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Master Plumbers welcomes new lead-free tapware rules for the public health benefits

Source: Master Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers

New Zealanders can now have greater confidence that the tapware they buy is ‘lead-free’.
From the end of today ( 1 May 2026), all new tapware installed in Kiwi homes must contain no more than 0.25% lead-legally defined as ‘lead-free’. The previous limit was 4.5%.
Master Plumbers Chief Executive Greg Wallace says the new lead-free rules bring New Zealand in line with the US and align with tightening regulations in Europe. Australia is also transitioning to lead-free plumbing products from the 2 May deadline.
“This is a significant public health benefit and comes after eight years of lobbying for change.
“In 2018, we commissioned independent testing of five taps sold in New Zealand, which found one product purchased online from an overseas retailer to have lead levels 70 percent higher than the acceptable limit,” says Mr Wallace.
A subsequent 2020 Massey University study also found a tap bought online to have lead concentrations 7.5 times higher than the limit.
He says Consumer NZ raised similar concerns in its 2025 test of budget tapware, which showed one kitchen tap from an online retailer to be well over acceptable lead levels.
“There is no safe level of exposure to lead, and babies and toddlers are at most risk from permanent harm, particularly to the brain and nervous system,” says Mr Wallace.
“Until now, the only safety prevention measure has been a recommendation on your water rates bill to flush a cup of water from your tap each morning to remove any metals that might have dissolved in the plumbing fittings overnight. That simply isn’t enough.
“New Zealand took lead out of paint in the 1980s and petrol in the 1990s-and Master Plumbers is extremely pleased to see it finally being taken out of plumbing products.”
Plumbers carry the liability for making sure that the tapware they install is lead-free.
Consumers are being advised to make sure any plumbing fixtures they purchase, including tapware, carry lead-free marking on the product or packaging.
“Master Plumbers has developed a lead-free mark under its Master Plumbers Recommended product scheme for reputable suppliers,” says Mr Wallace.
“Consumers can also look for manufacturers’ own labelling or the WaterMark Lead Free mark.”
He says Master Plumbers is now calling for a third-party verification scheme in New Zealand, similar to the mandatory Australian WaterMark programme.
“This would ensure all tapware sold in New Zealand is independently tested and certified.”
Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers NZ Inc (Master Plumbers) is the national membership organisation for plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying businesses, with 19 Branches across New Zealand. Companies go through a Quality Assurance programme in order to become a member. We provide members with a wide range of resources and training opportunities to support them in staying up with the latest technologies, products and compliance requirements. We advocate on behalf of our members and our industry.
About Masterlink:
Masterlink, a group training scheme owned by Master Plumbers, provides managed mentored apprenticeships across New Zealand, with Regional Managers supporting the apprentices and the businesses who host them during their training.
About NZ Plumber:
NZ Plumber is the award-winning, bi-monthly magazine for New Zealand's plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers. It is owned by Master Plumbers.
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Monthly consumers price index – updates on progress

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Appointments – Asia NZ Foundation welcomes four new trustees to its board

Source: Asia New Zealand Foundation

The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono welcomes the appointment of four new trustees to its Board.
Established by the New Zealand Government in 1994, the Asia New Zealand Foundation is the country’s leading authority on Asia. The Foundation provides experiences and insights that help New Zealanders to build their knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage effectively in the region.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has appointed Brahma Sharma, Frances Valintine CNZM, Kenneth Leong, and Tracey Epps to the Foundation’s Board. Their three-year terms commence on 1 May 2026.
The new trustees join Hone McGregor, who has been elevated to Chair, Professor David Capie, John Boswell ONZM DSD, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bede Corry (ex officio member), completing the eight-member Board.
The Foundation acknowledges the significant contribution of outgoing trustees Dame Fran Wilde DNZM QSO, Carol Cheng, Tina Porou MNZM, and Mitchell Pham ONZM, and thanks them for their service.
Outgoing Foundation Chair, Dame Fran Wilde, says the new trustees bring a valuable mix of expertise, experience, and networks that will strengthen the Foundation’s work and support New Zealand’s engagement with Asia.
“The Foundation is essential in supporting New Zealand’s growing relationships with Asian countries. It plays a role that official agencies just can’t do and has helped many hundreds of people from all sectors to experience Asia for themselves and form enduring relationships. It has been a great privilege to chair this critical organisation,” she said.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation’s work spans more than 20 countries across Asia and is delivered through a range of core programmes, including arts, business, entrepreneurship, leadership, media, research, Track II diplomacy, and sports. The Foundation is guided by its Board of Trustees and supported by a network of Honorary Advisers in New Zealand and across Asia.
More about the Foundation: www.asianz.org.nz
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Heritage NZ – Listening Sessions at Old St Paul’s set to shake up lunchtime

Source: Heritage New Zealand

Lunchtime in central Wellington is about to get a shake-up courtesy of Old St Paul’s and NZ Music Month Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa.
Throughout May, Old St Paul’s will celebrate NZ Music Month with a series of lunchtime listening sessions featuring selected 2026 Aotearoa Music Award-nominated albums played in full.
The series ties in with the theme of this year’s NZ Music Month – Our Sounds, Our Spaces – which is aimed at highlighting unique, local and historic venues across Aotearoa. The nationwide theme is designed to celebrate local music and the spaces that sustain it, including heritage sites, community halls, and live music venues.
“What better way to experience some of New Zealand’s finest contemporary music than in this beautiful historic setting, cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga,” says Old St Paul’s Event Coordinator, Jane Nye.
“Audiences can enjoy the ambience of this very special Gothic Revival building as well as its near-perfect acoustics.”
The listening series will be held twice weekly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from midday, with entry by koha.
“These albums deserve to be experienced as complete works, heard from start to finish in the unique surroundings of Old St Paul’s,” says Jane.
Visitors are welcome to drop in for part or all of each session. For upcoming albums, follow Old St Paul’s social media channels for the latest schedule. 
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Defence News – NZDF assists Bougainville in destruction of WWII-era bombs

Source: New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF)

Two large unexploded Second World War-era bombs in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, have been made safe by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) after the Autonomous Bougainville Government asked for New Zealand’s help to dispose of them.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel deployed to Bougainville to dispose of a 1000lb (454kg) bomb discovered at Aropa Airfield and a 500lb bomb found at Kieta Primary School.

The six-person EOD team, equipment and aid packages were flown to Bougainville on a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130J Hercules and then on to Aropa Airfield via an NH90 helicopter from No.3 Squadron.

The helicopter and crew were already in PNG delivering aid to areas hit by Tropical Cyclone Maila.

An earlier reconnaissance trip found the bombs were too dangerous to move and had to be destroyed in-place. Sandbags were placed around the sites and large cordons set up before the disposal.

Special Operations Component Commander, Colonel Grant Scobie, said that the EOD squadron was highly trained for these tasks.

“Disposal of explosive remnants of war is something we do regularly.  Our personnel have completed recent disposal operations in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Nauru.

“We would like to acknowledge the leadership of the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the support and assistance of communities in Kieta and Aropa, which enabled us to successfully carry out the operation.”

Members of the EOD team will also be speaking at a community education event about how to safely mark and report unexploded ordnance when they are found.

This task rounds out a two-week mission in Papua New Guinea, as the NZDF worked with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF), Australian Defence Force, International Organisation for Migration and Mission Aviation Fellowship under the guidance of the Papua New Guinea National Disaster Centre to distribute aid to areas hit by Tropical Cyclone Maila.

Two NH90 helicopters had arrived with HMNZS Canterbury into Port Moresby on 15 April to carry out training with the PNGDF, but following a request from the PNG Government pivoted to aid delivery missions.

A C-130J was also subsequently deployed with aid supplies from New Zealand.

The training programme will resume this week.

The deployment to Bougainville has built on more than 25 years of New Zealand support to its peace, security and development, including through the Kirapim Stongpela Bougainville Polis Service, delivered by New Zealand Police, which provides capacity-building to the Bougainville Police Service, and helped to develop the Bougainville Auxiliary Police.

The NZDF’s Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Andy Scott, said No. 3 Squadron especially had a long-standing relationship with Bougainville.

In 1990, the squadron deployed UH-1H Iroquois helicopters to transport PNG and Bougainville delegations negotiating the Endeavour Accord, and again the squadron deployed with the NZDF-led international Truce Monitoring Group in 1997-1998.

“We value our long-standing friendship with Bougainville and so it was great for the 3 Squadron team to be able to head back to provide this support and further enhance our relationship,” Air Commodore Scott said.

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Local News – New mural brightens Porirua’s city centre

Source: Porirua City Council

During a Council planning process several years ago, a group of rainbow rangatahi from Aotea College requested a mural for the city celebrating their community, and Porirua City Council agreed to make it happen.
Last year a group of students from Rainbow Aotea sat down with council officers to work out the process and design brief. Through an expressions of interest process, artists were able to submit their ideas based on the students’ brief. The students decided on two concepts and later selected the final mural image.
Plimmerton’s Heneriata Te Whata was the artist selected to complete the mural. The finished work was recently installed in Ferry Place where it was blessed today by Ngāti Toa Kaumātua Dr Te Taku Parai.
Heneriata said she included the hihi, or stitchbird, for the symbolism of the sun catching the light on its golden wings, lighting a path forward, which is what she feels our diverse communities do for us all.
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said it was nice to see a specific request from young Porirua residents, made during the Long-term Plan process, coming to fruition.
“This has been a great collaboration between the council and rangatahi and we’re proud to have the mural now complete and adding rainbow colours to our city.”
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Local News – Licence plate recognition technology hits Porirua streets

Source: Porirua City Council

Porirua City Council is introducing licence plate recognition technology to efficiently enforce parking around the city and to keep parking officers safe.
Licence plate recognition (LPR) was introduced in Wellington and Hutt City in 2024 and 2025, respectively, and is also in use in Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga.
In Porirua, from 4 May, the technology will be attached to one of the Council’s cars and, for the first month, be used to monitor parking around the city’s schools – checking if cars are parking on broken yellow lines, across driveways, or on footpaths – to make sure children are able to walk safely in and out of school.
The camera records information about vehicles and visible parking signage as it drives around and then, on its return, can register whether a car should have moved or whether it has paid for the parking. The information is sent back to Council and a staff member reviews it before issuing a ticket.
The technology allows our parking staff to stay in the vehicle. Down the track, LPR can be used for checking warrants of fitness and registrations and whether a car is stolen, along with data collection of parking and road use around Porirua, informing future decisions and city development by our transport team.
Council’s Manager of Policy, Planning & Regulatory Services, Nic Etheridge, says the camera operates within the requirements of the Privacy Act and people’s faces will be blurred in any images. Council will use images only for evidence gathering and enforcement – LPR information will be stored on the same system our current infringement information is stored.
“We’re embracing up-to-date technology which allows us to do a job safely, fairly and efficiently,” Nic says.
“This is the next step we’re taking in terms of enforcing parking, but our message will always be that if you park correctly, you have nothing to worry about.
“We’re rolling this out around schools in the first instance, because we know that unsafe parking around school neighbourhoods creates a very real danger for tamariki, limiting visibility and making them hard to see.”
Budget for the technology was approved in Council’s 2024 Long-term Plan.
There are FAQs on the Council’s parking webpage, answering the most likely queries the public will have. Go to https://poriruacity.govt.nz/services/parking-transport/find-carpark/
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Economy – Senior Trans-Tasman leaders convene to address fuel disruption and strengthen economic resilience – BusinessNZ

Source: BusinessNZ

The Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF) held a high-level industry roundtable on Friday 24 April to address ongoing fuel supply challenges. The session took place alongside the official bilateral meeting between the Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP, Treasurer of Australia, and the Hon Nicola Willis, Minister of Finance of New Zealand.
The discussion convened business leaders from the energy, aviation, agriculture, transport, retail, technology, cybersecurity and banking sectors. These industries, central to supply chain operations, shared insights on managing rising costs and maintaining the delivery of essential services despite current fuel availability pressures. The high-powered chief executives of Ampol, Z Energy, Air New Zealand, Qantas, Federated Farmers, National Farmers Federation, HW Richardson, Team Global Express, Woolworths, CyberCX, ASB and the Australian Banking Association all participated in the dialogue with the Australian Treasurer and New Zealand Minister of Finance
The roundtable identified a strong alignment between the two nations, noting that businesses in both Australia and New Zealand are facing consistent challenges. Participants emphasised that this shared experience presents a clear opportunity for closer trans-Tasman coordination to strengthen long-term energy resilience and prepare for future economic shocks.
John Paitaridis, ANZLF Co-Chair (Australia), said:
“This was a unique and timely meeting, bringing together the Australian Treasurer, New Zealand Finance Minister and business leaders from both countries across the sectors most directly affected by the current fuel crisis. It created an important platform to explore practical opportunities for deeper cooperation and coordinated action.”
Greg Lowe, ANZLF Co-Chair (New Zealand), added:
“This dialogue underscored the value of close trans-Tasman collaboration. By aligning our efforts and sharing expertise, we can strengthen resilience across our economies and respond more effectively to the challenges posed by the fuel crisis.”
The Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP, Australian Treasurer, commented:
“Australia and New Zealand are working closely together to strengthen fuel security and supply chains across the Tasman, because it’s in the interest of both our countries. By coordinating our efforts and staying closely connected to industry, we can better understand the challenges they’re facing and respond in a way that supports resilience across our region.”
The Hon Nicola Willis, New Zealand Minister of Finance, stated: “New Zealand and Australia have one of the closest economic relationships in the world. Stronger integration means greater resilience during global shocks, more trade, more investment, and more opportunities for businesses and workers in both countries.”
The ANZLF will continue to facilitate this government-to-business dialogue to support economic integration and ensure both nations remain resilient against global supply chain disruptions.
About the Australia-New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF)
The ANZLF is a business-led initiative that brings together senior leaders from the private and public sectors to help steer the trans-Tasman economic relationship and promote deeper integration between Australia and New Zealand.
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Health – Effectively addressing rising distress in rangatahi and young people

Source: Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission

Te Hiringa Mahara is calling for greater investment in early intervention and secondary prevention for young people experiencing distress. New evidence shows timely, lower-cost support can stop distress escalating, lift wellbeing and ease pressure on an overstretched system.
The 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey found 1 in 5 of 15-24-year-olds experienced high to very high psychological distress. Primary and specialist mental health and addiction services cannot meet need at this scale.
“We know that without easy-to-access support, early distress can lead to long lasting negative outcomes,” says Dr Ella Cullen, Te Hiringa Mahara Director of Wellbeing System Leadership and Insights.
“That’s why today we’re releasing an evidence brief on what works to support young people experiencing early signs of distress.”
“The review shows young people need a range of support options, and services work best when young people co-design them and lead the way. It also highlights the value of culturally appropriate approaches, and practical steps to make proven models easier to implement.”
“Critically, young people need to be involved from the start. Simply adapting adult services doesn’t meet the needs of young people.”
“Early intervention and secondary prevention are effective, scalable ways to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people, and reduce the need for more intensive services. The challenge now is making sure support is available for everyone who needs it.”
“Rangatahi and young people shouldn’t have to wait for crisis before they can access effective help,” says Dr Cullen.
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Health – Surge in Dental Tourism Highlights Unmet Need in New Zealand, Advocates Point to “Gap in the Public Health System”

Source: Dental for All

Dental advocates are pointing to the rising popularity of dental tourism as a “damning reflection” of New Zealand’s current approach to oral healthcare.

“We know that many people are getting extractions or even resorting to DIY dentistry instead of receiving the dental treatments they need, because the cost is just too high,” says Dental for All campaigner, Jasmine Taankink (Ngā Mahanga-a-Tairi). “While dental tourism has provided a more affordable option, it shouldn't be necessary.”

“It is really alarming and a damning reflection of the privatised model of oral healthcare that the best option that some people are left with is to go overseas,” says Dental for All campaigner, Hana Pilkinton-Ching.

In New Zealand, oral healthcare is publicly funded for children up to the age of 18, but not for adults. 43% of adults have unmet need for oral healthcare due to cost, as well as 53% of Māori and 56% of Pasifika adults, according to the 2024/45 NZ Health Survey.

A new policy report released by Dental for All last Thursday, ‘Fixing Oral Healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Costed Policy Plan for Delivering Dental for All’, outlines a detailed proposal to bring oral healthcare for adults into the public healthcare system. This follows recent polling by Talbot Mills, released in March this year, which showed that 83% of people in New Zealand support the move.

The report proposes a network of over 700 community clinics to provide free oral healthcare universally to adults across the country, as well as investing in workforce development and Māori oral health, among other recommendations. The policy has been costed by independent economists. Notably, these costings fall well below the costs of the current model due to the negative impacts of unmet need for oral healthcare on productivity and quality of life.

“Our research shows that we have the resourcing, workforce, and infrastructure needed to deliver universal dental care in Aotearoa. It is unacceptable for politicians to continue to ignore this gap in the public health system, forcing people to take matters into their own hands, when a different approach is workable and would benefit everyone.”

“We should all be able to access the oral healthcare that we need, right here in Aotearoa. It's time to bring the mouth back into the body, and into the public health system,” says Taankink.

An earlier report released by Dental for All in 2025 shares ten human stories of struggle with oral healthcare. One person interviewed for this report, ‘Mac’, delayed necessary dental treatment due to the cost, and waited for a planned trip overseas to get a root canal done. He experienced further pain and complications due to the delay in accessing care. Mac described his experience as “a series of dental woes”. The greatest barrier he faced to accessing the care he needed in New Zealand was the high cost of private dental care. He also described the poor availability of services in his rural home town, and the shame and stigma associated with not being able to afford dental care. Mac explained that he is now determined to look after his oral health and keep his remaining teeth, however shared that “it still feels like only rich people get to have good quality teeth.”