Category: Radio New Zealand

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Why a claim for a stone lost from a wedding ring was turned down by the insurer

Source: Radio New Zealand

A woman who lost the ruby from her wedding ring had her claim turned down by her insurer. Supplied / Unsplash

A case in which a woman had her claim for a lost stone from her ring turned down by her insurer is a reminder to check your cover, Consumer NZ says.

The case was handled by the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman scheme (IFSO),

The woman had worn her wedding ring every day for 42 years until one day the ruby fell out and was lost.

She made an insurance claim but her insurer got a jeweller’s report that said the claws on the ring had worn over time, which cause the stone to fall out.

The insurer declined the claim because her policy did not cover wear and tear.

She complained to IFSO, which agreed with the insurer.

A Consumer NZ spokesperson said what was standard in one insurance policy could be a benefit in another, or might not be covered at all.

“This includes credit cards, jewellery, keys and locks, professional tools and equipment kept at home, and items damaged during cleaning. On the other hand, your policy may include cover for things you may not know about.

“That’s why it always pays to check the cover by speaking to your insurer to understand exactly what you’re paying for.”

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

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How a Fiji man took on the world’s biggest polluters

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Jamie Tahana for RNZ Pacific

Vishal Prasad (Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change) speaks to the press before the International Court of Justice following the conclusion of an advisory opinion on countries’ obligations to protect the climate. AFP / Lina Selg

2025 was a big year for Vishal Prasad. From the giddy high of a win at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to the euphoria of being awarded an ‘alternative nobel prize’ as part of a collective of Pacific activists, while also plumbing new depths of frustration and despair at international climate talks in Brazil.

The 28 year-old, who lives in Suva, has been beamed across the world this year as the president of Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, the group of Pacific youth behind the herculean effort to take the world’s major emitters to the UN’s highest court in the Hague.

In an interview this week, Prasad said the mammoth year ended with a flurry of emotions: pride, gratitude, and elation on one hand, frustration and growing concern on the other.

“The year has been a huge year,” he said. “We’ve seen immense, huge developments in the climate space, the ICJ’s advisory opinion being one of the huge outcomes.

“[But] It is a very difficult time. I’d say we’re at this point coming into the end of the year because the necessary energy and the speed at which the world needs to move still is lacking in many spaces.”

That advisory opinion, handed down in July, was a significant advancement for small countries trying to force international action to address the climate crisis. In a rare unanimous opinion from the 12-judge bench, the ICJ found that states are required under international law to protect the climate and prevent further harms.

The judges also found that states must implement evidence-based measures to cut greenhouse gas emission to protect the climate.

The path to that ruling started in a Port Vila classroom in 2019, when a group of students questioned why international law was silent on what they saw as their greatest threat. That started a six-year movement that led to The Hague.

Members of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change. Supplied / Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change

Five months after that sunny afternoon at the Peace Palace in the Netherlands, Prasad said he’s still shocked by the strength of the advisory opinion that was handed down. He had been in contact with many of the communities who provided testimony for the case across the Pacific.

“There has been immense joy, I think, that this has been a win. I think the first thing that people take is that this is a win for the region and it is a source of hope to hang on to,” he said, conceding that many communities had not expected such a strong outcome.

“There’s just been disappointment in the climate space for the last how many years and people have stopped expecting good news,” he said. “This was one thing that caught some people by shock, but also some whose expectations were maybe here but the advisory opinion rose beyond their expectations.”

The effort saw PISFCC win the ‘Right Livelihood Award’, also known as the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ alongside their legal counsel, Chamorro lawyer and writer Julian Aguon, for what judges said was “turning survival into a matter of rights.”

“Central to their strategy was gathering testimonies from Pacific communities, who are among those contributing least [to] climate change yet facing some of its harshest consequences,” the organisation behind the award said in its press release.

How much people would pay heed to the ICJ’s opinion was put to the test only a couple of months later, when Prasad found himself in the Brazilian city of Belem, the gateway to the Amazon, which last month hosted the annual round of climate negotiations known as COP.

The talks are the key mechanism for getting countries to commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, along with other measures to mitigate against the worst effects of climate change. Yet, for Pacific countries, they’re almost always a source of obstinance, frustration, and bewilderment.

This year’s bout of talks came against an even greater backdrop of pessimism. Enthusiasm for climate action has waned in many Western countries, including New Zealand, and the United States has exited the Paris agreement and rescinded climate finance commitments altogether, with President Trump calling the climate crisis a “con job.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the summit with a grim prognosis that it was “inevitable” the target of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees celsius would be missed. The target, agreed to in the 2015 Paris agreement, had been advocated for by Pacific countries, who said anything beyond that would imperil their futures.

Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu (3rd L) speaks to the media after an International Court of Justice (ICJ) session tasked with issuing the first Advisory Opinion (AO) on states’ legal obligations to address climate change, in The Hague on 23 July 2025. AFP / John Thys

“Every year we leave the COP depressed, but [we] will begrudgingly continue to participate because if we’re not at the table we’ll be on the menu,” the Vanuatu climate change minister, Ralph Regenvanu, told The Guardian in September. “But I don’t think it is reformable.”

They were frustrations shared by Prasad.

“We saw that at COP, there was a huge change in the narratives of countries that were supporting the advisory opinion, asking for the usage of the advisory opinion. And then also those that were blocking progress as well, being very conscious about the advisory opinion,” he said. “So I think the potential for the opinion to shape climate politics and policy is huge, and I think that needs to be unlocked further.

Vanuatu, which led the pursuit for the advisory opinion from a government level, is now working to secure a vote at the UN General Assembly to turn the advisory opinion into concrete obligations.

“I think a lot of people have lost faith. I think there is a lot of disappointment with existing processes and I think that’s exactly where the advisory opinion steps in,” he said. “I think in this very tense moment the advisory opinion does bring hope because now you have a baseline to actually measure and hold governments accountable.

“We’ve seen a lot of people reach out to us … talking about how they’re looking at mounting campaigns within their country to say, okay, whether it’s in Europe, whether it’s in Asia, or how a particular activity, particular initiative or policy of government is incompatible with the ICJ and how they’re thinking of using the AO to kind of mount a counter to this.”

President of the International Court of Justice Yuji Iwasawa (C) and other members of the top UN court as it handed down a landmark ruling on climate change. JOHN THYS / AFP

Prasad, at the end of this mammoth year, was spending some time relaxing in the west of Fiji before heading to spend Christmas with family in Suva. But also this week, a tropical depression brushed along the country’s north, another reminder of the stakes at play.

He hoped 2026 would be another mammoth year. There was work to do to support Vanuatu’s bid to get the advisory opinion through the UN General Assembly. Could the advisory opinion open new paths to litigation?

Just as fulfilling, he said, was work outside the nebulous and insular realms of international law and politics. What gave so much of the drive for the students’ campaign were stories of communities on the front lines across the Pacific, from yam farmers in Vanuatu to fishermen in Solomon Islands, to the women on Bougainville’s Carteret Islands. Prasad said he wanted to continue working with them.

“The advisory opinion was one great way of claiming space, claiming ownership and bringing Pacific people to a space that really was not theirs. And so there are many such injustices that still exist. There are many such spaces that still exist where we need to claim, reclaim the space, reclaim the power that we have.”

Still, while he called the international system “frustrating” and deeply flawed, there was no alternative but to remain optimistic.

“If you give into despair, if you give into disappointment then there is no way out. I think that’s the beauty of Pacific campaigns, because even in those dark, desperate, despair-filled days, you have people around you that are shouldering the burden with you. And that’s the nature of the Pacific. It’s a community. It’s a family. And I think that makes it much easier for us to carry on in that way versus say someone outside the region.”

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

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Labour won’t say if it’ll back India free trade deal, says it’s a ‘good step forward’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Labour’s trade spokesperson Damien O’Connor. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Labour will not say if it will give its backing to the government’s free trade agreement (FTA) with India, but acknowledges it seems like a “good step forward” in something the party would support.

Labour’s trade spokesperson Damien O’Connor said he was not in a position to say whether a better deal could have been achieved by waiting.

“We have to seize the opportunity.

“Getting huge volumes of dairy into the consumer market was never realistic.

“We said so in government, we were criticised for it, but we were honest that ultimately building partnerships within it will be the long term value of this agreement.”

The government confirmed the conclusion of free trade negotiations with India on Monday, with significant wins for several industries, but limited gains for dairy.

The prime minister called it a “high quality deal”, saying it was about “our relative competitiveness”, but NZ First leader Winston Peters described it as a “low-quality deal” and was withholding his support.

His party exercised the agree to disagree provision of its coalition arrangements when Cabinet approval for the deal was sought last week, and made it clear that it would vote against enabling legislation if and when it was introduced to Parliament.

NZ First leader Winston Peters described it as a “low-quality deal”. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Whether it passes or not would now be up to the opposition – but Labour said its caucus had not had a chance to discuss it yet.

O’Connor told RNZ National and Act would have to reach out to Labour in regards to securing support. He said he had received a briefing from the trade minister and he did not “request” support.

“When that comes, that’s something we’ll look at.

“We have to see all the details before making that final decision.”

He acknowledged the ball had been in Labour’s court “many times”, referring to the China, EU and UK FTAs.

“We’ve always supported growing opportunities for our exporters.

“We hope that this is genuine progress from what I’ve seen so far.”

O’Connor said the deal was a “very small step” but a “positive step forward” in a world of “trade disruption.”

He said India had shifted its position since President Trump came to power, and New Zealand was a “beneficiary” of it trying to secure trade agreements with more trading partners.

“It’s good to get it over the line, even though industries like dairy will be disappointed, no doubt.”

The deal covered a “wide range of issues” he said, but “other sectors will judge whether it’s comprehensive or not”.

“How well these opportunities are taken up will depend upon both the Indian economy and the New Zealand economy.”

Government’s response

Christopher Luxon said on Monday he was confident the government would be able to pass the legislation, despite requiring Labour’s support to do so.

“We’ve seen a lot of good bipartisan support for trade across the Parliament, and we’ll continue to build the case for that.”

Luxon rejected the notion the deal was rushed through, despite NZ First urging the coalition not to rush it, and “to use all three years of this Parliamentary cycle in order to get the best possible deal” instead.

“More time doesn’t drive a better deal. This is as good a deal as it gets, and I think we should be very, very proud of this deal.”

He said he had “tried to deal” with NZ First’s objections, and “reassured them” about the parts that were in the interests of New Zealand.

“At the end of the day, this is going to be the third biggest economy in the world. This is an economy that New Zealand needs to be in.”

He also rejected the idea securing the deal was about meeting an election promise rather than getting the best deal for New Zealanders.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (L) and Trade Minister Todd McClay announce the free trade agreement with India. Mark Papalii

McClay said on Monday there would be a “range of views and concerns” but this was in the best interest of New Zealand.

“It will be each party for themselves to decide their position of whether they want to support an agreement that would deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars worth of new exports.”

He referenced the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) and said since then, there had been “consensus on trade across our Parliament, particularly with the large, major parties”.

He pointed to the process of free trade agreements, which were concluded and then signed and ratified, “but until a deal signed, actually, there is nothing to put before Parliament”.

The government would be able to rely on the support of the ACT Party, which said the announcment of the deal was a “massive moment for New Zealand”.

Trade spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar said the agreement signalled that New Zealand was serious about engaging with one of its most important economic partners.

“Two-way trade between New Zealand and India already totals more than $3 billion each year. This agreement has the potential to grow this figure significantly, freeing trade and reducing barriers making it easier for businesses on both sides to sell and invest.

“This is a great opportunity for New Zealand with easier access to Indian markets meaning more certainty for exporters and more choice for consumers.”

Parmarsaid said India and New Zealand had strong links with many families, business people and professionals operating in both countries.

“This agreement will build on these connections allowing for greater pathways for collaboration in business and investment.”

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

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Who is backing the future of the America’s Cup?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Team New Zealand in action off Barcelona, 2024. PHOTOSPORT

Which teams will challenge for 38th America’s Cup has become clearer six weeks out from the entry window for the 2027 event slamming shut.

On Monday it was revealed which teams make up the new America’s Cup Partnership (ACP), which in turn outlined the teams with a vested interest in the future of the world’s oldest sporting competition.

Team New Zealand, Great Britain’s Athena Racing, Italy’s Luna Rossa, Swiss entry Team Alinghi, and France’s K-Challenge have joined forces in the ACP which is an historic agreement which marks the first time in the event’s 174-year history that competing teams have united under a shared governance and commercial structure.

The announcement of which teams will form the ACP follows the Protocol agreement between defender Team New Zealand and challenger of record Athena Racing in August, which set the terms for the next America’s Cup in Naples and paved the way for ACP.

Since New Zealand defended the America’s Cup in Barcelona in October last year, there has been a lot of speculation about which teams would try and take the Auld Mug off them with Team New Zealand chief executive officer Grant Dalton believing that five was a good number of challengers.

The entry period for the 38th America’s Cup remains open until January 31, 2026 for teams to join ACP and the competition in Italy in 2027.

The five founding teams of the ACP will present further details of the partnership on 21 January in Naples with dates of the America’s Cup Match to be made public.

Dalton said the ACP was “preserving what makes the America’s Cup extraordinary while building a sustainable model that benefits everyone who shares our passion for this great competition”.

“We are securing the position of the America’s Cup at the pinnacle of innovation and professional sport for decades to come.”

Team principal of Athena Racing, Sir Ben Ainslie, said the ACP would ensure the America’s Cup remained “the ultimate proving ground for the world’s best sailors and technological advancements”.

“It allows us to continue pushing the boundaries of naval architecture and sailing technology, maintaining the Cup’s tradition as a catalyst for innovation, while providing the stability needed to grow our audience.”

Luna Rossa chief executive officer Max Sirena believed the ACP marked a “historic moment” for the competition.

“Luna Rossa has chosen to join a project aimed at ensuring stability, sustainability, and continuity for the America’s Cup, while respecting its values and its capacity for innovation. A responsible choice toward the sport, our fans, and future generations of Italian sailors,” Sirena said.

Team Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli said the partnership was “a collective commitment to further elevating sailing on the global sporting stage”.

“By working together to create a more transparent and collaborative structure, we’re ensuring that this iconic competition will thrive for generations to come.”

K-Challenge co-chief executive officer Stephan Kandler said with France’s history in sailing and in the America’s Cup they wanted to be at the forefront of the ACP.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for the event and the teams to grow it at the same level as other leading sport properties.”

Key features of the ACP include:

  • Biennial cycle: A commitment to a regular, fixed racing calendar of an America’s Cup every two years.
  • Independent management: An independent management team focused solely on delivering sporting excellence and commercial opportunity for the America’s Cup, whilst ensuring consistent operations from one event to the next.
  • Economic sustainability: Shared revenues and new cost control measures creating higher levels of competition and a more level playing field, while also ensuring the America’s Cup remains at the forefront of sailing innovation.
  • Future focused: A continued commitment to the Women’s and Youth America’s Cup, creating accessible and diverse pathways into the sport – including at least one female onboard the AC75 race boat at the 38th America’s Cup.

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FTA with India: ‘Bad deal’ or ‘strategically significant milestone’?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minster Christopher Luxon and Trade Minister Todd McClay announce the deal. Mark Papalii

Business groups have welcomed the announcement of a new Free Trade Agreement with India, but a partner in the coalition government will not support it, saying it is a “bad deal”.

The government announced this evening that it had reached conclusion of free trade negotiations with India

It said the deal will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 95 percent of exports, with wins for kiwifruit, apples, meat, wool, coal, forestry, and more.

But only limited gains were secured for dairy, with duty-free access for re-exports, bulk infant formula, and a 50 percent tariff cut for high-value milk albumins under a quota.

Export NZ, the NZ Forest Owners Association, the Meat Industry Association, Beef + Lamb NZ, Horticulture NZ, NZ Timber Industry Federation, Wools of NZ have all expressed support for the deal, but NZ First is withholding political support – which means it is now in the hands of the opposition whether it passes or not.

‘A bad deal for New Zealand’

In a statement released just as the deal was announced on Monday, NZ First leader Winston Peters said it was a bad deal for the country.

“It gives too much away, especially on immigration, and does not get enough in return for New Zealanders, including on dairy.”

New Zealand First exercised the agree to disagree provision of its coalition arrangements when Cabinet approval for the deal was sought last week, and made it clear that it would vote against enabling legislation if and when it was introduced to Parliament.

“While New Zealand is completely opening its market to Indian products under this deal, India is not reducing the significant tariff barriers currently facing our major dairy products,” Peters said.

NZ First also expressed concerns about the proposed changes on migration. The trade deal creates a new employment visa for Indian citizens, and according to the party will likely generate greater interest in Indian migration to New Zealand during a tight labour market.

Peters said his party’s approach to trade deals has been consistent, longstanding and principled.

“New Zealand First’s long-standing approach has been to support those FTAs that deliver a good deal for New Zealanders and to oppose those that do not.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was confident the government would be able to pass the legislation, despite requiring Labour’s support to do so.

“We’ve seen a lot of good bipartisan support for trade across the Parliament, and we’ll continue to build the case for that.”

He said he had “tried to deal” with NZ First’s objections, and “reassured them” about the parts that were in the interests of New Zealand.

“At the end of the day, this is going to be the third biggest economy in. In the world. This is an economy that New Zealand needs to be in.”

‘Unwilling to deliver more than the small changes’

The Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) – which represents exporters and manufacturers – said the deal was good for the country, but not for dairy, with core products like butter and cheese being left out.

“We are disappointed that India has been unwilling to deliver more than the small changes,” said DCANZ chair Guy Roper.

But he pointed out no country had managed to secure a deal including core dairy, given India wanted to protect its domestic market – so New Zealand still had parity.

Roper said the sector wanted to work with the government on a strategy to break down the dairy trade barrier: “The reality is, we’ve got over 85 percent of global dairy consumption… still locked behind tariff walls of ten percent or more.”

He was pleased to see the agreement included the ability to renegotiate dairy access if India negotiated better terms with other comparable countries.

Roper also welcomed the inclusion of duty free re-exports, which would see New Zealand export ingredients to India for manufacture “to help their growing export business”.

“Maybe that’s an opportunity for us to explore further in 2026,” said Roper.

New Zealand International Business Forum head Felicity Roxburgh said it was important to keep up the pressure for dairy to be included in future.

“Whether it’s realistic or not, we need to keep at it, because dairy is our largest export, it’s 30 percent of our total exports, it provides umpteen jobs in New Zealand, and to have a broad ranging FTA we would need to see dairy included in the future,” she said.

But overall, Roxburgh said it was an important agreement that secured opportunities for exporters who were at a commercial disadvantage, and provided certainty during “total global trade turbulence.”

“To see two countries, large and small, commit to an agreement which has enforceable rules, clear structures and provides certainty for our firms is very heartening.”

‘An important step for future resilience and profitability’

Despite NZ First’s concerns, many in the primary industry business community are heavily in favour of the deal.

ExportNZ executive director Joshua Tan said many exporters had been looking at India as a potential market for years.

“The problem is that prohibitive tariff barriers, often 30 percent to 60 percent, and up to 150 percent for wine, have limited what businesses can realistically do in India. This new agreement begins to bring those barriers down, gives exporters more certainty and more options.

“The FTA will also streamline certain customs procedures at the border, reduce costs, and guarantee that all goods will be released by India’s customs within 48 hours.”

New Zealand Forest Owners Association chief executive Dr Elizabeth Heeg said forestry was already New Zealand’s largest export to India, worth NZ$126 million.

Heeg said the new FTA provided the platform to lift volumes over time and grow higher-value trade in processed wood and building products.

“India has scale, strong demand for New Zealand wood products, and significant momentum, with its economy forecast to grow to NZ$12 trillion by 2030.”

The deal was a “strategically significant milestone” for New Zealand’s red meat sector, according to Meat Industry Association chair Nathan Guy.

“An FTA with India will unlock a promising market that has been constrained due to the 30 per cent tariff currently on New Zealand sheepmeat.”

Beef + Lamb New Zealand chair Kate Acland said the announcement was also positive for sheep farmers, and “puts us on a level playing field with Australia”.

“Although the impact on farm-gate returns may not be significant in the short-term, this is an important step for future resilience and profitability in the sector.

Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) chief executive Kate Scott said improved access to India will further diversify horticulture’s export portfolio.

“With India forecast to become the world’s third-largest economy, this FTA offers our growers and exporters an opportunity to build scale and value over time.

“While the full commercial impact will take time to be realised, especially for products with phased access, it sets the industry up for growth in the future.

The NZ Timber Industry Federation also welcomed the news of the agreement, saying it created “huge opportunities” for sawmillers and wood processors in New Zealand.

“The potential market in India is huge and while there are difficulties such as transport and logistics the industry is excited by the opportunities the FTA will provide to New Zealand.”

India was home to some of the world’s leading premium handmade carpet and rug manufacturers, Wools of New Zealand pointed out.

Chief executive John McWhirter said Wools of New Zealand was already working closely with these producers to sell finished wool products into the New Zealand market.

“At the same time, we are partnering with Indian manufacturers supplying finished wool products to major European brand retailers.

“A Free Trade Agreement with India will strengthen these relationships and improve the commercial settings for doing business. Lower barriers and greater certainty will help make wool products more cost-effective and competitive, particularly as we work to displace plastic-based alternatives.”

‘This is just the beginning’

Dr Rahul Sen, a senior economics professor at AUT, agreed that it was a good deal.

“This is just the beginning… this is basically opening the door for New Zealand to build up a long term economic relationship with India,” he said.

The agreement would be reviewed annually, he said.

“So it’s not necessary that everything is agreed immediately … but, you know, a foundation is laid,” he said.

It gave New Zealand businesses the chance to engage with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, said Sen.

“When you get that kind of an opportunity, you first have to grab that opportunity, and … look for how you can build this up later on.”

Sen wanted to see a think tank established, similar to the Centre for Australia-India Relations, to monitor how the agreement delivered the benefits it was meant to.

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

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Free Trade Agreement with India confirmed

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has confirmed the conclusion of free trade negotiations with India with significant wins for several industries – but limited gains for dairy.

Trade Minister Todd McClay says the new agreement – expected to be formally signed off next year – will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 95 percent of exports, with wins for kiwifruit, apples, meat, wool, coal, forestry, and more.

“It puts New Zealand exporters on an equal or better footing to our competitors across a range of sectors and opens the door to India’s rapidly expanding middle class,” he said.

Almost 57 percent of exports would be duty-free from day one of the agreement coming into force, he said, “increasing to 82 per cent when fully implemented, with the remaining 13 per cent subject to sharp tariff cuts”.

Only limited gains were secured for dairy, with duty-free access for re-exports, bulk infant formula, and a 50 percent tariff cut for high-value milk albumins under a quota.

Dairy access to Indian markets was always going to be the holy grail for a free trade agreement with India – highly valuable but difficult to obtain.

McClay said dairy access would be future-proofed with a clause automatically triggering consultation for renegotiation of dairy access if India negotiated better terms with other comparable countries.

The deal would also be reviewed one year after it comes into force.

Christopher Luxon with Indian PM Narendra Modi during a meeting last year. Supplied / Prime Minister’s office

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the gains from the deal were “wide-ranging and significant”.

“We made a campaign commitment to New Zealanders to secure a Free Trade Agreement with India in our first term, and our countries have pursued this with determination,” he said.

“Since the election, Todd McClay has visited India seven times. The foreign minister has visited India twice. Earlier this year, I led New Zealand’s largest-ever trade mission to India. And New Zealand has hosted India’s president and two ministerial visits from India.

“The result is a high-quality trade agreement with a trusted partner that will deliver deep and lasting benefits for New Zealand.”

He said he had just spoken to India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “who shares our excitement to further cement the strong relationship”.

McClay also highlighted a kiwifruit quota nearly four times current exports, with a 50 percent tariff applying once the quota is reached; agreement for preferential market access for apples and mānuka honey; and geographical indication rules for specialist and iconic New Zealand product names.

The deal would also establish a process for 1667 three-year work visas a year, focusing on priority roles on the Green List like doctors, nurses, teachers, ICT and engineering jobs.

Up to 1000 places would also be provided on New Zealand’s Working Holiday Scheme, matching Australia’s FTA with India.

The agreement would also include a Treaty of Waitangi clause.

India FTA Key details:

  • Duty-free access on almost 57 percent of NZ exports from day one, increasing to 82 percent when fully implemented, with the remaining 13 percent being subject to sharp tariff cuts
  • Immediate tariff elimination on sheep meat, wool, coal and over 95 per cent of forestry and wood exports
  • Duty-free access on most seafood exports, including mussels and salmon, over seven years
  • Duty-free access on most iron, steel and scrap aluminium, over 10 years or less
  • Duty-free access for most industrial products, over five to 10 years 
  • 50 per cent tariff cut for large quota of apples – nearly double recent average exports
  • Duty-free access for kiwifruit within a quota almost four times our recent average exports, and tariff halved for exports outside of quota
  • Duty-free access for cherries, avocados, persimmons and blueberries, over 10 years
  • Tariffs on wine reduced from 150 percent to either 25 or 50 percent (depending on the value of the wine) over 10 years, plus a “Most Favoured Nations (MFN)” commitment
  • Tariffs on mānuka honey cut from 66 percent to 16.5 percent over five years
  • MFN status and liberalisation across services exports
  • Duty-free access for dairy and other food ingredients for re-export from day one
  • Duty-free access for bulk infant formula and other high-value dairy preparations over seven years
  • 50 percent tariff cut for high value milk albumins within a NZ-specific quota equal to current export volumes

The deal also includes chapters on Customs Facilitation and Clearance, Technical Barriers to Trade, Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Standards, Culture, Trade and Traditional Knowledge, Economic Cooperation, Trade and Sustainable Development.

India’s economy is forecast to grow to $NZ12 trillion by 2030.

Two-way trade in 2024 was about $3.14b, with New Zealand exports making up about $718m of that – primarily in wool, logs and apples.

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Watch live: Prime Minister and Trade Minister on deal with India

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minster Christopher Luxon and Trade Minister Todd McClay are holding a media conference regarding a free trade deal with India.

RNZ understands the government has struck a free trade deal with India.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon promised to do so in his first term, and negotiations were formally launched in March.

Christopher Luxon with Indian PM Narendra Modi during a meeting last year. Supplied / Prime Minister’s office

He visited the country for four days in April, and Trade Minister Todd McClay has been on several trips there since.

Indian media reported over the weekend that an agreement had gone through the country’s cabinet.

Two-way trade between the two countries currently totals about $3.14 billion a year. About $718m of that is exports from New Zealand, primarily wool, logs and apples.

– more to come

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

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Labour inspector ordered to release employment information to Gloriavale

Source: Radio New Zealand

A sign which welcomes people to Gloriavale Christian Community. (File photo) RNZ / Jean Edwards

The Employment Court has ruled the Labour Inspector must release advice it received from Crown Law about the employment status of people at Gloriavale.

The leaders of the community were appealing a decision which found members were employees, rather than community volunteers.

The Gloriavale defendants said the Labour Inspectors’ action came too late because the breaches were, or should have been, known after investigations in 2017 and 2021.

Under the law the Labour Inspector must apply for a penalty within 12 months of the breach becoming known to it.

On the first day of the employment hearing in November 2025 the counsel for the Labour Inspector referred to advice from Crown Law in 2021 which said the workers were not employees, and that the Inspector could not act contrary to that.

The Gloriavale defendants and the plaintiffs say that in referring to the Crown Law advice the Labour Inspector waived privilege for that advice.

This had been opposed by the Labour Inspector.

In her decision Chief Judge Christina Inglis said Labour Inspector was trying to use the advice to justify the delay, while also saying the advice was privileged, thereby avoiding having that justification scrutinised.

The Judge said the Labour Inspector had the power to initiate proceedings against Gloriavale in 2021 but elected not to.

“It appears, from counsel’s submission in Court, that the Crown Law advice was a factor influencing that decision. Consequently, it is linked to the central issue of the Labour Inspector’s delay and whether it can be justified for the purposes of resolving the question as to when the clock started to tick for limitation purposes.”

The Judge said she found the privilege in the 2021 Crown Law advice had been waived, and the Labour Inspector has to disclose it to the defendants and plaintiffs in the Gloriavale employment case within five working days.

The Labour Inspector could appeal the order if it considers it appropriate.

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Loaded shotgun found under child’s bed while police search for stolen Bentley

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police found four other stolen vehicles and the gun at a West Auckland house. (File photo) RNZ / REECE BAKER

A loaded shotgun was found under a child’s bed during a police search for a stolen Bentley in Auckland.

Officers were searching for a luxury Bentley Bentayga SUV stolen from the North Shore in the early hours of December 1.

The investigation led police to a home in West Auckland’s Glen Eden, where they found four other stolen vehicles.

Police also found a loaded shotgun hidden underneath a bed where a young boy was sleeping.

A 31-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were arrested.

Both were charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, and dishonesty charges for allegedly using stolen credit cards.

Neither were facing charges related to the stolen cars at this stage, but a police spokesperson said inquiries were ongoing.

Police didn’t find the Bentley in Glen Eden, but later found it in Huia last week.

“Police are continuing to investigate the initial burglary and theft and we cannot rule out further arrests being made,” police said.

The pair arrested in Glen Eden had already made their first appearance in the Waitākere District Court and were due to reappear in March.

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Queenstown restaurant fails in bid to stop Aussie spa chain using its name

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Bathhouse restaurant in Queenstown. GOOGLE MAPS / RNZ

A Queenstown restaurant has failed to secure an interim injunction to stop an Australian company opening a spa in the resort town with the same name.

The companies behind the restaurant The Bathhouse have been in dispute with a company planning to open a luxury spa and wellness centre called The Bathhouse Queenstown on Christmas Eve.

The restaurant argued by using a similar name, the spa company was taking advantage of its reputation.

Its High Court bid to temporarily prevent the Australian company from using “The Bathhouse” in any form as its trading name has been dismissed.

Justice Melanie Harland ruled that for now, the spa would be allowed to open provided it changed its trading and marketing name to “The Bathhouse Spa Queenstown”. The matter would be heard at a trial next year.

The Bathhouse restaurant on the lake front of Lake Wakatipu was originally a bathhouse built to commemorate King George V in 1911. Since the mid-1990s, the building has housed various restaurants which have traded there using the name “The Bathhouse”.

The Bathhouse Queenstown Pty Ltd is an Australian company that registered in New Zealand last month. It is launching a luxury spa and wellness centre in Queenstown’s central business district on 24 December.

The plaintiffs (two companies behind the restaurant) claimed the spa company breached the Fair Trading Act by using a similar name.

They argued this was likely to mislead or deceive customers into thinking there was a connection between the restaurant and the spa, and amounted to a false representation as to association, sponsorship or endorsement.

“The plaintiffs contend that the history of The Bathhouse building and the significance of its location are important drawcards which enable it to attract customers and, as such, this is part of its goodwill,” Justice Harland said.

The plaintiffs said members of the public had been misled or deceived already as a result of the spa company’s marketing and promotion.

In response, the spa company (the defendant) said “The Bathhouse” was a descriptive term and an accurate description of the nature of the business and services it intended to provide.

It said The Bathhouse Queenstown was a legitimate business that had operated a spa and wellness business under The Bathhouse name and banner in Australia since July 2023 and was in the process of establishing similar businesses in other locations.

The spa company said reasonable consumers, particularly tourists, would not be confused and there was no potential for damage to the restaurant.

It said there was no relevant evidence of any customers being confused, misled or deceived as a result of its activities.

“I observe that both parties have taken relatively staunch positions in relation to their respective cases,” Justice Harland said.

“I am satisfied that the balance of convenience would favour the injunctions not being issued if the defendant files a written undertaking confirming it will immediately change its trading and marketing name to “The Bathhouse Spa Queenstown” until further order of the Court.”

Justice Harland said in her view, inclusion of the term “spa” in the defendant’s trading name was likely to reduce confusion between customers while awaiting the substantive proceedings.

“I have also reached the very firm view that damages would be an adequate remedy for any losses or damage suffered by the plaintiffs in the interim if, at trial, they succeed in their claims and are successful in obtaining the substantive injunctive relief they seek,” she said.

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