Category: MIL-OSI

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Energy Sector – NZ energy professional selected for World Energy Council delegation

Source: BusinessNZ

New Zealand energy professional Esther Tomkinson has been selected to join the World Energy Council’s Future Energy Leaders Programme.
Esther Tomkinson is a Sustainability and Strategy Analyst at Mercury Energy and Co-Chair of the Young Energy Professionals Network of the BusinessNZ Energy Council.
The Future Energy Leaders Programme is a global network of young energy professionals who contribute to national, regional, and international activities aimed at solving the world’s most pressing energy and sustainability challenges.
Tina Schirr Executive Director of the BusinessNZ Energy Council said, “We are incredibly proud of Esther Tomkinson’s selection for the Future Energy Leaders Programme. Her dedication to sustainability and the local Future Energy Leaders Programme – YEPN – will be extremely valuable to the global and New Zealand energy community. This recognition also highlights the exceptional talent we have in New Zealand’s energy sector.”
The first opportunity to convene with future energy leaders from across the globe will be at the World Energy Week in Panama from 6-9 October 2025, followed by the World Energy Congress in Saudi Arabia from 26-29 October 2026.
Schirr says, “This year, 25 young energy professionals from 21 countries will join the Future Energy Leaders Programme, including Esther Tomkinson, the only New Zealand delegate.
“At the same time, we farewell two outstanding Kiwis from the Future Energy Leaders Programme, Emily Hilton, the HSEQ Manager at Hiringa Energy, and Mark Todoroff, Business Development Director at Yes Energy.”
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.
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Unions launch campaign to ban engineered stone – CTU

Source: New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has today launched a campaign to ban the import, supply, and use of engineered stone in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“We are urging the Government to do the right thing and save workers’ lives by banning engineered stone, an extremely dangerous product that causes the fatal lung disease silicosis”, said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.

“Engineered stone is the asbestos of our times. It is not an essential product and there are many safe alternatives already in the market.

“Silicosis is a debilitating disease that cannot be cured. The evidence is clear that the only solution is to stop workers from being required to process engineered stone, which exposes them to the dangerous silica dust.

“Brooke van Velden has the power to save workers’ lives. All she needs to do is follow Australia’s example and implement a total ban.

“There is broad support for this campaign. Last year the CTU joined with 18 other organisations, including public health experts and health and safety specialists, and called on the Minister to act.

“Aotearoa has a terrible record when it comes to work-associated deaths. The Government has the opportunity to help turn that around by banning engineered stone. It’s time they stepped up on behalf of Kiwi workers,” said Wagstaff.

The NZCTU have today launched a public petition calling on the Minister to implement a full ban on the import, supply, and use of engineered stone. https://link.nzctu.org.nz/click/RHWCpAYxy9dO.1IjInuH_AUC6.nqb8dQq_J8r/1S8E5I-Z/3s/www.together.org.nz/ban_engineered_stone

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Awards – Master Plumbers welcomes Cabinet approval of self-certification for plumbers and drainlayers

Source: Master Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers

Master Plumbers is pleased the Government is progressing with a self-certification scheme that makes plumbers accountable for their work, rather than relying on council inspectors.
“We have been advocating for years that plumbers and drainlayers should be able to self-certify, just as gasfitters – who are also plumbers in most instances – and electricians can,” Master Plumbers Chief Executive Greg Wallace says.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk announced today that the Government has agreed on a new self-certification scheme for plumbers and drainlayers allowing them to sign off on their own work.
The new scheme does come with some caveats: it will be opt-in and limited to plumbers and drainlayers carrying out work on simple residential dwellings. Trades that are currently able to self-certify are not required to opt-in or be restricted to a specific category of work.
“For plumbers and drainlayers to be competitive, we believe all of the industry should opt-in,” Mr Wallace says. “While the Minister has limited the scheme to simple residential dwellings, we hope this is the first phase and that, in future, it will expand to all work.”
“Ultimately, we want the same system as electricians and gasfitters, but we understand this may be a staged approach.”
Mr Wallace says there’s a common misconception that liability moves to Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) once an inspection has been completed. “The reality is that tradespeople are still accountable for their workmanship. Under the Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers Act, qualified plumbers and drainlayers are responsible for all work – including large-scale industry installations.”
Plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers are overseen by an independent regulatory board, the PGDB. Consumers can have confidence that certified plumbing professionals are highly skilled and their work completed to a professional standard. It takes seven years to obtain the qualification of a Certifying Plumber and two years for a Certifying Drainlayer.
In addition, Master Plumbers members are subject to a rigorous quality assurance process and carry a guarantee for their work.
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Master Plumbers welcomes Cabinet approval of self-certification for plumbers and drainlayers

Source: Master Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers

Master Plumbers is pleased the Government is progressing with a self-certification scheme that makes plumbers accountable for their work, rather than relying on council inspectors.
“We have been advocating for years that plumbers and drainlayers should be able to self-certify, just as gasfitters – who are also plumbers in most instances – and electricians can,” Master Plumbers Chief Executive Greg Wallace says.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk announced today that the Government has agreed on a new self-certification scheme for plumbers and drainlayers allowing them to sign off on their own work.
The new scheme does come with some caveats: it will be opt-in and limited to plumbers and drainlayers carrying out work on simple residential dwellings. Trades that are currently able to self-certify are not required to opt-in or be restricted to a specific category of work.
“For plumbers and drainlayers to be competitive, we believe all of the industry should opt-in,” Mr Wallace says. “While the Minister has limited the scheme to simple residential dwellings, we hope this is the first phase and that, in future, it will expand to all work.”
“Ultimately, we want the same system as electricians and gasfitters, but we understand this may be a staged approach.”
Mr Wallace says there’s a common misconception that liability moves to Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) once an inspection has been completed. “The reality is that tradespeople are still accountable for their workmanship. Under the Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers Act, qualified plumbers and drainlayers are responsible for all work – including large-scale industry installations.”
Plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers are overseen by an independent regulatory board, the PGDB. Consumers can have confidence that certified plumbing professionals are highly skilled and their work completed to a professional standard. It takes seven years to obtain the qualification of a Certifying Plumber and two years for a Certifying Drainlayer.
In addition, Master Plumbers members are subject to a rigorous quality assurance process and carry a guarantee for their work.
Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers NZ Inc (Master Plumbers) is the national membership organisation for plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying businesses, with 18 regional Associations and Branches across New Zealand. Companies go through a Quality Assurance programme in order to become a member. We provide members with a wide range of resources and training opportunities to support them in staying up with the latest technologies, products and compliance requirements. We advocate on behalf of our members and our industry.
Masterlink, a group training scheme owned by Master Plumbers, provides managed mentored apprenticeships across New Zealand, with Regional Managers supporting the apprentices and the businesses who host them during their training.
NZ Plumber is the award-winning, bi-monthly magazine for New Zealand’s plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers. It is owned by Master Plumbers.
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Health – Alcohol and mental health symposium at Parliament – 5 May 2025

Source: Alcohol Healthwatch

Alcohol Healthwatch are excited to be joining E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services, Takanga A Fohe, Le Va, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka | University of Otago, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, and the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD) deliver a symposium on alcohol and mental health.
This symposium will take place at the Grand Hall in Parliament, and aims to:
– Hear from and build on promising practice in prevention, early intervention, and research.
– Facilitate meaningful relationships supporting the collective goal of taking action on the intersection between alcohol and mental health challenges.
– Produce an attendee-informed consensus statement reflecting people’s experiences to guide future efforts in this space.
Boasting a 150 strong audience of health and policy professionals, mental health and alcohol NGOs and importantly, individuals bringing lived experience, the symposium will be an opportunity to identify key action areas for prevention and early intervention in this important area.
Hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand’s first-ever Minister for Mental Health, Hon. Matt Doocey, the time to act has never been better. We will be bringing a range of people together including those with lived experience, young people, professionals, and community champions from the wide range of sectors impacted by alcohol and mental health challenges.
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ANZAC Day – Governor-General’s Anzac Day Dawn Service Address

Source: Government House

MEDIA RELEASE – EMBARGOED until 6.15am FRIDAY 25 April
The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO
Governor-General of New Zealand
Anzac Day Dawn Service Address 2025
Auckland War Memorial Museum
Takiri ko te ata, haehaetia te pō
E koro mā i te pō!
Nga Toa a Tūmatauenga!
Ngā Toa a Ranginui
Ngā toa a Tangaroa
Hoki wairua mai, ki runga i ō koutou marae
Ki o koutou maunga karangaranga.
E okioki mai nā i nga taumata, nga kahurangi
Tirohia mai ra ki ō koutou uri
E hāpai nei i ngā kupu ōhākī
Tangihia, mihia nga aitua
Huihuia mai ki tēnei marae
Te hunga ora
Tēnā koutou
Tēnā koutou
Tēnā tātou katoa
I specifically acknowledge:
The Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister
Brad Williams, Consul General for the Commonwealth of Australia
Air Vice Marshal Darryn Webb, Chief of Air Force
His Worship Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland
Frédéric Leturque, Mayor of Arras, France
Sir Wayne Shelford, National President of the RNZRSA
Sir Graham Lowe, Patron of the Auckland RSA
Graham Gibson, President of the Auckland RSA
Brad Hodgson, Auckland RSA
Dr David Reeves, Chief Executive of the Auckland War Memorial Museum
Mr Keutekarakia Mataroa, Dean of the Auckland Consular Corps
A special welcome to people who have served – or are currently serving in our Defence Force.
This Anzac Day marks 110 years since the Gallipoli landings by soldiers in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – the ANZACS. It signalled the beginning of a campaign that was to take the lives of so many of our young men – and would devastate the communities they left behind at home. One year later, in 1916, grieving New Zealanders gathered to express their sorrow at the first Anzac Day commemoration.
Today, in our towns, cities and hamlets across the length and breadth of Aotearoa – your comrades have gathered in the chill light of dawn, alongside their families and communities, to commemorate Anzac Day.
This morning, your thoughts may be turning to your experience of military service – and to those who are missing from among your ranks.
It’s an honour to join you and the people of Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, at our nation’s preeminent site of remembrance – to show our aroha and respect for the many hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders in our history who have answered the call to arms – and to express our deep sorrow for those who never returned from the field of battle, or who subsequently died of their wounds.
This year we mark another significant anniversary in our nation’s military history. Eighty years ago, after nearly six long years, the Second World War finally came to an end. An astonishing 140,000 New Zealanders had served in the European, North African and the Pacific theatres of war, and almost 12,000 lost their lives as a result of their war service. Around one third of those casualties were from Auckland.
Once again, our families and communities experienced the terrible pain of sacrifice and loss, and the impacts of that trauma lingered for generations.
Eighty years ago, New Zealanders also played a role in establishing the United Nations, which many people fervently hoped would ensure that the horrors of the First and Second World Wars could never be repeated.
In the years since, conflict on that scale has indeed been avoided, but securing peaceful resolution to geopolitical tensions has remained elusive.
New Zealand has regularly been called upon to support our allies – from the Korean War in the 1950s – through to the conflict in Afghanistan in the 2000s. Our service personnel have also served in many peace-keeping operations around the globe, and frequently assist people in need in the aftermath of natural disasters – both here in Aotearoa, and in the Pacific.
To those of you who are currently serving in our Defence Force, I sincerely thank you, on behalf of your fellow citizens. We recognise that your lives, and the lives of your families are affected by the demands of military service – and we salute your courage and readiness to serve in support of collective security efforts with our allies.
This Anzac Day – when we reflect on the sobering realities of war, and the current state of the world, we see the ideals embodied in the United Nations being routinely ignored, and coercive power being used to threaten human rights and the territorial sovereignty of others.
In these volatile and uncertain times – New Zealand continues to subscribe to the ideal of peaceful resolution of geopolitical tensions – while also acknowledging the role our nation’s defence personnel have played – and will continue to play in defending freedom, justice and the rule of law.
In this way, they contribute to efforts to maintain and extend the blessings of peace, security and stability in the world.
On this Anzac Day, and the Anzac Days to come, we remain committed to honour their service.
Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou.
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First Responders – Auckland Hillside Road recycling plant fire update #4

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire crews are today back working at the large fire which started at a recycling plant on Hillside Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland around 5.30pm last night.
Assistant Commander James Hall say three fire trucks and two ladder trucks are working with two diggers to open up the structure to fully extinguish the fire.
“While there are small flare ups, there is no significant smoke and the lithium-ion batteries involved in the fire are no longer a hazard,” he says.
“The emergency message alert advising people to stay inside was lifted during the night.
“Crews continue to monitor the fire and an investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is underway.
“Crews are expected to remain at the scene until later this afternoon.”
This is the final update.
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Insurance Council – 20% of Kiwis switch insurance providers

Source: Insurance Council of NZ

One in five New Zealanders have switched insurance providers in the last two years, according to a new survey.
Commissioned by the Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ), the survey found 20% of respondents had switched providers in the past couple of years, rising to 34% in the last five years. That compares with 32% who reported they had never switched.
About 21% of those surveyed will routinely shop around when their cover comes up for renewal, compared to 25% who never shop around.
“The survey shows that a relatively low number of New Zealanders consider switching their insurance provider,” ICNZ chief executive Kris Faafoi said.
“We know this is a difficult time for New Zealanders dealing with the cost-of-living and we would encourage people to check out their insurance options.
“Insurance premiums have been affected by a number of factors, some of which are out of our control such as the rising cost of extreme weather events and taxes and levies. Some of those pressures are easing and we are seeing that flow through into premium levels.”
Younger people are more likely to have recently switched, while older people were less likely. Those who have switched in the last 2-5 years were more likely to have been Wellington residents and those on a household income of between $50,000-$100,000.
Over half of those insured have been in contact with their insurance provider about their cover over the past two years, outside of making a claim. Some 16 percent had never contacted their insurer.
“Insurers are looking at ways to help their customers manage their cover to protect themselves as cost effectively as possible and keep insurance affordable and assessable. That includes considering their excess levels or other policy settings. People should take the opportunity to contact their insurer and see what’s available,” Kris Faafoi said.
“People should also consider shopping around and see what deals are out there. The survey indicates only a fifth routinely shop around compared with a quarter than never do.”
Some 41% of respondents said they regularly read their policy wording when updating their insurance. Some 8% never read the policy wording.
“We are encouraged by the number of people reading their policy wording and we’d like to see that rise further. It’s important to know that you are adequately covered and also to know what is not included in your coverage. For example, most house insurance only covers sudden damage, not gradual damage. If you are unsure at all, contact your insurance provider for advice.
“Kiwi’s value the protection that insurance offers to keep themselves and their property safe when the unexpected happens and that’s reflected in the comparatively high level of coverage in New Zealand compared with other countries.
“Keeping in touch with your insurance provider and checking your options regularly can help ensure you have the right level of insurance and piece of mind,” Kris Faafoi said.
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UNERASED: The Palestine Experience — A New Exhibition Opening in Auckland

Source: The Palestine Forum of New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand – The Palestine Forum of New Zealand is proud to announce the opening of UNERASED: The Palestine Experience, an evocative and timely exhibition centering Palestinian stories of memory, resilience, and cultural identity.

The exhibition opens to the public on Friday, May 2, 2025, at 6:00 PM at 250 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011, and runs until May 17, 2025.

UNERASED brings together visual art, photography, soundscapes, and personal testimonies to offer visitors an immersive experience of Palestinian history and contemporary life. It shines a light on narratives too often silenced, while celebrating the enduring spirit and culture of the Palestinian people.

“This exhibition is not just about memory—it’s about dignity, survival, and the refusal to be erased,” says Maher Nazzal, organiser and spokesperson for the Palestine Forum of New Zealand. “It invites all New Zealanders to bear witness, reflect, and stand in solidarity.”

The exhibition is open to the public with free entry. Schools, community groups, and organisations are warmly encouraged to arrange visits. Guided tours and discussions are available upon request.

Opening Night Details:
Date: Friday, May 2, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM
Venue: 250 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011

Exhibition Dates: May 3 – 17, 2025
Opening Hours: 12 PM – 7 PM

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Fire Safety – All of Hawke’s Bay now in open fire season

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand will revoke the restricted fire season in all of Hawke’s Bay at 12pm (midday) on Monday 28 April, until further notice.
This means permits approved by Fire and Emergency are no longer needed for open air fires across the whole district.
The areas this change applies to are: Esk-Tutaekuri, Ahuriri-Heretaunga, Tukituki West, Tukituki East, Southern Hawkes Bay Coast, Pōrangahau, Pahiatua, Eketāhuna, and Tararua East, West, Central and South.
Wairoa Coastal, Wairoa Inland, and Te Haroto areas are already in an open fire season.
Hawke’s Bay District Manager Glen Varcoe says due to the cooler autumn weather, the fire risk in the district has now reduced.
“I’d like to thank the people of Hawke’s Bay for their vigilance during the fire season, and for applying for fire permits properly while outdoor fires were restricted over summer,” he says.
“Although much of our district is still dry, the damper conditions have helped our firefighters to extinguish the smaller vegetation fires we’re still getting.
“We’ve had five fires in the last 10 days, so please continue to keep your fires small, stay with them, and ensure they are fully out over the following days and weeks.
“We do still ask people to take care when lighting any fires. Always check the requirements for your location on checkitsalright.nz, and check out the great safety advice before you light your fire.”