Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: New Zealand Police

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding a fire at McDonalds in Pakuranga.

Emergency services attended the fire on Pakuranga Road just before 3pm on 5 May.

The fast food restaurant has sustained significant fire damage as a result.

Detective Senior Sergeant Michele Gillespie, of Counties Manukau CIB, says a scene guard has been in place at the restaurant overnight.

“At this point in time we are treating this fire as a suspected arson,” she says.

“A scene examination is being conducted this morning and Police will work alongside a fire investigator.

“As part of these enquiries we will be working to understand how the fire originated.”

Detective Senior Sergeant Gillespie says Police would like to hear from anyone who saw suspicious activity prior to the fire.

If you have information to assist enquiries, please contact Police on 105 using the reference number 250505/2106.

Information can be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Police can confirm one person has died following a crash on the South-Western Motorway this morning.

The single vehicle crash was reported just before 5am, on northbound lanes near Onehunga.

Sadly, the sole occupant of this vehicle died at the scene.

Earlier closures of northbound lanes have now lifted, and Police advise motorists to continue to expect delays as earlier backlogs clear.

We appreciate motorists’ understanding this morning while emergency services carried out their work.

The Serious Crash Unit examined the scene this morning, and an investigation is underway into this morning’s crash on behalf of the Coroner.

ENDS

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

State Highway 2 is blocked at Waiotahe, west of Ōpōtiki, due to a serious crash.

It happened at the intersection with Baird Road about 5:35am, and involved two vehicles.

Indications are that one person is seriously injured.

Diversions are in place and motorists are asked to delay travel if possible.

ENDS

Source: New Zealand Police

Motorists should expect delays on parts of the Auckland motorway network this morning.

Emergency services are responding to a two-truck collision on the Northern Motorway, near the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Southbound traffic is being impacted this morning, with some lanes closed while the scene is cleared.

Fortunately no injuries have been reported.

Crews will work as quickly as possible to clear the scene, however motorists should expect delays on their commute this morning.

This is in addition to an earlier serious crash this morning further south, on the South-Western Motorway near Onehunga.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services are at the scene of a serious single-vehicle crash on the Southwestern Motorway, northbound, between the Onehunga Harbour Rd on-ramp and the Queenstown Rd off-ramp.

Traffic management is in place. 

Motorists should avoid the area or expect delays. 

ENDS 

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

The Government is amending the Equal Pay Act [the Act] to make the process of raising and resolving pay equity claims more robust, workable and sustainable, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden announced today. 

Pay equity is achieved when women and men are paid the same for work that is different but of equal value: for example, care and support workers and mental health assistants perform work that is different but is of equal value. 

“It is clear the current Act is not working as intended, and amendments made by the previous government in 2020 have created issues. Claims have been able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation and there have been very broad claims where it is difficult to tell whether differences in pay are due to sex-based discrimination or other factors.  

“The Government is committed to addressing these issues. The new and improved pay equity system will provide greater confidence that genuine pay equity issues will be correctly identified and addressed. 

“New Zealand’s pay equity regime is an outlier internationally. The Act allows employees and unions to bargain a pay equity settlement with multiple employers. In most countries we compare ourselves to, people raise pay equity claims against their own employer only, or there are legal requirements on employers to proactively take steps to achieve pay equity,” says Ms van Velden.

Pay equity claims have been concentrated in the public sector, with a recent increase in the number of claims in the publicly funded sector. Costs to the Crown have become significant, with the costs of all settlements to date totalling $1.78 billion per year.

“These changes will mean the pay equity claim process is workable and sustainable. There are often significant costs involved with pay equity settlements which can involve large workforces [e.g. around 94,000 people for the teachers claim] and we need to ensure the process to raise and resolve claims is robust.  

“The changes I am proposing will significantly reduce costs to the Crown,” says Ms van Velden.

There will be a better framework and guidance for parties to use to assess whether there is sex-based undervaluation. These changes include: 

• Raising the threshold of “predominantly performed by female employees” from 60 percent to 70 percent and requiring that this has been the case for at least 10 consecutive years.
• Ensuring there are reasonable grounds to believe the work is historically and currently undervalued, including a requirement for evidence.
• Further clarity and guidance on the use of comparators – work performed by men that is different to the claimant’s work but has similar skills, responsibilities, levels of experience, or working conditions to the claimant’s work.
• Employers being able to meet their pay equity obligations in a way that is sustainable for their business – for example through phasing of settlements. 

The changes will discontinue current pay equity claims, but new claims can be raised under the amended Act if they meet the new requirements. Review clauses in existing settlements will become unenforceable. Settled claims can be re-raised 10 years after settlement, if the claim meets the new requirements. 

The changes are reflected in a Bill introduced today and going through Parliament under urgency, which will amend the Equal Pay Act and take effect the day after Royal assent. 

Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house

Date:  06 May 2025

“The most-loved experiences during peak times such as the holidays tend to book up quickly, but there’s plenty to choose from across the network,” DOC Heritage and Visitor Director Catherine Wilson says.

DOC has upgraded its booking system ready for Great Walks 2025/26 bookings, which open from 15 May 2025.

Catherine Wilson says people booking Great Walks will notice some changes this year.

“We’ve introduced a new industry-leading lobby system, similar to those used by concert-booking companies, so customers have a smoother experience, and we can better manage the very high demand when bookings first open.”

Catherine Wilson says the opening dates for all facilities are staggered between 13 May to 4 June to give people making multiple bookings a better chance of securing their preferred slot.

“We’ve re-shuffled the booking schedule* to balance demand across the weeks so the Kepler, Heaphy and Rakiura Great Walks open first on Wednesday 15 May, and the exceptionally popular Milford Track will open last on Wednesday 28 May.

“While the most popular Great Walks such as Milford and Routeburn book out very fast on the day, there are often cancellations so it’s worth keeping an eye on the booking website. Other experiences, such as Abel Tasman and Heaphy have more capacity and don’t generally book out on opening day.” 

On opening morning, users logging into their DOC account will be redirected to the lobby and assigned a number. At 9.30 am the queue will start to move steadily into the booking system. 

“We continue to ask users to be patient when booking. New Zealand’s Great Walks face massive demand with close to 100,000 people booking a Great Walk annually, 35% of whom are international visitors,” says Catherine Wilson.

“We’re lucky to have stunning mountains, forests, beaches, parks, lakes and rivers on our doorstep, and incredible tracks, huts and campsites for people to enjoy them.” 

The Great Walks vary in their length, challenge, and the necessary skills and fitness required. Walkers are encouraged to read about the options on DOC’s website and pick the Great Walk best suited to their skills and experience.

As part of regular price reviews, customers may notice price increases at some facilities next season.

Price increases range between 5-15% for the Milford, Routeburn, Kepler, Abel Tasman Coast Track, and Paparoa Great Walks and several high-demand huts and cottages. Some of DOC’s standard and serviced campsites have increased by $3-$5 per person per night.

User charges contribute to the running costs of DOC’s recreation network, Catherine Wilson says.

“User fees are an increasingly important tool for improving the financial sustainability of the visitor network.

“New Zealand has a huge variety of DOC facilities with price points for all budgets. Just make sure you book huts, campsites, and cottages early to secure popular dates and times,” says Catherine Wilson.

For information on DOC’s pricing changes and to book, visit DOC huts, campsites and cottages.

Bookings for Tongariro Northern Circuit are on hold while DOC assesses plans for replacing Oturere Hut.

To book the Hump Ridge Track visit . Bookings can be made anytime. The Hump Ridge Track’s walking season is 25 October 2024 to 21 April 2025.

Contact

Source: New Zealand Super Fund

Average annual returns of 10.03 percent after costs over the past 20 years make the New Zealand Superannuation Fund the world’s best-performing sovereign wealth fund, according to international sovereign wealth fund experts GlobalSWF. 

GlobalSWF’s annual rankings compare the performance of 13 sovereign wealth funds and 37 pension funds from 18 countries across five continents. The NZ Super Fund’s returns for the 20 years to 30 June 2024 were well ahead of the average returns for both sovereign wealth funds (6.4 percent) and pension funds (6.8 percent).

The NZ Super Fund was also the top performing sovereign wealth fund during the past decade, with an average annualised return of 10.33 percent after costs.

NZ Super Fund CEO Jo Townsend said that over the past 20 years the Fund had significantly outperformed long-term performance expectations.

“In part, that reflects how well global equities, which presently make up about 60 percent of the Fund’s assets, have performed during that time. In addition, our active investment strategies have also outperformed both our Reference Portfolio benchmark and our long-term performance expectations,” Ms Townsend said.

Ms Townsend said the Guardians’ active investment strategies were designed to capitalise on its competitive advantages as an institutional investor, particularly its long investment horizon, operational independence, and clear and effective governance structure.

Ms Townsend said maintaining long-term, growth-oriented investment strategies through multiple market ups and downs had been central to the success of the NZ Super Fund.

The NZ Super Fund has $8 billion invested in New Zealand, including investments in forestry, agriculture and horticulture, and numerous listed and unlisted entities.

In the past year, the Fund had expanded its rural land portfolio, increased its investment in locally managed funds that provide growth capital to New Zealand businesses, and continued its involvement in various land development initiatives that will provide platforms for housing and social infrastructure.

Source: Consumer NZ

Strong returns and fewer issues helped lift sentiment, even with some investors disengaged, although that may be about to change.

“Consumer NZ’s People’s Choice award recognises products and services whose customers are highly satisfied,” says Consumer chief executive Jon Duffy.  

Results from the nationally representative annual KiwiSaver satisfaction survey highlight the strengths and weaknesses of different retirement savings scheme providers.

“KiwiSaver customer satisfaction has improved noticeably in 2025. The sector’s overall satisfaction rating climbed to 57%, up from 52% in 2024,” says Duffy.

However, the coming years will test both the trust in and communication from providers, with Trump’s tariffs serving as one example of the immediate pressures contributing to ongoing global economic uncertainty.

Returns still rule, but interest in ethical investment is growing

Performance remains the strongest driver of satisfaction in the KiwiSaver space. Good returns are behind low switching rates, but concerns persist in areas such as fee fairness, accessibility and transparency.

“Ethical investment continues to attract high interest. Many New Zealanders say they care about whether their funds are invested in undesirable sectors, but few know the details of where their money goes.  

“Many rely on trust in their provider. Around 40–50% believe providers are making genuine efforts to invest ethically, while a similar proportion remains unsure,” says Duffy.

Top KiwiSaver providers of 2025  

Customer satisfaction leaders this year were small outfits again, more agile providers, recognised for offering strong investment returns, communication, fair fees and ethical investment options.

Generate – 80%  

Milford Funds – 75%  

Simplicity – 69%  

People’s Choice standouts

Generate earned the People’s Choice award this year, for ease of access and the features of its digital platform.  

Milford Funds extended its winning streak to eight years, thanks to strong communication and customer confidence in investment returns.  

Simplicity featured for the sixth year in a row, widely praised for fee fairness and ethical focus.

Bottom of the pack – 2025’s lowest-rated providers

Larger providers continue to lag, especially in terms of measures like communication, fee satisfaction and keeping customers informed. The biggest gripe tends to be fees.

ANZ – The largest provider continues to see a decline in satisfaction year on year, with consistently poor performance on transparency and fees.

Smart – Struggles with engagement and customer support.

Mercer – Lowest-ranked overall, with concerns about service quality and value for money continuing to dominate feedback.

The Treasury staff published an analytical note in September 2024, highlighting that as New Zealand’s population ages, life expectancy increases, and fertility rates decline, there is mounting pressure to ensure retirement savings can support individuals throughout their extended retirement years. This highlights the growing importance of KiwiSaver for the financial wellbeing of New Zealanders, both now and in the future.

For these reasons, it is important that consumers engage with their investments, rather than staying passively in default schemes, to improve their returns and build greater financial security for their retirement.

About Consumer

Consumer NZ is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to championing and empowering consumers in Aotearoa. Consumer NZ has a reputation for being fair, impartial and providing comprehensive consumer information and advice.