Source: Radio New Zealand
OK, now the movies are cooking again.
Despite appearances to the contrary, the wildly unpredictable new A24 film The Drama is anything but a traditional romantic comedy, even if it tangles with modern love in darkly funny ways.
It’s not called The Drama for nothing.
Pharmac needs more staff and money to speed-up drug funding decision – advocates
Source: Radio New Zealand
The new report highlights progress and persistent gaps in the country’s medicines system. File photo. CC BY-NC 2.0 Gatis Gribusts
Pharmac needs more staff and a bigger operational budget to speed-up decisions on drug funding, say patient advocates.
In a report released today, the agency has been criticised for a focus on cost efficiency over health outcomes, and for slow decision-making and backlogs.
The report – written by Patient Voice Aotearoa and Medicines New Zealand and titled “Valuing Life – Medicines Access Summit 2025 Report” – is based off the findings of a two-day hui at Parliament in October last year.
Hosted by Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Health responsible for Pharmac David Seymour, the event brought together 180 people, including patient groups, clinicians, government officials, academics, and pharmaceutical industry representatives for a series of panels and workshops.
The report highlighted progress and persistent gaps in the country’s medicines system, noting “while some progress has been made, delivery remains uneven” and several foundational reforms “have not been started or addressed fully”.
Key findings highlighted in the report include:
- Progress is fragile without political leadership and accountability
- New Zealand continues to lag behind OECD peers
- Pharmac continues to be greatly underfunded
- Patients’ groups and clinicians are calling for a system that values timeliness, transparency, and lived experience
- Global pressures are reshaping medicines access
- A call for partnership and long‑term reform
Patient Voice Aotearoa chair Dr Malcolm Mulholland said two thirds of those recommendations had seen progress made since the summit, but a third were yet to see action.
Mulholland is also the chair of the consumer and patient working group, which was set up last year to work alongside Pharmac’s board overseeing a 12-month reset programme currently underway, which is aimed at making Pharmac more open and responsive.
“[Pharmac] are going to need a bigger a bigger operations budget to do a lot of the work around the health technology assessment,” he said.
“If we’re looking to speed it up, ultimately they are going to need more staff in those positions, so that’s why the operations budget is so important.”
Finance Minister Nicola Willis referred questions to Seymour’s office.
Seymour said while it was still a work in progress, for the first time in years Pharmac was “genuinely moving in the right direction”.
“We’ve given patients a stronger voice, appointed a consumer working group, and made Pharmac more transparent. We will continue to push Pharmac in the direction the patient community wants.
“Five years ago many of the Medicines Summit attendees would have been picketing outside Pharmac. This year, they were having genuine conversations with each other and Pharmac’s leadership about how to deliver the best service for Kiwis.”
This government had allocated a budget of $6.294 billion over four years, and a $604 million uplift.
“With that money, Pharmac has made 133 decisions to fund or widen access to medicines. This includes decisions on 46 cancer medicines. Over 200,000 patients have benefited.”
Pharmac chief executive Natalie McMurtry said Pharmac had appreciated the opportunity to attend the summit for the past two years, and it had provided an invaluable opportunity to hear first-hand from patients, advocates, suppliers and clinicians.
Since then, they had recruited more health economists to increase Pharmac’s capacity to assess funding applications, she said, and were trailing faster, more efficient assessment pathways which were showing early signs of success.
“We are also exploring how adopting a societal perspective can help us better demonstrate the value of new treatments, particularly when considering significant investments.
“Recently, we launched a review of our Exceptional Circumstances Framework, which allows Pharmac to consider funding medicines for certain individuals in special or exceptional clinical situations.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Road tolls: Driving from Auckland to Northland and back could cost drivers $14.20
Source: Radio New Zealand
The newest section of motorway between Auckland and Northland, which opened in 2023, connects Pūhoi to Warkworth. The next stage will continue to Te Hana, north of Wellsford. Supplied / NZTA Waka Kotahi
A return trip between Auckland and Whangārei could cost drivers $14.20 in tolls, if a proposal for the planned Northland Expressway goes ahead.
That means commuters travelling daily between Northland and the country’s biggest city would pay around $3400 a year in tolls.
The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is currently consulting on tolls for the planned Warkworth to Te Hana section of the Northland Corridor, which is to be built as a public-private partnership (PPP) under the government’s Roads of National Significance programme.
The proposal is for two electronic toll gates on the 26km stretch of expressway, the southern one charging $3 and the northern one $1.50.
The Northern Gateway motorway, from the North Shore to Pūhoi, already charges a toll of $2.60.
Added to the new tolls, that would make a total of $7.10 each way or $14.20 return between Auckland and the Northland border.
Trucks would pay $6 and $3 on the new expressway and $5.20 on the Northern Gateway, adding up to $14.20 each way or $28.40 return.
For Anna Giddens – who lives in Mangawhai but works four days a week at the University of Auckland, it could mean around $2600 a year in tolls – if she had to pass through all three electronic gates.
If she could avoid the northernmost toll gate she would still pay $2100 a year.
“Obviously it’s an added cost. It just seems like everything keeps going up, it would be added on top of everything else.”
Giddens said she would have to absorb the extra cost herself, but it would not be “a deal breaker” that would force her to quit her Auckland job.
“It’s not ideal, but I could cope with it. But I can imagine it could affect some people more.”
She said it would also affect businesses using the highway, which would have to pass the extra costs onto customers.
The Pūhoi viaduct opened in 2023, part of the newest section of motorway linking Auckland and Northland. Supplied / NZTA Waka Kotahi
Giddens questioned the equity of requiring Northlanders to pay tolls while other recently completed roads – such as the Waikato Expressway and Transmission Gully, both of which cost more than $2 billion – were toll-free.
“I understand that the cost of this is incredibly high. It’s probably the highest cost for a road construction project in this country ever, and I guess we don’t have the money. But it does seem disproportionate that the North is being tolled, compared to other parts of the country.”
Giddens said the answer for her would be to find work closer to home, but that was not easy in the current job market.
In any case, she did not have to worry about paying the extra tolls anytime soon – work on the first section of the expressway was due to start at the end of this year, and was expected to open around 2034.
A map showing the planned route of the Warkworth to Te Hana section of the Northland Corridor, with the location of the two electronic toll gates. Supplied / NZTA Waka Kotahi
The consultation document showed the new tolls could be levied for either 35 or 60 years.
Automobile Association senior policy analyst Sarah Geard said equity was one of the issues members raised most often about the tolling proposal – especially given Northland’s low median income.
Only two other roads were currently tolled in New Zealand, both in Tauranga.
“A point to make here is that in 2024 the government instructed NZTA that they do need to consider tolling on every new road … so we expect that will be the norm from this point.”
Geard said the AA was open to tolling if it meant new roads would be built sooner.
“And that means people who choose to use the road will benefit earlier than they otherwise would. I also note that under legislation, there must always be a feasible, untolled alternative route available to people who don’t want to use the toll roads, so that’s always an option,” she said.
“But we’re very mindful that tolls do mean extra cost to motorists, and we recognise there is already a toll road between Auckland and Whangārei.”
Geard said the AA had yet to decide its position on the Warkworth to Te Hana proposal.
The organisation was still working through information from NZTA to understand why the proposed toll was $4.50, why it was split into two tolls of differing amounts, and how the tolls would affect the number of vehicles using the new road.
New Zealand’s trucking industry also supported tolling if it sped up roading projects – but had reservations about the details of the Warkworth to Te Hana plan.
Paula Rogers, commercial transport specialist for the National Road Carriers (NRC), said about 1000 heavy trucks travelled between Auckland and Northland every day, transporting everything from food and fuel to logs and building materials.
She said the industry was pleased the new route would bypass Dome Valley, which was notorious for crashes and delays.
If tolling brought forward the project and its safety and efficiency benefits, that was a positive for all road users, Rogers said.
However, NRC had concerns about the methodology used to arrive at a toll of $9 for heavy vehicles.
Including the existing toll, that added up to $28.40 per return trip.
“Given the high frequency of freight movements along this corridor, these cumulative costs become significant for transport operators and are ultimately passed through to customers and the wider economy.”
Rogers said NRC wanted greater transparency around how NZTA had arrived at the proposed tolls, and whether the cumulative impact of multiple tolls on freight costs had been considered.
According to the NZTA’s consultation documents, the new Warkworth-Te Hana road would shave 7-10 minutes off travel times compared to the existing road.
It would also reduce the number and severity of crashes, especially in the Dome Valley, which was known for its “safety and resilience challenges”.
NZTA said tolling would allow the PPP to get started sooner, and free up money for other roading projects.
The reason for proposing separate toll points north and south of the Wayby Valley interchange was to make it fairer – motorists would pay according to how much of the new road they used – and to prevent congestion caused by large number of drivers diverting onto free local roads.
The new road would run west of and parallel to Dome Valley, before crossing the existing State Highway 1 and passing east of the notorious summer chokepoint at Wellsford.
It would rejoin the existing highway at Te Hana, just south of the Northland border and about 20km south of the Brynderwyn Hills.
The existing section of State Highway 1 would be reclassified as a local road and would be free to use.
Eventually two more sections of Northland Expressway would be built, from Te Hana over the Brynderwyns to Port Marsden Highway, and from Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei.
Each section was expected to have its own tolls.
The tolls being consulted on are based on 2025 prices, so could be adjusted for inflation.
NZTA documents show the Northern Gateway, which opened in 2009, is expected to be tolled until about 2045.
Public consultation on the Warkworth to Te Hana proposal runs until 15 April.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Section of central Auckland road blocked following car fire
Source: Radio New Zealand
A section of a central Auckland street has been blocked after a car caught fire.
The blaze in a hatchback vehicle happened outside the ferry terminal building on Wednesday evening.
Firefighters had extinguished the flames and were monitoring the car.
Firefighters at the scene in Auckland’s CBD. EDWARD GAY / RNZ
Video from the scene showed flames and smoke billowing from the car.
A reporter at the scene said the car had been “destroyed” by the fire.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Body found near Cromwell
Source: New Zealand Police
Please attribute to Detective Phill Hamlin:
A body has been located in Lake Dunstan, near Cromwell, this afternoon.
Police were notified by a member of the public who was near Cornish Point about 2.35pm.
While the formal identification process is yet to be completed, it is believed to be the 21-year-old man reported missing from Cromwell.
The death will be referred to the Coroner.
The community support and search efforts have been extremely appreciated.
Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Centre
Appeal for information relating to indecent assaults, Lower Hutt
Source: New Zealand Police
Hutt Valley Police are appealing for information after a 19-year-old man appeared in court for two alleged indecent assaults in Lower Hutt.
Police would like to hear from anyone who may have information that may relate to this offending to come forward.
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Williamson says while the man is before the court, Police believe there may have been further alleged offending.
The first incident occurred shortly before midday on Friday 6 February on Daly Street, and the second incident on Friday 27 March on the Hutt River Trail near Ava.
“The victims in these incidents were jogging before the reported incidents, and we would like to speak with anyone who may have seen any suspicious behaviour around these areas.
“We would also like to hear from anyone who may have been victim to related offending in the Hutt River Trail and Central Lower Hutt areas,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Williamson.
We know it can be incredibly difficult and at times distressing to talk about these matters, but we would like to reassure any victims of offending that we take them seriously.
Police have a number of officers and detectives dedicated to these cases, and we provide a safe space to report offending in confidence.
If you have any information or would like to report similar offending, please contact us online at 105.police.govt.nz or call 105.
Please use the reference number 260327/8160.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
West Coast families forced to manage complex health needs at home – Aged Care Association
Source: Radio New Zealand
Some older people are being forced to leave their communities to receive care, say advocates. File photo. Unsplash/ Ina Ramos
West Coast families are being left to manage complex health needs at home because of a shortage of aged care beds, the Aged Care Association says.
The association is calling on the government to establish a dedicated infrastructure fund to increase bed numbers and to recognise aged care as a critical component of the health system.
Chief executive Tracey Martin said there were providers ready to build and expand bed numbers but they were unable to do so because of a lack of funding support.
More than 50 aged residential care beds had been lost in the Buller district in the past decade after the withdrawal of Health New Zealand services in Reefton and Westport.
The impact was being felt across the health system and the problem was entirely fixable, Martin said.
O’Conor Home, Westport’s only aged care residence, had 20 people on its waiting list, including eight who had been assessed as requiring residential care but could not access it locally.
Ziman House, Reefton’s 12-bed aged care residence, permanently closed in 2024 – two years after it shut suddenly because of unsustainable staffing levels.
Martin said with no beds available, older people remained in hospital unnecessarily or were forced to leave their communities to receive care.
Recently an older person nearing the end of their life spent more than a month in a West Coast hospital assessment, support and rehabilitation unit because no aged care bed was available and they could not return home.
“This is what happens when aged care is not recognised as health care,” Martin said.
“These are people who have been clinically assessed as needing care. When there is no aged care bed available, they don’t stop needing care – they stay in hospital or families are left to manage complex health needs at home.”
The consequences extended beyond individual families and placed additional pressure on already stretched hospital and emergency services, she said.
West Coast had one of the oldest populations in the country with more than a quarter of residents aged over 65 – almost double the national average.
Beds would not be built and hospitals would continue to carry the cost until aged care was treated as core health infrastructure and funded accordingly, Martin said.
“If aged care is health care – and it is – then it must be planned, funded and invested in as part of the health system,” she said.
“Right now we are seeing the consequences of not doing so. People are stuck in hospital beds, families are under pressure and communities are losing the ability to care for their own.”
Last year Westland mayor Helen Lash told RNZ people in need of aged care support often left the West Coast because there were no facilities for them.
Radius Residential Care was granted approval in principle by Westland District Council last September for a new aged-care home and village on part of the former Hokitika racecourse site.
It will include an 80-bed care facility, 50-villa retirement village and home care services along with a rest home, hospital and specialised dementia care.
Lash said it was a win for all generations and would benefit the entire community.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
White Ferns captain Amelia Kerr steers epic chase
Source: Radio New Zealand
Amelia Kerr plays a shot on the way to her century. Marty Melville
A stunning unbeaten century by White Ferns skipper Amelia Kerr has led her side to a record successful chase against South Africa at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
Kerr clobbered 179 as the White Ferns chased down their 346-run target with two balls and two wickets to spare.
The chase eclipses the 280 the side successfully chased in 2022.
The target came courtesy of 91 by Anneke Bosch, backed up by 69 from skipper Laura Wolvaardt.
Bree Illing was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, taking 3 for 60.
In reply, Suzie Bates went early for eight, the top order unable to get going before Kerr came to the crease with Izzy Gaze.
Gaze combined with her captain for a 120 run partnership before she ws out for 68.
But Kerr kept things ticking along as she kept losing partners, Kayley Knight there at the end with her captain as they sealed the historic win.
Follow how the game unfolded:
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Speech to Sprout Summit on prioritisation in New Zealand’s science, innovation and technology system
Source: New Zealand Government
It’s a pleasure to be here at the Sprout Summit, surrounded by people who are quite literally designing the future of agrifood, ag‑tech and deep‑tech innovation in New Zealand.
The theme of this year’s summit “The Catalyst: Connecting Industry, Innovation, and Investment”, is timely.
It speaks to the kind of system New Zealand needs to build: one where science, ideas, and capital connect seamlessly, and where innovation can move quickly from concept to commercial reality.
New Zealand is at an important economic turning point.
After several difficult years, marked by high inflation, weak productivity and declining business confidence, the economy is slowly turning a corner, notwithstanding external shocks.
Strengthening that recovery, and our ability to rebound after shocks, and lifting New Zealand’s long-term economic performance is a priority for the Government.
That is why two of this Government’s major agendas – Going for Growth and the Science, Innovation and Technology System Reforms – are deeply intertwined; the latter being one of the five key mechanisms in the Going for Growth agenda.
Nowhere is that more obvious than in the sectors represented here today: agritech, agrifoodtech, deep tech, and biotechnology, sectors where New Zealand has natural advantages, deep expertise and global potential.
We need smarter, more resilient technologies in energy, transport, and food production. Agritech and agrifood innovation are important components to resilience.
Opportunities in advanced technologies
Advanced technologies are already reshaping the agrifood economy — from AI enabled automation, to climate resilient crop systems and precision fermentation.
We also see it through companies like Halter, which is demonstrating how locally developed technology can scale globally while delivering tangible productivity gains on farm.
As you know, Halter has pioneered virtual fencing and precision livestock management through its solar-powered smart collars and software platform, enabling farmers to herd, monitor and manage cattle remotely without physical fences.
Adoption across New Zealand’s dairy and beef sectors has been rapid, driven by clear benefits including reduced labour pressure, improved animal welfare, better pasture utilisation and increased farm system flexibility.
Backed by significant venture capital – just last week the business attracted funding valuing it at more than $2 billion – and led by a strong, farmer-focused product vision, it has become a flagship example of agritech commercialisation. It shows how advanced technology, when deeply grounded in real farm needs, can achieve strong market traction and global growth potential.
I am pleased to have Halter founder and chief executive Craig Piggott on the PIMSITAC board, which I will speak more of shortly.
A further example of agritech success is last year’s Prime Minister’s Science Prize awards that went to AgResearch for developing an endophyte microorganism which enhances the health and productivity of the ryegrass common on New Zealand farms.
We need more of these stories across the economy.
Innovation is critical to resilience
Our ability to turn research into innovation, and innovation into growth is going to be critical to economic resilience and building our future success.
In Denmark – a country like New Zealand of around five million people – recent pharmaceutical breakthroughs have delivered a modern economic miracle – creating a tidal wave of growth, employment, and opportunity.
When I came into this role, one thing was immediately clear: New Zealand produces excellent science, but our system does not consistently turn those ideas into commercial success.
The Science Advisory Group report identified this as one of many problems to fix, including too much competition, too little competition, underutilisation, poor collaboration, poor connection with industry, poor alignment with government priorities, complex disconnected funding panels, and poor commercialisation. Apart from that, everything was fine!
Too many promising ventures stall at the research and proof of concept stages and cannot develop to a stage in which they can access venture capital.
They can also lack the capability support and capital they need to scale.
Too much intellectual property is left on the shelf, including IP disclosures that become effectively dormant.
Comparing public science funding with Australia suggests we do well at the discovery phase but do not push on into spinouts and start-ups, as well as they do.
Changes to science system
Part of this is in our hands, where capital flows in our economy have been misaligned for years. Not enough investment has been targeted at the creation of new technologies, new products, and new companies.
That is why the Government is undertaking the most significant modernisation of the science, innovation and technology system in more than three decades.
Our goal is simple: A science system that produces world‑class research and turns it into world‑class companies.
Key reforms in the past year alone show the huge amount of work that’s been done in just one year holding the portfolio, including:
- A shift to a strategy‑driven funding system that aligns public investment with national research priorities
- A new national intellectual property framework to strengthen incentives and pathways for researchers to commercialise breakthrough ideas.
- Consolidation of the seven CRIs into three Public Research Organisations, including the Bioeconomy PRO, which will be pivotal for agrifood and agritech innovation.
- Creation of PMSITAC as the national strategic science council.
- Creation of Research Funding New Zealand, aligning investment with national priorities and economic opportunity.
- Establishment of the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology, backed by $231 million, with a statutory mandate to commercialise frontier technologies such as quantum, AI and synthetic biology.
Our science reforms must be matched with strong support for businesses at every stage of the commercialisation pipeline.
At the early stage, our revamped science system will ensure public R&D investment is maximised.
At the scaling stage, tools like Elevate, the R&D Tax Incentive, InvestNZ and NZTE are helping firms grow globally.
In the middle, the critical point between proof of concept and investability, we see great opportunity for improvement.
This is where capability support such as incubators, accelerators, commercialisation coaches; and early capital such as PreSeed‑ Accelerator Fund, Technology Incubators, Aspire; must be aligned.
We are now working to ensure a joined‑up, coherent pathway so founders can get the right support at the right time.
Role of PMSITAC
Last year in his state of the nation speech, the Prime Minister also announced the establishment of the Science, Innovation and Technology Advisory Council (PMSITAC) to set research priorities and ensure funding is targeted for maximum impact. I chair that council and acknowledge deputy chair and chief science advisor John Roche from MPI who is also in the room.
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister asked the Council to be bold; to tell the Government how to build a system that is focused, effective and equipped for the future.
He said that the prize – if we can get it right – could be game-changing for New Zealand.
The council’s role was not simply to diagnose long-standing issues, but to chart a path forward.
The Council has done just that and delivered recommendations which the Government is backing.
Today, I am pleased to announce the release of the Prime Minister’s Science, Innovation and Technology Advisory Council (PMSITAC) Report on Prioritisation in New Zealand’s Science, Innovation and Technology System.
It sets out how we will refocus science investment into areas that will make the biggest difference for New Zealand.
This report focuses on science funding in the portfolio and not the almost equal amount of science funding in other portfolios including MPI, DoC, TEC, Centres of Research Excellence, and TREF – previously PBRF. Those funds are outside this report.
This report focuses on science funding in the SIT portfolio, and not the almost equal amount of science funding elsewhere, including MPI, DoC, Callaghan, TEC and MoE funded centres of research excellence, and TREF previously known as PBRF, the $315 million a year which funds university research. Those funds are outside this report.
The key elements of the report are:
- Four priority pillars
- Investigator-mission led reweighting
- Rebalancing agriculture and environmental investment with advanced technology
- A simplified strategic and funding pathway with reduced bureaucracy.
1 – Priority pillars
The Council’s report signals four areas, or pillars, where Government’s science investment can make the biggest difference for New Zealand.
These are:
- Primary Industries and Bioeconomy
- Technology for Prosperity
- Environmental Sustainability and Resilience
- Healthy People and a Thriving Society
These four pillars reflect where New Zealand has existing strengths and capability, but also where there is opportunity for us to do more. The SAG report consistently focused on science prioritisation that we are or should be good at.
For investors, the PMSITAC report is a strong signal of long-term‑ policy alignment.
The Council’s advice is clear:
New Zealand under invests in advanced technology research, and is overweighted in agricultural and environmental research, compared to similar economies, including taking into account the primacy of our agricultural sector.
Some of this reflects how our system and economy has evolved.
However, if we want science and innovation to more strongly drive economic performance, wellbeing and national resilience, we need a different balance of investment.
At the heart of the report is a new Technology for Prosperity pillar, which will crosscut across all science endeavours.
It is not designed to grow a single sector, but to build national capability.
Investments in areas such as quantum technologies, AI modelling, next generation sensing and engineered biological systems, will enable innovation across all four pillars, including agrifood and agritech.
2 – Investigator/mission-led reweighting
The Council recommends adjusting the funding balance within these pillars to be 60 per cent mission-led (aligned to national priorities and outcomes) and 40 per cent investigator-led (competitively funded, curiosity-driven research).
This replaces the current approximate 45 per cent mission-led and 55 per cent investigator-led balance, and positions New Zealand alongside other leading small, advanced economies who are similarly positioning towards more mission-led science.
3 – Rebalancing agriculture and environmental investment with advanced technology
The Council recommends that we increase investment in advanced technology through a gradual reallocation of some of the agriculture and environmental research funding.
Cross cutting will clearly position some of this funding back into those areas, just from a different pillar and with an emerging technology lens. For example, through something like AI-driven robotic harvesting technology.
This does not mean starting again or discarding what we do well. Rather, it is to build on our existing strengths and direct more investment toward areas where New Zealand has a genuine comparative advantage, where we need research that addresses the unique needs and challenges of New Zealanders, and where emerging technologies are shaping future opportunities.
In short, redirect resources for an outsized impact.
Will humanities and social sciences still be supported?
Yes. It is a whole pillar in itself; one of the four.
Is matauranga still supported?
Yes. The $42 million biodiversity platform is evidence of that.
Will investigator-led, foundational research still be supported?
Yes. Up to 40 per cent of research funding would still fit into this category.
4 – Simplified science funding with less bureaucracy
The fourth key to the report is simplified science funding with less bureaucracy. The PMSITAC Priorities Report provides a clear path forward. It will inform the development of the Science Investment Plan or SIP, which will set New Zealand’s long‑term research priorities and align public investment with national missions. This plan will be released later this year.
The upcoming Science Investment Plan is the response to this report and will direct Research Funding New Zealand – RFNZ – as the one-stop-shop that operationalises the the PMSATIC strategy. This will be done through Pillar Investment Plans – PIPS.
The simplified system then has:
- PMSITAC, sets out national priorities
- SIP, to detail the strategy
- RFNZ, to operationalise the national strategy
- PIP, to operationalise pillar strategies.
I know that is a few new acronyms, but this aligns with simplified science funding structures in other small, advanced economies. That is less bureaucracy and more funding for researchers.
This more aligned approach will help ensure New Zealand’s deep‑tech, agrifood and advanced‑technology sectors are positioned to take full advantage of future opportunities, here and globally.
Shifting investment priorities
This transition must be supported by the foundations of the system — our workforce, our research infrastructure, our commercialisation pathways, and our global partnerships.
It strengthens the fundamentals of New Zealand’s agrifoodtech opportunity by shifting investment toward the data, biology, engineering and automation layers that form the foundation of globally scalable agritech companies.
This moves public investment toward platform technologies, for example AI, genomics, sensors, synthetic biology and digital twins, that can generate intellectual property and global revenue.
For the investment community, this alignment reduces policy risk and increases confidence that New Zealand will continue to produce agri-tech companies at scale capable of competing in large international markets.
The changes also aim to improve the efficiency of the innovation-to-commercialisation pipeline. A more mission-led system, clearer national priorities and simplified funding architecture mean fewer fragmented projects and more concentrated effort behind technologies with real market pull.
These proposals improve the risk–return profile of agri-tech investment. Stronger upstream public investment lowers technical and regulatory risk, clearer priorities support better capital allocation, and a growing advanced-technology talent base strengthens the founder pipeline.
This aims to translate into higher-quality deal flow, faster time to scale, and increased potential for international partnerships, follow-on capital and exits.
Shifting our funding in this way will mean we see more of the benefits that investments in advanced technology is already delivering – boosting farm productivity, reducing environmental impacts, and enabling smarter, data-driven decisions that improve health, resilience and sustainability across New Zealand.
In a tight fiscal environment, public investment must be targeted, efficient and evidence-based‑. Every dollar must do real work.
Funding needs confidence
This report describes reprioritisation and not a reduction in science funding.
We all agree that more funding is important if we are to retain research capability and deliver on the potential New Zealand has. That funding needs to come from both private and public sources.
As you all know, funding for any venture requires a business case.
In a sense, the science and research reforms we are undertaking is part of a developing “business case” that the Government needs, to give it the confidence to consider putting more funding into the sector.
It’s a highly competitive process getting the attention and time of politicians that is needed for consideration of any new money. The case has to be strong.
We all need to prove that we are fixing the basics – by establishing these new entities, having them running smoothly, making sensible and informed decisions that support the national interest and the priorities laid out.
The Government is committed to building a prosperous future.
We can make policy and create interventions, but it will also require evidence, to build confidence that the sector is contributing and worth investing more in.
Evidence that is easy to digest, links to national benefit and demonstrates that it is delivering real results and returns.
Close
In closing, I want to thank the Council for their expertise and contribution. Their advice is helping ensure New Zealand’s science and innovation investments deliver enduring value for the country.
To everyone here today, founders, CEOs, researchers, farmers, investors — thank you for the ambition, creativity and drive you bring to this sector. You are building the future of New Zealand’s bioeconomy and delivering solutions the world needs.
Alongside you, I have built the second largest biotechnology Institute in the world and a focused, simplified funding mechanism to advance those goals.
With a modernised, prioritised science and innovation system, aligned investment signals, and a growing advanced technology capability base, I am confident that New Zealand can remain a global leader in agrifood and agritech-‑innovation.
Bill to ease holiday alcohol restrictions passes final reading in Parliament
Source: Radio New Zealand
The bill was put forward by Labour MP Kieran McAnulty. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Legislation to ease alcohol restrictions over Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas has passed its third and final reading at Parliament.
The bill amends the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to allow premises that are already open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day morning, and Christmas Day to sell alcohol under normal licence conditions.
Bottle shops will still have to stay closed, and supermarket alcohol restrictions remain.
The bill passed 66 votes to 56.
It was put forward by Labour MP Kieran McAnulty.
Speaking at the third reading, McAnulty told the House the bill would clear up the guesswork for hospitality staff in deciding what was a “substantial” meal to serve before someone could purchase alcohol, by removing the requirement entirely.
“What is even more ridiculous is that actually they’re not required to eat the meal. They’re only required to purchase it, and it can sit there while they drink, and it could also be argued that they can go and buy another substantial meal in order to keep drinking. That doesn’t make sense. This bill clears that up,” he said.
McAnulty said it was clear there was not a majority in Parliament to amend the Easter Trading laws themselves, something he himself was opposed to amending, and so he was not seeking to change them.
“All we’re talking about here is businesses that can already open. This is not expanding access to alcohol. When we’re only talking about those workers that are working anyway, this is not taking anything away from those workers that otherwise enjoy a guaranteed day off,” he said.
At the Committee of the Whole House stage, and amendment from ACT’s Cameron Luxton was adopted to ensure those venues could continue to serve drinks past midnight the day before the holiday.
Cameron Luxton’s amendment was adopted and one Kieran McAnulty supported. VNP / Phil Smith
Luxton said the provision would allow a business to stay open for its usual licencing hours, and not necessarily that they must remain open or stay open past the 11:59 deadline the day before.
“The amendment says that the premises for which an on-licence is held may remain open during the permitted trading hours that apply to the premises,” he said.
McAnulty said Luxton’s amendment cleared up an anomaly, and he was happy to support it.
Rather than the usual eleven speeches in response to McAnulty’s first call, Assistant Speaker Barbara Kuriger allowed the debate to be split into 22 shorter calls, acknowledging the vote was a conscience matter.
Parliament treats votes on legislation involving alcohol as a conscience matter, meaning MPs are free to vote according to their personal feelings, or those of their constituents, rather than whipped as a party bloc.
It means McAnulty’s Labour colleagues were free to vote against his bill, as Taieri MP Ingrid Leary did.
“I can’t in good conscience continue to see bills come before the House that incrementally change small, nuanced parts of a wider architecture that urgently needs reform,” she said.
ACT voted as a bloc in support, while all New Zealand First and Green MPs opposed the bill.
MP Kahurangi Carter said the Greens had a long history of fighting for alcohol harm reduction laws, and believed the entire Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act needed to be overhauled.
“The Green Party is united in our position that we cannot support this bill,” she said.
New Zealand First MP David Wilson said he valued using those holidays for remembrance and reflection.
“It’s not much to ask to take some time to reflect, to revere, and to respect, and then celebrate with friends and family,” he said.
“A small degree of restriction for a few days to reinforce shared traditions and values is a very small price to pay.”
His New Zealand First colleague Mark Patterson took it a step further, saying the House would be “crossing a Rubicon” with its vote.
“Will they vote to uphold their traditional New Zealand values, history, and traditions? Will they respect our Christian heritage, sacred Christian celebrations of Christmas, Easter Sunday, and Good Friday? Will they acknowledge the solemn commemoration of Anzac Day morning? Or will they sacrifice that heritage at the altar of consumerism and consumption?”
McAnulty’s Labour colleague Lemauga Lydia Sosene said communities in her Māngere electorate wanted to keep those days sacred, and so she opposed it on their behalf.
However, in support of the bill, National’s Greg Fleming said he did not believe the legislation affected the sanctity of those days.
Fleming, who co-founded conservative policy think-tank the Maxim Institute, said many years ago he would have opposed the bill, but he said it was a “considered, incremental, and mature step forward” for a healthy relationship for alcohol, and a healthy respect for differences, rather than being “fearful” of what it meant for sacred days.
ACT’s Laura McClure said people’s behaviour would not change just because trading hours did.
“Our licenced premises have to adhere to really strict rules when it comes to intoxication. One of the safest places you could probably have a few beverages in is a licenced premises.”
National’s Carl Bates, opposing the legislation, said Parliament could have instead clarfied the definition of a “substantial” meal in regulation.
“The idea that the only way to solve this problem is to remove the law, to take a step on that slop towards removing the importance of these days in New Zealand’s history, and in its culture, is in itself absurd.”
Speaking to RNZ before the third reading, McAnulty was hopeful it could get Royal Assent on Thursday, so it could be law before the long weekend.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand