New Zealand driver Liam Lawson says he’s still coming to grips with a “sensitive” car in Melbourne as he targets a strong start to his second full season in Formula One.
This weekend’s opening Australian Grand Prix provides uncertainty and apprehension for pundits, team management and drivers alike because of major changes to car specifications.
Several top drivers emerged unimpressed with the alterations, which include smaller, lighter chassis and new power units which comprise a 50-50 split between combustion and beefed-up batteries. There is also the introduction of 100 percent sustainable fuels.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was disparaging, the Dutch Red Bull great describing the changes as “anti-racing” and as like “Formula E on steroids” during pre-season testing.
Liam LawsonAFP
Lawson was less outspoken but admitted battery management in particular was playing on his mind after some mixed testing results for Racing Bulls.
“It’s very different from last year, much more sensitive, particularly when it comes to preparing the battery for a qualifying lap and managing over a longer stint,” he said.
“On top of that, the cars have significantly less aero, which makes them more difficult to drive and less forgiving overall.
“We became aware of the new regulations early last year and began preparing straight away. So by the time I first drove the new car, I had a solid understanding of what to expect and the key differences between the 2025 and 2026 cars.
“Some weren’t a surprise, but when you get in the car, you are definitely still learning how to optimise.”
Racing Bulls chose to retain Lawson’s services after last year’s roller-coaster campaign in which he racked up seven top-10 finishes from 24 races – the first two rounds having been behind the wheel for Red Bull before he was unceremoniously demoted to the sister team.
Liam Lawson of Red Bull Racing. 2025.PHOTOSPORT
The 24-year-old finished 14th overall, with a best placing of fifth coming in Azerbaijan.
Lawson has been paired with 18-year-old British rookie Arvin Lindblad at Racing Bulls, making theirs the least experienced driver lineup on the 11-team grid.
The Kiwi said it was hard to set goals for the season, given the uncertainty around car performance.
“It’s still difficult to say where we stand, as we don’t yet have a clear picture of our true pace,” he said.
“Of course, the objective is to score points, but on a personal level, my focus is on extracting the maximum from myself and delivering the best possible performance every time I’m in the car.”
There are two practice sessions on Friday, followed by a third on Saturday and qualifying.
Sunday’s race is scheduled to start at 5pm NZT.
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The conflict in the Middle East is continuing to disrupt global air traffic with nearly 4000 flights a day being cancelled across the region.
Limited flights out of Dubai and Doha were announced after airspace partially reopened on Wednesday morning.
However, hundreds of thousands of passengers were still being impacted, with major airport hubs remain largely out of action.
But how do airlines and other authorities decide when and where it’s safe to fly near a conflict zone?
UK-based aviation expert John Strickland told Nine to Nine it was very much dependant on the government and safety agencies.
“They could be global, such as United Nations, there’s an aviation body, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), which is affiliated with the UN.
“Of course, national security bodies, including representation of embassies and consulates and so on, military intelligence agencies.
“All of that has to be put together. Certainly, it is guided through a body like ICAO with the aim of sharing that information transparently as widely as possible and airlines take those briefings. They don’t make a judgement of their own.”
‘No airline would endeavour to make a commercial risk’
Strickland said airlines had reasonable intelligence by virtue of their size and resources it can tap into.
Others may be fully dependent on external safety agencies, he said.
Emirates cancelled flights through Doha and Dubai.Thierry Monasse
“But certainly, one thing I would say is no airline would endeavour to make a commercial risk, a punt if you like, to fly just because they had passengers to move,” he said.
“Nobody will do anything until they are given the maximum possible assurance that safety and security can be guaranteed for obviously the passengers and their crews as well.”
Strickland said questions over GPS interference and other navigation challenges in or near conflict zones were also considered.
“It has to be factored in as part of the audit, part of the safety checklist as to whether a flight operation can be undertaken safely or not,” he said.
“Indeed, whether it might be possible to operate, but a different route would have to be followed if those risks are known about in certain areas.”
Strickland said repositioning an aircraft and its crews to mitigate the challenges in the Middle East were complex and expensive.
“The complexity of getting aircraft and crews back to the right place is enormous … the first thing is once an aircraft is lost somewhere else, they’ve landed, even if it’s in a planned airport, once that crew has completed their flight, they are out of duty hours based on whatever national regulatory body they come under.
“Certainly, whether it’s New Zealand or Europe, for example, there are clear regulations in place about rest requirements … crews have to have rest. It means with many crews are not where they should be. They’re not available to start afresh from home at the home base to take up new operations.
“The aircraft have to be recovered back to base and undoubtedly cleaned and checked out before they can go back into service.”
Airlines count the cost
He said it took a number of days, and in such a military-induced challenged, it would take even longer, and be more expensive.
Strickland said airlines were also trying to provide accommodation to stranded passengers, which was a positive sign.
He said there were only a handful of flights currently operating, but remained a small fraction of their usual operations.
Strickland said while the level of disruption couldn’t compare to the Covid-19 pandemic – as it affected everyone globally – it was comparable to the 9/11 attacks.
“The hub airports in the Gulf, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, and the airlines operating out of those at Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad have now become such a key part of the global aviation landscape that they are major gateways,” he said.
“They account for about half a million passengers in and out of those three airports every day or last year, 180 million people in a year.
“A large number of those are people transiting … there are people going to and from those airports, but a large number of people, not least to and from New Zealand, transiting in those airports.
“When this happened and flying ceased, there’ll be probably a couple of hundred thousand people may be stuck in Dubai airport, Abu Dhabi, Doha Airport, who were not even due to be there for more than a few hours and suddenly found themselves in this limbo.”
That’s the headache that airlines have got to slowly extricate themselves from as they can do so safely, he said.
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The procurement of a new Chatham Islands supply vessel has hit another major milestone with the signing of a ship delivery agreement, paving the way for its construction to begin.
Associate Transport Minister James Meager says the milestone ensures the 77-metre-long vessel’s delivery by the end of 2027, ahead of the current Southern Tiare ship’s retirement.
“The vessel is an economic and community lifeline for the Chatham Islands. The new ship meets locals’ needs and ensures a reliable, long-term service which can be scaled up to grow alongside the Chathams over the next 20 years,” Mr Meager says.
“The ship, which will be bigger than the nearly 40-year-old Southern Tiare, has been designed to cover all freight requirements. This includes the ability to carry livestock, fuel, vehicles, general and bulk freight.
“This increase in capacity and service reliability will strengthen sectors such as fishing, farming and tourism. Importantly, it provides certainty to businesses and the community.”
The contract with 44 South Shipping Limited Partnership, the joint venture of McCallum Bros Ltd and Nova Marine Carriers, follows last year’s preferred supplier decision.
“I want to thank the Chatham Islands community for its patience and cooperation throughout this process. With negotiations concluded, we now have certainty around cost, delivery timeframes, and performance expectations,” Mr Meager says.
“With this agreement, we have secured reliable and affordable shipping services between the Chatham Islands and mainland New Zealand for the coming decades.
“This is a great outcome for the people in our most remote community, and is another example of our commitment to fixing the basics and building the future.”
Notes to Editor:
The Government began a procurement process in March 2025. It selected the joint venture involving McCallum Bros Ltd and Nova Marine Carriers SA (44 South Shipping Limited Partnership) as the preferred supplier in September 2025.
The Crown is funding $24.3 million towards the cost of the new vessel. The ship’s total cost is commercially sensitive.
The new ship’s length was previously reported to be 78 metres. This has now been confirmed to be 77 metres, following the vessel’s design finalisation.
Hunting in Fiordland National Park. Photo: George Ledgard.
Hunting is part of New Zealand’s outdoor heritage. For many people, it’s how they were first introduced to the bush. Early starts, learning to read the land and weather, the thrill of the chase, spending time with friends and family, passing knowledge down through generations, and enjoying the harvest.
Hunting also offers something more. It’s a way to connect with nature, to understand the places we care about, and to play a part in protecting them for the future.
Seeing the forest up close
When you’re hunting, you see animal sign, hear birdsong, and notice where the good feed and habitat is, or isn’t. This is naturing. Many hunters can tell which areas are recovering, and which are under pressure from browsing wild animals like deer and goats. Hunters’ observations often match what monitoring shows: where browsing is high, the forest is less diverse and preferred plants struggle to regenerate; where deer numbers are lower, those same plants recover 1–3. Hunters also see that reflected in the condition of the animals they harvest, animals are in better condition in when numbers are low.
That observation is one reason many hunters value healthy ecosystems and support conservation outcomes. Across the country, hunters already give back in practical ways by trapping predators, maintaining huts, reporting wild animal sightings, and contributing to local conservation projects.
For many, hunting is both recreation and stewardship.
Introduced wild animals such as deer, pigs, tahr, and goats are becoming more widespread and abundant across New Zealand. When numbers are high, they browse heavily on seedlings and understory plants. Over time, this can change forest structure and reduce the ability of native plants to regenerate and replenish the canopy. This then puts pressure on the habitats our native species depend on.
Recreational hunters help reduce numbers across many parts of the country. More than 7 million hectares of public conservation land is available for hunting, and hunter effort plays a part in managing wild animal numbers across this wider landscape.
But there’s an important reality to be clear about. Recreational hunting on its own isn’t enough to reduce animal numbers to levels that protect forest health in many areas. Research and expert commentary in New Zealand indicate relying on recreational hunting alone, without additional targeted control, often isn’t sufficient to reduce animals to low numbers that allow species preferred by introduced wild deer and goats to regenerate in our forests. It’s not a criticism of hunters. It reflects the scale of the ecological challenge.
In our own monitoring, sites with high deer numbers, like Ruahine Forest Park, show clear signs of browsing pressure on key plant species.
Why DOC needs to do intensive, targeted management
Some populations of introduced wild animals, particularly wild deer, are breeding faster than they’re being hunted. Current estimates suggest there are over 1 million wild deer in New Zealand. With a reproductive rate of around 20-30%, that means more than 300,000 new wild deer are added to the population each year. It takes a coordinated effort to keep numbers at levels that protect forest health. In many areas, the annual offtake needed just to stop populations growing is beyond what recreational hunting can achieve on its own. That’s why collective, targeted work is needed in high priority places to make a difference.
Red deer. Photo: John Neilsen.
DOC focuses intensive management on around 1.4 million hectares of high-priority conservation land, where biodiversity values are highest. Including, about 1.2 million hectares where the aim is to reduce browsing pressure from wild goats at priority sites.
Healthy forests aren’t just about trees. They provide food and shelter for birds, insects, and other native species. Every plant and animal plays a role in keeping ecosystems balanced and more resilient to changing conditions, including climate change. When introduced wild animals browse heavily, key plants struggle to survive, and the animals that depend on them are affected. Protecting biodiversity ensures these ecosystems can continue to function, thrive, and be enjoyed by future generations.
In these areas, the level of control needed is beyond what recreational hunting alone can usually achieve. That’s why New Zealand needs to use a mix of tools, selected to suit the location, terrain, and ecological values involved:
Professional ground hunting – trained teams targeting specific populations in specific areas
Aerial control – necessary in remote and rugged areas
Exclusion fencing – to protect sensitive ecological sites
Management hunts – community-led management hunting projects that contribute to the overall effort to manage animals
Commercial Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) – as part of wider management and a contribution to reducing numbers
Recreational hunting – as part of wider management and a contribution to reducing numbers
All of these tools are used together where and when they’re needed. No single approach will work everywhere.
We need to use a mosaic approach, applying different tools in different places in a coordinated manner. In some areas, sustained and intensive work is required over many years to reduce browsing pressure to levels that allow high priority forests to recover. In some locations, management may include fencing to protect sensitive ecological or land-use values by keeping animals out. In other areas, recreational hunting, or commercial recovery can contribute to reducing numbers across the wider landscape.
Animal exclosure plot in Ruahine Forest Park showing the effect of browsing. Photo: DOC.
DOC ranger hunting. Photo: Karl Drury
Working together for healthy forests
The message is straightforward: hunters are part of the solution and so is targeted DOC management. Protecting New Zealand’s landscapes requires a mix of approaches informed by monitoring and science. Many of DOC’s efforts also involve iwi and hapū, hunters, and local communities working together to get better outcomes for biodiversity.
For example, in Molesworth’s ecologically sensitive Turk’s Head area, we teamed up with volunteers from the Marlborough NZ Deerstalkers Association to give wild goat control a real lift. With us providing coordination, some helicopter support and ammunition, the wide-open country became the perfect place for recreational hunters to make a meaningful contribution. In just a few days, volunteers removed more than 1,000 goats, and our DOC team followed soon after also removing over 1000. Working side by side in the right terrain, this combined effort made a noticeable dent in goat numbers and is part of ongoing work aiming to ease pressure on the rare plants and fragile landscapes that make Molesworth so special.
Lake McRae, Turk’s Head, Molesworth. Photo: DOC.
Get outdoors. Go hunting. Make sure you have a permit. Enjoy the places you care about and be part of looking after them, so nature and everything that depends on it can thrive. And if every hunter knocks over just a few extra animals while they’re out, maybe one for the freezer and one for the forest, it can help reduce numbers across the wider landscape.
1. Nugent, G., Forsyth, D. M., Smith-Flueck, J.-A. M. & Latham, A. D. M. Non-Native Deer: Origins, Status, Impacts, and Management. in Deer of the World: Ecology, Conservation and Management (eds Melletti, M. & Focardi, S.) 887–912 (Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, 2025). doi:10.1007/978-3-031-17756-9_60.
2. Tanentzap, A. J. et al. Landscape‐level vegetation recovery from herbivory: progress after four decades of invasive red deer control. (2009).
3. Nugent, G., Fraser, W. & Sweetapple, P. Top down or bottom up? Comparing the impacts of introduced arboreal possums and ‘terrestrial’ ruminants on native forests in New Zealand. Biological Conservation 99, 65–79 (2001).
4. Allen, K. et al. Long‐term exclusion of invasive ungulates alters tree recruitment and functional traits but not total forest carbon. Ecological Applications 33, e2836 (2023).
5. Latham, A. D. M. & Nugent, G. Introduction, impacts, and management of non-native deer and other hunted ungulates in New Zealand. Journal of Japan Deer Studies 2017, 41–57 (2017).
6. Fraser, W. The Effect of Recreational Hunters on Deer Populations in Pureora Conservation Park. Science for Conservation 38 (1996).
7. Nugent, G. & Choquenot, D. Comparing cost-effectiveness of commercial harvesting, state-funded culling, and recreational deer hunting in New Zealand. Wildlife Society Bulletin 32, 481–492 (2004).
8. Fraser, K. W. Status and Conservation Role of Recreational Hunting on Conservation Land.
9. Forsyth, D. M., Allen, R. B., Marburg, A. E., MacKenzie, D. I. & Douglas, M. J. Population dynamics and resource use of red deer after release from harvesting in New Zealand. New Zealand journal of ecology 277–287 (2010).
Latest house sales data indicates there is a shortage of ultra-luxury housing to meet the requirements of high-net-worth immigrants.
Changes to the Active Investor Plus visa, which take effect next week, limit house-buying immigrants to homes priced over $5 million.
Data collected by sales portal realestate.co.nz indicates the tightest house supply constraints were emerging well above that level, with only 142 properties listed above $10m available nationwide.
International premium-grade homes priced more than $20m were scarce.
A luxury house in Remuera, Auckland.Supplied
Realestate.co.nz chief executive Sarah Wood said the top end of New Zealand’s residential property market was relatively immature by global standards.
“The AIP visa programme effectively introduces a positive demand shock into this segment of the market overnight, however, the supply has not had a chance to grow organically over time. The result is significant pressure on the supply of houses valued in the tens of millions.”
Realestate.co.nz chief executive Sarah Wood.Supplied
Data supplied by Immigration NZ indicates nearly 590 people from 33 countries have so far applied for residency under the AIP visa programme.
Agents reported a growing segment of applicants who were only interested in property priced more than $20m, with demand outstripping supply by about five times.
Portal data indicated there had been 36,000 overseas-based searches for homes price over $5m over the past year, with North America and UK making up over a third (34 percent).
“The United States accounts for around a fifth (19 percent) of international $5 million-plus searches, followed by the United Kingdom at 9 percent and Canada at 4 percent. That profile reflects demand from established wealth markets rather than speculative traffic.”
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Supply pressure and buying interest saw dairy prices continue their climb at the latest Global Dairy Trade auction overnight.
The average price rose 5.7 percent overnight to US$4301 (NZ$7299) a tonne.
It was the fifth consecutive auction where prices have risen since the start of the year and followed a 3.6 percent rise at the previous one.
The New Zealand exchange’s head of dairy insights Cristina Alvarado said even though milk production has been high in the key global regions the volume on offer at the event was down.
She said Fonterra was the company with one of the biggest offerings, but New Zealand was now heading toward the end of its milking season.
“New Zealand’s milk production curve is now firmly in seasonal decline, and forward offer volumes through March to May indicate further easing,” she said.
“At the same time, growing domestic protein demand in the United States and new cheese capacity not yet operating at full utilisation are absorbing milk locally.”
She said with the tightness of product in the US demand was higher for certain products, particularly skim milk and butter.
“We’ve seen a pattern in this last year of more buying what you need rather than building large stocks.”
The important whole-milk powder price, which influences farmer payouts, rose 4.5 percent to US$3863 a tonne.
There were price gains across the board too with skim milk powder up 9.1 percent, along with butter up 6.1 percent, mozzarella 7.9 percent and cheddar 4.3 percent.
The regions which bought most of the product were North and South Asia, however, Alvarado said in terms of percentage buying there was an increase from those in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“With ongoing geopolitical tensions affecting Middle Eastern logistics and trade lanes, and in the absence of recent Algerian tenders in the region, it is notable that EMEA [Europe, the Middle East and Africa] participation strengthened rather than retreated.”
Alvarado said the Middle East was a “significant” and “growing” market for New Zealand – among our top three buyers.
“It’s definitely a key region and we would hope that despite everything going on and as we saw at the auction today they’re still buying product, even more so.”
While the conflict had brought “some logistics challenges”, she said it presented a competitive advantage for New Zealand in getting supply to its key buyers in Asia over other competitors in Europe.
Alvarado expected prices to remain steady with continued prices increases, though possibly at lesser rates.
“I don’t really see them dropping as there is a need for product and from our end we are heading towards the end of our season.”
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It showed agencies such as in health, justice and education had faced a December deadline to make the case for their bids for this year’s Budget, but that had to be pushed back.RNZ
The government has been facing too much demand to fund infrastructure projects from agencies left with too little time to plan them, forcing it to push back a Budget 2026 deadline.
A newly-released Treasury report said significant trade-offs were still required.
It showed agencies such as in health, justice and education had faced a December deadline to make the case for their bids for this year’s Budget, but the deadline had to be pushed back.
“With agency capacity constraints being signalled in the QIR (quarterly investment report) for Budget 2026 we have extended this timeline to April 2026.”
The report on central government investments for the three months to September 2025 – the latest QIR available – said demand “significantly” exceeded available Budget allowances, though it blanked out the figure
That was also the case for the next four Budgets.
But because agencies had also spent only half what they expected in the quarter – $2.3 billion versus $4.7b forecast – the report held out hope that better planning could result in more investments that were “right-sized and deliverable”, reducing Budget bids.
A debate in Parliament on infrastructure was set for Wednesday.
The QIR said there were “large differences between forecast and actual spend and reported delays once entering delivery”.
It also said agencies were continuing to signal funding requirements for Budget 2026 that “significantly exceed available allowances, with $38.2 billion capital signalled over the next five Budgets.
“Significant trade-offs are still required”.
It did not go into details of any possible trade-offs.
Treasury is developing advice on the medium-term capital pipeline due this month.
The QIR said agencies had been expected to have a full-fledged business case or a fast-track single-stage business case done “before submitting a Budget bid in December to ensure robust value for money advice from the Treasury”.
It was pushed back to April to ensure the builds would proceed quickly after the Budget. Last year there was still a backlog of 15 becalmed projects funded in Budget 2024; however, that number had been cut to just three in this QIR.
“The September 2025 QIR tells us that agency projections for timely conversion are looking better than previous quarters.”
This “Budget conversion” – converting from funding, to building – is a marker of momentum.
“We also need to keep momentum and scrutinise whether agencies have done enough planning to ensure that what gets funded in Budget 2026 is investment-ready and starts delivery within the 2026-27 financial year.”
To do that, Treasury was working with bosses of capital-intensive agencies – such as Defence, Health NZ, NZTA – “to improve system approaches, including approaches for more timely conversion post-Budget.”
Part of the problem was underspending.
“Crown capital expenditure underspend of $2.4 billion tells us that agencies may be forecasting too optimistically, such that it does not match their capacity to deliver on everything that has been funded.”
Sometimes the reason was a policy shift, such as that cut Kainga Ora spending, or timing as at NZTA.
But underspending was a big enough worry that bosses of the big-spending agencies had met “to address significant discrepancies between forecasted and actual capital investment spend”, followed up by the Secretary to the Treasury writing to them to improve forecasting, and to their ministers.
Ten projects entered the ‘pipeline’ for planning in the quarter, including private provision of hospital carparking.
The QIR showed some projects as of last September were hitting ructions and delays:
Three had not yet signed contracts though they were funded a long time ago:
Waikeria prison expansion phase 2, expected to sign a contract in quarter to March 2026
Specialised Rehabilitation Centre at Manukau Health Park, funded in Budget 2022, expected to sign in June 2026.
A third project was blanked out.
Fifty-three investments were reporting delays last September, five of them with over a $50m budget that were more than a year delayed.
Delays included:
Kainga Ora’s Northcote project
Manukau health park, delayed two years
Christchurch Hospital Tower 3 delayed by nearly two years, due October 2026
Nelson Hospital inpatient block delayed 18 months
Wairarapa rail Upgrades, delayed by 15 months, due for completion March 2027.
Three projects racked up red warning alerts in their first ‘Gateway’ reviews that are meant to keep them on track, signalling “major risks and issues” and triggering Treasury and ministerial intervention:
Police’s Arms Transformation Programme for implementing legislative changes and improvements to the administration of the Arms Regulatory system
MSD’s Disability Support Services – High and Complex Framework
Nelson Hospital Redevelopment.
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Health agencies more than doubled the number of store visits and controlled purchase operations last year to curb illegal sales of cigarettes and vapes to minors, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today.
“In the 12 months ending 31 December, more than 4,500 controlled purchase operations (CPOs) were carried out across New Zealand – up from around 2,000 the previous year,” Ms Costello says.
“Encouragingly, around 90 per cent of retailers were compliant with requirements, checking IDs and not selling to minors. However, a small number continue to break the rules.”
In the past year, 489 infringement fines were issued, compared to 198 issued the year before. The proportion of stores found to be non-compliant, about one in ten, has remained steady over the past two years.
These stores are increasingly being issued infringement notices, each carrying a fine of up to $2,000, which can be issued without the need for court proceedings.
“The boost in compliance activity has been supported by the recruitment of 18 additional Compliance Officers by Health NZ, most of them in the past year,” Ms Costello says.
“Efforts to reduce harm to young people from smoking and vaping were also further strengthened last year, with the passing of legislation significantly increasing penalties for non-compliance, banning disposable vapes and limiting how vaping products can be displayed in stores and online.
The KiwiSaver gender gap narrowed from 17 percent in 2020 to 14 percent in 2025. File photo.RNZ / Hingyi Khong
Women are being told to take more risk with their KiwiSaver to help close the gap between their average balance and those of men.
Westpac said while the gender gap had narrowed from 17 percent in 2020 to 14 percent in 2025, men were contributing and saving more even though women live longer on average.
In the Westpac KiwiSaver funds, men had higher average balances in all age groups once people were over 18. The biggest gap was in the 30 to 39-year-old age group, where men had an average balance of $28,992 compared to $21,740 for women.
Westpac general manager of product, sustainability and marketing Sarah Hearn said part of the different was the gender pay gap and time out of the workforce. But women were also more likely to be in less risky funds.
Men had 37 percent of their total balances invested in growth and high-growth funds, compared to 32 percent for women, who hold more of their KiwiSaver in moderate or conservative funds.
Higher-risk funds should deliver higher returns over time.
Morningstar data shows that aggressive funds have returned an average 9.5 percent a year over 10 years compared to 4.2 percent for conservative.
Hearn said women taking a more defensive strategy early in life could miss out on tens of thousands of dollars over the decades.
Earlier, Westpac estimated that the gap in outcomes between someone in a conservative fund and someone in a growth fund over 30 years could be more than $225,000 for a median earner on a total 6 percent contribution.
“Historically women have made more conservative fund choices, but if they’re saving for the long term – at least 13 years – and are comfortable seeing larger up-and-down movements in their balance over time, I’d encourage them to consider what type of fund they’re in,” Hearn said.
She urged women to talk about their financial decisions. “We know men are really much more comfortable taking about numbers and money than women are… I think there’s a great opportunity where we could be talking more about our KiwiSaver balances, our returns, the types of funds we’re in and just having more conversations about money.”
She said people should check the type of KiwiSaver fund they were in and make sure it was right for them.
“Make sure it’s in line with your risk appetite and also the timeframe. I think that’s the most important thing. we know that balances can go up and down over time. There can be volatility, but this is the long haul. We’re all looking forward to retirement one day but in most cases it’s a couple of decades a way. It’s definitely the right time to take on a little bit more risk so that we can have our money working harder for us.”
