Category: Business

Source: Radio New Zealand

The ongoing high costs of living are prompting some families to turn to backyard killing of animals.

There’s also a claim that New Zealand’s food safety rules disproportionately affect Pasifika and other migrant communities.

Carolyn Press McKenzie from animal charity Helping You Help Animals (HUHA) says it’s noticed an increase in calls to rescue animals at risk of being slaughtered illegally.

Press McKenzie was responding to First Up‘s story on the sale of horse meat pies, which had been pulled from pie warmers after it was revealed the meat hadn’t been bought from a regulated abattoir. The pies had gone viral on social media, and were particularly popular with Pasifika communities.

Press McKenzie said HUHA was itself caught out after rehoming a pet cow.

“Somebody went through the process with us, we did home visits, passed the check, everything seemed very above board,” she told First Up. “The person was chatty and engaging, pretended to absolutely love the cow and then we found out they’d slaughtered it and eaten it.”

On another occasion police intervened when a wild goat had been hog tied and hung upside down from a tree.

Press McKenzie said it was also getting harder to rehome animals in the current economic climate. Feeding and caring for a pet was becoming a luxury many couldn’t afford.

“It’s pretty bad out there. There’s more animals being born into situations where they’re not being cared for correctly but shelters don’t have the homes to put them in.”

Meanwhile, Tongan community advocate Melino Maka said the recent decision by a Pakuranga bakery to withdraw its horse pies should not be seen as an isolated incident.

The former food safty regulator told First Up that it was not just a compliance issue, but a consequence of a system that no longer educated ethnic communities about food safety.

Maka was concerned Pasifika and other migrant communities weren’t being adequately warned of the dangers of eating non-regulated meat. He said MPI has cut community education programmes.

“Everything relies on online, and most of our community don’t get access to that information,” he said.

He agreed that the cost of living was exacerbating the situation as many households struggled.

“The reality of the cost of living is having a real impact on people affording meat for their own consumption.”

Maka said meat sold as pet food at flea markets was often bought by members of the community with the intent of feeding the family.

“The pet food companies, they target the Pacific community and I often engage with them and ask them to label the meat or even put food colouring on it just to make the people aware of what they’re buying, but they just play around on the fringes.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Single older people are bearing the brunt of rising prices, and women may be particularly hard hit.

Data from last week’s CPI shows that over a five-year period, households comprised of single people aged over 75 had the highest level of inflation, up 27.2 percent, compared to a general rate of 25.3 percent.

Over two years, they had inflation of 7.8 percent compared to total inflation of 5.4 percent.

Those aged 70 to 74 had the next highest rate of inflation over five years, 1.8 percent higher than the overall level.

Over a two-year period, households of single people aged 65 to 69 had inflation of 6.3 percent.

Every age group of single people had a higher inflation rate than the overall rate over five years.

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub said it was because these households spent more of their money on essentials, which had experienced the biggest price increases.

“Inflation in recent years has been very focused on things like food, rates, insurance – those things take up more of the household budget.

“So the households who are spending more of their income on necessities have experienced more of it. The deflation was on things like buying TVs and stereos, stuff like that. Single older people aren’t buying many of those things.”

He said many of the costs of running a household were not reduced by only having one person in it.

“A single household is really expensive because you’re carrying all the rent, all the power, all those kinds of things that are more to do with the unit of house rather than the unit of people.”

One woman who contacted RNZ said she felt women were under more financial stress than their male counterparts. She estimated that having children had cost her $100,000 that would otherwise have gone into retirement savings.

“My brothers, in comparison, who did not take any time off to raise children, are much better off than me.

“Us women have given birth to and raised the generation of New Zealanders now in their 30s and 40s. We did this in the days before the widespread availability of full-time child-care by paid professionals.”

Eaqub agreed that older women were probably finding it tougher.

Women are reaching retirement with materially less in their KiwiSaver accounts than men.

Work by the Retirement Commission found that while there was not a lot of difference in how people aged over 65 felt about money, women were worse off. Just over half the women in its research had income below $30,000 a year compared to 42 percent of men.

It said women’s lower KiwiSaver savings were not because women were contributing less but because they earned less.

Older women were nearly twice as likely to live alone as men were and were reporting taking steps such as cutting down on food to save money.

Single older women were twice as likely to have experienced significant financial impacts due to the death of their spouse than men. Almost 40 percent of single women aged 65 to 74 said they did not feel at all confident about a financially comfortable retirement, compared to 25 percent of single men. But single women aged 75-plus were most likely to say they felt financially comfortable.

Eaqub said wage discrimination against women could compound over the lifetime to have an effect on their savings.

“Women, on average, earn less than men and take more time out of work. Time out of the workforce has quite a big impact on people’s lifetime incomes and lifetime savings.”

Liz Koh, from Enrich Retirement, said retirement was a struggle for women who were alone, or those in second relationships where finances were kept separate.

“It’s a well known fact that women earn around 10 percent less than men on average. This affects their KiwiSaver contributions and their ability to save. Women also have periods of time out of the workforce taking care of children and again, this impacts on retirement savings. Add to this the fact that women live longer than men, which means they need a higher level of retirement savings to avoid running out of money before the end of life.

“Women can be less confident investors, and a more conservative approach to investing can mean lower investment returns over the long term. On the other hand, women plan ahead and are receptive to receiving advice.

“There is a rather alarming trend, which is the number of women reaching retirement who do not own a home or who still have a mortgage. Separation and divorce combined with lower earning power are contributing factors to this situation. Owning a debt free home is essential for a comfortable retirement and those who are renting or still paying a mortgage struggle.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Flight Attendants Association (FAANZ) says problems with Air New Zealand’s planes and services are creating extra headaches for staff working to look after passengers at 38,000 feet.

Flight attendants working aboard the airline’s B777 and B787 long range aircraft will stop work for three strikes on 11, 12 and 13 February.

The airline said it was looking to balance the contributions of crew members against the “challenging economic times” and international cabin crews had a unique work and compensation structure.

FAANZ president Craig Featherby said – despite months of bargaining and two rounds of mediation through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment – Air New Zealand had been unable to present a satisfactory pay offer to international cabin crews.

“The company has offered a pay increase that would see crew just hit the living wage. With inflation continuing to bite, many flight attendants are concerned they’ll be back below a liveable wage within a short time,” Featherby said.

He said the airline was failing to prioritise its staff and passengers – leaving it up to crews to address problems, often at 38,000 feet in the air.

“Flights are repeatedly impacted by preventable issues: lack of catering and limited choice, missing equipment to effectively look after customers, inoperative seats, and broken cabin features, alongside higher than usual cancellations.

“Flight attendants, as the face of the airline, are constantly having to work around these issues and apologise to passengers who have paid premium fares to fly with the national carrier,” Featherby said.

He said the latest pay offers from the airline were asking flight attendants to work harder and give up hard-earned terms and conditions in their current contracts in exchange for any “meaningful improvement” in wages.

“The company is sending a clear message to those who represent its front-line – that they are undervalued, despite carrying the weight of the operation every day.

“Air New Zealand must recognise that flight attendants are integral to the airline’s success. They’re safety professionals and ambassadors for the company. It’s time the board and executive team realise that their front-line staff – on the ground, in the call centres and in the air – need real investment,” Featherby said.

E tū union assistant national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said many of the airline’s long range crews had been with Air New Zealand “for decades” and did not take striking lightly.

“Pay for flight attendants has not been good enough for a long time and they are really aware that they are the factor that makes the airline a great airline. They have been pushing Air New Zealand for a long time and this really is a last resort,” Mackintosh said.

Air New Zealand chief people officer Nikki Dines said the assertion that crews were paid below the living wage was not accurate.

She said the airline’s latest offer increased base salaries by a range of 4.14 percent to 6.41 percent.

“Their base salary provides a consistent income, regardless of the hours they fly. In addition to their base salary, cabin crew receive payments and allowances to recognise additional responsibilities, time away from home, and longer duties. They also receive further allowances to support them while they are away from home,” Dines said.

Dines said the airline would work to support customers and minimise disruptions as much as possible if the strikes went ahead.

“We’ll contact any affected travellers directly as soon as more information becomes available and encourage everyone travelling during this period to check their booking details are up to date and to sign up for our Travel Alerts service,” Dines said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The jobs market is showing early signs of improvement, according to BNZ, which it said should lead to lower unemployment by the middle of the year.

The latest unemployment statistics are due next week, but the most recent data from the September quarter showed the jobless rate at 5.3 percent – the highest level since late 2016.

BNZ head of research Stephen Toplis said monthly employment indicators showed modest growth, and Stats NZ’s fourth-quarter household labour force survey was also expected to show slight growth.

BNZ’s own employment report with jobs platform SEEK showed job ads up around 7 percent from a year ago.

“It will take a while before the unemployment rate drops, because it’s one thing seeing growth and people being hired, but it’s got to catch up with growth in the supply in labour.”

He expected the catch-up to happen “in a quarter or two”.

“Certainly mid-year, but there’s a difference between better and good,” Toplis said. “For a lot of people who are currently facing unemployment, it’s not clear that the jobs that will be created are going to be consistent with the skillset that they’ve got.”

He also noted there were many households already in work, but looking for more.

“We know that the household sector is struggling, so if you can’t get pay increases you work more hours, so there’s an awful lot of people.”

Economic recovery and weak US currency help Kiwi dollar

The Kiwi dollar is often called the “flightless bird” in financial markets, but its recent performance has been anything but.

Since the start of the year the dollar has flexed its wings, becoming the best-performing major currency against the US dollar.

Westpac head of New Zealand strategy Imre Speizer said the weakness of the US dollar was only half the story behind the NZ dollar’s recent strength.

The recession dampened investor appetite for the NZ dollar, but he said the economy bottomed in October and has improved steadily since then.

“The market has changed its tune on this, and it’s recognised the economic recovery is well in motion, and is likely to persist for the rest of the year,” Speizer said.

“It’s now one of the choice destinations for going long in currencies.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kiwi Property is selling ASB North Wharf building in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter to Precinct Pacific Investment for $205 million.

The sale price represented a 3.3 percent discount to the September 2025 book value, and included Kiwi Property’s commitment to complete $2.2m of capital works to the property.

Precinct will be responsible for any additional expenses associated with the extension of the 15-year lease to ASB.

Precinct chief executive Scott Pritchard said the purchase of ASB North Wharf aligned with its strategy for investments in high quality, well located commercial property.

“This is a strong endorsement of the Wynyard Quarter precinct, and we look forward to working with ASB as they refresh their premises to reflect their workforce’s needs,” Pritchard said.

Kiwi Property chief executive Clive Mackenzie said last year’s extension of the ASB lease to 2040 helped to position the asset for sale.

“The sale of ASB North Wharf is a significant milestone for our capital recycling programme and is the third property transaction we have agreed in the last three months,” he said.

“Our balance sheet is now strongly positioned to support growth, aligning with a property market that is showing clear signs of recovery.”

He said the proceeds of would be reinvested into further growth initiatives, including potential acquisitions and development at Kiwi Property’s key mixed-use assets.

Completion of the sale of ASB North Wharf was subject to the consent of the Overseas Investment Office, with settlement expected in the first half of 2026.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Cosmetics retailer Mecca is likely to be able to shake off any ill will created by customers disappointed with its loyalty programme and discounting, experts say.

Newsroom reported Mecca was apologising to customers after they were sold products up to a decade old during Boxing Day sales, and an “extra beauty treat” for people who reached a certain level of spending turned out to be a tote bag that transferred dye on to some people’s clothes.

Gemma Rasmussen, spokesperson for Consumer NZ, told RNZ’s The Panel she would not consider a tote bag to be a beauty treat.

“We think Mecca has potentially been a bit misleading and could have breached the Fair Trading Act as well,” she said.

She said Mecca shoppers tended to be “pretty dedicated”. “If you get an email saying spend more, a treat is coming, it’s hooking people in and pretty deceptive marketing.”

Bodo Lang, a marketing expert at Massey University, said reward schemes like Mecca’s could be a powerful driver of customer acquisition and long-term loyalty.

“Which is why so many major retailers invest heavily in them. Think Air New Zealand Airpoints, AA Smartfuel, or loyalty programmes from banks, credit card providers, New Zealand grocery retailers. Even local shops use them to secure a greater share of wallet.

“But when a rewards programme delivers a disappointing experience, especially one that violates basic consumer expectations, such as offering products manufactured more than a decade ago, it can harm brand trust and make shoppers think twice about returning. Trust is hard to build and easy to lose.”

But retail consultant Chris Wilkinson, of First Retail Group, said Mecca’s scheme was strong.

“Mecca’s scheme is a big draw for customers and the brand is well known and enjoyed for its rewards and giveaways – particularly younger consumers who are entering the world of cosmetics and fragrances.

“These schemes, like Farmers Beauty Club, are popular – especially as these products are expensive so any potential saving or ‘value add’ are sought after and often the tipping point in terms of making a purchase.

“Mecca’s scheme introduces new products and playfully encourages its customers to experiment with their beauty regimes – reflective of its predominantly younger audience.”

Wilkinson said its success was noticeable with an expansion of store numbers.

“In all other world markets category leader Sephora ‘owns’ this space, whereas in Australasia, Mecca dominates and Sephora has been retreating.”

He said the value of free gifts in the sector had been a contentious issue for a while.

“However the brand does have some pretty strong goodwill and a store experience that continues to evolve and engage – new stores, new products and ‘hot’ brands like Charlotte Tilbury, so I don’t think goodwill will too badly affected – maybe only till the next ‘freebie’ message arrives in customers inboxes.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A quarter of New Zealand’s peak electricity use could be shifted to times of lower demand, lowering household bills and saving up to $3 billion in infrastructure investment, a new report has found.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), which commissioned the analysis, said lower network costs from shifting demand should flow through to households and businesses.

Households had the most potential to shift their demand, but some industrial processes and manufacturing could also make changes with the right financial incentives, the report found.

New Zealand’s electricity demands will grow by 35 to 82 percent by 2050, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment estimated last year.

Upgrades to accommodate growing demand could cost tens of billions of dollars, EECA chief executive Marco Pelenur said.

The electricity network is built to handle peak demand, which only occurs a few times a day for short intervals. Spreading the power load could help to defer or avoid increasing demand capacity.

“This [analysis] shows we could save billions as a country just by moving when we use power.”

Rooftop solar and batteries could help shift household demand, but much lower-cost measures – that would also save households money – were also available.

That included Wi-Fi-enabled devices that could be retrofitted to most hot water cylinders and heat pumps for a few hundred dollars.

The devices, which are being trialled by EECA in hundreds of households at the moment, allow users to control appliances remotely, such as switching on a heat pump in the late afternoon before peak demand kicks in, so a house could already be warm when people arrive home.

“The early results from the pilots show households are saving on their bills right now – and that doesn’t include the system benefits of deferring network upgrades,” Pelenur said.

Peak demand savings would be even bigger if flexible energy use were enabled at scale, and people were paid directly for shifting electricity use off-peak, EECA said.

University of Auckland professor Nirmal Nair said demand-side flexibility, as proposed in the report, had been “widely touted”, but if households and other retail customers were being encouraged to change their usage, then what they were charged should be revisited.

“Expecting [retail customers] to invest in more technologies to give value to other upstream agents like electricity retailers and distribution companies appears unreasonable, if not unfair.”

Major electricity users surveyed as part of the report said continued production was their top priority, but many were open to more flexible electricity use if it did not disrupt production, or cost more money than it saved.

The report identified food processing in Bay of Plenty, Waikato and North Canterbury, farming in Canterbury and Waikato, and offices in the main centres as having significant potential.

That could be achieved with similar technology to households, such as battery installation and ‘smart load controllers’ to defer electricity usage to lower-demand periods, when it was possible to do so.

The report suggested a “robust reward system” to compensate industries for their participation. That could include direct payments, along with long-term energy cost reductions, it said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Pay-TV provider Sky has expanded its content partnership with US media giant Paramount.

Sky said the partnership would bring premium US drama, procedurals, kids and comedy content to Sky and its Neon streaming audiences.

“Paramount’s Yellowstone was a standout for Sky customers in FY25, and this partnership ensures we build on that success by securing the shows that matter most,” Sky chief executive Sophie Moloney said.

Moloney said the deal represented a “significant step” in its updated entertainment strategy, with data-driven focus on delivering content.

“We know what our customers watch and value, and we’re building on those insights to curate the content that resonates most with our audiences,” she said.

The deal came into effect immediately, and included exclusive access to shows from Showtime, Paramount + and CBS for New Zealand viewers.

Over the past year, Sky announced a number of major content deals, particularly in sports.

In October, it secured exclusive Olympic Games rights, and prior to that it extended its Formula 1 and NZ Rugby deals.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The government is spending $1.35 million to see how New Zealand’s expertise in quantum and photonic research can be used to create jobs, attract investment and grow a high-tech, high-value economy.

“It’s huge for New Zealand’s economy and for New Zealand’s future and productivity,” Advanced Technology Institute board member Professor Cather Simpson said, who is also a professor of physics and chemical sciences at Auckland University.

“These things (quantum technology and photonics) are on the verge of allowing us to do everything from diagnose cancer earlier and better, to even being able to predict earthquakes two weeks ahead of time, instead of 30 minutes to an hour.

“And that all comes from being able to measure things like time more precisely — to be able to link things together.”

The funding would be used over the next six months by recently established Institute for Advanced Technology to identify the best way to use New Zealand’s expertise to develop products for the second generation of quantum mechanics, known as Quantum 2.0.

Quantum 2.0

Quantum mechanics has been around for more than a hundred years and used to develop such things as transistors, the Internet, cellular phones and other photonic devices like lasers and sensors.

“And so in the lingo, that’s all called Quantum 1.0. Quantum 2.0 is what we’re on the verge of right now,” she said, adding New Zealand had a lot of theoretical and experimental expertise in the Quantum 2.0 space,” Simpson said.

“And that’s the whole purpose of this public research organisation.

“Quantum is one of the areas that we think has a tonne of potential, because we have this research strength.”

She said the research will look at what it would take to accelerate and apply that expertise.

“I should emphasise that we don’t just have expertise in that laser space. We have expertise in the kinds of cold, single atom types of research that are used to make these next generation clocks and measurements of time and behaviour that will lead us to say better earthquake detection.

“We are starting to see our first patents emerge from this space. And I think we’re right on the cusp of moving into the world economy here.

“And that all comes from being able to measure things like time more precisely. To be able to link things together.”

Quantum 2.0 was expected to see advances in computing, communications and sensing, and offered opportunities to solve complex problems and create secure information systems, advanced materials and ultra-precise measurement tools.

For example, in Australia, quantum gravimeters were recently used to detect subtle variations in the Earth’s gravitational field, leading to mineral discoveries valued at nearly $7 billion (A$6b).

Quantum sensors also made medical imaging much more precise to allow for more accurate surgery and help with the early detection of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealanders are booking more international trips than ever, with House of Travel reporting surging demand, shifting destination trends, and a rebound in corporate travel.

The agency said demand for 2026 is its strongest on record, with early bookings rising sharply as travellers lock in trips well ahead of time.

It said forward bookings for the year were at record levels – both in dollars spent and in the total number of travellers.

Chief operating officer Brent Thomas stressed that these trips were “two‑way,” meaning those travellers would return home afterwards.

Australia was the top destination, accounting for half of all bookings.

But Thomas said travel patterns were changing, with more people opting for Asia – where the weaker New Zealand dollar went further – and Europe.

Bookings to the United States had dropped, which he said was “mostly” due to the strong US dollar, making it more expensive to travel there.

Thomas said New Zealanders’ appetite for international travel remained remarkably resilient.

“They have a budget, so when the dollar is down slightly, they may say instead of going for 14 days, they’ll go for 11 – or, as we’re seeing, more are choosing Asia where the dollar goes a little bit further.”

Airlines continued to add flights into New Zealand, giving travellers more choice, which supported booking numbers, he noted.

Thomas said travellers were also booking more than just airfares – they were purchasing “everything” through the agency, including hotels, sightseeing, and cruises, which had grown strongly over the past decade.

Corporate travel rebounds ahead of 2026

Alongside growing holiday demand, House of Travel also saw a rebound in corporate travel – something Thomas described as an “economic canary in the coal mine”.

“Corporate travel is easy to switch off when things are down, but what we’re seeing going into 2026 is that corporates are definitely spending more,” he said.

Thomas said more business travellers were heading overseas, signalling increasing confidence in the economy as companies restarted face‑to‑face visits to reconnect with suppliers and customers.

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