Aotearoa currently has about 1800 public charge points currently, among the lowest charger-to-EV ratios in the OECD. File photo.ABC News / Brendan Esposito
The government is providing interest free loans of $52.7 million to two companies to boost the number of electric vehicle public chargers around the country.
The zero-interest loans will go to ChargeNet and Meridian Energy, who are investing $60m in capital, and would see 2574 new charge points, 1374 DC fast chargers and 1200 AC chargers.
The move will more than double the country’s chargers, to around 4550.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the loans kept the taxpayer’s contribution to a minimum.
“In this case, the average loan per charge point is $20,000, but once repayments are factored in, the net cost to the Crown is around $10,000 per charger, roughly a quarter of what a direct grant would cost.
Bishop said it was a chicken and egg situation, with some electric vehicle charger providers reluctant to roll out chargers until there were more EVs on the road, but concerns about the driving range of electric vehicles and a lack of public chargers was one of the main perceived disadvantages of EVs for potential buyers.
“Many New Zealanders have thought about getting an EV, even before the fuel challenges we’re currently facing. But research shows that the lack of public chargers is holding many back from making the switch to an EV,” Bishop said.
“The private sector is reluctant to invest in charging infrastructure until there’s sufficient demand, but demand won’t grow until the lack of public chargers stops putting buyers off. Just as the previous National-led Government did with the ultrafast broadband network rollout, we’re taking action to break that deadlock.”
He said the below-market interest rate loans were preferable to grants.
“It’s a more commercial model, a more sophisticated model, bringing forward that private sector investment.”
“In this case, the average loan per charge point is $20,000, but once repayments are factored in, the net cost to the Crown is around $10,000 per charger, roughly a quarter of what a direct grant would cost.”
Chris Bishop said work on the grants had been underway for some time, but the timing was “fortuitous” given the increased interest in EVs as fuel costs surged due to the conflict in the Middle East.RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Some requirements were placed on the loans, such requiring an urban-rural split, but exactly where they went was a commercial decision for the companies, Bishop said.
“About half the new chargers will be spread across Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, the Wellington region, Christchurch, and Dunedin, with the other half throughout the regions, so drivers outside the main centres will benefit too,” he said.
“We’re also changing our planning rules to make the installation of public EV chargers a permitted activity under the RMA, meaning in most cases no consent is required – another factor that will help to speed up delivery.”
Work on the grants had been underway for some time, but that the timing was “fortuitous” given the increased interest in electric vehicles in the wake of surging fuel costs caused by the conflict in the Middle East, he said.
“People look at a petrol price of three bucks, three bucks twenty, and potentially going higher, and they say, jeepers creepers, now’s the time to go electric because the running costs are just so much lower,” Mr Bishop said.
The 10,000 chargers by 2030 target was ambitious, he said.
It was on its way to meeting it, but would require additional Crown investment which would be considered as part of the budget process, he said.
Chair of EV lobby group Drive Electric Kirsten Corston welcomed the news, but said much more needed to be done.
She said the government had promised more than $200m to go towards fast chargers several years ago, and this project only accounted for $52m.
“We’re interested to see what the other commitments are going to be.”
It seemed very unlikely the government would achieve its target of 10,000 chargers before 2030, she said.
New Zealand was falling behind other countries in [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedetail/586362/the-ev-slowdown-how-government-decisions-changed-the-road-ahead
EV uptake] following a sharp decline in purchases following the government’s cancellation of the clean car subsidy.
EVs accounted for around 27 percent of new vehicle sales in 2023, or at least one in four cars sold. Only one in nine cars sold are electric now.
“And you look at Australia, one in five cars sold are electric. In China, one in two cars sold are electric. The global average is one in four cars sold are electric.”
There had been a three-fold increase of inquiries into second-hand and new EVs in recent weeks, she said.
“The challenge for us, though, is we’ve got a country that is still very dependent on importing fossil fuels and we’ve got a government that whilst this is fantastic to see this investment into charging infrastructure we also need investment into electric vehicles to drive uptake.”
Colston said reducing road user charges – which are the same for electric vehicles as for diesel vehicles – would be one way to do that.
Other levers included a Fringe Benefit Tax for light vehicles such as Australia has, or accelerated depreciation for commercial and heavy vehicles.
Drive EV wanted to see investment in making EVs more accessible to more people, she said.
“At the moment, when the average purchase of a car for a Kiwi is around $7000, yes, they can go and access a Nissan Leaf for $5000 – $10,000. But if they’ve got four kids and they need a 200 kilometre range to get around town for the day, that’s not going to meet their needs.
“So we have to create that second, third, fourth hand market for Kiwis to bring that price down – that’s a really critical piece to make EVs available for everyone in our community.”
Getting more people into electric vehicles promised a huge financial opportunity for New Zealanders, Colston said.
“The average household spends $3000 to $4000 a year paying for their petrol or diesel, and if they could electrify, it would be around $1000 a year.”
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In Auckland, northbound lanes were blocked on the South-Western Motorway, SH20, at Onehunga, on Sunday morning.Supplied/ NZTA traffic camera
Four people have died and others have been injured in crashes in Waikato, Taranaki, Auckland, Stratford, Waiohau and Southland
Waikato police said on Sunday morning a person died following a single-vehicle crash on Howden Road, to the west of Hamilton city in Temple View. The crash happened about 8:30pm on Saturday.
Meanwhile, blocked lanes on Auckland’s Southwestern Motorway at Onehunga were reopened by 9:30am Sunday, after a collision earlier in the morning. Two vehicles were involved in the crash on the State Highway 20 motorway, police said.
One person was killed and two others moderately injured.
Early this evening, police said one person has died after a single vehicle crash on SH43 / Forgotten World Highway in Stratford this morning.
The crash was reported to police at 11.30am, and the road remains closed.
A fourth person died after a single-vehicle crash on Galatea Road, Waiohau, at about 5.15pm.
The sole occupant of the vehicle was found dead.
Police said the road was closed and diversions are in place.
Steven George of Whangarei won the 2026 edition of the New Zealand National Excavator Operator Competition.Supplied
A Northland contractor has retained his national digger operator crown by successfully slicing a pizza with his excavator.
Whangarei’s Steven George also used the excavator to pour a cup of tea and play a super-sized game of Connect Four.
The three unorthodox challenges proved to be the biggest crowd-pleasers of the 32nd National Excavator Operator Competition held across Friday and Saturday at the Central Districts Field Days event in Feilding.
After winning last year’s competition, the Steven George Contracting owner-operator backed up his previous exploits by overcoming 11 other regional champions.
Supplied
Napier’s Marcus Ingram and Taranaki’s Ryan Prankerd were the biggest challengers, finishing on the podium in second and third place respectively.
Prankerd won the MVP award for his “sterling display of spirit and camaraderie” during the event.
George said it was “bloody good” to win against a number of new competitors this year.
“I came into this weekend not knowing what to expect. There were a bunch of new faces, as well as guys who have done it a few times before,” he said.
Other challenges on the course included slam-dunking basketballs, painting pictures and serving ice cream to the crowd.
Supplied
The digger operating marvel told RNZ the more unconventional tasks were not as difficult as they sounded.
“It wasn’t too bad to be honest. It was a lot easier than you’d think from watching on the sidelines,” he said.
“Those activities are crowd-pleasing ones, they love watching that kind of stuff and watching the machines do that.
“You just take your time, concentrate on what you’re doing and not rush it.”
The more traditional tasks included bulk trenching, digging carefully around underground services, truck loading and health and safety knowledge.
Supplied
Other winners included Rangitikei operator Dean Cave, who won the One-day Job Challenge, which tested competitors’ ability to plan and execute a complex task from start to finish.
Tasman operator Daniel Bruning was awarded the Geoff Duff Memorial Trophy, which recognised the participant who achieved the best scores across the truck-loading challenges.
Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said this year’s competition carried extra significance due to the essential work excavator operators had played in disaster-response efforts across the upper North Island in January.
“The competitors at this year’s event represent the very best of an industry that is more important to New Zealand than ever.
“These people are role models, who not only highlight the expertise and professionalism in our industry, but also inspire others to take up the tools and join the pool of talent required to build the infrastructure that will support the future of New Zealand.”
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In Auckland, northbound lanes were blocked on the South-Western Motorway, SH20, at Onehunga, on Sunday morning.Supplied/ NZTA traffic camera
Two people have died and others injured in crashes in Waikato, Auckland and Southland.
Waikato police said on Sunday morning a person died following a single-vehicle crash on Howden Road, to the west of Hamilton city in Temple View. The crash happened about 8:30pm on Saturday.
Meanwhile, blocked lanes on Auckland’s Southwestern Motorway at Onehunga were reopened by 9:30am Sunday, after a collision earlier in the morning that had prompted police to direct northbound drivers to take another route.
Two vehicles were involved in the crash on the State Highway 20 motorway, police said.
One person was killed and two others moderately injured.
Crashes in Southland also reported
In Southland, Winding Creek Road was blocked following a single-vehicle crash between midnight Saturday and 1am Sunday.
Police said injuries were reported, and the Serious Crash Unit was advised.
“Motorists should avoid the road as emergency services work the scene or delay travel. The road is expected to be blocked for most of the day,” they said on Sunday
And Invercargill’s Leet Street was closed following a single-vehicle crash about 3am on Sunday.
“The Serious Crash Unit has been advised, and the road is expected to remain closed for most of the day while emergency services work at the scene,” police said.
“Diversions are in place, and motorists should account for extra travel time.”
In Auckland, northbound lanes were blocked on the South-Western Motorway, SH20, at Onehunga, on Sunday morning.Supplied/ NZTA traffic camera
Six people have died in 24 hours in crashes in Waikato, Taranaki, Auckland, Southland and Waiohau.
Southland
One person has died in Invercargill after fleeing police.
Shortly before 3am, police signalled for a vehicle to stop on Kelvin Street, Invercargill, but the driver fled the scene.
Police said it was not pursued, but found the vehicle crashed at the intersection of Leet and Kelvin Streets a short time later.
One person died at the scene.
The road was closed while the Serious Crash Unit examined the scene and the matter will also be referred to the IPCA
Any witnesses to the crash, or anybody who has CCTV in the vicinity of Wellesley Avenue, Avenal Street or Kelvin Street, have been asked to get in touch with police.
Another person died in a single-vehicle crash along Winding Creek Road in Southland overnight.
Emergency services were called to the rural road about 12.40am.
One other person suffered moderate injuries.
Waikato
Waikato police said on Sunday morning a person died following a single-vehicle crash on Howden Road, to the west of Hamilton city in Temple View. The crash happened about 8:30pm on Saturday.
Auckland
Meanwhile, blocked lanes on Auckland’s Southwestern Motorway at Onehunga were reopened by 9:30am Sunday, after a collision earlier in the morning. Two vehicles were involved in the crash on the State Highway 20 motorway, police said.
One person was killed and two others moderately injured.
Stratford
Early this evening, police said one person has died after a single vehicle crash on SH43 / Forgotten World Highway in Stratford this morning.
The crash was reported to police at 11.30am, and the road remains closed.
Waiohau
A sixth person died after a single-vehicle crash on Galatea Road, Waiohau, at about 5.15pm.
The sole occupant of the vehicle was found dead.
Police said the road was closed and diversions are in place.
Traffic was blocked in northbound lanes on the South-Western Motorway, SH20, at Onehunga, on Sunday morning.Supplied/ NZTA traffic camera
A crash has blocked lanes on Auckland’s Southwestern Motorway at Onehunga, and northbound drivers are being warned to take another route.
Two vehicles were involved in the crash on State Highway 20, police said.
One person had serious injuries and two were moderately injured.
“Motorists are advised to avoid the northbound motorway at this time, or delay travel,” they said.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said the Queenstown Road offramp was closed as a result of the crash. Motorists should instead use the Hillsborough offramp.
“Allow extra time for diversions. Please follow the directions of emergency services,” NZTA said.
In Southland, Winding Creek Road in Southland was blocked following a single-vehicle crash between midnight and 1am.
Police said injuries were reported, and the Serious Crash Unit was advised.
“Motorists should avoid the road as emergency services work the scene or delay travel. The road is expected to be blocked for most of the day.”
And Invercargill’s Leet Street was closed following a single-vehicle crash around 3am.
“The Serious Crash Unit has been advised, and the road is expected to remain closed for most of the day while emergency services work at the scene,” police said.
“Diversions are in place, and motorists should account for extra travel time.”
Cohaus, a 20-unit resident-led development on Surrey Crescent, shows what happens when architecture, community, and sustainability come together.
Grey Lynn is no stranger to tension between its historic villas and demand for new housing. Yet Cohaus has proven that intensification can be beautiful, respectful, and enriching. Its’ understated street presence conceals an inner world of courtyards, communal gardens, and light-filled apartments. The original villa on the site was retained and refurbished, anchoring the development in heritage while welcoming new life.
Architect and co-founder Thom Gill says this development is exactly what Auckland needs.
“Density doesn’t need to mean compromise. With the right design, we can add homes without losing the character people cherish. Cohaus proves that medium-density housing can lift a neighbourhood.”
Cohaus community designed housing development.
Auckland Council’s Team Leader Urban Design and Landscape Strategy Nicole Miller says, despite its consenting challenges at the time, Cohaus was designed in a way that reflects many of the qualities the council wants to see in medium density development into the future.
“While this project was developed within a co-housing framework, the outcomes, spatial qualities and benefits of living closer together with shared amenities aren’t limited to this model of development – it’s an approach to living that can be applied to many scenarios.”
Inside Cohaus, there’s a richness of life that goes beyond walls and floorplans. Families with toddlers share space with retirees. A communal laundry, guest flat, bike storage, and shared cars reduce costs while lowering environmental footprints. Gardens spill across the central courtyard, where neighbours swap vegetables as easily as stories. This mixed generation living keeps people close to schools, jobs, and transport, while also easing social isolation, a quiet benefit as Auckland ages.
Georgianne Griffiths and her family are residents of the complex, and she says living at Cohaus has exceeded her expectations.
“It’s a beautiful space and there is a real sense of community.
“One of the design elements that has worked well is to restrict parking of our six shared cars to the edge of the development. Without driveways and carparks at our front doors we can maximise our garden space, which has become the centre of our community, and create a place where kids of all ages can run free.”
During the build phase, by sharing resources and cutting out developer profit margins, residents could create high-quality homes for less. Each member had a hand in shaping the design, meaning spaces feel liveable and intuitive.
As Gill puts it, “This is about the future of how we live together. Not gated suburbs, not anonymous towers, but neighbourhoods where people know each other.”
For residents anxious about change, Cohaus is reassurance made real. It demonstrates that medium-density housing can sit comfortably in a historic suburb, enhance its character, and create a community that feels both modern and timeless. This is the kind of development that makes cities greener, more liveable, and more connected – exactly what Auckland needs now.
Read more about the design of the Cohaus development on the Auckland Design Manual.
Cars lined up for the teams relay as part of the Vero International Festival of MotoringSamantha Gee/RNZ
There have been flashbacks to the past on the roads around Nelson this week, with hundreds of veteran, vintage and classic cars hitting the streets as part of an international motoring festival.
The four-yearly Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring has drawn people in from all over the country, with some even shipping their beloved cars from as far as the US and Europe for the occasion. It was last held in Nelson in 1972.
The Auckland Veteran and Vintage Car Club brought a blue 1915 Renault Charabanc, known as Angelique, down for the event.
Club member John Stokes said vehicle was found and restored by the club in the 1960s. It had originally been used as a truck to haul timber, then as a speedway vehicle, before it became a farm hack and was left to disintegrate in a paddock.
The 1915 Renault Charabanc named Angelique which is owned by The Veteran and Vintage Car Club in Auckland.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“This type of vehicle was very common probably between about 1910, maybe earlier, and the Second World War. They largely disappeared after World War II.”
The crank start Renault was doing laps as part of a relay challenge at the festival on Friday, where teams of up to 30 vehicles compete to achieve the greatest collective distance over a four hour period.
Stokes said its comfortable cruising speed was somewhere between the 30 and 40 kilometre per hour range and it was maintained by a group of five to ten club members who met once a a month.
“Although it’s probably going to need a bit more maintenance after today when it gets back.”
Jim and Lynn Hefkey also made the trip down from Auckland in their 1975 Bricklin SV1 and Jim said didn’t want to think about how much the fuel had cost, given they still had to get home.
Jim and Lynn Hefkey with their 1975 Bricklin SV1.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“I’m hoping they don’t start shutting the pumps off, you know, when you’ve got a big American V8, they’re fairly thirsty.
He said the Bricklin were built in Canada for the American market, and with their gull wings, bear a striking resemblance to the DMC DeLorean.
“They all say, oh, back to the future, but no…This is the back, the DeLorean is the future.”
The Hefkey’s Bricklin which they drove from Auckland to the festival in Nelson.Samantha Gee/RNZ
Hefey said there were only two other Bricklin SV1’s in New Zealand, both in Christchurch and the couple would head there after Nelson to meet their owners.
Mike White is on the festival organising team and said there were around 1200 participants and 560 vehicles, with people travelling from as far as Czechoslovakia, Canada, the USA and the UK to take part.
“Not all of them have brought vehicles, but some have, some have shipped their Packard’s and the like out, it’s pretty amazing.”
Mike White with his 1955 series 1 Landrover.Samantha Gee/RNZ
The week-long event was tipped to inject $4.5 million dollars into the region.
Rally directors Jim and Kyra Wareing spent hundreds of hours compiling runs – so entrants had the chance to tour the region,
Their aim was to ensure festival-goers could see the region’s three national parks – Abel Tasman, Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes, travel on back roads, and visit places of interest like the Higgins Heritage Park, Gardens of the World and the Port Māpua Maritime Museum.
Jim and Kyra Wareing in their 1972 mark II.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“We’ve encouraged them to go to Marahau and get out of the car, walk across the boardwalk, and touch the [Abel Tasman] national park and same at St Arnaud, they were right at the [Nelson Lakes], so we encouraged them to go for a walk in the bush,” Jim Wareing said.
He said there were several runs each day, short ones to cater for small veteran cars which were over 100 years old, and longer runs to cater for newer models.
Nelson man Jared Dacombe is one of the younger festival attendees, at the age of 28. He owns several vintage cars and said his 1989 Nissan Skyline GTR was also among the newer vehicles.
Jared Dacombe with his 1989 Skyline GTR.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“Anything 30 years old is club eligible. It’s kind of a bit controversial but it has its own in history as well and that’s that’s what this thing is about – cars in history.
Dacombe, who owns an automotive business, said his love of motoring came from his great grandfather.
“We we did a lot of touring together both in vintage and classic cars, but the first one was a big international rally down in Invercargill.
“It was just awesome, as a kid, six years old, cruising on the back of a 34 Dodge, it was great touring from Nelson down the coast route and staying in different accommodation, it was just a big buzz.”
Nelson man Stephen Caunter has a 1937 International D2 truck, a 20-year restoration project that he said cost a bit to run, given the increasing cost of fuel.
Nelson man Stephen Caunter with his 1937 International D2 truck.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“There will be people that will go, is this an appropriate thing for the use of fuel at the moment? And, you know, this has been in the organisation stage for years, and did we know what the price of fuel was going to do the month before the event starts?”
He said some vehicles were more fuel efficient than others and a survey of fuel usage among those attending the rally was being done, in order to understand the total consumption.
Caunter said his truck had been in Nelson for years, it was used as a tow track during speedway racing and still had Tahuna Beach Auto Services painted on the side.
“Everyone takes an immense amount of pride in whatever sort of vehicle that they’ve got and I think their ability to share it with the public is one of the joys of vintage motoring.”
Festival director Ray Robertson said the event was several years in the planning and there had been a few recent curveballs – the fuel crisis, ferry cancellations and several car breakdowns.
Festival director Ray Robertson.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“We’ve really had a lot of influence over what happens in the Middle East, you can’t do anything about it.
“Could we have postponed it? Sure, we could have, but why would we?”
The festival finishes tomorrow with a public vehicle show at the Richmond A&P Showgrounds.
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Danniverke Carriers owner Nigel Castles expects further price rises for fuel are inevitable.123rf
A rural transport company carting stock to the meat works couldn’t get the fuel it needed at two North Island commercial truck stops.
Pumps ran dry in Wairoa and Eltham on Thursday when the Stephenson Transport truck and trailer units from Central Hawke’s Bay were on a freezing works run.
Owner Bruce Stephenson said it’s a situation he’s never faced during his seven decades in the business.
“We had stock trucks on the road obviously all over the place. We couldn’t get fuel in Wairoa and we couldn’t get fuel in Eltham,” he said.
“They were loaded with stock heading to the works, so we had to stretch things out a bit – it gets a bit tricky when you’re doing that sort of thing.”
He fielded phone calls from his concerned drivers wondering what to do next.
“I’m talking about truck stops where we fuel up and where we get our contract prices from. That’s where access is relatively easy for a big truck and trailers with crates on.”
“So we had to go to service stations and find one we could get under the canopy of.”
Danniverke Carriers owner Nigel Castles is also coping with the swiftly evolving situation.
His company also carts stock around the country and he’s concerned about the massive spike in prices.
And his family-owned business can’t absorb the soaring fuel prices alone.
He’s reluctantly passing these increases on to farmers and estimates his fuel bill is up 20 percent from the start of the year.
The company filled its tanks last week, and he hopes the next delivery will arrive in a week.
With no signs of tensions easing in the Middle East, he expects further price rises for fuel are inevitable.
“The next lot of fuel supply is actually going to go up again,” he said.
“Definitely out on farm there’s a lot of worry, and as transporters we certainly don’t want to come to a grinding halt either.”
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The PSA is urging the Finance Minister to make 23,000 home support workers a priority when delivering urgent support to low income workers hit by sharply rising petrol prices.
Nicola Willistold media todayshe wants a ‘very targeted and temporary’ fix for those ‘acutely impacted’, adding she doesn’t want to see a situation where ‘people can’t drive to work.’
“We agree with Nicola Willis – and home support workers should be at the front of the queue – and right now there’s a fast, ready fix available that could be done today by raising their mileage allowance,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
The Finance Minister is seeking advice from Inland Revenue and Treasury about using the tax and transfer system to deliver support – tax credits under Working for Families or the Independent Earner Tax Credit. But neither may help many home support workers.
“These workers drive their own cars between clients every day, and are the only publicly funded workers required to do so with such a miserable mileage reimbursement. They have no choice but to drive and rising petrol prices are hitting them directly in the pocket with every shift.
“But there’s a simple, fast fix right now for these essential workers. The Home and Community Support (Payment for Travel Between Clients) Settlement Act 2016 requires Health NZ Te Whatu Ora to pay a mileage rate to these workers. The Health Minister can direct that rate to be lifted immediately, no complicated fiddling with the tax and transfer system required, no delay, just fast, real help.”
The allowance was last adjusted four years ago so should be being reviewed right now.
Fleur Fitzsimons said: “These are low-paid, predominantly female workers providing critical care to elderly and disabled New Zealanders. If the Government is serious about protecting working people from the fuel crisis, it can today deliver the support they need right now.
“The PSA urges the Government to do the right thing by these workers, today. They can’t afford to wait.”
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahiis Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
Have you ever wondered whether the information privacy principles in the Privacy Act 2020 are relevant to the right against unreasonable search and seizure? The Supreme Court answered that question with a yes in this criminal appeal.
The appellant, Mr Tamiefuna, was convicted of one charge of aggravated robbery. He challenged the inclusion of photographic evidence used by Police to obtain this conviction. Mr Tamiefuna appealed a Court of Appeal decision which determined the photographic evidence was improperly obtained but declined to find the evidence should have been excluded from his trial.
The Supreme Court found that the photographic evidence was both improperly obtained and should have been excluded from Mr Tamiefuna’s trial under s 30(4) of the Evidence Act 2006. A retrial was ordered.
Background
On 5 November 2019 Mr Tamiefuna was a passenger in a car which was the subject of a routine traffic stop. A police officer ran a National Intelligence Application (NIA) check for the occupants of the vehicle and discovered Mr Tamiefuna had previous convictions relating to property offending. The check revealed the driver of the car was unlicensed and the car was impounded. This required the occupants to exit the vehicle.
Mr Tamiefuna and his companions removed property from the car and stood on the footpath while waiting to be picked up. A police officer noticed there was a lot of property, including batteries and a woman’s purse and coat. This made them suspicious the property may have been stolen. At this point, the police officer took photographs of the property and the car’s occupants using their police issue smartphone. The photographs of Mr Tamiefuna show him standing on the footpath beside the car. He is looking towards the camera and is clearly aware that he was being photographed. Mr Tamiefuna’s face and clothing are captured in the images.
The police officer added these photographs and a note of his observations to the NIA. The information was collected and retained as the officer thought it might be useful in future. There was no specific purpose.
The photographs were critical evidence at Mr Tamiefuna’s trial, linking him to the aggravated robbery, as the clothing in the photographs matched a man captured in CCTV footage at the scene of the offending.
There is no statutory authority authorising the taking of these photographs, nor the retention of one of those photographs on the NIA.
Litigation history
Prior to his trial, Mr Tamiefuna challenged the admissibility of the evidence collected at the traffic stop. He argued it was improperly obtained and inadmissible under s 30 of the Evidence Act. The challenge was rejected in the High Court. The Court of Appeal declined leave to appeal that decision pre-trial.
Following the trial, Mr Tamiefuna appealed his conviction. The Court of Appeal decided that the taking of a person’s photograph in a public place by police without a current investigative or law enforcement purpose, breached their right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure under s 21 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (NZBORA). However, the Court did not consider the evidence should have been excluded under s 30 of the Evidence Act, on the basis the impropriety was outweighed by the need for an effective and credible justice system. The appeal was dismissed.
The Privacy Commissioner’s role as an independent intervener in the proceeding
An intervener is a third party who is allowed to join litigation even though they are not a party to the proceedings. This process is called “intervening” and allows an expert or interested party to assist the court by making legal submissions on particular points – especially if the case is of general public importance.
The Privacy Commissioner was granted leave from the Court to intervene as an independent expert as the appeal would have broad consequences for the interaction between information privacy, NZBORA, and Police information gathering powers.
Grounds of appeal in the Supreme Court
(a) Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to find that the photographic evidence was improperly obtained for the purpose of s 30 of the Evidence Act; and (b) Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in admitting the evidence under s 30 of the Evidence Act.
Majority decision (Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France and Williams JJ)
At common law, Police have a duty to prevent crime and to detect and bring offenders to justice. The police have powers to undertake these duties and the common law will supplement existing statutory provisions when necessary. As the collection and retention of the photographs on the NIA were not authorised by statute, police were exercising their common law powers.
The exercise of police common law powers is subject to statutory requirements and restrictions. Relevant in this case was s 21 of NZBORA, which provides that every person has the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure.
Was taking the photographs a search?
In determining whether Police taking photographs of a person in a public place after they were required to leave a car following a lawful traffic stop was a search, the majority considered four key factors; the nature of the place, the use to which the information was put, the manner of collection, and the nature of the information.
Significant weight was given to the fact that Mr Tamiefuna was only in a public place because he has been ejected from a vehicle. The manner of collection was not at the higher end of intrusiveness, however, the use to which the information was put increased the level of intrusiveness. They also noted there were very few controls over the retention and use of Mr Tamiefuna’s personal information. The majority considered the police power exercised was intrusive and very general.
The Joint Report highlighted that photographs of individuals are sensitive biometric personal information, stating they are “capable of being analysed using facial recognition technology and other digital techniques which makes it even more important that the information is being collected, used, retained and stored lawfully.” The majority added that the sensitivity of biometric information is recognised in the fact that statutory regimes are required to govern their use and collection.
Overall, the majority concluded the police officer’s actions amounted to a search as Mr Tamiefuna had a reasonable expectation of privacy that was intruded on.
Was the search reasonable?
The taking and retention of the photographs was not lawful. Police are subject to statutory controls when conducting searches and it was not appropriate to extend their common law power to authorise a warrantless search for generalised intelligence gathering in a way which is not appropriate, particularly where the relevant statutory framework imposes controls in relation to the very same activity (though in a different context).
The majority stated the information privacy principles (IPPs) (when this incident occured the Privacy Act 1993 was in effect. The Privacy Act 2020 sets out the current IPPs in section 22. For the purposes of this case, there are no material differences between these iterations of the IPPs) were relevant, though not decisive, in an analysis of s 21 of NZBORA and s 30 of the Evidence Act. In discussing the IPPs, the majority stated:
Under IPP 1, an agency may only collect personal information as is necessary for a lawful purpose. This was breached as there was no lawful purpose for the collection of Mr Tamiefuna’s information.
Under IPP 3, the collecting agency must take reasonable steps to inform the person concerned, among other things, about the collection, the purpose of the collection and its legal basis. This was not done in this case.
Under IPP 9, personal information once collected must not be held for longer than is required for the purposes for which the information may lawfully be used. As there was no lawful purpose, the retention of the information was in breach of this principle.
The IPPs were useful in stating the expectations of a reasonable person. As Police failed to comply with the IPPs, the search was not reasonable (as it breached the Privacy Act) and the evidence was therefore improperly obtained.
As the search was illegal it was unreasonable under s 21 of NZBORA. This meant the photographic information was improperly obtained for the purposes of s 30 of the Evidence Act.
Was the court wrong to admit the evidence?
If evidence is found to have been improperly obtained, s 30(2) of the Evidence Act requires the Judge to “determine whether or not the exclusion of the evidence is proportionate to the impropriety by means of a balancing process that gives appropriate weight to the impropriety and takes proper account of the need for an effective and credible system of justice.”
In this case, it was decided that excluding the evidence would not be disproportionate to the breach. There was a breach of an important right and an overextension of police powers (though the Court noted the police officers involved acted in good faith). The majority stated “an effective and credible system of justice in this case requires the exclusion of the evidence. Otherwise, on a longer-term basis, the justice system is brought into disrepute.”
As intervener, OPC submitted in the cases where evidence has been obtained in breach of s 21 of NZBORA or another human rights obligation, s 30 should be applied to provide an effective remedy for that breach. An effective remedy must both vindicate the right of the individual and avoid recurrence of the breach in other cases. This submission was accepted by the majority.
Outcome
The appeal was allowed. Mr Tamiefuna’s conviction was quashed and a retrial was ordered.
Minority decision (Glazebrook J)
Glazebrook J considered there was no search in this case, finding the concept of a “search” would be extended too far if it included filming or photography of what a person saw and heard, where there is no active looking for someone or something. Further, Glazebrook J found Mr Tamiefuna did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. The photograph was taken on a public street, it was not covert, and people should be expected to be observed while in public. An individual interacting with another person (including the Police) can have no reasonable expectation that the other person will not make and store a full and accurate audio or video of the interaction, which can later be disclosed and used.
This minority decision also considered the collection and retention of the photographs was both reasonable and lawful. It was an appropriate use of Police investigative powers into offending.
Glazebrook J agreed with the reasoning in the Court of Appeal and would have admitted the photographs under s 30 of the Evidence Act. In reaching that conclusion the Court of Appeal said that while the right breached was important, the intrusion on this right was not very serious and the evidence obtained was central to the prosecution. In these circumstances, exclusion of the evidence would be disproportionate to the breach.
Minority decision (Kós J)
Kós J also considered there was no search, as the traffic stop and ejection of Mr Tamiefuna from the car was lawful and Mr Tamiefuna was in a public place. People on a public street lack a reasonable expectation of privacy from being photographed. Cell phones and CCTV make this a routine experience.
The essential feature of a search was described as an examination or investigation for the purposes of obtaining evidence, which intrudes upon a right to privacy. Kós J stated there was no right to privacy on a public street and no reasonable expectation of privacy, finding an ordinary photograph of a person present on the pavement of a public street should not engage s 21 of NZBORA.
In this case, the entry of Mr Tamiefuna’s photographs in the NIA was unlawful, as it was not permitted by either statute or common law. However, Kós J would not have excluded the evidence for the same reasons as Glazebrook J.
Kós J concluded by stating “What might have been seen as a grey area in 2019 was no longer so grey after [the Joint Report] was published. A different balance might be struck thereafter, in another case.”
Privacy implications
Key takeaways:
The IPPs can be compelling in determining whether human rights have been breached.
Despite the current cultural context (including available technology, such as cell phones and CCTV) being on a public street does not mean an individual has no expectation of privacy. Particularly where the state is exercising an intrusive power.
At [33] the majority stated “there were features of the relevant events that mean the fact [Mr Tamiefuna]’s photograph was taken whilst he was on a public road is not a conclusive factor against the asserted reasonableness of his expectations of privacy. It remains important to preserve a sufficient zone of privacy for individuals. That in turn is a part of preserving the fundamentals of a liberal democracy.”
Cost-of-living pressures are picking up again, driven in part by sharp increases in fuel prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
So, are people ditching their cars, dusting off their bikes, or turning to public transport to save money?
At Auckland’s Waitematā Station, commuters poured off trains into the central city, with buses and the downtown ferry terminal just steps away, making it one of the city’s busiest transport hubs.
One commuter said they’ve noticed a clear shift.
“I notice on the train it’s getting really busy. Yeah, a lot more people are using it, which is good.”
They said rising fuel and parking costs were even changing how they think about short trips.
RNZ / Nick Monro
“I’m even thinking … where I normally work, I’m only probably a 10-minute drive away … maybe I’ll start using my e-bike … between parking and the petrol … you’re still using a lot of gas. And I’d rather save it for doing trips I really want to do in the car.”
But another Auckland commuter said public transport still didn’t work for everything.
“Yeah, we use the cars to get around because convenience-wise, public transport’s no good. You can’t really pop down the road and do the shopping effectively… so we still need the cars.”
He said the flexibility of working from home was a bonus when it came to beating petrol prices.
Meanwhile, a third commuter in Auckland said cost was already shaping their routine.
“Choosing that option specifically because of the cost is the main reason … it just sort of reinforces it further with the cost of living and the petrol prices going up.”
In the capital, some people were already leaving the car at home.
RNZ / Nick Monro
“I walked to work today because I thought, ‘I’d better not use the car’,” said this commuter.
Another Wellington commuter estimated the savings were adding up.
“I would be driving in, but it’s too expensive a lot of the time, so public transport is better. I can save around $100 a week.”
Others said they’re cutting back on extra trips.
“I probably won’t drive up to the Kāpiti Coast like I used to, just to go to the market. You need to be more thoughtful in each trip you plan.”
But not everyone was convinced habits have fully changed yet.
“Energy prices have definitely moved up, but I’m not sure that’s changing people’s habits yet. It might have [to] if petrol goes to $3.20.”
And for some, it’s not just fuel prices dictating new commuting habits.
RNZ / Nick Monro
“I train in, then I walk to work, and it’s mainly because of higher parking, actually,” said one man.
In Christchurch, some commuters said they didn’t have the flexibility to change. A woman RNZ spoke to said she was still driving despite the cost and was worried about how to keep managing it within her budget.
“I am still driving, but it’s using up a lot of my gas … I don’t know what I’m going to do next … I assume I’m just going to keep driving because I have to get places … I have to get my kids to school.”
Another commuter in Christchurch said public transport simply wasn’t viable for their route.
“It’s really hard to get public transport to where I work because it’s just out of Rolleston … I have to drive there all the time, so it’s eating a lot of fuel.”
In Queenstown, where petrol was sitting between $3.15 and $3.19 per litre, commuters say the cost is biting.
RNZ / Nick Monro
“I travel daily from Glenorchy to Queenstown, so does my husband. It’s just getting so hard to cope.”
Another said they have no alternative.
“Where I live, I have no public transport in the morning. The only way I can get to work before 6 o’clock is using my car, so I have been dealing with the increase as I can manage. At the end of the day, you’ve got to pay it.”
Some were trying to adapt where they can.
A Queenstown commuter said they’re biking more often.
“I do drive occasionally, but more recently biking has become a cheaper alternative … you just have to limit where you go, don’t you? Because it’s just so expensive, and it’s already expensive enough to live in Queenstown.”
Others were making bigger changes.
“I just bought a hybrid car … that was sort of prompted by obviously the fuel prices and the war in Iran … I thought, ‘right, now’s the time’,” said a man who commuted daily from Cromwell to Queenstown.
He was also looking for ways to cut costs day-to-day.
“I’ve got the [fuel price] app on my phone, so I normally stick to the cheapest fuel station in Cromwell, but I’ll definitely be looking for new strategies,” he said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Fewer people are becoming victims of crime in New Zealand, according to new data published today.
The latest results from the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS) show that in the eight years to 2025, the proportion of victims of crime has dropped from 30% in 2018 to 28% in 2025.
The number of victims in 2025 equates to 1.2 million adults.
“This is the lowest level of people experiencing crime since the NZCVS began in 2018. The result was driven by drops in both personal and household offences,” says Ministry of Justice General Manager Sector Insights, Rebecca Parish.
For the first time since the NZCVS began, the proportion of adults who were victims of interpersonal violence fell significantly below 2018 levels – five percent in 2025 compared to seven percent in 2018.
Burglary was experienced by nine percent of households (184,000) – also a significantly lower rate than in 2018 (12 percent or 210,000 households).
Other household offences, such as trespass and vehicle-related offences, were also at their lowest levels since the survey began.
The proportion of adults who were victims of fraud and cybercrime has been on a downward trend since peaking in 2022, though it remains significantly higher at 10 percent (440,000) in 2025 compared to eight percent in 2018.
The proportion of adults who were victims of violent offences was significantly lower in 2025 (three percent) than in both 2024 and 2018 (four percent).
“While these results are positive, we are also mindful that behind each statistic is a real person, some of whom have experienced crime and victimisation, and assisted us by providing valuable insights through their responses,” Ms Parish says.
Today’s results are for the whole of the NZCVS, while data released in February focused on violent crime. This showed there were 49,000 fewer victims of violent crime in the year to October 2025 than two years previously.
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
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.
– 18 March 2026 – The world’s largest telecommunications infrastructure service provider
(“China Tower”, or the “Company”) (Stock Code: 0788.HK) is pleased to announce its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2025.
In 2025, the Company’s operating revenue maintained stable growth and profitability remained strong. Operating revenue for the year reached RMB100,411 million, an increase of 2.7% year-on-year. EBITDA reached RMB65,814 million, a decrease of 1.1% year-on-year, with an EBITDA margin
of 65.5%. Profit attributable to the owners of the Company reached RMB11,630 million, an increase of 8.4% year-on-year, with a net profit margin of 11.6%.
The Company maintained a strong and stable cash flow. Net cash generated from operating activities for the year amounted to RMB56,116 million, an increase of RMB6,648 million year-on-year. Capital expenditures stood at RMB29,486 million while free cash flow[3] reached RMB26,630 million, up by RMB9,103 million year-on-year.
As at 31 December 2025, our total assets amounted to RMB336,579 million, with interest-bearing liabilities of RMB90,460 million and a gearing ratio[4] of 27.7%, representing a decrease of 3.3 percentage points from the end of 2024. Our financial position remains healthy and stable.
The Company has always attached great importance to shareholder returns. After considering our profitability, cash flow and future development needs, the board of directors of the Company has recommended a final dividend of RMB0.32539 per share (pre-tax) for the year ended 31 December 2025. Together with the interim dividend distributed, the total full-year dividend amounted to RMB0.45789 per share (pre-tax), equivalent to a payout ratio of 77% of our annual distributable net profit.
Refined operations enabled steady progress in TSPbusiness
The Company continued to play a leading role in new 5G infrastructure construction, further deployed the Dual-Gigabit network joint-entry implementation, and made solid progress in supporting special projects such as upgrading signal strength, extending broadband coverage to all border areas, forests and grasslands. Capturing the strategic opportunities arising from the wide-area 5G network coverage expansion and enhancement of in-depth coverage, we focused on enhancing intensive sharing of network resources and fully satisfying customers’ demands for network construction. As a result, our TSP business maintained stable growth in 2025, recording revenue of RMB84,725 million, an increase of 0.7% year-on-year.
Towerbusiness. The Company seized opportunities arising from customers’ ongoing network expansion requirements and leveraged our competitiveness as a service provider by offering efficient delivery, superior maintenance and optimal cost structure, while minimizing management risks. We deepened the embedded service mechanism, precisely captured customers’ network planning needs, and comprehensively secured construction demands in key scenarios and key regions. Leveraging our site resources and base station data, we proactively conducted coverage analysis to enhance network optimization capabilities. We also enhanced our collaborations with TSPs to provide customers with better services. By adhering to a customer-oriented philosophy, we continued to optimize end-to-end business processes and management standards to enhance service capabilities across the board. In 2025, revenue from our Tower business amounted to RMB75,498 million, a decrease of 0.3% year-on-year. As at the end of 2025, the Company managed a total of 2.149 million tower sites, an increase of 55,000 from the end of 2024. We have gained 23,000 new TSP tenants since the end of 2024, bringing the total number of TSP tenants to 3.567 million at the end of 2025. Our TSP tenancy ratio was 1.70.
DAS business. We continued to focus on high-value and livelihood-critical scenarios, systematically enhancing resource coordination and sharing, and collaborative construction capabilities, as well as accelerating 5G network upgrades on high-speed railways. At the same time, we deployed shared repeaters at scale in everyday scenarios such as elevators, underground parking lots, tunnels, and residential communities, helping TSPs achieve efficient and low-cost network coverage extension. We continued to optimize the integrated active and passive DAS sharing solutions and promoted the implementation of innovative solutions such as shared frequency shifting in existing DAS 5G upgrades. By doing so, we enhanced product and service competitiveness to efficiently meet customer needs. In 2025, our DAS business achieved relatively high growth, with revenue reaching RMB9,227 million, an increase of 9.5% year-on-year. By the end of 2025, we had covered buildings with a cumulative area of 15.15 billion square meters, up by 19.5% year-on-year, while the coverage in railway tunnels and subways reached a cumulative length of 33,661 kilometers, an increase of 14.8% year-on-year.
Vertical advancement supported strong growth in Two Wings business
In the Two Wings business, we seized market opportunities while continuing to strengthen product competitiveness and drive rapid growth of the business. In 2025, revenue of the Two Wings business reached RMB14,985 million and accounted for 14.9% of our overall operating revenue, an increase of 1.2 percentage points over the same period last year.
Smart Tower business. Focusing on spatial digital intelligence governance and leveraging ourrich resources and capabilities, we continued to enhance our Smart Tower business, achievingrevenue in excess of RMB10 billion. We continued to deepen our presence in key industries andscenarios, steadily increasing market share in key areas such as straw burning prohibition, farmlandprotection, and disaster alert. We advanced our nationwide distributed platform, optimizingalgorithm service capabilities for mid-to-high point scenarios, with further improvements inplatform response speed, algorithm accuracy, and application availability. We maintained our focuson implementing the “AI+” special project, promoting the application of large models for spatialdigital intelligence governance, which were included in the first batch of strategic high-value AIscenarios for central state-owned enterprises. Customers are always at the center of everything wedo. Therefore, we strengthened the development of product iterations, construction delivery,and operation and maintenance support, as well as expanding our integrated technical support teams,with an aim to respond actively and promptly to customers’ needs. In 2025, our Smart Tower business generated revenue of RMB10,172 million, up by 14.2% year-on-year, among which, revenue from our Tower Monitoring business reached RMB6,327 million, accounting for 62.2% of the Smart Tower business revenue.
Energy business. We focused on key business segments such as battery exchange and powerbackup. By improving refined operations and strengthening core capabilities and competitiveadvantages in products, services, and platforms, we continued to develop our specialty in theEnergy business. For the battery exchange business, we continued to expand our share in the fooddelivery mass market while accelerating the expansion of our corporate customer base, resulting instable user growth. As at 31 December 2025, we had approximately 1.477 million battery exchangeusers, an increase of 173,000 since the end of 2024, further solidifying our leading position inthe low-speed electric vehicle battery exchange market. We accelerated the construction of acommunity-based low-speed electric vehicle charging facility network while optimizing operationalefficiency, resulting in expanded service coverage and user scale. For the power backup business,we continued to focus on pivotal industries and our premium customer base, creating the ChinaTower “energy butler” integrated industry solutions and enhancing the value of our “energy butler”brand. In 2025, our Energy business achieved revenue of RMB4,813 million, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%, of which the battery exchange business accounted for RMB3,029 million, an increase of21.2% year-on-year, and with its contribution to the Energy business reaching 62.9%.
Innovation strategy resulted in remarkable technology empowerment
We made concrete progress in developing the “four lists” working mechanism of competencies and capabilities, task and project planning, resource allocation, and the commercialization of research outcomes. Focusing on the “One Core and Two Wings” businesses, we continued to intensify our efforts to address the challenges in key and core technologies, and accelerated the transformation of technological achievements to inject new momentum into high-quality business development. In 2025, our R&D investment and the number of R&D personnel increased by 82% and 22% respectively, compared to 2024. The number of patent applications and the cumulative number of patent authorizations increased by 77% and 54%, respectively, compared to the year before. We participated in the formulation of multiple international standards. A range of innovative products were commercialized and deployed at scale such as shared micro repeaters, monitoring platforms, and “one code for all”. Our technological innovation system continued to strengthen, as shown in the high-quality construction and development of six regional technological innovation centers, the expansion and quality improvement of joint innovation platforms, and the steady enhancement of innovation efficiency and performance.
Mr. Zhang Zhiyong, Chairman of China Tower said, “In 2025, we remained focused on high-quality development, promoting stability through progress while improving quality and efficiency. As a result, throughout the year our business maintained healthy, steady growth and demonstrated a positive outlook. Looking ahead, we will continue to uphold the philosophy of resource sharing and adhere to the “One Core and Two Wings” strategy to further enhance our core competitiveness, promote high-quality development, and create value for shareholders, customers, and society.”
[1] EBITDA is calculated by operating profit plus depreciation and amortization.
[2] EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing EBITDA by operating revenue, and multiplying the resulting value by 100%.
[3] Free cash flow is the net cash generated from operating activities minus the capital expenditures.
[4] Gearing ratio is calculated as net debts divided by the sum of total equity and net debt, then multiplying the result by 100%. Net debt is calculated as the amount of interest-bearing liabilities minus the amount of cash and cash equivalents.
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The Government has introduced a Bill to amend the Policing Act 2008, reaffirming Police’s ability to record images and sounds in public places, and some private places, as well as expanding temporary area closure powers.
Following the decision of the Supreme Court in the Tamiefuna case, Police’s ability to record images and sounds in public places, and collect personal information for lawful purposes, including intelligence was constrained.
“This created uncertainty and made the collection of evidence, and therefore the prosecution of criminals, much harder” says Police Minister Mark Mitchell.
“The government has introduced a bill to reaffirm the prior common law position, making it clear that Police can collect and use images in public places, and some private places, for lawful policing purposes. This includes intelligence gathering, crime prevention, and other policing functions.
“These changes will enable that and strengthen Police’s ability to detect and prevent crime, and hold offenders accountable for their offending. Ultimately it will help Police keep Kiwis safe.”
The Government is also expanding Police’s existing temporary road closure powers to cover a broader range of areas, such as parks, reserves, beaches, and carparks.
The changes will give Police new tools to manage non-compliance with temporary closures, including the ability to direct people to leave a closed area, stop vehicles, obtain identifying particulars for the purpose of issuing infringements, and arrest without warrant those who fail to comply.
The new powers will also leverage existing powers that are being progressed through the Antisocial Road Use Legislation Amendment Bill, led by Minister Chris Bishop.
“These new powers will provide clarity and consistency for frontline Police, ensuring they have the necessary tools to support the Governments Law and Order agenda,” Mr Mitchell says. “They will be useful tools to help Police respond to incidents like street racing and dirt bike riding in public parks.”
Thousands of people have signed a petition demanding Christopher Luxon stand up and condemn the illegal attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel. Greenpeace delivered the petition to opposition leader Chris Hipkins in Wellington today.
Standing on the steps of parliament, Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman said, “This war is plainly illegal – it is not an act of self-defence nor is it sanctioned by the UN Security Council.
“While we have come to expect that the US Government approach to international law is more honoured in the breach than the observance, nonetheless international law is critical for the security of everyone on the planet but especially for a small nation like New Zealand.
“We expect Christopher Luxon to advocate in favour of international law and hence condemn this reckless illegal war.
“Silence in the face of injustice is complicity, and thousands of New Zealanders agree that Luxon should be standing up to bullies like Trump, who is attempting to destroy any possibility of a rules-based international order.”
Greenpeace delivered the petition to the Parliament Opposition who have been open about their condemnation of Trump’s illegal war.
Greenpeace also made the link from this illegal war to the escalating price of fossil fuels.
“This illegal war has disrupted oil, gas and fertiliser supplies, exposing Luxon’s Trump-like obsession with outdated fossil fuels, leaving New Zealanders paying the price,” continued Dr Norman.
“Luxon has collapsed the EV market by killing the clean car discount, making it cheaper to import gas guzzling cars. He’s ended public transport subsidies for young people, blocked funding for cycleways, but wants to spend billions of dollars to build new roads.
“Now Luxon wants to expose us even further to the volatile global fossil fuel market by charging New Zealanders a gas tax to build a LNG import terminal.
“The Luxon government should be investing in renewable energy and the electrification of transport to insulate New Zealanders from energy supply shocks and rising energy prices, as well as cutting climate pollution,” says Dr Norman.