Category: Politics

Source: Radio New Zealand

The ACT Party wants children to be able to hop on any passing school bus as long as there’s space onboard.

Under existing rules, students can use the free bus transport only if they attend the nearest school they can enrol at. They must also live more than 3.2km from their primary school or intermediate or more than 4.8km from their high school.

ACT MP Andrew Hoggard said some families in rural areas were “burning fuel” driving their children to school despite the bus on the road in front of them having empty seats.

“Fuel isn’t cheap, time isn’t free, and rural families have better things to be doing than running a second transport system because of a Wellington rulebook.”

Hoggard said the existing settings were out of step with the realities of rural living, where families chose schools for all sorts of reasons beyond location.

“The bus is already running. The seat is already paid for. Let the kid on. We should be using what we’ve already got, not making families pay taxes for a bus that leaves their kid stranded.”

If the routes filled up and extra buses were required, the Education Ministry could fund them out of its existing budget, Hoggard said.

“It doesn’t need another review or working group. It just needs a bit of common sense,” he said.

“We want diesel in tractors, not wasted on school runs that shouldn’t be needed.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Analysis – Christopher Luxon will leave Singapore on Tuesday evening reassured fuel will continue to flow to New Zealand shores, but painfully aware of the trouble brewing on the horizon.

There was a stark warning from his counterpart, Lawrence Wong, at the prime ministers’ joint press conference on Monday.

Singapore’s refineries have adjusted and adapted to the new world of limited supply through the Strait of Hormuz, but Wong was clear that even when it reopens it could be another six months of pain before things correct themselves.

Wong outlined that not only has infrastructure been destroyed in the Middle East, which will slow up any reboot once freedom of navigation resumes, but ships will want assurances that they’re safe from drones and any potential attacks.

That assurance won’t happen overnight, and it could take time for shipping companies to test the waters and perhaps even wait to see others be guinea pig first, before venturing into the Strait themselves.

Wong says his base case is that supply coming through the Strait of Hormuz “remains limited for quite a prolonged period of time, at least to the end of the year, perhaps even beyond”.

Luxon has also shifted his tone recently, upping the rhetoric about how New Zealanders must be feeling about the ongoing fuel crisis, while also trying to reassure people there’s nothing to worry about.

In Singapore that language escalated to a comment that New Zealanders watching the news are “seeing the world literally on fire”.

“You’re seeing it in the conflict, and you’re seeing the rules-based system that we used to uphold being sort of upended, and that comes with huge amounts of anxiety and worry and concern.”

The new intelligence Luxon and his fuel and finance minister Nicola Willis collected in Singapore from the big five energy companies was that although the feedstock they’re getting is different and requires adaption at their refineries, they’re still able to meet “the needs of all their customers”.

The assurance Luxon and Willis received was that things will get bumpier over time but there’s no risk to supply currently and into the next few months.

Willis added that she was impressed by how “front of mind” New Zealand is for these Singapore-based refineries.

“Exxon Mobil was very conscious they’re supplying fuel that helps our transport system operate, helps our economy operate, and they’re very conscious of the agreement between our two governments.”

That agreement on essential supplies continuing to flow during times of crisis was officially signed by the trade ministers on Monday.

It’s a world-first and already other countries are looking to the deal as an opportunity to secure some of their own guarantees.

Luxon’s sense is that other southeast Asian nations will probably be first cabs off the rank for something similar, which both New Zealand and Singapore are very open to.

Wong says he welcomes other countries joining what is a new and innovative approach to trade.

“If they’re able to meet the same standards then it will start to expand a network of trusted partners who can provide similar assurances to one another.”

Luxon added to that saying, “if you can meet the standard and are prepared to back each other, have each other’s backs in the way that we’ve modelled that out, we would welcome that as well”.

It’s a new world order of sorts – small trading nations taking the inward-looking approach of some bigger economies and flipping it to say, keeping the doors open can provide more security rather than less.

And while together Singapore and New Zealand’s population of about 11 million has nothing on the likes of India, with a population of close to 1.5 billion, the little guys are making a splash in the world.

It was just last week that Trade Minister Todd McClay and many of the travelling business delegation were in New Delhi putting the ink on a free trade agreement that many thought was a pipedream just a few years ago.

The Middle East conflict has no real end point in sight and economies the world over are feeling the consequences of that.

The shining light at the end of the tunnel could end up being the trade agreements and business connections playing out in the background of a punishing and enduring fuel crisis.

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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 powerhouse business delegation attending the inaugural NZ-Singapore leaders’ forum has been sent a clear message from their prime ministers: get creative about how to trade more and do deals in an increasingly volatile world.

It’s the first event in the whistlestop 48-hour tour of Singapore, which began with prime ministers Christopher Luxon and Lawrence Wong having a private dinner at the Fullerton Hotel on Sunday evening.

The forum is a similar format to that of New Zealand and Australia’s and speaks to the closeness of the relationship with Singapore that the southeast Asian nation was keen to follow suit.

Of all the countries New Zealand has treaties and trade agreements with, it is Singapore that the most have been signed with in the 60 years of formal ties between the two nations.

While the forum is very much business lead, the two prime ministers attended the opening session on Monday afternoon NZT ahead of their own bilateral and signing of the essential supplies’ treaty.

That first-of-its-kind deal was born last October when the two leaders met in New Zealand to update the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Four months later when the United States and Israel struck Iran and fuel prices soared, the deal that ensures the safe and secure passage of goods during a crisis sprung to life.

While it’s being officially signed on Monday, it has already verbally been in place as the fuel crisis has worsened since February, ensuring New Zealand would continue to have access to fuel stocks and in return Singapore had a safety net for food supplies.

Speaking to industry leaders on Monday, Luxon painted a picture of the world business is now done in.

“If economics was the primary language of international relations, we’re now in a world where security dominates many of our leader conversations interdependence.

“The source of so much of our economic growth is being weaponised, whether when countries exploit supply chains through economic coercion or when they interfere with the cables and pipelines that stitch our economics together, that same interdependence allows far away conflicts to ricochet into our societies, and we’ve just seen that in the past few weeks,” Luxon said.

“Military strikes in Iran translate very quickly into back pocket pain for Kiwis and Singaporeans.”

Luxon spoke of the “unique powers” countries like Singapore and New Zealand have, and the ability to come together and build, defend, adapt, and reform the world-based order.

The essential supplies agreement being signed is a rare example of countries looking to each other for help, rather than turning inward.

It’s caught the attention of other like-minded countries who are now discussing the possibilities for signing similar deals to give some confidence and security during times of crisis.

“It’s a deal that demonstrates that New Zealand and Singapore have each other’s backs. We don’t just talk about the problems of the day, we work together, and we come up with the practical and creative solutions to solve them,” Luxon said.

Both Luxon and Wong, when addressing the room of business leaders, encouraged them to be creative and innovative and bring ideas back to government so the leaders can find ways to break down barriers to allow business to do more between the two countries.

“We look forward to hearing some bold and practical and actionable recommendations. And once you come up with those nuggets, I promise you both our governments will take those ideas incredibly seriously,” Luxon said.

Likewise, Wong in his remarks encouraged the business leaders to spend the day getting to know each other to the point they “have one another’s phone numbers on speed dial” at the end of it so when an issue pops up, they can solve it together.

He said there’s no guarantee in this new world that markets will “function as before” and that means diversifying and trading more, especially with close partners like New Zealand.

“We are now dealing with disruption from the Middle East crisis, and these episodes remind us that perhaps such shocks are no longer one-off. They are becoming part of the new normal in our business environment.”

Wong said the business forum was an opportunity to deliver “concrete practical solutions that will strengthen our partnership further”.

“I hope you use it well to build relationships, exchange ideas, and start partnerships that will take our cooperation further in this changed world, we cannot afford to stand still,” he 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

Explainer – Could government planning reforms lead to more development in the Waitākere Ranges? Here’s why locals are concerned.

The Waitākere Ranges are one of the jewels of Auckland, encompassing thousands of hectares of dense coastal forest hills and beaches.

But many in the community are concerned that the impending replacement of the Resource Management Act (RMA) may loosen longstanding protections for the area.

“You can’t have growth at all costs,” said Waitākere Ranges Local Board deputy chair Greg Presland, who has organised a petition to amend the RMA reform legislation currently before a parliamentary select committee.

Here’s what the debate is about.

Why are people concerned?

The Waitākere Ranges cover about 27,000ha of public and private land nestled in the hills, foothills and coast around West Auckland, including the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park which takes up about 60 percent of the land. Its borders include communities like Titirangi, Piha, Laingholm, Oratia and Karekare and it’s a home to threatened kauri trees.

It’s a place people are passionate about, and a variety of groups including Forest & Bird, Environmental Defence Society, The Tree Council, the Waitākere Ranges Protection Society and others are wanting to ensure the ranges are explicitly protected in RMA reforms.

In 2008, the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act was put into place. It’s meant to address concerns about the effect of development and preserve the natural character and cultural heritage of the area. That legislation cross-references the soon to be replaced 1991 Resource Management Act – which also specifically mentions the Waitākere Act and the similar Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000.

But neither one of those acts is referred to in the replacement Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill, which Presland has written “would render large parts of the Heritage Area Act meaningless”.

The Planning Bill will lay out how land can be used and developed including planning for housing growth, while the Natural Environment Bill will lay out the rules for managing the use of natural resources and protecting the environment.

Without the Heritage Area Act being specifically mentioned in the new legislation, many Waitākere locals and groups are concerned it could lead to creeping changes.

In its submission to Parliament, the Waitākere Ranges Local Board said leaving the Waitākere Ranges outside of the RMA reform “would strip consent processes, Regional Spatial Plans and Land Use Plans of their duty to protect the ranges”.

“In short: the ranges could be weakened by a thousand cuts. Subdivision of the ranges would be more likely and decision makers would not have to have as one of their guiding principles the protection of the ranges.”

A petition to Parliament Presland started, ‘Save the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area’, had nearly hit its goal of 6000 signatures as of Monday.

“My impression is that the vast majority appreciate and support the Heritage Act,” he said.

“I live in the area and want it protected,” one person wrote in signing the petition, while another said, “I want future generations to be able to feel that same connection and find the same peace of mind in the Waitākeres: it is a good antidote to the madness of the modern world!”

Around 150 people also turned up at a recent local community meeting about the issue, Presland said.

Sir Bob Harvey, a former mayor of Waitākere City, told that meeting, “I never believed we would have to save the Waitākere Ranges all over again.”

Presland said the exclusion of the ranges from the proposed legislation may not be intentional, but the response indicates how important the ranges are seen to many in Auckland.

“I think [it’s an] omission – the government doesn’t have enough people working on these particular reforms. But it’s crazy that it’s got this far without it being addressed.”

What does the government say?

The gist so far from the government is that they’re aware of the concerns and will consider it as the legislation progresses.

In official transcriptions of Question Time in Parliament last week, Housing and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop, who is also the minister responsible for RMA reform, acknowledged the 2008 act.

“To maintain the intent of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act under the new planning system, consequential amendments will be needed, and the Environment Committee will be considering that as part of its scrutiny of the bills,” he said.

Bishop said “around 100” consequential amendments would be required for the RMA reforms legislation.

“It’s not just about the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act, it’s about 100 other pieces of legislation that require consequential amendments, which the select committee will be considering.”

Presland said, “They’ve acknowledged there’s a problem,” and said the public campaign has drawn a lot of engagement.

“I’ve heard that their email boxes have been filled up,” he said of ministers and MPs.

Te Pāti Māori MP for Tāmaki Makaurau Oriiini Kaipara asked Bishop during Question Time, “What assurances, if any, can he give to the people of Tāmaki Makaurau that his RMA reforms will not impact the protection of the Waitākere Ranges?”

Kaipara referred to “strong opposition from local communities and mana whenua” and pushed Bishop to answer “what specific safeguards, if any, will remain to prevent irreversible environmental degradation” in the ranges.

Bishop referred to previous discussion on the legislation and responded to Kaipara, “If she was listening, she would find out that that’s not what I’m doing.”

What about property owners and their rights?

“When this act was designed, we had this basic mantra was people could keep their existing rights,” Presland said.

However, Auckland councillor for Waitākere Ward Ken Turner wrote on social media recently that while he does support the RMA reforms specifically including references to the Heritage Act, he also believed it is currently difficult for some locals to make changes to their private properties and called for more relief support for homeowners.

“Is the protection of the Waitākere Ranges under threat because of changes to the RMA,” he wrote. “No! Because it is not the rules and regulations of a few politicians and bureaucrats that protect the Waitākere Ranges. It is the respect and effort of the many Aucklanders who love, live in, and visit the area.”

Turner wrote that he supports establishing a regulatory relief process – which the government defined by saying, “A council must provide for regulatory relief when a proposed plan includes certain kinds of rules that are likely to significantly impact a landowner’s reasonable use of their land.”

That compensation could include things like cash payouts, rates relief, bonus development rights, land swaps or other methods.

Turner described “a complex tension between ‘character’ and ‘use’ across the 10,500 hectares of private land within the heritage area”. He said that some rules have been set aside for public projects such as the estimated $1 billion-plus expansion of the Huia Water Treatment Plant or trail walkways and infrastructure in the area.

“For local people, who are the backbone of Waitākere Ranges protection, undertaking even the smallest types of improvements to their private properties, like building a deck or adding extra car parking space, comes with consenting processes and costs designed to prohibit,” Turner wrote.

During the Question Time in Parliament, ACT leader David Seymour asked if the changes would permit long-awaited developments for some locals.

“Is there any chance that these changes might allow families with a horse paddock in Henderson, where they’ve been trying to build homes for decades, to actually provide those homes that would do a lot more for mana whenua and many others complaining than any of the carping we’ve heard in this question so far?”

But Presland called the idea of introducing regulatory relief a “significant concern”.

“Most of the Heritage Area is covered by a significant ecological area overlay and if compensation was demanded by landowners this would be a significant liability on the part of council.

“As a concept it is retrograde and would lessen the action that council could take to protect the environment. It suggests that financial considerations could top environmental considerations and it ignores the collective benefit that a healthy environment provides us all.”

How does current legislation protect the ranges?

The 2008 act came into place at the request of the former Waitākere City Council and “puts in place a number of measures to ensure that the core nature of the area is protected”.

Under the act, monitoring reports are issued every five years on the state of the heritage area’s environment.

“It’s been indicating that it’s been working as planned,” Presland said. “I think there’s been 700 or 800 new dwellings in the area since the act started, so it’s progressing as practical.”

Last year, the Waitākere Ranges Deed of Acknowledgement was also signed, which “gives practical effect” to the rights of tangata whenua laid out in the 2008 legislation.

That deed aims to create a framework for closer collaboration between Te Kawerau ā Maki, Auckland Council, the Department of Conservation and local communities, although it was also criticised by NZ First’s Shane Jones and ACT leader David Seymour who had concerns over “co-governance”.

Are there broader fears for the Waitākere Ranges and development?

“The heritage area fulfils a number of functions,” Presland said.

It’s also a major water catchment area with five large water supply dams. “We get 17 percent of the city’s water from it,” he said.

It was also hit hard by the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend flooding, Cyclone Gabrielle and other recent storms, with roads destroyed and many homes damaged or lost in landslips.

“Titirangi, you can see after the last storm, it’s very fragile. There’s a real practical reason to stop further development here.”

Presland said he has heard a lot of concern about possible “boundary creep” into the heritage area.

“The boundary is the place where the biggest issues are. You hold that line or if you don’t hold that line it’s just going to keep happening and it’s death by a thousand cuts.”

Presland said there is a benefit to the entire community for landowners to keep their properties forested and in good health.

“A landowner may insist on their right to cut down trees but this may affect the stability of neighbouring properties let alone their own. This is one of the primary reasons why the significant ecological area overlay was established.

“To require council to pay compensation in a situation where protection needs to be enhanced could have a direct effect on neighbours and communities.

“Protecting the environment is not only preserving a nice to have. It is ensuring that people in communities do not have their local areas degraded.”

Auckland has been grappling with housing intensification plans which would add more than a million homes in the next 30 years. Presland said those plans should focus on central suburbs like nearby Glen Eden.

“We’ve seen significant intensification around Glen Eden for instance. If you want a compact city that’s growing, that’s the way you do it. …You intensify around the rail stations and you protect your countryside.”

Presland also expressed concern that the new legislation would give too much power to the minister responsible.

Clause 204 of the Planning Bill notes that ,”The Minister may direct a local authority to take any action that the Minister considers necessary to achieve an outcome specified by the Minister in the direction.”

“From what I can see there is no comparable RMA power,” Presland wrote in the local board’s submission on the bill. “The level of ministerial power is on the face of it is extreme and the local board does not understand the justification for this power.”

“We never anticipated a minister would have that sort of power when the act was designed,” Presland told RNZ.

During his remarks in Parliament last week, Bishop said he has seen a lot of feedback on the Waitākere Ranges.

“It is true that I have had a number of emails around the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act seeking that it be entrenched in law,” Bishop said.

“I’ve also had emails from people who actually live there who wish to do simple things with their property, like subdivide to put another house on, who find themselves unable to do that.”

In her remarks in Parliament last week, Kaipara asked Bishop whether he would accept any responsibility for “irreversible damage” to the ranges if protections are weakened.

Bishop responded by saying the overall RMA reforms would create “the prosperity that we have been denied as a country because of the straightjacket of the RMA.”

“If the government’s planning reforms work as intended, I will take responsibility for the abundant development opportunities that will land in this country.”

What’s next?

The select committee’s report is due to be presented on 26 June. The next step is a second reading of the bill and possible further amendments could then be considered.

Presland said the community response shows the keen interest in the future of the Waitākere Ranges.

“I’ve been really impressed, actually. People have shared the hell out of the petition on social media and everyone’s talking about it.”

Presland said the completed petition would be presented soon, and other meetings are also scheduled with ministers.

“We’re trying to figure out the optimal time. So the select committee are going through reviews now, probably next week or two is the optimal time to present it to them.”

In the House last week, Bishop maintained that the select committee will consider all possible amendments before the legislation moves forward.

“What’s important is that the select committee … work its way through that, consider the consequential amendments made, and I look forward to the report back to the House.”

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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 leaked report completed for the TAB NZ by racing insiders says the horse racing industry is “unsustainable” without further tax breaks.

It also recommends allowing TAB NZ to run online casinos, shifting the cost of the industry’s integrity board to the government and making structural changes including consolidating property ownership and management.

Winston Peters is currently the Minister for Racing and the report will eventually be considered by him. He is also the leader of NZ First.

The TAB advisory committee responsible for writing the report was chaired by Sir Peter Vela. Other members of the committee include Sir Brendan Lindsay, Mark Chittick, Greg Tomlinson, Ken Breckon, Chris Waller and Steve Thompson.

Both Vela and Lindsay are donors to NZ First. In 2023, they each donated $65,000 to the party. So far in 2026 Vela has donated $150,000 to NZ First and Lindsay and his wife Jocelyn $100,000. NZ First also received another $50,000 from businesses associated with racing industry player Nelson Schick, who was not on the committee.

During an election year, donations over $20,000 must be declared within 20 days of receipt. In total, $300,000 of NZ First’s $475,000 received to date has been associated with the racing industry. NZ First has, so far, declared the second highest amount of donations of any political party in 2026.

‘Loops of decay’ in racing industry

The racing industry report warned there was a structural deficit of more than $50 million per year and cash reserves would be exhausted at the end of the 2027/28 racing season if there was no further support.

The two main issues contributing to “loops of decay” in the industry were fewer foals and races being frequently cancelled due to poor race track conditions.

There are 500 fewer breeders than there were in 2015 and foal numbers have reduced 22 percent in the past ten years.

Adding to woes were administrative costs of $91m a year, which the report recommended slashing by consolidating the boards of horse and harness racing into one entity.

The report said horse racing’s participants and audience were “ageing” with weak youth engagement, which impacts the number of bets made.

Vela’s U-turn on report request

A leaked letter accompanying the report written by chair Vela said the report was requested by Minister for Racing Winston Peters. The committee had a 90 minute meeting with the minister in February, just weeks before the report was completed.

A spokesperson for Peters said that he had not commissioned the report and that it was an initiative of TAB NZ’s committee.

When contacted by RNZ, Vela said he must have got that fact wrong in his letter.

Without changes outlined in the report being made Vela said the racing industry would be in a very difficult place in the future.

He did not believe his donation would impact the likelihood of the report’s recommendations being adopted.

He said he donated to political parties, “because that’s the way democracy works in our country.”

NZ First party secretary Holly Howard said donations to the party are dealt with by party officials, not ministers or MPs.

“The party is not privy to the work done in ministerial offices. The party has no awareness of the report you’re referring to,” said Howard.

RNZ was told the report is currently with the Department of Internal Affairs for analysis before officials report back to the minister.

A history of concessions

The report describes its recommendations as tax “changes”. But Victoria University of Wellington’s tax specialist Lisa Marriott said some of the recommendations were “absolutely” tax breaks.

These included faster depreciation for brood mares and yearlings, and 100 percent deductibility for New Zealand-bred yearling purchases, which Marriott described as “straight out concessions”.

“As an industry, they’ve had so much by way of privileged treatment and concessions decade after decade.”

Unlike Lotto or pokies, which return all or some of the profits to the community, racing was allowed to return profits to itself.

“I just wonder how much more resource governments are prepared to put into the sector, which does harm.”

Taxpayers have come to the rescue of the industry previously, with a $50m bailout package in 2020, including $26m to pay its outstanding supplier bills. Prior to that it received tax reductions in 2018 related to the purchase of “high quality” horses.

A deal with offshore betting giant Entain threw the industry a lifeline in 2023. The agreement contracted out TAB NZ’s monopoly status to Entain in return for five years of guaranteed minimum payouts. These come to an end in 2028 and it’s expected the money made from the 50/50 split of gross betting revenue would be far lower.

Other tax-related recommendations in the report included standard valuation of $2500 for homebred foals, default pass-through GST treatment for breeding co-ownerships, and to allow groups of up to 15 to own a horse while being exempt from Financial Markets Control Act, an increase from the current five owners currently exempted.

The report said these changes, along with its other recommendations would “unlock industry growth” and ensure the industry continues to remain a high-value export sector.

Spending by the horse racing industry contributed $1.38b to the economy in 2022/23, but the industry is estimated to create $1.87b when considering other factors, such as the number of people it directly and indirectly employs.

On track to become ‘a cottage industry’

Industry veteran Brian de Lore said the days of “rugby, racing and beer” were over for New Zealand. In ten years time he thinks racing will be a cottage industry.

He’s written for and edited Racetrack magazine, managed and owned bloodstock businesses, and more recently written a book on New Zealand’s horse breeding families.

He questioned the industry’s sustainability.

“It’s running out of horses and its costs are too high. There’s a general feeling amongst the public that racing’s becoming a little bit redundant and we’re not getting the crowds that we used to.”

Some of the suggestions in the report would go some way to helping the industry, but he called the tax recommendations “ridiculous”.

“The cost of breeding horses is so high today that just offering a tax incentive to try and turn around the foal crop diminishing … well, it’s just not going to happen.”

The report’s five recommendations:

• Unify racing governance under a single accountable body with clear responsibility for strategy, funding, calendar and marketing.
• Create a Strategic Property Vehicle to unlock and deploy racing industry capital across a rationalised venue network.
• Modernise tax and regulatory settings for breeding investment to address the foal-crop shock and rebuild supply
• Transfer Racing Integrity Board funding to central Government appropriation to remove conflicts of interest and protect social licence.
• Modernise TAB NZ’s legislative settings for revenue diversification so it can compete fairly, recapture offshore leakage and sustain funding beyond the Entain guarantee.

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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 peace activist is urging the New Zealand government to reject a US proposal to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The shipping route has been largely blocked by Iran since February, causing the price of oil to soar.

Peace Action Wellington spokesperson Valerie Morse feared New Zealand’s involvement would be an endorsement of the conflict.

“We are of the view that the responsibility for the situation sits squarely with the United States and Israel,” she said.

“Their illegal and unprovoked war was the catalyst for the situation, and an end to the war is what will resolve the situation.”

A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand had received “initial and preliminary information”.

“We are in the process of asking questions and seeking more information about this preliminary proposal.

“Accordingly, we are not close to a point where the New Zealand government would be making any decisions about it.”

Morse urged the government to condemn the Iran war, to give New Zealand confidence that it would not get involved.

“We have not heard an unequivocal statement from the New Zealand government making it clear that this is an illegal war.

“Until we hear that, I don’t have any confidence, and I don’t think many people have any confidence, that New Zealand is not going to sign up for some further US military engagement.”

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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 wife of one of the New Zealanders in the flotilla intercepted by Israel in international waters says he has a concussion and possible broken rib.

Jay O’Connor, Mousa Taher, Julien Blondel and Sean Janssen were among almost 180 people who had disembarked on the Greek island of Crete.

Flotilla organisers said they were illegally abducted after Israel boarded, disabled and destroyed boats in the flotilla headed for Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry had called organisers “professional provocateurs” and said it would not allow “the breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.

Greece said 31 people of the 176 people who disembarked at a port in Crete were transferred for first aid.

O’Connor’s wife, Chrissy O’Connor, had not yet been able to speak with him.

“I’ve received some messages from him and he sent through a recorded voice message, so I’ve heard his voice and I’ve seen a photo,” she said.

“So that’s a huge relief… so I know some things but still waiting to be able to speak with him properly,” O’Connor added.

“It’s better than not knowing, at least I know he’s off the boat, he’s safe even if he’s a bit roughed up.”

O’Connor said she did not know for sure how her husband was but that he had a concussion and potentially a broken rib.

“That’s just from the brief message I had from him, I don’t know what the outcome of medical assessment was at the moment.”

Jay O’Connor had not yet shared details of how he was injured, his wife said.

Reuters reported two activists, identified as Saif Abu Keshek – a Spanish national of Palestinian origin and Brazilian Thiago Avila had been detained.

The Spanish and Brazilian governments issued a joint statement calling Israel’s action blatantly illegal and outside its jurisdiction, Reuters said.

Israel said Abu Keshek was suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organisation and Avila of illegal activity, and both would be taken to Israel for questioning.

Chrissy O’Connor said the flotilla was an international humanitarian organisation with citizens from across the world, that included her husband.

“He’s a trained paramedic and an engineer… I think he has wanted to be able to use his skills in a practical way to do something,” she said.

The New Zealand delegation of Global Sumud Flotilla said Hāhona Ormsby and Samuel Leason were not among those taken to Greece.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been approached for comment.

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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 Ministry of Justice is reviewing how victims of crime are supported.

It has sought feedback through a Request for Information (RFI) from service providers, advocates and others in the victim support sector, to better understand how services are delivered and where improvements are needed.

The Ministry of Justice told RNZ it was the first time it had requested this specific information.

“The ministry will use the information received to inform service delivery requirements for future commercial processes. In addition, the ministry considers market engagement and analysis, such as the use of an RFI, to be one of the tools it can use periodically when services are approaching expiry, to query, test and or validate sector perspectives,” it said.

The ministry said the responses reflected a broad range of views.

“The responses reflect the respondents’ views on the delivery of victim services throughout New Zealand, including those not funded by the Ministry of Justice.”

The review comes as the contract with the current non-government organisation service provider, Victim Support, neared expiry.

“In preparation for the expiry of the current contract, the ministry used part of the RFI to analyse the market and test our assumptions about what services the market offers.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

It has been five weeks since Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she was consulting with industries on who would be included in a list for priority fuel, and an energy security expert says the list needs to be released now.

Earlier this week, Shane Jones told Checkpoint officials were finalising the list but didn’t want to rush it and would confirm a timeline at another time.

The government’s National Fuel Plan, outlined rationing measures that would be taken if supplies started running dry.

Resembling the Covid alert levels, the plan had four ‘phases’. New Zealand was at phase one.

Phase 2 would see homes, businesses and the public sector encouraged to conserve fuel. Phase 3 would see fuel prioritised for life-preserving services and phase 4 would see stricter intervention in fuel distribution.

Nathan Surendren, chairperson of Wise Response Society, told Checkpoint, he wanted to see the list of priority users for fuel in phase 3 released now.

“We need certainty around this… people need to plan.”

So far, fuel supply in New Zealand had been pretty stable, he said, but he believed that could be coming to an end.

He thought the government was being “far too relaxed” about the situation.

“Nicola Willis in that meeting five weeks ago said we’d have a plan within two weeks… it’s three weeks past that deadline which was self-imposed…seems to be an ideological reluctance to signal this is a crisis.”

Surendren said the government was “foot-dragging” and he didn’t understand why.

A statement sent to Checkpoint, from the office of Willis, said there had been more than 1900 submissions by businesses and industry bodies on the plan and the feedback was being incorporated into the plan.

The statement did not say when a list of businesses would be released, but said the government was ready to move into the next phase of the plan if needed.

It said the fuel supply in New Zealand was sufficient and orders were confirmed until the middle of June.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has declined to offer any evidence to back his side of a conflict with his foreign minister’s office, saying he has “nothing more to add”.

In an interview with RNZ on Friday, Luxon stood firm: “I’ve just told you my side of the story. It’s in the statement.”

Luxon’s statement – issued on Thursday – claimed a bombshell document release from Winston Peters’ office had “mischaracterised” Luxon’s position on the war in Iran.

The published emails – from early March – showed Peters’ team pushing back against the Prime Minister’s “preference for more explicit public support” of the US-led airstrikes.

But in his first media interview on the topic, Luxon denied that had been his “preference” at the time.

He told RNZ he had simply been testing New Zealand’s position – which was to “acknowledge” the strikes – against that of Australia and Canada, which had used the word “support”.

“I challenge the advice I receive,” Luxon said. “I’m pro-New Zealand, not pro-US.”

Luxon said, ultimately, all public government statements reflected his view and would not be issued otherwise: “It’s as simple as that.”

“I’m the prime minister of New Zealand,” he said. “It’s quite right that I test our position versus others… And what we came out with, I fully support. That’s exactly what I believe… otherwise it wouldn’t have been said.”

When releasing the documents to media, a spokesperson for Peters added that Luxon’s suggested course of action had been “imprudent” and “counter to New Zealand’s national interests”.

Peters has not retracted that remark, nor responded to the claims of mischaracterisation, though he has admitted it was a “mistake” not to consult Luxon before releasing the emails.

RNZ lodged a request with Luxon’s office for any documentation which might prove that Peters’ office got the PM’s position wrong.

Asked directly whether he’d release such evidence, Luxon said he had already laid out his version of events.

“I’ve really got nothing more to add.”

Luxon’s Thursday statement also included his strongest criticism yet of Peters, questioning both his judgement and motives.

“The decision to release these discussions to the media clearly put politics ahead of the national interest,” the statement said.

Asked whether Peters therefore remained fit for his role as foreign minister, Luxon repeatedly refused to engage.

“I’m just not getting into it,” Luxon told RNZ. “I’ve said everything I want to say about it.”

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