Category: Radio New Zealand

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More than half of families in material hardship will not get $50 fuel support package

Source: Radio New Zealand

Louise Upston says the government has been very clear that any response needs to be targeted. RNZ / Mark Papalii

The Green Party is crying foul after the government admitted more than half of families in material hardship will not benefit from its fuel support package.

In question time on Wednesday, Social Development Minister Louise Upston confirmed only 48 percent of those families will get the $50 boost to in-work tax credits.

“According to the latest figures from Statistics New Zealand for 2024-25, 48 percent of children in material hardship are in working households. This support we are providing is intended to be timely, temporary, and targeted at those most in need,” she said.

Ministers – including the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis – have repeated emphasised the need for relief to be “targeted and temporary” to avoid adding to debt.

Upston did the same.

“Our government is very clear about the fact that what is happening in the Middle East is having an impact on many New Zealanders, with the fuel-price pressure that they are facing,” she said.

“We are also very clear that any response needs to be targeted, timely, and temporary, otherwise every single person in New Zealand would be affected by inflation going up again.”

However, the Greens’ spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March said the figure undercut the government’s claim of focusing on those who most needed support.

Ricardo Menendez March. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“That is 52 percent of parents with children material hardship won’t be covered by the in-work, tax credit boost … this may be children of beneficiaries. That may include people who were recently made unemployed. It may include parents with lifelong health conditions. It may include people who have been struggling with homelessness.

“People on income support including disabled people, still need to access fuel to get to the doctor, to get to job appointments, to pick up their kids from school, and will be the most impacted by the fuel crisis.

“It’s inexcusable and callous for the government to completely exclude them from receiving support.”

Upston on Wednesday acknowledged to RNZ that support was available to beneficiaries and others who might need help – and requests for such help was likely to increase.

“There is already assistance available for costs for those on a benefit to get to an interview if they need it – but if you look at this fuel price pressure it will have an impact on a range of households, so yes, I expect that there will be more seeking assistance.”

Upston and Willis have also pointed to the planned increase to benefit rates coming on 1 April.

However, March said that was disingenous.

“Advances for fuel comes as debt, so she’s basically asking our poorest to enter into debt,” he said.

“The other assistance that exists in the form of the Transition to Work grant is quite limited, and most people don’t get to access it, and it only covers things like job appointments, not necessarily picking up kids from school or doctor’s appointments.

“The increase that people will see to their benefits on the 1 April is something that is legally required … the indexation has nothing to do with the fuel crisis and it’s disingenuous to pretend that this is actually meeting the scale of the challenge that people in poverty will face.”

Speaking to reporters before heading into Question Time on Thursday, Willis pointed to the increase to benefits coming on 1 April.

“Their families will already be receiving an increase in income. The in-work tax credit is different from many other benefits that are paid in that it’s not adjusted for inflation and these are working parents who also face a wider range of obligations.

“So we think it’s appropriate that those working parents are who we target with this relief.”

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Kiwi space station experiment a success

Source: Radio New Zealand

The International Space Station NASA

A New Zealand experiment on the International Space Station has proved a superconducting system can survive a power failure.

Victoria University’s small Hēki magnet power system has been looking into new ways to propel spaceships for six months.

The Hēki team says they exceeded their research aims and perhaps most exciting was overcoming the power failure hurdle, a common weak point in superconductor systems.

“Hēki is inside the airlock where it will remain for several days,” said chief scientist Professor Randy Pollock in an email.

It would then be packed up by astronauts to return to Houston, then to New Zealand.

“It is a bittersweet moment for the team – proud that the mission has been so successful but sad that it has come to an end.”

Hēki uses superconductor magnet propulsion technology. Reece Baker / RNZ

The suitcase-sized unit did not appear to have degraded while in space, and if their checks in Wellington confirm that, it would be another step towards commercial use.

“This demonstration is key to widespread acceptance of this technology in space where reliability and robustness are paramount,” Pollock said..

Victoria’s Paihau-Robinson Research Institute is working on an electric propulsion system it has dubbed the Kōkako thruster that would integrate plasma with the superconducting tech.

The space station offers highly sought-after slots on its outside for scientists to run experiments.

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Focus on boosting enrolment after government’s new voter restrictions – Electoral Commission

Source: Radio New Zealand

Karl le Quesne says the Commission is expecting increased numbers of special votes this election. RNZ / Russell Palmer

The Electoral Commission says it is pushing hard to boost enrolment – particularly among young people – because of the government’s changes restricting voting.

Chief executive Karl le Quesne also says he is confident contingency planning will avoid any problems with getting new digital systems – to protect against the kind of errors seen at the last election – set up in time.

Māori roll campaign to launch next week

The Commission briefed media on Thursday morning ahead of a new campaign to inform Māori voters about new rules enabling them to switch between the Māori and general role before 6 August.

Until March 2023, Māori were only allowed to switch rolls within a four-month period, once every five or six years after the census.

Enrolment packs will be sent out from Monday to about 562,000 voters of Māori descent, informing them which roll they are on and how to change rolls.

“If you don’t receive a pack by 11 April, it means you’re not enrolled or we don’t have the correct address for you,” chief advisor Māori Hone Matthews said.

“You can enrol, check or update your details online at vote.nz/enrol or call 0800 367656 for free and ask for an enrolment form to be sent to you.”

‘Let’s take enrolment to the people’

Le Quesne said the Commission was expecting to have increased numbers of special votes this election, despite changes banning prisoner voting, same-day enrolment votes, or voting if not enrolled at least 13 days before the election.

“It’s really, really hard to say, but that’s why we’re putting so much effort into enrolment and getting people to get enrolled and update their details well ahead of time,” Le Quesne said.

“We’re planning for a similar turnout rate, if not slightly higher, than the ’23 election. We have to plan for any eventuality.”

Special votes take about 10 times longer to count than standard votes.

Le Quesne previously told a select committee the changes – passed in December – would not speed up the final election results, despite government claims that was the purpose of the legislation.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon then criticised the Commission as the “slowest folk on the planet”.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has maintained the changes will keep the counting period from extending further in future, but Le Quesne on Thursday said it was “too hard to say” whether the law changes made any impact on how fast the count would be.

“At this stage, we’re still planning for 20 days,” he said, the same as the 2023 election. “If we can do it earlier, we will.”

He indicated any faster count was more likely to be the result of additional resources.

“We’ve done a lot of work looking at how we can make things go more efficiently, and that’s going to help us stay within the 20 days … if the special votes did go up to around that 700,000 mark or higher, it could take longer.”

He said the Commission would be launching its enrolment campaign in August, sending out “a heck of a lot of advertising” and using new methods to push up enrolment rates.

That includes in September setting up 10 enrolment hubs in places with a lot of foot traffic in main centres around the country – like malls and supermarkets – offering to sign people up to vote even if they belong to a different electorate.

Chief advisor Māori Hone Matthews. RNZ / Russell Palmer

“In the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election last year, we had some voting places in malls and supermarkets, and we found we were doing a lot of enrolment activity for people who weren’t even in that electorate,” he said.

“So it occurred to us, let’s take enrolment to the people … we’ll take enrolments anywhere, anytime.”

They would particularly be targeting young people.

“Working with schools, tertiary institutions, other venues where we know these young people, try and get that enrolment rate for young people up, it’s going to be really, really important.”

Email and text reminders will also be sent out en masse, and EasyVote cards – as well as being sent via mail – will for the first time be emailed out.

Le Quesne said the digital cards could be used either printed out or on smartphones.

The commission will also launch a $690,000 community education fund to provide grants to community groups that come up with ideas to help.

Those new measures were being done “off our own bat” as part of the Commission’s statutory role to ensure people were enrolled, with additional funding provided for that purpose.

“We’re not concerned about the workload,” Le Quesne said.

“Get enrolled, update your details by fourth of October. That means it’ll go much quicker for you in the voting place, and there’ll be fewer special votes.”

Commission confident over systems time-crunch

Le Quesne pushed back on a report from The Post published Thursday morning based on Commission documents, showing major risks around security certification for core voting systems.

The $80m modernisation programme followed a report from the Auditor-General that found the final check of official results was done under extreme pressure in the hours before being announced. That check – which normally takes two days – failed to find multiple errors.

Le Quesne said the Commission had done a “huge amount of work” to improve those processes, but he was confident everything would be ready in time.

“I’m not concerned about our preparations. We do a thorough program of testing, simulation, dress rehearsals, we build in contingency time around all of those, and we’re really confident we’re on track to deliver this year’s election,” he said.

“We’re doing simulations through April, we know we’ve got more time if we need it to do some more testing. Generally because we’ve done testing before simulation, we know things are working pretty well spot on. This is just looking for any final things we might need to fine tune – and often it’s about the training as well.”

Chairperson Simon Moore had, however, laid out just how complex delivering an election in New Zealand would be.

“I think very few people have an idea about how many moving parts there are … we have to recruit something between 25,000 and 28,000 people. We need to recruit them. We need to identify them. We need to train them. We need to send them out,” he said.

“Something like 2500 voting places – 800 during the advance voting stage – every one of those places has to be identified, has to be found to be appropriate, needs to be a place where people feel comfortable … and we need to secure short term leases for every single one of them.

“We print something like 9 million voting documents, papers for a voting population of around about 4 million. And those 9 million can’t be printed until we receive the nominations [about one month before election day].”

Le Quesne said the recruiting for those 25,000 to 28,000 roles involved interviews, criminal background checks, and follow-up monitoring.

“We really want to check that people who are working for us can be politically neutral and impartial. That’s really, really important,” he said.

“We just ask them the questions and as we go through the training, we get a sense of how people are responding … there’s a level of supervision and monitoring so we can check how people are going, and we can kind of point them in the right direction if anything’s coming up that’s not as we need it.”

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Kiwi exporters briefed on US tariff refunds

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

Exporters are being urged to work closely with their import counterparts over possible Trump tariff refunds, following a decision by the US Supreme Court which ruled the ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs unconstitutional.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise hosted a webinar this week to help exporters navigate the implications of last month’s decision.

It comes after the US Court of International Trade determined that the tariffs must be refunded. The US Customs and Border Protection has been working its way through creating a formal refund process since then.

The decision came after US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on 2 April, 2025, as part of a so-called ‘Declaration of Economic Independence’.

US-based legal expert and customs consultant Evelyn Suarez spoke to NZ exporters as part of the webinar, explaining the claims process was still a work in progress and it could be months before the refunds start.

Speaking from Washington DC, her advice to exporters was to be ready and follow the process closely.

“Work with your customers in the United States, they will need your help,” she said. “The obligation really rests with the importer to get their refunds back.”

Export New Zealand executive director Joshua Tan said the court’s decision didn’t order that refunds be paid, but had opened the door for refunds to be claimed.

“It’s the importer of record in the United States who will be refunded the tariff, not the exporter themselves. So unless the exporter is also the importer in the US there is going to be no direct payment of duties paid to a New Zealand export company.

“The process from here and the opportunity for New Zealand exporters is actually just to engage with the importers over in the States – the importers, the distributors, the people who would have actually paid the tariffs themselves – and just sort of talk about how and if those refunds will be passed on.

“It does create a bit of a commercial question here for both parties as to who actually bore the cost of that tariff.”

He said exporters had to be “proactive”.

US President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order after delivering remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 2, 2025. SAUL LOEB

Felicity Roxburgh, executive director of the New Zealand International Business Forum, said some exporters had paid more than others.

“Some of the sectors were actually exempted in the late stages of the IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) tariffs – so beef and kiwifruit were both exempted, so they paid tariffs for a while but not for the whole period that for example the dairy sector has had to pay… because the 15 percent plus existing tariffs have applied to them.”

Roxburgh said there was a lot of detail to be worked out at the individual level as contract arrangements between exporters and US importers varied.

She said while refunds may be difficult to arrange, they would be worth it and “commercially meaningful” for some exporters.

Exporters were looking for practical advice for how to go about being refunded, but expected a “long and complex” process.

“It has increased the difficulty of trading with the US, it has been unwelcomed but at the same time our exports have held up reasonably well.

“I think we can be really proud of how our companies have navigated these challenges and part of that has got to do with the fact we sell these high quality premium products that are desired by US customers.”

Roxburgh said many exporters had “understood and accepted now that tariffs are going to be part of the future for as long as the Trump administration is in charge and probably beyond that as well”.

“My expectation is that exporters are starting to price this into their long-term planning – 10 or 15 percent tariffs or more in some cases.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was not possible to provide a figure for US tariffs paid by New Zealand exporters, as legally it was paid by the importer of record – usually the US importer of New Zealand goods.

They said eligibility to claim a refund would be on a case-by-case basis, depending on a number of considerations – including commercial contracts.

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Memorial design revealed for hundreds of unmarked graves

Source: Radio New Zealand

An artists impression of a memorial at the Pukekohe Cemetery, to honour the unmarked graves on site. Supplied

Plans to erect a memorial plaque on a rural Auckland cemetery to honour hundreds of unmarked graves – many of whom were Māori babies – are underway, after a design concept was approved.

The 200 unmarked graves at Pukekohe Cemetery – dating from between the 1920s and 1960s – have long been a source of pain to many in the rural South Auckland community.

The decision to build a memorial came in the wake of the publication of Dr Robert Bartholomew’s 2020 book No Māori Allowed, which detailed historic racism in Pukekohe, and the subsequent Reikura Kahi documentary of the same name.

The documentary revealed Māori were barred from public toilets, segregated at the cinema and swimming baths, forced to stand for white bus passengers and barred from schools from 1920 until the early 1960s.

Children, who died from measles, diphtheria, whooping cough and tuberculosis, were buried in unmarked graves.

The project is led by the Pukekohe Cemetery Committee and supported by the Franklin Local Board.

On Tuesday, the committee approved a concept design, designed by Kohae Limited, a Māori-led design practice, to be put through a public consultation in April.

Kohae’s Alistair Toto (Ngati Tamaoho) said it was a heavy kaupapa to be involved in, given the history behind the unmarked graves.

He grew up in Pukekohe North and had whakapapa to some buried there.

“It’s a lot of responsibility, it’s not a thing you take lightly. There’s a lot of expectation and responsibility to advance the kaupapa towards a positive outcome,” Toto said.

The design aimed to acknowledge those buried in unmarked graves, while respecting the whenua and existing burial areas within the cemetery.

The designs incorporated natural elements, planting and passive design principles that responded to the landscape, and provided shade and a contemplative space for remembrance.

It included a sculptural wall and an area of seating for reflection and connection.

“This is something that people are going to see, a physical, tangible manifestation of a lot of events, feelings and emotions.”

There are 200 unmarked graves at Pukekohe Cemetery, many of whom were Māori and children. Supplied

He said a lot of work had already been done by the committee, with the families of those involved, and what they wanted for the memorial.

“Their thoughts and wishes were pretty clear, the immediate priority was acknowledging those that are buried there, in a way that manifests their presence, it gives them some dignity of where they are laying now.”

The design will go for a four-week public consultation before the final design is approved in the middle of the year.

The memorial project is funded through council’s regional Māori Outcomes Fund, with $500,000 earmarked for construction.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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Consumer NZ upset at possible end of surcharge ban

Source: Radio New Zealand

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson introduced legislation last year to ban in-store card surcharges. 123RF

Consumer NZ says it is disappointed by news the government may not progress its plan to ban credit card surcharges.

The ACT Party and Retail NZ have both said the proposed ban on surcharges for contactless and credit card payments was dead, although the minister responsible told RNZ it was still being worked on.

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson (National) introduced legislation last year to ban in-store card surcharges, so shoppers would not be penalised for their choice of payment. The ban was expected to be in place by May.

But ACT leader David Seymour said it would not happen.

“Nobody likes the fees, and like many costs everyone wishes they would just go away,” he posted on Facebook.

“When the payWave surcharge ban was announced, small businesses up and down the country pointed out they wouldn’t go away. Motels, cafes, retailers, they all pointed out they’d eat the fee.

“They might be able to reclaim some of it by putting up the price of what they sell. Sometimes businesses find they just can’t raise prices but, if they did, they would effectively be making customers who paid cash or eftpos fund the payWave costs of others.

“None of those solutions are fair, so ACT’s Dr Parmjeet Parmar put up a simple suggestion to improve the policy. Let businesses charge payWave fees if they offer a free alternative. That way people who want the convenience can pay for it, and those that don’t can avoid the fees.

“The proposal is now stopped, because we listened to the people affected. It could come back in the future, the way Parmjeet has suggested, but not in a way that puts costs on small businesses or other customers.”

Consumer NZ spokesperson Jessica Walker said the organisation was disappointed.

“Our research has found support for a ban is getting stronger – our nationally representative surveying in January found that almost three in five people supported a ban on card payment surcharges, with only 15 percent of people opposing a ban.

“While we understand concerns that some businesses will be forced to raise prices to make up for the cost of the ban, it’s important to remember that interchange fees were reduced late last year. It was estimated that businesses would save around $90 million a year – we remain concerned that those savings will not be passed on to consumers.”

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Concerns countries in Asia are hoarding jet fuel

Source: Radio New Zealand

A file photo of a British Airways plane being refuelled. AFP / NurPhoto / Mateusz Wlodarczyk

There are concerns some Asian countries are beginning to hoard jet fuel as the Iran conflict drags on.

News outlet Bloomberg has reported the South Korean government is discussing whether to redirect export-bound jet fuel to the domestic market amid mounting supply pressures.

South Korea is a major source of refined fuel imports to New Zealand, providing around half of the country’s fuel, and South Korea itself relies heavily on crude oil imports from the war-disrupted Middle East.

Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold said some Asian refineries were now running short of crude oil feedstock, and airlines were being asked to carry more fuel for their return flights.

“This affects all categories of refined product – diesel is high-profile, petrol [as well],” Eckhold said. “But it’s also quite relevant for jet fuel, particularly South Korea which is a relatively important refiner of jet fuel,” he said.

Eckhold said anecdotal reports from Asia suggest that some airlines were also being asked to carry enough fuel for their return flights.

“Philippine Airlines were apparently asked to do that by a couple of countries … that have apparently advised flights that they should not expect to be able to get a lot of jet fuel when they arrive, because they’re obviously trying to conserve the stocks that they already have,” he said.

“What most countries are doing here is they are trying to prioritise enough stock so that they could operate their domestic schedules and their flagship international airlines.”

He said that would be the priority here, with Air New Zealand and Jetstar already announcing plans to refine schedules in response to the crisis.

Eckhold said even the west coast of the United States was not immune, because it got most of its jet fuel from South Korea.

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ANZ says Middle East conflict will mean house prices fall

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Quin Tauetau

ANZ says it now expects house prices to fall this year as conflict in the Middle East means lower household confidence and upwards pressure on interest rates.

The bank’s economists said in their latest Property Focus update that, before the war broke out, consumer confidence had lifted back to what could be considered normal after four years in the doldrums.

Improved economic sentiment and greater job security had looked like they were going to support housing demand this year.

The bank had earlier forecast an increase in prices of 2 percent, although still downgraded from an earlier forecast of a 5 percent lift.

However, with global oil prices soaring and wholesale mortgage rates lifting, that had now changed.

Even without the official cash rate rising, interest rates being charged to borrowers had increased in recent weeks.

“One way or another, lower household confidence and upward pressure on mortgage rates as a result of the oil shock will weigh on a housing market that was already short on momentum before the conflict. We have now pencilled in small falls in house prices over coming months, leaving house prices down 2 percent over 2026.

“A protracted conflict in the Middle East could see a steeper fall in house prices; but equally a quick resolution within the next month or two could see the market stabilise sooner. We continue to see a modest increase in house prices as likely from 2027 onwards as an economic recovery settles in.”

This video grab taken from undated UGC images posted on social media on March 23, 2026, shows destruction and fire at the Iranian ministry of defence’s electronics industries building in Tehran following a strike. AFP

ANZ senior economist Matthew Galt said the conflict would knock confidence for potential house buyers as well as stoking inflation fears.

“The housing market’s basically been flat for three years. And even before the conflict in the Middle East broke out, prices were more or less flat. There was no momentum in the market. And so this is just another factor that will shift it even more in favour of buyers.”

ANZ’s economists said there was a risk that home loan rates could rise further than they already had.

“Unless we see a sustained de-escalation in the conflict, given how far wholesale rates have risen, the risk is that mortgage rates may rise further over coming weeks. At this stage we see it as a risk rather than our central scenario, but given the magnitude of the moves, it can’t be ignored.

“Our hope is that we do see a de-escalation, and if we do, while we still expect mortgage rates to rise, that is likely to occur more gradually than if we see an escalation.”

They said, because mortgage rates had lifted from their earlier lows, there was less value in fixing for long periods. But the two-year rate offered a mix of value and certainty.

Fixing longer would only be cheaper if rates rose more than the bank was expecting.

“No one really knows what’s going to happen in the MIddle East,” Galt said. “If we have a faster resolution of the conflict then that could se the economy be stronger. On the other hand if the conflict drags out, that’s bad news for New Zealand.”

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Rugby: Veteran loosie Brad Shields extends stay with Hurricanes

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hurricanes player Brad Shields. Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz

Experienced loose forward Brad Shields has extended his stay with the Hurricanes for another year.

The one-year contract extension means Shields will return to the Hurricanes for an 11th season in his second stint with the club, a decade-and-a-half after his debut in 2012.

The 34-year-old is the fourth-most capped Hurricanes player with 133 appearances.

“I love where the club is at, both on and off the field, with the players and management – we are building something very special,” Shields said in a statement.

“I’m also excited about what’s happening off the field and the alignment across the entire club, as well as the positive direction we’re heading in to grow our game within the community and be frontrunners in innovation within Super Rugby.”

Hurricanes player Brad Shields. Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz

A Super Rugby champion with the Hurricanes in 2016, Shields also featured in the club’s 2017 draw against the British & Irish Lions and became a Hurricanes centurion in 2018.

Shields headed to Europe in 2018 to play his club rugby and also represented England eight times.

He returned to New Zealand in 2023, rejoining Wellington in the NPC before beginning his second spell with the Hurricanes the following year.

“He’s club first, team second, individual third, and that really rubs off on everybody,” said coach Clark Laidlaw. “He helps the players and coaches have high standards, and he gives us great feedback through the weeks around how we’re going.”

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Person arrested, another in hospital after Waikato high school put in lockdown

Source: Radio New Zealand

Tuakau College in Waikato. Tuakau College

A teacher has been injured and a student is in custody fter an incident at a Waikato school.

Tuakau College went into a lockdown during the incident on Thursday morning.

Emergency services were called to the Buckland Road school about 10am, with reports of a person being injured.

Police have confirmed a young person was immediately taken into custody.

An earlier report said the victim had been seriously injured, however, police have since said the person has been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

They are still making enquiries into exactly what has taken place but did confirm the incident involves a student and a teacher.

The school’s lockdown has now been lifted.

“We can reassure the wider community that the matter is contained and there is no wider risk to students or the wider public,” a police spokesperson said.

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