Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: New Zealand Government

Families, workers, visitors and businesses will benefit from a new action plan to ensure Auckland’s city centre is a safe, welcoming, and vibrant place, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown say.

“Auckland’s CBD is at the heart of our largest city and a key part of New Zealand’s economy, generating around 8 percent of the country’s GDP. It should be a place where businesses can thrive, tourists can enjoy and a place where people who work, live and visit should feel safe,” Minister Brown says.

“Our plan focuses on giving people the support they need, while restoring confidence and order in the city centre. That means support for those who need housing, safe and clean streets, and ensuring bylaws are enforced and fit for purpose.

The action plan brings together the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development, the Ministry for Social Development, Police, Health New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, Auckland Council, businesses, and social service providers to strengthen safety:

• Focus on the rollout of 207 additional social houses for Housing First, alongside making up to 100 more social houses available by more efficient use of existing Housing First contracts.
• Outreach teams connecting rough sleepers with mental health, addiction, and housing support.
• Building on the already increased Police visibility in the central city.
• Police and safety wardens focusing enforcement on locations linked to criminal activity and antisocial behaviours.
• Ensuring public spaces, like Pocket Park at Queen Street and Fort Street, are designed to be safe and welcoming, which reduces opportunities for criminal behaviour.
• Litter and Graffiti removal teams operating at pace, as well as rubbish collection to a regular and high standard.
• Continued targeted safety patrols.
• Review of bylaws to ensure they are fit for purpose.
• Regular taskforce meetings, chaired by the Minister for Auckland, to drive progress across all organisations.

Mayor Brown says the action plan shows what can be achieved when central government and Council work together on the issues that matter to Aucklanders. 

“People want to feel safe walking, shopping, and working in the city centre, and this plan delivers more visible patrols and tidier streets, while also addressing disruptive behaviour,” says Mayor Brown.

“We’re working hard as a council to be responsive to issues as they are raised, but I have been very clear about roles and responsibilities; the government do people and providing the social services needed, we do places and spaces.

“As Mayor, my expectation is for government agencies to work with our council to actually deliver on this action plan, so it doesn’t just end up as another announcement and talkfest with little else to show for it.

“There is a lot to be proud of in our city centre, like Browny’s Pool and the Christmas tree I lit up on the weekend at Te Komititanga Britomart and it’s up to all of us including government, council, agencies and the private sector to work collaboratively to ensure these measures make a real difference for people using the city every day.” 

Ensuring the city centre is safe and welcoming will be especially important as major projects come online.

“Next year the City Rail Link opens, bringing thousands more people into our city every day. The New Zealand International Convention Centre will also open, generating $90 million in additional tourism spending every year,” Minister Brown says.

“We are also entering the busy summer cruise ship season, which brings visitors who support local shops, cafes and attractions.

“We want everyone to feel safe and welcome in the city centre and using these world-class facilities. When people feel safe and welcome, more families come in, workers enjoy their environment, visitors spend more, and local businesses can thrive.”

The Minister of Justice is also seeking advice on additional measures to enhance safety in our CBDs, including the potential use of move-on orders.

Minister Brown says the action plan balances support with accountability.

“We are making help available for people struggling with homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges, while taking firm action against behaviour that intimidates or harms others,” Minister Brown says.

“A safe, thriving central city means more foot traffic, stronger business confidence, more jobs, and more opportunities for everyone, including those currently experiencing hardship. Our Government is backing Auckland to succeed, because a strong, welcoming city centre is good for Aucklanders, good for visitors, and good for New Zealand.”

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  28 November 2025

An independent panel of experts, led by Department of Conservation Senior Science Advisor Dr Nicholas Dunn, assessed 78 freshwater fish species using New Zealand Threat Classification System criteria.

The report shows New Zealand’s freshwater fish are in trouble with 28% of freshwater fish species classified as threatened with extinction and 32% at risk of becoming threatened. Only 8% are identified as not threatened.

“Eggs are the most vulnerable stage for freshwater fish, so assessments were focussed on the area of spawning habitat where they are laid,” Dr Dunn says.

“Spawning habitat is critical for the fish life cycle. They need the right conditions for egg fertilisation, development and hatching. Nearby rearing areas are also key for the survival of young fish.”

Since the previous report in 2017, 11 species have worsened in status and 12 have improved, largely due to better data rather than reduced threats. 

Dr Dunn says inanga – one of the six species fished as whitebait – has experienced a notable change in conservation status, moving from ‘At Risk – Declining’ to ‘Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable’.

“The worsened status reflects the vulnerability of inanga spawning habitat, which is estimated as less than 100 ha nationally and is under increasing pressure.”

Despite the small size of these areas, inanga still produce lots of eggs and young fish. Protecting inanga habitats is an important part of DOC’s efforts to manage the whitebait fishery.

Dr Dunn says Stokell’s smelt, found predominately in Canterbury, has experienced the most dramatic status decline since the 2017 assessment, moving from ‘At Risk – Declining’ to ‘Threatened – Nationally Critical’ – the final step before extinction.

“Severe population declines since the 1980s of Stokell’s smelt, which inhabit hāpua (river mouth lagoons), are linked to sedimentation, predation by birds and fishes, and marine heatwaves affecting young fish.”

Greater knowledge of habitat area, has seen other freshwater fish species assessed with an improved status such as Eldon’s galaxias and dusky galaxias. Both have moved from ‘Threatened – Nationally Endangered’ to ‘Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable’.

Dr Dunn says that with much of threatened freshwater fish habitat lying outside public conservation land and water, collaborative efforts are needed to look after and protect these species.

DOC works to protect and restore freshwater fish populations by reducing the threat of invasive species, improving the ability for fish to move freely through freshwater systems, and restoring habitats including spawning areas in partnership with iwi, landowners, regional councils, and other agencies.

People wanting to help native fish on their properties and in their communities, can do their bit through naturing activities like joining a local stream care group, fencing streams from stock, reporting barriers to fish movement and planting native plants along stream edges.

Report: Conservation status of New Zealand freshwater fishes, 2023

You can help New Zealand freshwater fish

Contact

Source: New Zealand Government

Minister for Regulation David Seymour says early analysis shows huge economic benefits from cutting red tape, many times larger than the cost to the taxpayer of doing it.

“Cutting red tape is already delivering real value for New Zealanders, and pointing to great potential for more” Mr Seymour says.

“Peer reviewed analysis estimates that work by the Ministry for Regulation in its first 18 months will deliver a net public benefit of $223 million to $337 million. The return on investment is large, from expenditure of around $20 million.  

“The return is $11–$17 in benefit for every dollar spent on the Ministry. It shows what I have been saying for years, we are overregulated, and the proof is shown in the benefits of cutting red tape.

“Removing the effective ban on medical conferences is one example. The ban on  advertising new medicines sent major conferences to Australia or Fiji. The Ministry for Regulation reviewed the rule after a tip from the red tape tipline. It found comparable countries don’t have these bans because they don’t make sense, and fixed it. Two of Australasia’s largest medical conferences are already booked here for 2026. Total benefits are estimated between $6 million and as high as $35 million a decade if more conferences come here.  

“Another example is the Hairdressing and Barbering Sector Review that revoked all sector-specific regulations. They were either unnecessary, already managed by other rules, or applied inconsistently between local authorities. This Sector Review means an estimated $6.5 million in benefits for hairdressers and barbers. We are doing four Sector Reviews a year, and the savings will keep coming for Kiwi businesses.

“Every unnecessary regulation is a barrier to growth. This Government is committed to fixing this by clearing the path of needless regulations and improving how laws are made.

“These estimates are early and conservative. They are based on the work the Ministry has completed in its first 18 months. It shows a relatively small investment in getting regulation right pays off many times over. As the Ministry continues to evaluate more sectors of the economy, the payoff will increase.  

“The benefits arise from practical, common-sense changes like allowing major medical conferences to take place here and improving settings to support the hemp industry, through to larger system-wide reviews of sectors like agricultural and horticultural products and early childhood education. Using standard cost-benefit methods and appropriate discount rates, officials assessed the net public benefit of the changes in present value over a 10-year period.

“Indicative estimates suggest potential net public benefits from reforms in areas such as early childhood education (ECE), agricultural and horticultural approvals (AgHort), telecommunications, and industrial hemp totalling around $204–$275 million over 10 years.  

To avoid overstating the gains, officials deliberately used conservative assumptions, excluded benefits that could not be credibly monetised, and worked within data constraints for older proposals. The work has been peer reviewed by Motu.

“To grow its way out of deficit and give future generations better opportunities, Government can’t just shuffle taxes and borrow more. Government policy must make it easier to produce, invest, and employ. Better regulation lifts productivity by letting people spend less time on paperwork and more time creating value,” says Mr Seymour.

“With the Regulatory Standards Act now in place, my focus is to build on this work so that every rule made by Government is genuinely in the public interest.”

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand and Australia have announced an additional package of support for PACER Plus – the Pacific region’s most modern framework for rules-based trade. 

 “We have committed $10 million over the next five years to enable Pacific PACER Plus countries to boost their export capability, grow and diversify trade in goods and services, attract investment, and increase the benefits of labour mobility,” Minister of State for Trade and Investment Nicola Grigg says.

“New Zealand is proud to be working with Pacific Island countries and Australia through PACER Plus to keep driving trade-based growth in our region.” 

The new investment comes five years after the trade and development agreement entered into force.

”In signing the PACER Plus Implementing Arrangement, we are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to trade growth, prosperity, and regional economic integration through trade.

 “By ensuring all parties get the best out of PACER Plus we are better positioned as a region to respond to economic challenges as they arise,” Ms Grigg says.

 PACER Plus’s Development and Economic Cooperation Work Programme helps members implement the trade agreement, harmonise regional trade infrastructure and regulations, and maximise opportunities for businesses to access export markets.

Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Scott Simpson yesterday confirmed the new investment at the 2025 PACER Plus Ministerial Meeting in Solomon Islands on behalf of the New Zealand Government.

Source: New Zealand Police

Media are invited to a joint media stand-up with Police and Customs for an update on Operation Matata.

The joint investigation has been targeting the importation of drugs through unattended baggage on international flights.

The stand-up will be held today at midday at Auckland City Police Hub, 13-15 College Hill.

Media who wish to attend are asked to RSVP to media@police.govt.nz

Please note the stand-up will be held inside the station and media will be escorted inside.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government and iwi of Waiohua-Tāmaki have signed development agreements for at least 628 homes in Auckland, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.

“These homes will contribute to the Carrington Residential Development – also known as Te Kukūnga Waka – a 4,000+ home development in Mt Albert,” Mr Bishop says. 

“This land was acquired by the Crown in 2018 as part of the Land for Housing Programme initiated under the previous National Government. 

“The Land for Housing Programme’s main purpose was to increase housing supply by repurposing vacant or underutilised land that was no longer needed for public works or other government purposes. The land on which the Carrington Development is being built was previously part of Unitec’s Mt Albert campus. 

“These additional homes will help address Auckland’s housing needs and build on the progress already being made. The first homes are completed, and next tranches now entering construction. Once completed, the development will include a number of facilities alongside new homes, including a supermarket, cafes and hospitality, a swim club, a daycare, and a commercial gym.

“Over time, the homes at this development will be a mix of market, affordable and social housing.

“I was delighted to attend the opening of the first apartment buildings in this development, Toi and Whetū, a couple of months ago. 

“The Government continues to support this development in several ways – not only through the Land for Housing Programme, but also through the Residential Development Underwrite initiative which supported delivery of some of the first homes, and through a number of infrastructure investments. 

“We want homes near jobs, public transport, services, and amenities and this development has it all. The development is also close to the Northwest Busway – a major Government investment in public transport that will enable even more housing growth in the future.”

Notes to editor:

The Government agreed overarching terms with Waiohua in December 2024, and development agreements have now been signed with Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Tamaoho, Te Kawerau ā Maki and Te Ākitai Waiohua.

Source: Press Release Service

Headline: GhlNZ Launches Dedicated HighLevel + AI Support Hub

GhlNZ has officially launched as New Zealand’s leading support, training, and enablement hub for businesses using AI Employee & Highlevel Software. With a focus on AI-powered automation, local support, and practical implementation, GhlNZ is helping Kiwi companies modernise their sales and marketing systems faster than ever before.

The post GhlNZ Launches Dedicated HighLevel + AI Support Hub first appeared on PR.co.nz.

Source: Press Release Service

Headline: Expert And Reliable Property Management in Christchurch

Rempstone Property Management looks after homes in New Zealand in a modern and easy way. The team uses simple conversation and modern systems, so property owners should know what is happening. They work hard to maintain every house in good style, assist renters quickly, and resolve any issues rapidly.

The post Expert And Reliable Property Management in Christchurch first appeared on PR.co.nz.