NZ Engine

Source: New Zealand Government

An immediate one-off grant to mobilise and coordinate young people to assist in the response to the severe Nelson Tasman weather events has been provided to the Student Volunteer Army (SVA), Youth Minister James Meager has announced.

Mr Meager confirmed the $50,000 funding to support youth volunteers aged between 12 and 24, while speaking in Foxhill today.

“The Student Volunteer Army has a strong track record of rallying the troops at speed to respond to urgent need and has vast experience in crisis response and disaster recovery. I know the work its volunteers will undertake will be of enormous community benefit,” Mr Meager says.

“Young people are ready and willing to get involved and support communities badly affected by recent flooding events. This region has been hit hard twice in the past fortnight, and these volunteers will offer valuable assistance while taking part in a youth development opportunity.”

The SVA grant will finance region-wide activities over the next four-to-six weeks. These will be identified from a register of help being sought by individuals, families, and/or communities impacted by severe flooding.

“Involving students and young people in disaster response and recovery is always a good idea. They’re fit, energetic and like to help. It also provides them the opportunity to learn first-hand about the complex issues extreme weather present,” SVA Founder Sam Johnson says.

The organisation will incorporate the knowledge and expertise of local community leaders to coordinate, support, and lead volunteer opportunities that young people can safely and appropriately participate in.

“The youth volunteers that participate will be appropriately supervised and have access to mentoring and guidance to support their learning and development while doing this voluntary work. This represents a great opportunity to grow skills and resilience, while giving back to communities in need,” Mr Meager says.

“The Student Volunteer Army has already provided assistance to 50 properties so far, with many more in need of a helping hand. We welcome anyone who’d like to volunteer – particularly family groups and retirees,” Mr Johnson says.

“I want to thank those who have helped enormously with the region’s recovery efforts so far. I encourage all young people who have seen the devastation and want to help to reach out to the organisation.”

Source: New Zealand Government

Billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects getting underway in the next few months will drive economic activity and create thousands of jobs across the country, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say.

The Ministers today released an infrastructure update showing $6 billion of government-funded construction is due to start between now and Christmas.

“The projects getting underway include new roads, hospitals, schools, high-tech laboratories and other government buildings,” Nicola Willis says.

“That means spades in the ground, jobs throughout the country and a stronger economy. 

 “Improving the quality of New Zealand’s infrastructure is critical to growing the economy and helping Kiwis with the cost of living. 

“Good roads, schools and hospitals help business to move goods and services to market quickly and efficiently, children to learn and doctors and nurses to get patients back on their feet.”

Chris Bishop says the projects getting underway will create thousands of employment opportunities for New Zealanders. 

“Numbers vary according to the nature of projects, but data sourced from the Infrastructure Commission suggests each billion dollars of infrastructure investment per year equates to about 4500 jobs.

“In total, workers are expected to start construction on $3.9 billion worth of roading projects in the next few months. They include the Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway, the Melling interchange, the Waihoehoe Road upgrade, and the new Ōmanawa bridge on SH29. All will help to lift productivity by getting people and freight to their destinations quickly and safely.

“Health projects kicking off include upgrades to Auckland City Hospital, Middlemore Hospital, and the construction of a new acute mental health unit at Hutt Valley Hospital. Construction work on the new inpatients building at the new Dunedin Hospital has also just begun.

“Between now and the end of this year, school property projects valued at nearly $800 million will get underway across the country.

“Other Government infrastructure projects due to start before the end of this year include a massive new state-of-the-art biosecurity facility in Auckland for the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Papakura District Court interim courthouse.

 “Importantly, this is just the start. The National Infrastructure Pipeline, managed by the Infrastructure Commission, now shows planned future projects totalling $207 billion across central government, local government and the private sector.” 

Alongside the infrastructure update, Nicola Willis today released an update on the Government’s Infrastructure for Growth work programme. The update is the first refresh of the Going for Growth agenda launched in February to drive economic growth by backing business, improving infrastructure and skills, and removing barriers to innovation.

The update shows that since February the Government has delivered on 14 actions to build a stronger infrastructure pipeline and drive better value for money. They include: 

• streamlining land acquisition processes for major infrastructure projects
• agreeing to fund more than $550 million of water, energy, Māori development and other projects through the Regional Infrastructure Fund; and
• consulting on a draft National Infrastructure Plan due to become final by the end of the year that will give investors and businesses confidence and drive better value for money from public investment.
• Hutt Valley Te Whare Ahuru Acute Mental Health Unit, Wellington
• Kidz First and McIndoe Building Recladding, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland
• Linear Accelerators Replacement, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland
• Dunedin Hospital Sterile Services Unit, Dunedin
• Plant Health & Environment Capability Laboratory, Auckland
• Papakura District Court Interim Courthouse, Auckland
• Waihoehoe Road Upgrade, Auckland
• SH22 (Drury) Corridor Upgrade – interim works, Auckland
• SH29 Tauriko – Omanawa Bridge – Bay of Plenty
• SH1 Ōtaki to north of Levin, Horowhenua
• SH2 Melling Interchange, Wellington
• SH76 Brougham Street, Canterbury
• Rolleston Access Improvements – Package 1, Canterbury
• Parliamentary Library – south building and underground carpark seismic strengthening & rebuild, Wellington
• School property projects across the country including roll growth classrooms, upgrades and redevelopments & learning support satellite classrooms, administration blocks and gymnasiums. 

Note for editors

The projects beginning construction include:

This list excludes a small number of significant projects which will begin construction before the end of 2025, but cannot yet be named for a range of commercial reasons. The value of these projects is included in the $6 billion total. Announcements will be made about them in the coming weeks and months.

The Infrastructure for Growth update is here http://www.goingforgrowth.govt.nz/

Source: New Zealand Government

A new, state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation lab is now operational at Tauranga Hospital, significantly improving access to diagnostic and treatment services across the region, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

The new lab replaces the hospital’s original suite, which had reached the end of its clinical life after delivering more than 1,200 procedures annually since opening in 2017. 

“With two state-of-the-art cath labs now in operation at the hospital, this is a major step forward for patients in the Bay of Plenty and surrounding communities. It future-proofs Tauranga’s ability to deliver more cardiac care, closer to home.

“Currently, some patients needing complex, non-surgical heart procedures must travel to Waikato or Auckland to receive treatment. This upgrade means more of those procedures can now be performed in Tauranga, giving people faster access to world-class treatment, closer to where they live.

“The modern facility now offers advanced imaging and diagnostic technology, improving clinical accuracy, enhancing safety, and reducing radiation exposure for both patients and staff.”

The lab will continue to provide a wide range of interventional services, including angiography, stenting, pacemaker insertion, electrophysiology, and endovascular aneurysm repair.

Initially, it will operate five sessions per week, with planning underway to increase this to ten. Once implemented, this will bring the total across both cath labs from 15 to 20 sessions per week.

“This upgrade means Tauranga Hospital is now better equipped to offer a wider range of procedures locally and play a stronger role within the coordinated regional system. It will enable Tauranga to take on more patients from areas such as Taupō and Rotorua, reducing referrals to other hospitals and easing pressure on their services as future planning progresses.

“As a result, Tauranga will be able to manage a larger share of the region’s demand, improving timely access to treatment and delivering better outcomes for patients across the region.

“We’re focused on making sure all New Zealanders, including those in Tauranga and across the central North Island, can access timely, quality healthcare when they need it. 

“Upgrades like this new cath lab are essential to achieving that goal, improving outcomes for patients and ensuring more people receive the care they need, closer to home,” Mr Brown says.

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is funding MetService to procure a new Nelson Tasman weather radar to improve severe weather monitoring and response in the region, Associate Transport Minister James Meager has announced.  

“Following the recent devastating weather events in Nelson Tasman, our focus has been on supporting the region’s recovery whilst looking for opportunities to better prepare the community for future disasters,” Mr Meager says.  

“I’m pleased to confirm the Crown’s existing MetService contract will be varied to immediately begin the procurement of a new radar for the region. This is something the community has asked for, and it’s my hope the investment will give locals peace of mind over their individual and property safety in future events.

“Weather radars play an incredibly important role in emergency management once an event starts. They allow forecasters to monitor the progression of a storm, refine short-term forecasts and warnings, and provide specific guidance to emergency managers about the distribution and intensity of rainfall.” 

“Nelson Tasman has experienced several high-impact flooding events in recent years. Since 2011, there have been five states of emergency declared in the region,” Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell says. 

“Providing Nelson Tasman with a new weather radar will give emergency managers greater ability to monitor rainfall and flooding risk during a severe weather event, reducing the risk of loss of life and property.” 

A new radar has a capital cost of up to $5 million and ongoing operating costs of approximately $800,000 per annum. Immediate work will begin using existing MetService funding.

“In addition to the new weather radar, the Government has committed to strengthening the emergency management system to ensure it is fit for purpose to manage significant, widespread emergencies,” Mr Mitchell says.

“Investments in modern technology and trained personnel, along with clear governance structures and assurance, will ensure faster, more effective emergency management.”

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand has echoed international condemnation of malicious cyber activity by the Russian Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. 

“Russia’s hostile behaviour in cyberspace continues to threaten global cyber security and undermine agreed international rules and norms,” he says. 

Mr Peters’ comments follow UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s statement today that outlined a campaign of malicious cyber activity by Russia’s General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

The GRU has undertaken sustained cyber attacks in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and enables Russia’s destabilising activity worldwide.

“New Zealand stands with the UK in calling out this behaviour,” Mr Peters says.

The United Kingdom has exposed the role of the GRU’s cyber operations in real world events, including the 2018 Novichok poisonings in Salisbury and the bombing of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Today it has imposed sanctions on the units and individuals responsible.

“New Zealand supports international efforts to impose costs on those responsible for Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine,” Mr Peters says.

“New Zealand will continue to use the Russia Sanctions Act to hold the enablers of Russia’s military to account and press the Russian Government to end its unlawful and unjust war.

“New Zealand has already sanctioned some of the groups and individuals the United Kingdom has acted against today and officials are providing advice on whether further sanctions are appropriate.”

To date, New Zealand has imposed sanctions on more than 1,800 entities and individuals under the Russia Sanctions Act 2022, including the Head of the GRU and its cyberwarfare units 74455 and 26165, also known as Sandworm and Fancy Bear respectively.

Source: New Zealand Government

A cross-agency Anti-Corruption Taskforce pilot highlights the Government’s commitment to protecting public funds and upholding integrity across the state sector, Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Public Service Minister Judith Collins say.

The taskforce is led by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), supported by NZ Police and the Public Service Commission, and brings together counter fraud and enforcement expertise to identify and combat corruption and fraud risks faced by the public sector. 

“The taskforce’s work will build a clearer intelligence picture of the threats that face our public sector. This is about taking proactive action to ensure our prevention and response system remains resilient and fit for purpose,” Mr Mitchell says.  

“The public sector accounts for a third of the economy and the pilot is a critical step in protecting and enhancing New Zealand’s reputation as an attractive place to invest.

“Every dollar of public funding counts, and preventing the unlawful taking of taxpayer money is something we take very seriously.”

Ms Collins says the taskforce supports the Government’s broader public integrity agenda.

“New Zealand is widely respected as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, and we intend to keep it that way,” Ms Collins says.

“By increasing transparency, identifying risks and encouraging ethical conduct across the public sector, this taskforce will help maintain trust in our institutions.

“Fighting corruption is not just about prosecution, it’s about leadership, accountability and promoting a culture of integrity.”

The taskforce will begin with a pilot project requiring a group of public sector agencies to assess their fraud and corruption prevention and detection systems. This will include reporting on offending detected and prevented, and the controls agencies have in place to protect public funds.

Participating agencies are the Department of Corrections, Land Information New Zealand, Inland Revenue, ACC, Ministry of Social Development and Sport New Zealand.

The pilot will inform the Government’s future approach to counter-fraud and corruption capability across the state sector, with a public report to be released following its completion.

The Anti-Corruption Taskforce follows the SFO’s launch of a national campaign to tackle Foreign Bribery and new online reporting platform for whistleblowers earlier this year, further strengthening New Zealand’s anti-corruption response.

More information about the Taskforce is available on the SFO’s website: https://www.sfo.govt.nz/fraud-and-corruption/what-we-do/anti-corruption-taskforce-pilot 

Source: Family First

MEDIA RELEASE – 18 July 2025

The latest review of euthanasia has just been released by the Ministry of Health – and despite a tiny workforce, there has been a continued growth in the number of those receiving assisted suicide.

Family First has analysed the Registrar (assisted dying) Annual Report – June 2025

Key findings include:

• 472 people had assisted suicide – up from 344 in the previous 12 months – a 37% increase in assisted deaths in the last 12 months, and a 57% increase since the first full year of operation (2022).
• 20% increase in applications
• 80% NZ European/Pākehā. Virtually no Pasifika (<0.5%) and disproportionately few Māori (5%)
• 12% of applicants had a disability
• 242 applicants died before ‘needing’ euthanasia
• the application process continues to shorten, now averaging only 14 days – down from 16 days in the previous report
• less than 10% of applicants are for neurological conditions (the conditions frequently touted by proponents as the reason for needing euthanasia)
• 85% of applicants are deemed eligible by the attending medical practitioner
• 95% of second assessments (of those 85%) by an independent medical practitioner are deemed eligible

On the positive side, the report says:

“There have been occasions on which a person’s request for assisted dying has led to them exploring alternative care or services, such as optimising palliative care or additional social or wrap-around supports. In some cases, this resulted in the person rescinding (withdrawing) their application for assisted dying.”

The report says that 33 people subsequently decided to withdraw their application.

The report also highlights the very low number of medical professionals willing to be involved in euthanasia / assisted suicide – approximately 126 – despite attempts by the SCENZ to bolster the workforce. This is not surprising given the Hippocratic Oath / Declaration of Geneva made by medical professionals. Assisting suicide clashes with this ethical base.

What is most disturbing is that more than one in five applicants (21%) weren’t receiving palliative care. The End of Life Choice Act only provides a ‘right’ to one choice – premature death. There is no corresponding right to palliative care. Good palliative care and hospice services are resource intensive; euthanasia would be cheaper. There is a new element of ‘financial calculation’ into decisions about end-of-life care. This is harsh reality. At an individual level, the economically disadvantaged who don’t have access to better healthcare could feel pressured to end their lives because of the cost factor or because other better choices are not available to them. Some hospitals have no specialist palliative care services at all.

Of those deemed ineligible for euthanasia, 85% was because they didn’t meet the 6-month criteria, and approximately 40% also didn’t meet either the ‘unbearable suffering’ or the ‘irreversible physical decline’ requirement.

The other significant red flag in the report is that just 10 applicants had a psychiatric assessment to check for both competence to make the decision, and for any presence of coercion.

This latest data simply confirms that nothing in the law guarantees the protection required for vulnerable people facing their death, including the disabled, elderly, depressed or anxious, and those who feel themselves to be a burden or who are under financial pressure.

The NZ Herald recently reported: “A specialist paediatric palliative care (PPC) doctor says New Zealand is falling behind other nations in its care of terminally ill children and the Government must step up to help.” And the demand for this specialist medical care will only increase significantly in the near future. Our population is ageing, and therefore the number of people requiring palliative care is forecast to increase by approximately 25% over the next 15 years and will be more than double that by 2061.

Previous Governments have made little effort to address this growing problem and to increase funding for this essential service. Euthanasia is instead given priority and full Government funding.

It’s time we focused on and fully funded world-class palliative care – and not a lethal injection.

We can live without euthanasia.

DOWNLOAD OUR FACT SHEET ON THE LAW https://familyfirst.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Euthanasia-Fact-Sheet.pdf

Source: BNZ Statements

Nine local businesses from the Manawatū-Whanganui region are set to benefit from an expanded nationwide programme designed to help them grow faster and compete more effectively.

BNZ is scaling up its BNZ Growth Academy programme to help businesses across Aotearoa kickstart growth as the country emerges from its deepest per-capita recession since the Global Financial Crisis.

Delivered in partnership with growth navigation software company, D/srupt, the businesses will take part in hands-on workshops and use sophisticated AI tools to refine their strategy, enhance performance, and create new pathways for growth.

Brian Gardner, BNZ Head of Commercial, Agri, & Business for Wellington and Top of the South, says it’s a solution to the challenge many owners face – moving from working ‘in’ their business to working ‘on’ their business.

“As New Zealand’s largest business bank, we’ve seen time and again how successful businesses thrive when owners can step back from daily firefighting to focus on strategy,” Gardner says.

Applicable no matter where you are in you journey

BNZ’s local Growth Academy workshop will run on July 22. Some of the Manawatū-Whanganui businesses taking part include:

• Air Dynamics
• Central Environmental Limited
• Freedom Plus Limited
• Jones Brothers Limited
• Law Corner
• Roadrunner Manufacturing

The Growth Academy has already delivered valuable learnings for Feilding based business, Advanced Accounting.

Director Aaran McLeod attended a pilot workshop in Wellington last year and says the biggest learning he took away was the importance of ensuring your business is always sale ready – structuring things so it’s efficient, attractive and resilient, regardless of whether a sale is imminent.

“We’re always about constant improvement, and this was another layer of refinement – further improving how we operate and make decisions.

“The Impact Return Model stood out as a powerful framework to evaluate where to focus our efforts for the greatest return and impact. It’s something we’ve already started applying internally.”

Asked whether he would recommend the programme to other local businesses, Aaran says, “definitely.”

“It’s a great chance to work on the business rather than just in it. The content is applicable no matter where you are in your journey.”

Leveraging AI

D/srupt uses AI to make strategic planning faster and more accessible for small to medium businesses.

“Our platform cuts through the complexity that often makes strategic planning feel overwhelming,” says D/srupt founder Debbie Humphrey.

“We combine practical guidance with technology to help turn big picture thinking into concrete action plans you can actually implement, and what might have taken a full day can now be done in minutes. For time-poor business owners constantly juggling priorities, this means strategic planning actually happens instead of being perpetually pushed to the bottom of the to-do list.”

The programme launched on 31 March with workshops in 16 locations from Whangārei to Invercargill, plus online options ensuring accessibility for businesses throughout New Zealand. It runs for 12 months and includes workshops reaching 1,400 businesses nationwide, access to D/srupt’s platform, funding guidance, and direct connection to BNZ’s banking expertise.

Supporting the regions

Gardner says the workshops are just one example of how BNZ is investing in its communities and being there for customers.

“We recognise that regional businesses are the lifeblood of our local economies, so we have dialled up our specialist support with our small business partners and agribusiness teams available to meet customers in branch.

“Since April this year, all our branches have been open at least five days a week, as we heard from our customers that they wanted more opportunities to talk to us face-to-face.

“We’re also investing in branches as part of our nation-wide upgrade project to improve the branch experience for our customers. Our refurbished branch at The Plaza Palmerston North reopened at the end of May, with our Fielding branch refurbishment kicking off this week (25 July), using New Zealand suppliers and materials to support local economies.”

The post BNZ Growth Academy to help Manawatū-Whanganui businesses drive greater growth appeared first on BNZ Debrief.

Source: Maritime New Zealand

Three people are now safely on-board a merchant ship, after the launch they were in suffered mechanical issues and had to be abandoned.