Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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Positive Reserve Bank outlook heartening

Source: New Zealand Government

Kiwi families and businesses will be heartened by the Reserve Bank’s positive outlook for 2026 on the back of another reduction in the Official Cash Rate, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. 

As expected, the Reserve Bank today reduced the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 2.25 per cent, the ninth reduction since rates peaked at 5.5 per cent in July 2024. 

“It is clear previous reductions in the OCR are flowing through into stronger economic activity,” Nicola Willis says.

“The bank is forecasting falling inflation and rising growth. Its forecasts support the widespread consensus that the economy is strengthening.

“For many households, lower interest rates mean more choice.

“Reserve Bank data shows that 80 per cent of mortgage lending has come up for renewal since the bank began reducing the OCR in August last year. 

“That means more money in Kiwi pockets. In addition, thousands of Kiwis are taking the opportunity presented by lower rates to buy their first homes. 

“In the 12 months to September, 23,600 households bought their first home, the most since 2021. 

“New Zealanders have had a tough few years, but things are looking up.” 

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Global-first new Civil Aviation rule to slash red tape

Source: New Zealand Government

A global-first advanced aviation rule will slash red-tape and enable innovators to quickly bring new ideas to market, Space Minister Judith Collins and Associate Transport Minister James Meager say.

“As part of our world-class regulatory system, we’ve introduced a new rule allowing regulatory sandboxes – controlled environments where technology can be tested freely and safely,” Ms Collins says. 

“Researchers and businesses can now rapidly develop products without needing approval for small changes from the Civil Aviation Authority. This will provide clearer pathways for the sector to test, trial, and grow, while ensuring strong safeguards remain in place.

“The change will directly benefit Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre, which was granted permanent Special Use Airspace earlier this year, alongside $5.85 million in operational funding. 

“The advanced aviation sector is no longer emerging. It is here, and it is central to New Zealand’s economic and high-tech future. Our approach will attract global interest from those keen to take advantage of a safe and responsive regulatory environment.”

Associate Transport Minister James Meager has also confirmed updates to current drone rules, which also reflect New Zealand’s commitment to growth and innovation, while balancing safety with efficiency.

“These changes cut through red tape, reduce paperwork and make it much clearer when drones and other aviation technologies can be used and when they can’t. 

“More specifically, they clarify that drones can be used for low-risk work like surveying and mapping without certification, and they provide clarity and certainty for technical and higher-risk activities like agricultural spraying and top dressing.

“This is about backing our farmers and rural communities by reducing unnecessary regulatory burden, being clear about what’s allowed, and making sure new technology can be put to work safely and quickly.”

The rules come into effect on 22 December 2025.

Notes to Editor:

Summary of Rule Changes:

Parts 101 and 102 (Existing Rules):

  • Uncrewed aircraft are regulated through two rule parts: Part 101, which provides prescriptive rules that capture lower-risk operations in aircraft under 25kg, and Part 102, which is a risk-based certification framework that regulates complex and higher-risk operations.
  • Most drone users in New Zealand operate under Part 101. A certificate is not required to operate under Part 101, and no approval from the CAA is needed.
  • Some technical details have been transferred out of Part 101 and into a new Transport Instrument. This will make updates to regulation faster and more responsive to technology and sector growth.
  • Some activities that previously required approval under Part 102 have now been transferred to Part 101, including some night operations and beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights in enclosed spaces.

  • Part 101 now explicitly prohibits agricultural spraying, topdressing, and vertebrate toxic agent application. These have never been allowed under Part 101, but the rule change makes this clear. Surveying and mapping can still be conducted under Part 101. 

Part 107 (New Rule):

  • Allows approved research organisations to rapidly develop and test emerging aviation technologies within pre-defined areas.
  • Removes regulatory burden on participants by no longer requiring regulatory approval every time an iteration is made, unless the operation changes substantially.
  • Is technology agnostic, allowing for research and development on all aviation systems and ancillary systems.
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First banks move after OCR cut

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Reserve Bank has cut the official cash rate to its lowest level in three years. RNZ

Just minutes after the Reserve Bank revealed it would cut the official cash rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 2.25 percent, advertised home loan rates started to drop.

The Co-Operative Bank said it was dropping its floating home loan rate by 31 basis points, more than the Reserve Bank reduction, to 4.99 percent.

Chief executive Mark Wilkshire said it “affirms our commitment to competitive interest rates”.

– more to come

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

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Police acknowledge sentence handed down in double homicide

Source: New Zealand Police

Police acknowledge the sentence handed down to Hakyung Lee, after she murdered her two young children in 2018.

Counties Manukau CIB commenced Operation Curb three years ago, after remains were discovered in suitcases on 11 August 2022 in Weymouth.

Police would later confirm they were Lee’s eight-year-old daughter Yuna Jo and six-year-old son Minu Jo.

“I want to acknowledge the investigation team for what was a challenging investigation after the remains of two young children were discovered,” Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Va’aelua says.

“They worked diligently to bring about justice for these innocent young children.”

Today at the Auckland High Court, 45-year-old Lee was handed down a sentence of life imprisonment, with a minimum term of imprisonment of 17 years.

Adding to the complexities was that Lee had left New Zealand after murdering her children and relocated to South Korea.

Police applied to have Lee extradited back to New Zealand in 2022, Detective Inspector Va’aelua says.

“We acknowledge the assistance provided in our investigation by the South Korean Ministry of Justice, South Korean Prosecution Service, the Korean National Police Agency, and our own New Zealand Police Interpol staff.

“Their cooperation has been vital in helping to secure these convictions.”

Yuna and Minu would have been 16 and 13 today.

“Our thoughts are with the wider family today for the tragic loss of these two young children,” Detective Inspector Va’aelua says.

ENDS. 

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

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Golf: Ryan Fox sets lofty goals for himself in 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox. Matthew Harris / PHOTOSPORT

The holiday is over for Ryan Fox and the Kiwi golfer is gearing up for what he hopes will be an even better 2026.

Fox completed his second full season on the PGA Tour with two victories and a top 40 finish in the 2025 standings.

After that he took a fully deserved two months away from the game, relaxing back in Auckland with his family.

“The year I had let me do that, have a chance to take a break, be a dad, be normal and so I’m buzzing to be back into it this week,” Fox told media in Brisbane.

He didn’t touch his golf clubs for the first month of his break but has been training since then, playing some social golf. He’s now preparing for this week’s Australian PGA Championship in Queensland.

Fox has won in Australia three times, the first was in 2014 and it is a place he enjoys playing.

“Obviously this is the first tour I played when I turned pro and this year it fitted in perfectly (with my schedule).

“I didn’t want to take three months off golf and go back (to the US) early next year and find it (his game) again.

“We’re playing two great golf courses the next two weeks, great fields, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Ryan Fox of New Zealand lifts the championship trophy after winning the Canadian Open, 2025. Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire

Fox won the Myrtle Beach Classic in May and the Canadian Open in June. So what about 2026?

“Obviously I want to build on it, it’s hard to beat a year like I had this year, other than missing the Tour Championship I ticked every box.”

He does want to make the international team for the first time and play the Presidents Cup against the USA at Medinah in Chicago in September 2026.

“That is something I feel I’ve missed out on the last couple of goes and I’m in a good place, I’m in all the big events next year so I really want to be a part of that team.”

The 38-year-old said he would also love to be contending in one of the major tournaments. He has previously finished in the top 20 at both the the Open Championship and the US Open.

“I know my golf game is good enough to compete with the best players in the world and I give myself a few more chances of that next year.”

So he’ll get back up to speed in Australia over the next two weeks at the Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Open.

“I’m coming in here not playing to keep status which is really nice, but I want to do well the next two weeks.

“It’s a good place to be, my golf game is in good shape at home so I’m excited to test it in tournament conditions again.”

Ryan Fox plays a bunker shot at Oakmont Country Club. 2025 US Open. Matthew Harris / PHOTOSPORT

Fox will play alongside nine other New Zealand golfers this week, including World Tour players Daniel Hillier and Kazuma Kobori.

“Kiwi golf is in a really good place at the moment with a bunch of guys on various tours around the world and to see young guys doing well and it’s cool to see so many of them here,” Fox said.

The Australian PGA Championship runs from 27-30 November at the Royal Queensland Golf Club.

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

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Ministers were warned against teen welfare crackdown, documents reveal

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Social Development Minister Louise Upston. Marika Khabazi

Newly released advice shows officials urged the government against its welfare crackdown on 18-and-19-year-olds, warning it could actually increase the risk of long-term benefit dependency.

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) also said the tightened eligibility could incentivise teenage pregnancies and keep abuse victims financially reliant on their abusive parents.

In a statement, Social Development Minister Louise Upston acknowledged the “free and frank” advice but said she did not necessarily agree with all of it.

“Our position is very clear: young people should be in work, in education or in training,” Upston said.

“Young people should first be supported by their parents. We don’t believe a life on welfare is as good as it gets for young people.”

From November 2026, those aged 18 and 19 will only qualify for Jobseeker support if their parents earn less than $65,529 or if they can prove they cannot rely on their parents for financial help.

About 4300 young people are expected to become ineligible.

An MSD regulatory impact statement (RIS), published online, assessed the proposed restrictions as being no better than the status quo overall.

While the new restrictions would save the government money, officials said: “in terms of impact on young people and their families, the costs will likely significantly outweigh the benefits.”

The RIS said teenagers who lost access to benefits would also miss out on MSD support designed to help them into work, such as literacy or numeracy programmes. Without that assistance, those teens could be at greater risk of future benefit dependency.

Officials said there was “no clear evidence” that the changes would incentivise young people to enter employment, education or training, meaning they could well just move on to the benefit at age 20.

“This policy does not address any underlying causes as to why people receive a benefit in the first place.”

The report also said some young people might find themselves cut off altogether as their parents were under “no obligation” to provide support. This was highlighted as a particular risk for members of rainbow communities.

“There is a risk that they may not have access to financial support at all if their parents refuse or are unable to support them financially.”

Alternatively, abuse victims could be forced to turn to their abusers for help.

“This policy may result in young people being expected to be financially dependent on their parents in situations where they have previously been subjected to physical, psychological, emotional, or sexual violence.”

Officials said the policy could also increase demand on food banks and other community services, due to the increased costs for young people and their parents.

The analysis highlighted particular risks for minority groups who were more likely to be represented in the benefit system.

“Disabled people tend to face higher costs of living due to health-related expenses and could be disadvantaged if this is not accounted for in the parental income limit,” the analysis said.

Officials also flagged that some young people might be “incentivised to have children to maintain access to income support”, because the new rules would not apply to young parents.

The RIS shows MSD preferred a very different approach: expanding education, training, and skills programmes to help young people into work.

Officials said this non-regulatory option would better reduce long-term benefit dependency by addressing literacy, numeracy, and employment-readiness barriers.

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

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Auckland executive paid teen $1000 for sex, exchanged Uber Eats for intimate photos

Source: Radio New Zealand

The executive, who has name suppression has since left his job. RNZ/Yiting Lin

An Auckland executive who has admitted paying a teenage girl for sex met the teen on Snapchat, where he described himself as a “sugar daddy”.

After a couple of weeks of the 14-year-old girl messaging the man intimate pictures and videos of herself, they met in person and the executive paid her $1000 for sex.

The man, whose name is suppressed, earlier this month admitted a charge of paying a person aged under 18 for sex. The law says it’s illegal for anyone to enter into a contract, or “other arrangement”, for sex with someone under 18.

The executive will be sentenced in March, but details of his offending can now be revealed.

Court documents obtained by RNZ said the middle-aged man didn’t know the 14-year-old girl before the pair met on Snapchat, an encrypted social media platform.

In early September the executive added the teen as a friend and they started talking.

“This included requesting a photo of the victim, asking how old she was and reporting himself as a sugar daddy,” said a court summary of the offending.

“In reply the victim sent a photo of her face.”

The teen told the executive she was 17, three years older than her actual age.

Uber eats for pictures

The summary said the teen requested the executive pay for Uber Eats for her. He said he would if she sent him intimate pictures, which she did several times, for which the man bought takeaways.

This continued for about three weeks.

“Between 3 and 17 September the victim sent the defendant 12 images and 19 short videos,” the summary said

These were taken or recorded in the teen’s bathroom, where she was naked and either “sexually posing” or engaging in sexual acts.

“These are sexualised images, including a video of the victim wearing her school uniform.”

On 14 September the executive bought the teen a $200 Prezzy Card.

A week later he paid for an Uber to drop the teen at his house. On arrival she said she was 17, and the executive paid her $1000, but he said he knew that as she was under 18 he couldn’t pay her for sex.

At the teen’s request, the executive then paid for an Uber to bring one of her friends, who was also 14, to his house.

The executive and the teen he paid money to then went to his bedroom, where “sexual activity occurred”.

Afterwards, the executive paid for the teen and her friend to take an Uber to a shopping mall.

Executive claims no contract entered into

When police contacted the executive he gave them a statement after speaking to a lawyer.

“He stated it was his belief the victim was 17 years old, and he did not enter a contract for sex.”

The teen said she felt disgust at her interaction with the executive, who had no previous convictions.

When he appeared in the Auckland District Court this month his lawyer Graeme Newell said police had moved fast in laying the prosecution, and at that stage the executive hadn’t yet told his family and had only just informed his employer.

At Newell’s request, Judge Belinda Sellars, KC, didn’t convict the executive.

He faces a maximum sentence of seven years’ jail and is on bail until his sentencing.

The executive has since left his job.

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

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$500 million indoor sport and aquatics centre to open in Christchurch next month

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Gwenaёlle Chollet, journalism student

Parakiore has five hydroslides. Supplied / Christchurch City Council

The country’s biggest indoor sport and aquatics centre will open to the public in Christchurch next month.

People will be able to whizz down a hydroslide, shoot some hoops or relax in a sauna at Parakiore on Moorhouse Avenue from 5.30am on 17 December.

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said the Crown officially handed Parakiore to the city council on 31 October, followed by a fit-out, testing and commissioning process.

“It’s certainly been a long road but I know the whole team is thrilled to be preparing for the first event, and then opening the doors to the public,” he said.

A formal ceremony will take place on 9 December before Parakiore hosts swimming and basketball competitions for the Special Olympics National Summer Games from 10-14 December, Mauger said.

It is the country’s largest indoor sport and acquatics centre. Supplied / Christchurch City Council

“It’s fitting that such a fantastic event will be the first to make use of the new world-class facility.

“Once we’ve packed up the Special Olympics and made sure everything is shipshape, the gym, pools, hydroslides and community courts will all be open for public use.”

At 32,000 square metres, the centre boasts a 50 metre competition pool, dive pool, five hydroslides, a large recreational pool and a sensory aqua centre as well as nine indoor courts, fitness studios and a High Performance Sport New Zealand training base.

Parakiore was built by Crown Infrastructure Delivery and is now owned and operated by the council. The project was plagued by a litany of problems including construction headaches, unfavourable ground conditions, cost blow-outs and legal wrangling.

The centre opens to the public on 17 December. Supplied / Christchurch City Council

The cost of Parakiore was expected to reach about $500 million, more than double the sum originally forecast.

The city council’s contribution to the project was capped at $147m.

Considered one of the city’s main post-quake anchor projects, the centre was originally expected to be completed in 2016 but a $75m budget blow-out saw a deal with a preferred contractor axed by the government, with the project later handed over to Crown-led project managers.

The delivery agency originally known as Ōtākaro Limited has had two re-brands over the course of construction, changing to Rau Paenga in 2023 and then Crown Infrastructure Delivery.

Construction finally began in 2018 with a revised completion date of October 2021 that was again revised to late-2023 because of logistical difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The centre will be open for swimming and basketball competitions for the Special Olympics National Summer Games from 10-14 December. Supplied / Christchurch City Council

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

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Serious crash, SH 2, Maramarua

Source: New Zealand Police

State Highway 2 near Maramarua is blocked following a two-truck crash.

Police were called to the scene around 11.42am.

Two people have sustained serious injuries and are being assisted by emergency services.

The Serious Crash Unit have been notified.

Diversions are in place from Monument Road to Heaven Road. Motorists should expect delays.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Pharmac proposes funding for rare disorder treatment

Source: PHARMAC

Pharmac is proposing to fund nitisinone for people with the rare disorders – tyrosinemia type 1 and alkaptonuria.

Nitisinone is currently funded through Pharmac’s Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessment (NPPA) pathway. Under this proposal, it would be listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule, making it easier for clinicians to prescribe and for people to access treatment.

If approved following the public consultation, approximately 10 people with these rare disorders would benefit from access to the medicine in the first year of funding.

 “This proposal would make it easier for people living with these rare conditions to access nitisinone,” says Pharmac’s Acting Manager of Pharmaceutical Funding, Claire Pouwels.

“It would also make it easier for clinicians to prescribe this treatment, without needing to apply through NPPA each time.”

Tyrosinemia type 1 and alkaptonuria are lifelong conditions that affect how the body breaks down tyrosine, an amino acid. Without treatment, harmful substances can build up and cause serious health problems. Nitisinone, alongside a special diet, can help prevent or reduce these effects.

People currently receiving nitisinone through NPPA would continue to get their treatment as usual but may need to change to the LogixX Pharma brand from 1 February 2026. If people experience issues with the new brand, there are pathways in place within the Exceptional Circumstances framework to access an alternative if clinically necessary.

Pharmac wants to hear from clinicians, consumer advocacy groups, and others about how this proposal could work in practice. Feedback can be provided through Pharmac’s website until 5pm Friday 12 December.

Following public consultation, Pharmac will make a decision on the funding proposal. If approved, it would be funded from 1 February 2026.