NZ Engine

Source: New Zealand Government

Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou.

Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

Kia ora and good morning everyone – its great to be with you today.

Before I begin, I’d especially like to welcome EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič who has just arrived from Brussels, as well as the other political and diplomatic representatives from Europe including Lawrence Meredith the hard-working EU Ambassador to New Zealand.

Thank you to our European business colleagues who have travelled from half a world away to be with us this morning.  I hope you enjoy your stay in New Zealand.  More importantly, I hope you seize the opportunities to grow your businesses here. 

And also a warm welcome to the numerous New Zealand businesspeople who work so hard every single day to create jobs and improve incomes for our people.  Thank you for the work you do for our country.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honour to open this inaugural EU – New Zealand Business Summit.  It fills a gap in the market for Kiwi businesses and government to meet and discuss one of the world’s most consequential economies.

For, while the European project at its beginning was fundamentally about creating a Europe, peaceful and united, it has also had the extraordinary co-benefit of unifying a single market.  And, at 17% of global output, the EU today is the world’s second largest economy.

The European Union, with its 450 million consumers, enjoy some of the highest living standards in the world.  The EU’s people are among the most highly educated and most innovative. Europe is home to vast pools of capital and ideas that Kiwis can access.

And this is a relationship that is paying dividends for both sides. 

While the EU still enjoys a healthy trade surplus – exporting nearly twice as much to New Zealand as Europeans buy from us – we’re closing the gap fast with an extraordinary 28% increase in our exports since our Free Trade Agreement entered into force last year.

New Zealand’s relations with Europe are perhaps in the best shape they’ve been for a generation.  Later in my remarks, I want to describe what that means for us as trading partners and innovation partners.

First, though, I want to describe the way in which the EU and New Zealand look out on the world in similar ways, before talking about how the two of us can work together as principled partners to try to shape the world in which we live.

So, let me begin by reflecting on the wider operating context that both Europe and New Zealand find ourselves in.

Whether in the Euro-Atlantic or here in the Indo-Pacific, we’re seeing the last generation’s geopolitical certainties upended.  We’re in an era where the world is more volatile and more uncertain than in recent memory. 

I would highlight three big shifts that make for challenging times.

First, we are seeing rules giving way to power.

For evidence of disregard for the rulebook, look no further than the way Russia tore up the United Nations Charter with its immoral invasion of Ukraine.

In a major speech last month, Ursula von der Leyen described Russia’s threat to Europe’s freedom and its independence as one where Moscow is drawing “battlelines for a new world order based on power”.

While at its most stark in Europe, it is not only Europe that is suffering the new reality of sharper competition undermining the rules-based order.

A slow shift in Indo-Pacific realities is also changing calculations.  In our wider region, the exercise of power is increasing the risk of dangerous miscalculation between states.

Whether it’s border skirmishes across the Indo-Pacific raising the fearful spectre of war.  Or whether its military activities designed to intimidate on the seas and in the skies. We’re seeing rules give way to power, with the risks of missteps rising.

Second, we are witnessing a shift from economics to security.

After the Cold War, the dominant paradigm was a sustained effort to raise material living standards. Make no mistake, “bread and butter” issues still loom large. Indeed, economic growth is my Government’s highest priority.

Yet, the reality is we are now in an era where you can’t have prosperity without security. Whether you like it or not, Governments are being forced to pay more attention to national security.

When the very tools of commerce are threatened by cyberattacks on computer networks and targeting of critical infrastructure, you can’t have prosperity without security.

When citizens and companies are fearful of military aggression, they won’t invest for the future.  Faced by the hard reality of all-out war in Europe, that’s why the EU’s top priority is security and defence for the first time  in its history. Indeed, we’re seeing increased security spend across the globe, including New Zealand’s commitment to a more capable Defence Force by doubling our own investment.

The third geo-economic shift is from efficiency to resilience.

Where previously, economies saw ever deeper interdependence as a dynamo for growth, that seems no longer the case for many.

Onshoring, industrial policy and trade wars are displacing best price, open markets, and integrated global supply chains.

And, so, we find ourselves in a world that is growing more difficult and more complex, especially for smaller states and those on the frontlines of geostrategic rivalry.

Ladies and gentlemen, a “might-is-right” world is neither in Europe nor New Zealand’s interests.  But we engage with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.

So, the challenge for us, as believers in global order, is to shape things using the agency we have.  Small countries can make a big difference when we work together with principled partners.

Let me give you two specific examples of New Zealand and Europe doing exactly this.

First, New Zealand is partnering with Europe to defend our shared values and interests in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Unlike Moscow, we believe in democracy and a country’s right to determine its future.  Unlike President Putin, we believe in rules and the United Nations Charter that he so flagrantly flouts.

But, in the world, just as in business, the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.  Letting Russia get away with violating Ukraine’s sovereignty is to accept its behaviour as a new global standard.  Not just in Europe, but here in the Indo-Pacific, too.

Euro-Atlantic security is not so easily separated from that of the Indo-Pacific, particularly when we see tens of thousands of North Korean soldiers fighting at the frontlines for Russia.

And right here at home, Russia’s illegal war in Europe has caused real pain.  While we are at long last triumphing over the scourge of inflation, let’s not forget that it was Russia’s illegal invasion in 2022 that drove food and fuel prices through the roof in the first place.

When I was in the UK, Sir Keir Starmer and I met with Kiwi and Ukrainian soldiers training side-by-side.  It is no small thing that a country half a world away in the South Pacific has its largest military deployment in Europe.

But what made a far bigger impression on me was talking with Ukrainian soldiers who, in just a matter of days, were back on the frontline facing Russian bullets and drones.  As they defend their homeland, we will continue to be beside them in their fight. 

 Ladies and gentlemen, my second example of New Zealand and Europe working together as principled partners relates to trade. 

Now, the World Trade Organisation is not perfect.  But the reality is New Zealand and Europe’s exporters have thrived with the certainty it has delivered for 30 years of open trade governed by rules.

Today’s trade tensions expose the fracture-lines that have been building in the world trade system for a decade or more.  Our interests lie in sustaining open trade, so I don’t want us to be bystanders as the system degrades.

By working together as principled partners, I believe Europe and New Zealand can shape outcomes that sustain the rules.

Together, the EU and CPTPP countries comprise 30% of global trade – about the same proportion as do China and the United States.

In several conversations, President van der Leyen and I have agreed that, if the EU and CPTPP come together and agree between ourselves that we will not take actions that undermine the fundamental rules the multilateral trading system is founded upon, that will be an enormous injection of confidence into the system. 

I’m delighted that, next month, Commissioner Šefčovič will participate in the first EU-CPTPP Dialogue, which is aimed at doing just that.

It’s a practical demonstration of how our work together as principled partners can deliver on the fundamental idea that our exporters should compete on a level playing field internationally. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement embodies the ideal of that level playing field.  The FTA is an absolute step change for sectors that were previously constrained by quotas and tariffs.

With the EU our fourth largest export destination, I need not explain to you how critical New Zealand’s business connections with Europe are to delivering on my Government’s growth agenda.

Since the Free Trade Agreement with the EU came into force last May, two-way trade has grown by $1.7 billion. That’s growth that represents real money in the back pockets of our primary producers. 

It’s not only primary exports that are doing well courtesy of the EU FTA: I saw first-hand in Brussels the success of Auckland’s own autonomous shuttle manufacturer, Ohmio, which is selling its innovative vehicles into the EU after the FTA saw a 10% tariff removed.

Other Kiwi companies are following their lead, including Seequent and the Pure Food Company, both of which have established themselves in the EU and are busily scaling up their businesses to succeed.

With one in four of our jobs coming from exports, the EU FTA creates more opportunities for high-value jobs at home.  And it diversifies the set of markets open to our businesses as we seek to lift our economic resilience.

For a Government going after a doubling in the value of New Zealand’s exports by 2034, the EU FTA is a great result.  One we will continue to build on as additional sectors become duty-free over the next few years.

Our economic relationship with the EU delivers on our Going for Growth Plan in many more ways than just through exports.

When I was in the Netherlands in June, I met a series of European investors, many of whom have since announced new investments.

IKEA, with its first store in New Zealand opening in December. New Cold, which is investing in automated cold storage logistics in Auckland.

Many other European companies are thriving courtesy of their partnerships with New Zealand.

France’s Alstom has just sealed a deal, selling a fleet of eighteen state-of-the-art battery-electric trains, which will allow Wellington commuters to get where they need to go quickly, safely and with lower emissions.

Zespri has licenced its kiwifruit varieties to Italian growers to ensure year-round supply.  Indeed, it’s just licensed 170 hectares of one of its most innovative varietals, RubyRed.

Ladies and gentlemen, if New Zealand is going to create the kinds of high-growth businesses and high-income jobs we want and need, we have to get better at commercialising our amazing science and technology.

Under our Going for Growth Plan, my Government has prioritised a more strategic innovation system that enables New Zealand to keep pace with global change by directing investment towards research priorities that have real commercial potential.

In that, we’re lucky to have a first-mover advantage because we are associated with one of the world’s greatest sources of innovation.  The EU’s Horizon Europe is the world’s biggest multilateral funder of science and innovation.  And Kiwi researchers can access that on equal terms with their European counterparts.

Right now, Horizon Europe helps Kiwi researchers collaborate with European counterparts on more than 20 projects, ranging from designing virtual replicas of individual patient’s bodies to test treatments, through to new methods for hydrogen storage to solve our energy crisis.

And there’s room for growth in businesses’ technology partnerships in other ways in Europe.  New Zealand sourced precision farming is in demand across the EU’s livestock sector.  Kiwi firms like Orion Health and Aroa Biosurgery are making a difference with digital health solutions.

When I was in the Netherlands, I visited Dawn Aerospace, an incredible space transportation and satellite propulsion business, founded by two New Zealand brothers and their three European friends. With operations also out of Canterbury, it is doing remarkable things, moving satellites around in space and deploying a reusable space plane. 

 Finally, it’s great that Kiwi digital businesses, whether SaaS providers or fintech firms, can benefit from New Zealand having gained EU data adequacy status, which means personal data can flow freely between our jurisdictions without additional compliance burdens.  

Ladies and gentlemen, it is in the New Zealand character to be outward focused and open to new ideas.

We will continue to work with Europe on the latest ideas that power 21^st century open economies, including in areas like digital government and the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence. 

In wrapping up today, I offer this vision: a future where New Zealand and the European Union are not just trading partners — but innovation partners, principled partners, and strategic partners.

A future where our businesses thrive, our people prosper, and our shared values shape the global economy.

Let’s build that future together.

Thank you. Merci. Danke. Grazie. Kia ora.

Source: New Zealand Police

Are you calm under pressure, good at negotiating, or have exceptional attention to detail? Or maybe you can keep a cool head while the heat is turned up or you’re a great leader in your community? 

You never know how your life experiences; abilities and know-how may be compatible with policing.

That’s the theme behind the latest New Zealand Police recruitment campaign ad dubbed ‘Calling Card’.

Commissioner Richard Chambers says “The new campaign is our biggest for the year, and targets people whose skills, strengths and experience make them a good fit for Police.

This campaign will showcase just what an attractive and varied career Police can offer, and I urge those who have the skills we need to sign up,” says Commissioner Chambers.

“To serve our communities we need new staff from all backgrounds and with different skills and characteristics. Policing is an exciting and dynamic career suited to many types of New Zealanders and obviously the best people to tell you this is the staff who are doing it daily,” says Commissioner Chambers.

The new campaign features detectives meeting a student, both of whom are problem solvers and critical thinkers.

We feature a front-line officer liaising with a community worker – both roles requiring empathy and patience. The ad shows our dog teams, our AOS teams and even our Air Support Unit.

A police negotiator spots a parent, who can also stay calm under pressure. We also show a hiker in the bush with a love for the outdoors alongside a Police Search and Rescue (SAR) team.

We have been building momentum for the past year. You may have seen our hard-to-miss buses (and a train) wrapped in Police livery, or our upcycled retired Police car turned into a cinema to view our Ride Along series.

Now that we have people’s attention, it’s the perfect time to launch a recruitment campaign and get people seriously thinking about a career in Police.

The filming was completed over the space of a ten days and took place in a few police districts, but notably Northland and Southland.

A Northland Search and Rescue scene features husband and wife, both working Police officers – Josh and Tracey from Whangarei. Tracey was inspired to join after following her husband’s career. 

“I’m lucky to be policing in one of the most beautiful parts of our country, I graduated in 2023, so I’m still on rotation throughout various work groups to enhance my skillset – no day is the same, I’m loving the challenge.”

A Police Negotiator scene was filmed near Lumsden in Southland and featured Constable Alistair who works in a Tactical Crime Unit.

“I have enjoyed 18-years of policing and ten of those years being part of the Police Negotiating Team and it’s nothing short of fascinating with many challenges thrown in for good measure.”

Acting Assistant Commissioner Deployment, Zane Hooper says, “There is a common misconception about what type of person Police want to recruit as officers and it’s not always what you think.

“We hope this campaign will show people that we want to recruit New Zealanders with a variety of personality traits – they may not realise just how valuable their abilities and knowledge could be to policing.

These skills are empathy, leadership, composure, fitness, teamwork and problem solving.

“There are more than 30 different career paths as an officer in the New Zealand Police and we invest time in training our staff, so they have the qualities to face any situation.”

The ad, which has just gone live on YouTube features over 50 Police staff, including constabulary and employee, alongside their family members and friends.

We’ve even had the help of some of our retired staff who together have over 150 years of combined service.

“Getting current and former staff involved in the filming was relatively easy because they’re passionate about showing New Zealanders why this is such a great job,” says Hooper.

The ad showcases the areas where Police need people the most, such as Northland and in our biggest city Auckland – Tāmaki Makaurau.

‘Calling Card’ has been made with advertising agency Eighty One Media, and the video was directed by New Zealander Vince McMillan.

Interested in joining the Police? Go to newcops.co.nz and take the first step.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

Police are appealing to the public for information on the whereabouts of Aaliyah Ah Tong, 20, who has a warrant for her arrest.

Police believe someone may have information on her whereabouts.

Ah Tong is known to have connections in the Canterbury region.

Anyone with information is urged not to approach her and instead to call 111 immediately and quote file number 251003/3795.

Alternatively information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre.

Source: New Zealand Police

Police are now in a position to release the names of the two people who were killed in a crash on State Highway 1, Piarere on 15 October.

They were Joshua Laroy Greenway, 35, and Amber Kory Stephens, 34, tourists from the United States of America.

Our thoughts are with their family and friends at this difficult time.

Enquiries into the crash are ongoing.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre.

Source: New Zealand Police

Police can release the name of the woman who died following a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1, near Kinleith on 22 October.

The woman was Almira Pasaol, 28, originally from the Philippines.

Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time.

The crash is continuing to be investigated.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre.

Source: New Zealand Government

[Speech to the Swedish Institute for International Affairs, 4.00pm, 28 October 2025]

State Secretary Hartelius, former Minister Tobias Billstrom, Ambassadors, members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests,

Tack och Välkomna

For many of you living here in the Nordic countries it must seem like New Zealand is a country at the very end of the earth. Having made the flight here via Iceland and Norway, we can confirm that you’re absolutely right…

While we are very far away from the Nordic nations, just north of where the Emperor penguins live, we share many similar values and experiences, and our people- to-people exchanges have more history behind them than many might think.

Our links with the Nordic region can be traced back to 1769. There were two Nordics on Captain Cook’s ship, ‘The Endeavour’ – Daniel Solander a noted botanist from Pitea, Sweden and Hermann Sporring, his assistant from Turku in what is now Finland. That’s 256 years – as long as our connection with the United Kingdom. 

Solander was the first to catalogue many unique New Zealand species, New Zealand’s iconic silver fern among them. Visitors can see this at Te Papa, our national museum in Wellington.

Both Solander and Sporring have places in New Zealand named after them. Towns like Norsewood and Dannevirke also speak to the strong connections with settlers from this part of the world. 

Nordic whalers visited our shores in the early 19^th century. Later that century, in the 1870s, a large cohort of Scandinavians immigrated to New Zealand, including Norwegians, alongside Danes and Swedes,

One of them, former Danish Prime Minister Ditlev Monrad, also emigrated to New Zealand, helped facilitate further Nordic immigration, and donated his art collection to the people of New Zealand, where they still sit as part of our national art collection. 

New Zealand continues to be a popular destination for young Nordics, and we were pleased to add Iceland last week to a working holiday visa scheme that can only benefit our understanding and appreciation of each other.   

This is our third visit to Stockholm since we reopened our embassy in 2019, and the second time we’ve been able to visit each of the Nordic capitals, part of our strong commitment to strengthen the ties between us.

In the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs we have taken this even further, with not one, but two of our staff who proudly celebrate their Nordic origins. 

My Senior Private Secretary, Helen Lahtinen, is Swedish born of Finnish parents and my Senior Foreign Policy Advisor, Jon Johansson’s father, Danish born, was part of the post-World War Two Nordic diaspora who chose to forge a new life in New Zealand.

It would be fair to say, therefore, that my office embodies Nordic-New Zealand relations about as well as is possible, certainly in terms of their, shall we say, typically refreshing Nordic directness and clarity of thought.

A personal, long-held theory about that clarity is that people in cold countries have to make clear-sighted judgements because if they don’t, they die. 

We are here today to talk about the strength of the partnerships between New Zealand and the Nordic countries and the shared challenges we face together in our more contested, complex, and troubled world. 

We will celebrate those partnerships tomorrow with the first ever meeting among the foreign ministers of the five Nordic countries and New Zealand. We will use that meeting to talk about existing collaborations, how we can build further upon them in the years ahead, and we will traverse the many shared challenges we face.

We are grateful to our Nordic friends for agreeing to this discussion and look forward to it. Coming into this meeting, we have long-standing relationships and strong shared values. Those values are enduring:

• Equality, tolerance and a commitment to fairness;
• Democracy – New Zealand is one of only nine countries with an uninterrupted sequence of elections since 1854;
• Freedom from fear, and from want;
• And human rights, as set out in the 1948 Universal Declaration.  

The Nordic countries are among New Zealand’s most natural partners on the global stage. More than that, as we said back in 2019, our partnership should and will be grounded in our shared values and worldview. There is no limit to what we might achieve – together.

That was true then. It is even more important now. 

The Nordics and New Zealand have a lot in common. We are all relatively small countries in population terms, though we have significant land-based and maritime interests as well.  Our land-based industries make a significant economic contribution and our exclusive economic zones cover over 10 million square kilometres.

We all possess stable democracies, committed to the rule of law, with low levels of corruption, and a strong record of delivering social welfare support to those in need. We robustly support free speech, and we have strong education systems. 

We all have export-oriented economies with well-deserved reputations for innovation. Tourism is a significant contributor to all of our economies. Renewable energy is strong in our respective energy mixes.  Our leading companies are investing in making the green transition and, for New Zealand in particular, equipment produced by Nordic companies is helping us make that change in areas like wind energy, trucks and other manufactured equipment that requires power. 

And all have national parks and work to protect our pristine environments and biodiversity. Forests play a significant role for many of us as carbon sinks and as a sustainable economic resource.

We may not have large populations, but we are all active on the global stage.

The Nordic countries are NATO members. New Zealand is a NATO partner country and one of the Indo-Pacific Four that NATO now consults regularly. This helps us to raise the profile of shared strategic challenges in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, and to drive enhanced cooperation in priority areas, including cyber, artificial intelligence, and defence capability.

Denmark, Finland and Sweden are EU members. Iceland and Norway belong to the European Economic Area and the Schengen Zone among other connections to the EU. 

New Zealand is a close partner of the EU, with the Free Trade Agreement that entered into force in May 2024; the Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation which addresses non-trade links; as the first non-European country to join the Horizon Europe initiative – the world’s largest science investment funding arrangement; and through many other points of contact. 

New Zealand has worked with Iceland and Norway on trade processes.  As members of the Schengen zone, we work with them and their EU friends on people access to Europe.

The Nordics and New Zealand have also collaborated closely in different ways on issues like disarmament, human rights, Antarctic issues, and international fisheries policy.

But the reality is that the Nordics and New Zealand face unprecedented challenges. There are important shifts going on in geopolitics globally. 

As New Zealand’s Foreign Minister for a third time, spanning the past three decades, it has never been more apparent just how much diplomacy and the tools of statecraft matter in our troubled world. 

Tectonic shifts unfolding in the global distribution of power, economic might, and strategic influence have upended old assumptions, while the rules-based order is under severe and sustained assault. Although the Nordic countries and New Zealand are literally a world apart, we face these challenges together.

Twenty-five years ago, we all enjoyed a world that was becoming more open, more democratic, and more free. Trade liberalisation was gathering pace. Effective multilateralism helped underpin a liberal-oriented international rules-based system.

Today, New Zealand sees three big shifts underpinning the multi-faceted and complex challenges facing us. They are:

From rules to power, a shift towards a multipolar world that is characterized by more contested rules and where the relative power between states assumes a greater role in shaping international affairs.

From economics to security, a shift in which economic relationships are reassessed in light of increased military competition in a more securitized and less stable world.

And from efficiency to resilience, where we see a shift in the drivers of economic behaviour, and where building greater resilience and addressing pressing social and sustainability issues become more prominent.

These shifts present challenges for trade-dependent countries like those in the Nordic region and New Zealand. 

There is, however, also far greater understanding about how our regions are inter-connected. What happens in Mariupol reverberates in Manila. Decisions made in the South China Sea ripple into the Baltic. Supply chains, digitalisation, climate shifts and security risks do not stop at borders. They surge across them.

Russia has upended the post-World War Two security order with its illegal war in Ukraine. Europe once again faces the brutality of naked aggression. This war seeks to destroy the rules-based order that has preserved relative peace for generations and it cannot be allowed to prevail. 

Our Nordic friends have responded swiftly and generously. New Zealand, despite our distance from the conflict, is a staunch supporter of Ukraine, through significant funding, political support and a strong sanctions regime, now into its 33^rd round, that impacts Russia and its allies.

Despite our distance from the world’s conflict zones, New Zealand has always played an active role in peacekeeping efforts and during regional or global conflicts. That is our history, ever since 1864 you will find New Zealand soldiers fighting in other people’s wars.

We do so to defend the values we hold dear, and because we believe in collective action to secure peace whenever and wherever it is threatened.

Now, our region, the Indo-Pacific, is under the most sustained pressure it has faced in the past 80 years. The Pacific, which comprises close to a third of the world’s surface, is ever more contested. The Pacific has in this sense just got larger. 

Island nations are seeing their ocean of peace under threat in ways they are mostly powerless to stop. So, we believe those countries like the Nordics, countries who share our values need to be more engaged in our region in support of our neighbouring Pacific family of nations. They need your help. 

We appreciate all that our Nordic friends do in the Pacific, from stepping up their diplomatic focus on our region to targeted development support. We value your contributions and New Zealand is ready to partner with you to amplify your impact and help deliver what the Pacific needs.

We understand the Pacific. We are of it, through DNA links and shared history and cultural connections, and stand ready to help the Nordic countries understand some of the complexities, nuances, and challenges facing the small island states of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia,   

New Zealand is proud to work with our Nordic friends and partners as we seek to navigate the treacherous conditions that we face.  You bring to the table not only strategic wisdom but a healthy realism, while remaining firm in support of essential values like standing up for human dignity, for democracy, and for a sustainable and more resilient future. 

Looking to that future, we think we must focus our work together across three fronts.

First, uphold international law and the rule-based order.  We cannot allow aggression to be rewarded.  Whether in Europe or Asia, sovereignty must be inviolate, so there must be costs to those who do not respect that.

The UN Charter must be nurtured and sustained. From human rights to trade policy, from disarmament to development, the Nordic countries and New Zealand have worked together, collaboratively and well in multilateral fora.

But the reality is that the United Nations is not meeting the needs of its members, leaving it vulnerable to outright repudiation by some, and ambivalence by others. The time for necessary and meaningful reform is long overdue. Critically, the UN80 process must transform, not merely reform the organisation.

We must, as predominantly small states, work together to ensure inertia is replaced with an urgency that the times demand. We need to make the UN’s institutions more responsive, efficient and effective.

The Nordics and New Zealand have also been leaders on polar issues.  From the environment and biodiversity and dealing with fast-growing geopolitical challenges, we are important voices. And we can share more of our respective experiences in the lead up to the next International Polar Year in 2032/33. 

Second, deliver resilience for our people.  From critical minerals to cyber security, from sea lanes to satellites, we must strengthen the systems that underpin our economies and societies.  Resilience is the antidote to coercion.

Nordic interests like Ericsson and Nokia play an important role in our telecommunications sector. Maersk carries a whopping 40 percent of all shipping to and from New Zealand. 

So, we have responsibilities beyond our national borders in this respect.  New Zealand’s Pacific region is overwhelmingly comprised of small states.  Climate change is an existential issue for some of them, so boosting their resilience is essential. The oceans are critical for their economic well-being. They need support to build that resilience and to manage the problems they face. We welcome more collaboration with our Nordic friends to help achieve that. 

Third, invest in connectivity and innovation.  The strength of our future partnership will not only be measured in trade statistics, but in how well we connect our people, our ideas and our technologies. 

Thousands of our young people and academics have studied in each other’s countries. Nordic-New Zealand collaboration is also a key feature of our Horizon Europe engagement with some 72 active collaborations across 12 approved projects so far.

New Zealand and Iceland are at the cutting edge in developing supercritical geothermal energy resources involving wells going one to three kilometres into the Earth’s crust. 

New Zealand is now also a world leader in space, ranking third in rocket launches globally, and with a fast-growing domestic space sector built around this. Space is of interest to our Nordic partners also.

Whether through digital infrastructure, research collaboration or stronger educational and cultural links, we can build a strengthening fabric that sustains prosperity for future generations.

We smaller nations understand that our strength lies in cooperation. Small states matter and we hold the foundational belief that all states are equal. We expect to treat others as we are treated, with understanding and respect. 

In closing, New Zealand’s ambition is to deepen our partnerships with the Nordic region – not only in response to today’s crises, but to deepen the foundations for tomorrow’s cooperation.  

Together, our relations with you demonstrate that distance is no barrier to friendship, that small and medium nations can have influence through the power of collective action, and that principled values-based partnerships can help shape the global order in positive, practical ways. 

History teaches us that distance offers no refuge from disruption.  But it also teaches us that solidarity, across continents and oceans, and amongst peoples, can forge peace and progress against the odds.

So let’s be bold. Let’s be restless in defence of a rules-based order, relentless in bolstering resilience, and resolute in our commitments to deepen our connections with one another. 

From Stockholm to Wellington, from the Baltic to Pacific, let us send this message: that while geography may divide us, our values unite us – and in that unity lies our greatest strength. 

Thank you.

Source: New Zealand Government

Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the release of the full draft of New Zealand’s new Year 1–10 curriculum, another significant step toward delivering a world-leading education system for every learner in New Zealand.

“This is a major milestone. It’s been almost 20 years since our New Zealand Curriculum was last fully updated, much has changed in our country and the world since then. Going forward, New Zealand will have a clear, knowledge-rich, year-by-year curriculum that sets out what every child should learn and when, ensuring consistency, coherence, and a fairer education system,” Ms Stanford says.

The draft curriculum is now open for six months of consultation for feedback from principals, teachers, and educators as preparation begins for implementation.

Developed by New Zealand educators and curriculum experts, the new curriculum has been benchmarked internationally against those from high-performing education systems around the world. It is designed for Kiwi learners, ensuring both local relevance and global standards.

“This curriculum has been written by Kiwis for Kiwi kids. It is engaging, rigorous, and rooted in the science of how children learn, while celebrating who we are as a nation.”

Highlights include:

• Social Sciences:History covers New Zealand and global history, exploring how people, places, and ideas connect and evolve over time. Students will learn about early explorers, settlers, and migration stories, the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and key civilisations and figures that have shaped societies and decision-making. New strands include Civics and Society and Economic Activity (which introduces financial education to build practical money and economic skills). Geography remains central, deepening an understanding of people and place.
• Science: spans the Natural World and Physical World so that students can explore, investigate and explain the world around them. It includes learning that celebrates prominent scientists, including New Zealanders, who have made influential discoveries or advances, relevant to the content being taught.
• Health & Physical Education: develops movement skills, teamwork, and wellbeing through sport, choreography, and the Relationships and Sexuality strand. A key change is compulsory consent education, ensuring every student can build safe, respectful relationships.
• The Arts: provides a structured pathway for creativity and expression, with a strong focus on indigenous art forms unique to New Zealand. A highlight is the new Music Technology strand, preparing students to create and produce sound across digital platforms. The curriculum provides opportunities for composition, design and creation across multiple art forms.
• Technology: focuses on design, innovation, and creation, helping students to solve problems and become capable creators and informed consumers. Learning includes circuits, coding, food technology, design ethics, and sustainable practices, with opportunities to work in both digital and “unplugged” environments.
• Learning Languages: offers structured progressions across thirteen languages in five groups, Pacific, Asian, European, te reo Māori, and NZ Sign Language, providing a clear pathway from novice to expert and allowing schools to tailor learning to their communities.

“Many teachers are already doing great work in these areas, however, we know what is taught varies from school to school and not all young people have the same opportunity to engage with the foundational learning they need. These changes provide a nationally consistent framework that sets out the essential knowledge every student deserves to be taught.

“The updated curriculum framework Te Mātaiaho will underpin the deliver of the refreshed learning areas from 2027. For kura, the draft framework for Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is being finalised now and will be available shortly.

“This change is about ambition. It’s about raising achievement. And it’s about better outcomes for our young people. Every student deserves the chance to succeed. We’re making sure that every student, regardless of background, has that chance,” Ms Stanford says.

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is backing the biggest step in a generation to restore the Hauraki Gulf / te Pātaka kai a Tīkapa Moana / Te Moananui-ā-Toi, with up to $26 million in new public and private investment to bring life back to the water, create jobs, and strengthen connections between people and place, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says.

“The Hauraki Gulf is one of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s great taonga. For too long, it’s been under pressure from pollution, sediment, and overuse. We’re taking practical steps to rejuvenate it, for our children, our kaimoana, and our communities. It supports tourism, hospitality, fishing, and recreation. When the Gulf is healthy, so are our people and our economy.” Mr Potaka says.

The investment supports the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act, which establishes 19 new protected areas, places where reefs, kelp forests, and marine life can recover, while people continue to enjoy time on the moana.

The Government is investing $6 million from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) to upgrade infrastructure on Hauraki Gulf islands including Rangitoto, Tiritiri Matangi, and Kawau. 

“These islands welcome more than 150,000 visitors each year,” Mr Potaka says.

“Safer wharves, better walking tracks, and improved water systems will make it easier for families, schools, and tour operators to enjoy these special places, and ensure visitors leave them better than they found them.

A healthy Gulf supports jobs in tourism, hospitality, and recreation, and provides kaimoana that sustains communities across Tāmaki Makaurau, Mahurangi and the Coromandel.

In addition, a major philanthropic programme led by the NEXT Foundation will invest up to $20 million over the next five years in reef restoration, the largest effort of its kind in the Gulf’s history.

“Divers and local experts will clear urchins from damaged reefs, giving kelp a chance to regrow, and creating underwater forests that bring back fish, crayfish, and shellfish,” Mr Potaka says.

“Within a couple of years, those reefs will be teeming with life again, real results for our moana and for the people who depend on it.”

The first $2 million from the NEXT Foundation will support pilot projects around Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island, the Noises, and a research programme at Motutapu, in partnership with mana whenua, the University of Auckland, and the Department of Conservation.

This builds on substantial private investment in recent years from mana whenua and local organisations into seeding millions of shellfish in the Gulf.

“This Act and the investment behind it are about kaitiakitanga in action, looking after our environment so it can look after us,” Mr Potaka says.

“I want to acknowledge the generosity of Neal and Annette Plowman and the NEXT Foundation for their leadership, and the partnership of mana whenua, conservationists, philanthropists and community groups across the Gulf.”

“The Gulf adds over $5 billion of value to the country every year – it makes sense to invest here.”

“In the last two years, our Government has channelled $8.5 million of IVL funding into infrastructure at Hauraki Gulf tourism hot spots, such as Cathedral Cove and Goat Island/Te Hāwere-a-Maki marine reserve. A further $1.5 million in IVL has gone towards a weed control programme across pest-free Gulf islands, supporting forest and sea birds that make these islands home.”

IVL funding is in addition to $10.5 million in DOC operational funding over four years to establish these new marine protected areas.

“When the Gulf thrives, our people thrive, it’s that simple.” 

Notes to Editors:

• The Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act 2025 establishes 12 new high protection areas, five seafloor protection areas, and two extended marine reserve areas the largest expansion of marine protection in over a decade.
• The NEXT Foundation will invest $2 million into pilot projects, and work with further philanthropic partners to invest up to $20 million over five years in reef restoration.
• The Government will invest $6 million over two years through the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy to improve tourism infrastructure across Gulf islands.
• Reef restoration involves removing urchins from barren reefs to allow kelp forests to regenerate, improving biodiversity and fish stocks.
• Tekau mā rua ngā wāhi haumaru hou ka whakatūria e te Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act 2025, e rima ngā wāhi haumaru i te papamoana, e rua hoki ngā wāhi taiāpure kua whakaroangia, ā, ko tēnei whakaroanga o te whakahaumaru ā-tai te mea nui rawa i te tekau tau kua pahure.
• E rua miriona tāra te nui o te pūtea ka hoatu e te Next Foundation ki ngā kaupapa tōmua, ka mahi ngātahi rātou ki ngā hoa haere tukuoha kia taea ai e rātou te haumi te 20 miriona tāra i ngā tau e 5 hei tāmata i te pūkawa.
• Ka tukua atu e te Kāwanatanga te 6 miriona tāra i ngā tau e rua mā te International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy hei whakapari ake i te tūāhanga tāpoi i ngā motu o Tīkapa Moana.
• Ko tētahi āhuatanga o te tāmata pūkawa ko te tango i ngā kina i ngā pūkawa hahore kia taea ai e ngā ngahere rimurapa te tupu mai anō, mā tērā ka pai ake ai te rerenga rauropi me te nui o ngā ika. 

He haumarutanga hou he pūtea hou mō Hauraki 

E tautoko ana te Kāwanatanga i te whanaketanga nui rawa atu o tēnei reanga ki te tāmata i te pātaka kai o Tīkapa Moana, o Te Moananui o Toi, mā roto i te haumi hou, ka piki ki te 26 miriona te rahi, e ahu mai ana i te kete tūmatanui me te kete tūmataiti, hei whakahoki mai i te ora ki te wai, hei waihanga mahi, hei whakapakari hoki i ngā hononga kei waenga i te tangata me te wāhi nei, hei tā Tama Potaka, te Minita Whāomoomo.   

“Ko Tīkapa Moana tētahi o ngā taonga nui rawa o Aotearoa nei. Kua roa te wā e tāmia ana tēnei moana e te parahanga, e te parakiwai, e te kaha whakamahinga hoki a te tangata. Tēnei mātou e hīkoi ana i te kōrero ki te whakahaumanu i tēnei moana, mō ā tātou tamariki, ā tātou kai moana, me ō tātou hapori te take. Ka āwhina te moana i te tāpoi, te ahumahi manaaki, te hī ika, me ngā mahi ā-rēhia. Mēnā ka ora a Tīkapa Moana, ka ora te tangata, ka ora hoki te ōhanga,” te kī a Potaka. 

Ka tautoko te haumi nei i te Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act, ko tā tēnei pire he whakatū i ētahi wāhi haumaru hou, 19 te nui, arā ko ēnei nā he wāhi e haumanutia ai ngā pūkawa, ngā ngahere rimurapa, me ngā kararehe reremoana, me te whakangahau tonu a ngā tāngata ki roto i te moana. 

E haumi ana te Kāwanatanga i te 6 miriona tāra nō te International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (te IVL) hei whakahou i te tūāhanga o ngā motu ki Tīkapa Moana, tae ana ki Rangitoto, ki Tiritiri Matangi, ki Kawau hoki. 

“Ka nui ake i te 150,000 mano ngā manuhiri ka pōwhiritia ki ēnei motu i ia tau,” hei tā Potaka.  

“Mā te whakahaumaru i ngā wāpu, te whakapai ake i ngā ara hikoi, me te whakapakari i ngā pūnaha wai, ka māmā ake te toronga mai a ngā whānau, ngā kura, me ngā kaiwhakahaere tāpoi ki ēnei wāhi, ā ka āwhinatia hoki ngā manuhiri ki te whakapai ake i te wāhi nei, arā kia kaua e paru ake te wāhi i te wā e haere mai ai rātou. 

“Mēnā ka ora a Tīkapa Moana, ka tautokona ngā tūranga mahi i te tāpoi, te ahumahi manaaki, me te mahi ā-rēhia, ā ka ora hoki te kai moana e whāngai nei i ngā hapori huri noa i Tāmaki Makaurau, Mahurangi, me te Tara o te Ika a Māui. 

“Hei tāpiri, ka haumi tētahi kaupapa tukuoha nui rawa e arahina ana e te Next Foundation i ētahi pūtea, ka piki ake ki te 20 miriona tāra te rahi, i ngā tau e rīma e tū mai nei hei tāmata i te pūkawa, ā ko tēnei momo mahi te mea nui rawa atu i te hītori katoa o Tīkapa Moana. 

“Ka tārake ngā kairuku me ngā mātanga ā-hapori i ngā kina mai i ngā pūkawa e kino ana te āhua, mā tērā ka āwhinatia te rimurapa ki te tupu anō, ka whakatupuria hoki ngā ngahere o raro i te wai e waihape mai ai te ika, te kōura, me te mātaitai,” ko tā Potaka.
 

“Hei ngā rangi tata nei, ka makuru anō ngā pūkawa ki te koiora, he hua whaikiko tērā mō te moana me ngā tāngata e whakawhirinaki ana ki a ia.” 

Ka tautokona e te rua miriona tāra tuatahi a te Next Foundation ngā kaupapa tōmua ki te takiwā o Te Hauturu-o-Toi, ki ngā Noises, me tētahi kaupapa rangahau ki Motutapu, he mahi rangapū ēnei ki te taha o te mana whenua, te whare wānanga o Waipapa Taumata Rau, me Te Papa Atawhai. 

Ka whanake ake tēnei mahi i te pūtea tūmataiti nui rawa nō ngā tau tata nei i tukua ai e te mana whenua me ngā kaupapa ā-hapori hei whakatupu i te tini ngerongero o ngā mātaitai ki Tīkapa Moana. 

“Ko tā tēnei Pire me te pūtea kei roto he whakatinana i te kaitiakitanga, arā ko te tiaki i te taiao māna anō tātou e tiaki,” hei tā Potaka. 

“E hiahia ana te ngākau ki te tuku mihi ki te ngākau oha o Neal rāua ko Annette Plowman, otirā ki te Next Foundation i tā rātou ārahitanga, ka mihia hoki te mahi ngātahi ki ngā mana whenua, ngā kaiwhāomoomo, ngā ringaoha me ngā rōpū ā-hapori huri noa i Tīkapa Moana.”  

“Ka tāpiritia e Tīkapa Moana he 5 piriona tāra, ā-uara nei, ki te motu whānui i ia tau – nā reira e tika ana kia haumi i konei.” 

“I ngā tau e rua kua hori, 8.5 miriona tāra te nui o te pūtea o IVL i tukua atu rā e te Kāwanatanga ki te tūāhanga ki ngā wāhi tāpoi ki Tīkapa Moana, pērā i Mautohe me te taiāpure ki Te Hāwere-a-Maki. Ka mutu, 1.5 miriona tāra te nui o te pūtea o IVL i hoatu rā ki tētahi kaupapa ngaki i ngā motu kīrearea-kore i Tīkapa Moana, hei manaaki i ngā manu o uta me ngā manu o tai e noho ana ki ēnei motu.” 

He tāpiritanga te pūtea o IVL ki te 10.5 miriona tāra o te pūtea paheko o Te Papa Atawhai i whakatakotoria rā hei whakatū ake i ēnei wāhi haumaru hou ki tai i ngā tau e whā e tū mai nei. 

“Ka ora a Tīkapa Moana, ka ora hoki te tangata, māmā noa iho.” 

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  28 October 2025

Owen Kilgour, DOC West Coast Regional Operations Director, says teams are still out assessing and clearing where they can.

“There’s lots of damage out there,” says Owen. “Luckily it seems like most of the damage is from things like windthrown trees, but we also have the odd slip or slump which visitors need to be cautious of.

“The teams are pulling out all the stops to get repairs completed and tracks open as soon as possible; rangers are checking on visitor facilities across the region as access and weather allows.

“If you intend to get into nature once the weather passes, make sure you check the DOC website before heading out so you know what’s open or closed.”

Sites temporarily closed include:

• Hokitika Gorge Walk
• Ross Goldfield Water Race Walkway
• The Point Elizabeth Walkway between the Point Elizabeth Lookout and Rapahoe
• Velenski Walk at Moana
• Arnold Dam Walk
• Pike29 Track
• Tatare Tunnel Walk

Owen says the teams are working to quickly assess other sites for damage.

“If there are no updates or alerts on the website, visitors are urged to exercise caution and be prepared to turn back if necessary. If you see any other issues, you can call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) to report it.”

“The next couple of weeks are going to be very big for the teams on the chainsaws, getting everything back in shape,” says Owen. “We’re grateful for everyone’s patience as we work through everything, and hope to see you out naturing again soon.”

Check the DOC website for updates; West Coast alerts are available here and will be updated as work continues.

Contact

Source: NZCTU

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is welcoming the much-needed tax reform proposed by the Labour Party today.

“New Zealand needs a more equitable taxation system. A Capital Gains Tax (CGT) has been an essential missing part of that system, so we welcome Labour’s proposal to bring in a CGT after the next election,” said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.

“Our current tax system advantages those who speculate in property over those who go to work every day. It reduces the investment available to foster a broader based, more sustainable economy.

“Using the proceeds from a CGT to pay for additional healthcare will benefit working people, their whānau, and the broader economy. No one benefits when people can’t afford to go to a GP. Funding healthcare properly has been a key concern for the union movement.

“The CTU committed to a CGT in our recent Aotearoa Reimagined policy document. Capital gains taxation grows over time, meaning that in future there will be more funding available to fund public services.

“This kind of revenue is exactly what New Zealand needs right now. When paired with free GP visits, it’s also a measure that will help tackle the cost of living for many.

“The coalition Government has given away billions in tax cuts, weighted to those who need it the least. It has cancelled or stalled billions of dollars in public investment in schools, hospitals and transport. New Zealand needs a serious conversation about how we invest in a public service and a better economy, and that must include a CGT,” said Wagstaff.