers on HMG adopting HK Data’s proprietary Trusted Cross-border Data Space (TCDS). For HMG, this technology is the engine that will help turn its long-term strategic vision into a functional reality. By leveraging TCDS, HMG will provide its 700,000+ members with a seamless, secure, and legally compliant framework for data transmission, ensuring that high-quality medical care is never hindered by administrative borders.
The new eTPA system streamlines the insurance lifecycle by digitizing the “medical concierge” experience through a secure, automated framework. By connecting Grade 3A hospitals in the Greater Bay Area directly with Hong Kong insurers, the platform provides an end-to-end solution—integrating underwriting, network management, and one-tap mobile claims. This secure data flow reduces operational overhead while ensuring high standards of data integrity and patient privacy.
Beyond individual memberships, the two companies will co-develop specialized eTPA solutions tailored for the Hong Kong Employee Benefits market. This initiative aims to transform how corporate schemes handle cross-border medical activity. By utilizing AI-powered automation, the platform will offer employees a “cashless” experience with zero upfront payments, making healthcare within the Greater Bay Area more accessible and simpler to navigate than ever before.
Mr. KC Chan, Founder of HealthMutual Group, noted the significance of the partnership. He said, “this cooperation is a natural progression of the vision we held when establishing HMG: to ensure that medical insurance remains a sustainable funding source for Hong Kong healthcare. Facilitating smooth cross-border medical activity is essential to achieving that goal. By teaming up with a leader in AI and data security, we are leveraging our deep experience in medical concierge services to better serve the broader insurance industry.”
Mr. Aldous Ng, Founder and CEO of Hong Kong Data Ltd., added: “We are proud to partner with HMG to deploy world-leading technologies for the public good. Our TCDS platform connects key stakeholders—from Grade 3A hospitals to financial institutions—ensuring that patients seeking treatment in the Chinese Mainland can enjoy ‘one-tap access’ with total peace of mind. We provide a trusted space where innovation directly benefits the people of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
Hashtag: #HealthMutualGroup #HMG
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.