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Cook Strait Transport – Ferry replacements programme approaches deadlines as Aratere retires

Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Road freight association Transporting New Zealand says the pressure is on for the Government to meet its Cook Strait ferry replacement milestones, as the Interislander fleet drops to two vessels without a contract for new ferries being signed.
The rail-enabled Aratere completed its final sailing this week, after 26 years of service. The Cook Strait crossing will be serviced by rail- compatible vessels until 2029 (ferries without train tracks for rail wagons to be shunted on).
The rail freight that moves across the Strait (only 5 percent of the total rail task by tonnage) will be removed from train wagons and onto ferries, a standard international practice known as “road bridging”.
Several ferry replacement project milestones are approaching at the end of September (third quarter 2025), including a letter of intent being signed with a preferred shipyard, and the ship contract negotiation being completed (subject to Ministerial decisions and contract execution between October and December).
In relation to port infrastructure, commercial agreements on multi-party infrastructure scope, costs and programme schedule were also scheduled to be reached by September.
Minister for Rail, Winston Peters provided an update to Transporting New Zealand and its members today (21 August 2025) advising that:
“The timeline, scope and approach we supplied in May 2025 remains in place… Ferry Holdings remains on track to complete negotiations later this year with the successful shipyard.”
The Minister advised that agreements relating to port infrastructure between Ferry Holdings (the ferry procurement company established by the Government), CentrePort, Port Marlborough and KiwiRail “will be signed in the final quarter of this calendar year, alongside the ship contracts, enabling the Government to announce details of the Ferry Holdings Cook Strait Ferry Replacement Project.”
Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Dom Kalasih has welcomed the update from the Minister but says the road freight sector expect the Government to keep to schedule and avoid any more costly delays.
“Due to some decision-paralysis after the cancellation of Project iReX, it’s particularly important that Minister Peters and Ferry Holdings proceed at pace with the ferry replacement project. We’ll be keeping a close eye on how the project is tracking against its schedule, particularly as we approach the end of the year.”
“We have also encouraged KiwiRail to provide regular updates to Transporting New Zealand and its members on how they’re planning to manage demand, particularly during busy holiday periods and seasonal freight peaks.”
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Environment – KASM calls on Bishop to reign in Shane Jones on Fast-Track interference

Source: Kiwis Against Seabed Mining

Kiwis Against Seabed Mining has today asked the Minister in charge of the Fast-Track, Chris Bishop, to refuse Minister Shane Jones’ request to meet with the Fast-Track Panel Convenors, arguing it could amount to bullying, and could put the integrity of the Fast-Track process further into question.

Minister Jones has complained to media both about the time the Fast-Track process is taking, and about critical language used by the Panel Convenor overseeing wannabe seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources’ application, saying he has asked Chris Bishop to set up a meeting  with the Convenors.

“The credibility of the Fast-Track regime dep

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Auckland News – Port expansion fast-track a much-needed economic boost – EMA

Source: EMA

The fast-track approval of Port of Auckland’s expansion project will deliver an economic boost for the city, says the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA).
The project, approved under the government’s Fast-track Approvals Act, will see construction begin next month on extensions to the Bledisloe Terminal and Fergusson North Berth, as well as a new cruise passenger terminal and other upgrades.
The development is expected to create additional jobs during construction, strengthen supply chain resilience, and significantly increase importing and exporting capacity.
EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald says the Port is a vital contributor to the Auckland region, returning millions of dollars in divid

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Politics – Minister’s political interference in the ERA outrageous – PSA

Source: PSA

Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden's statement that she expects new Employment Relations Authority appointments to reduce compensation awards to workers is an outrageous breach of judicial independence, says the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
In an interview with BusinessDesk, Van Velden said she hoped new ERA appointees with private sector backgrounds would lead to smaller awards against businesses, citing concerns current members “believe that money grows on trees.”
“The Minister's comments are deeply concerning and represent a direct attack on the independence of our judicial system,” PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said.
“ERA members are supposed to be impartial adjudicators who make decisions based on law and evidence, not political ideology or pressure from Ministers to favour one side over another.
“By publicly stating she expects these appointees to deliver outcomes favourable to employers, the Minister has compromised their independence before they've even started and politicised the ERA’s decision-making.
“How can workers have confidence they will get a fair hearing from the ERA when the Minister has already made clear what outcomes she expects?”
Fitzsimons said the comments were yet more evidence of Van Velden's anti-worker agenda and her willingness to interfere with judicial processes, as demonstrated when she cancelled live pay equity claims under Parliamentary Urgency.
“This kind of political interference in judicial processes undermines the rule of law and has no place in New Zealand's democracy.
“The ERA exists to provide fair and impartial resolution of employment disputes. When a Minister starts instructing appointees on what kinds of decisions they should make, that system breaks down.
“Workers facing employment problems deserve to know they will get a fair hearing based on the law and the facts of their case, not the political preferences of the Government of the day.”
The PSA is calling on van Velden to publicly retract her comments and commit to respecting the independence of ERA members.
“The Minister should be supporting an impartial justice system that serves all New Zealanders fairly, not trying to stack it to deliver a political outcome,” Fitzsimons said.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
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Weather News – Sunshine in the south, showers in the north – MetService

Source: MetService

Covering period of Thursday 21st – Monday 25th August – With the weekend in sight, the clouds will part, and the skies will brighten up for many regions. A line of showers, however, will be arriving in the upper North Island. This will be something to keep a close eye on for those attending weekend sports or hoping to head into the outdoors.

MetService have indicated a risk of heavy rainfall for the Coromandel Peninsula and western Bay of Plenty over the weekend. Showers are also expected to spill into neighbouring regions including Auckland, Northland and Waikato.

Further south, the story is brighter. The cloud over Canterbury is set to clear on Friday and the showers about Hawke’s Bay and the Wairarapa will begin to ease on Saturday. This will lead to fine and frosty conditions.

MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley details “The freezing southerly that we’re experiencing lightens up a bit, which will take the bite out of those daytime temperatures. In places with clear skies overhead, the temperature will still plunge overnight, allowing frost to settle.”

“I’d say the place to be is on a ski field in the South Island. They’ve had a bit of a dusting of snow recently and there are some bluebird skies instore” recomm

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Universities – Exploring AI’s environmental costs and benefits – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

How can we use artificial intelligence to help the planet – and what impacts might it have along the way?
 
A panel of experts will explore the opportunities and trade-offs of artificial intelligence (AI) for the environment at an event on Tuesday, 26 August, organised by University of Auckland research centre Juncture: Dialogues on Inclusive Capitalism.

The panel brings together leaders in business, technology, AI, sustainability, planetary accounting, and Indigenous futures. Dr Guy Bate, the Business School’s thematic lead in AI, will facilitate the discussion.
 
“How could we or should we be using AI and what are its impacts? What are its trade-offs? Is writing a big prompt the same as boiling a kettle? We’re looking to give some perspective on the actual impact of AI and put it into the context of other trade-offs as well,” says Bate.

Artificial intelligence has environmental consequences but can also be a powerful tool for analysing environmental data to help human decision-making, and one of the topics up for discussion is ‘planetary accounting’.

Panellist Mike Merry, Chief Technology Officer at Planetary Insights, utilises planetary accounting, which he likens to carbon accounting but applied across all of nature. This includes not only greenhouse gases, but also waste, water, pollution, biodiversity loss, and deforestation – capturing an overarching picture of human activity on the environment.

Planetary accounting provides sustainability insights into products, services, or organisations within Earth’s environmental limits, and according to Merry, AI can lower the technical barrier for companies to use this approach and support scaling up.

“Organisations have a lot of information about what they do, but they struggle to use this information to understand their environmental impacts.

“AI lowers the technical barrier for businesses to do planetary accounting themselves. For example, there’s some technical knowledge required to be able to say ‘this business activity translates to this sustainability background data’. AI helps to do that at scale, and for businesses to do that themselves.”

However, the environmental impact of AI raises important questions.

Panellist Dr Sasha Maher, a sustainability lecturer at the University of Auckland, has a specialist interest in both market and non-market solutions to climate change mitigation. Maher questions the environmental benefit of using artificial intelligence, saying information is only as good as its uptake.

“We've only got so much energy – should we expend all our energy on getting more and more accurate data? And when we know the planet's burning, do we really need more accuracy?

“And then you could go the other way in that businesses and governments need to make business cases more than ever before; to their citizens and to critics. And so, planetary accounting enables us to get that accuracy … But, of course, it still comes down to human action.”

Bowen Pan and Dr Tania Wolfgramm are also on the panel. Bowen Pan is a product and technology leader best known for creating Facebook Marketplace and leading major product initiatives at Trade Me, Facebook Gaming, Stripe, and Common Room. Dr Wolfgramm is a psychological and social scientist, creative producer, Indigenous futurist and co-founder of Hakamana AI.

The event is taking place at the University of Auckland Business School from 5.30pm-8pm on 26 August. It’s the second in a new dialogue series offering diverse perspectives on some of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand and the world.

Juncture: Dialogues on Inclusive Capitalism is a Business School research centre exploring how capitalism can better serve people and planet. Through research, education and collaboration, the centre seeks to create opportunities for meaningful dialogues on challenging issues to enable long-term transformation.
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Northland Regional Council news briefs – 21 August 2025

Source: Northland Regional Council

RELEASE OF THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT (COASTAL) 2024 REPORT
Our coast is woven into Northlanders’ identity, wellbeing, and history. The health of the moana reflects the health of its people.
Coastal environments are under increasing pressure from land use, marine activities, climate change, and biosecurity threats.
Northland Regional Council’s newly released State of the Environment (Coastal) 2024 report draws on extensive NRC work, including regulatory, scientific, biodiversity, and biosecurity monitoring, to assess these impacts. It also challenges us to rethink what “normal” means in an environment being impacted by climate change.
Our communities are taking action alongside NRC by fencing waterways, monitoring fauna and flora, planting natives on our dunes and protecting marine reserves. Working together is essential, to ensure the actions we take today leave a healthier coastal legacy for future generations.
Read the full NRC report to understand the health status of our coast, what’s happening, what’s being done, and how we can all help protect it.
ELECTRIFY TE TAITOKERAU LAUNCHES IN NORTHLAND
Electrification advocacy group Electrify Te Taitokerau launched on Wednesday 13 August to a full house at McKay Stadium in Whangārei. Affiliated with charity Rewiring Aotearoa, Electrify Te Taitokerau aims to help accelerate the transition to cheaper, cleaner, locally-made, reliable and renewable energy through advocacy and education.
The free launch event featured speakers Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey, and Glenn Sutherland of energy retailer Nau Ma Rā.
For more information, electrification resources, to get involved, and to sign up to the Electrify Te Taitokerau newsletter, visit www.rewiring.nz/communities/northland
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Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants opens for applications

Source: Ministry for Culture and Heritage

“I am proud to announce that Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants is open for applications,” says Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae.
The grants support historians, researchers and writers who are working on non-fiction projects that will significantly enhance our understanding of New Zealand’s past.
“Like past years, we expect to award 8 to 12 projects funding up to $12,000 each for research and writing costs. Applications are open until the 15th of October 2025.
This year is the last year for the Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants. The grants were set up in 1989-90 and were established using Lotteries funding of $1 million as seed funding held in trust. “Since the start of the grants, interest rates have declined, and from the early 2000s the Ministry has accessed the funding principal to meet higher and growing demand.
“Investment interest rates have been historically low since 2008, and the interest earned has not been sufficient to meet the demand on the grants.
“Over the last 15 years, the original funding model has become unsustainable. Because alternative methods of funding the grants have not been identified, we have unfortunately now arrived at the end point for Whiria Te Mahara.
“It is fantastic to see the impact these grants have made over their lifetime. Since 1990 the fund has supported over 380 projects, distributing almost $3.7 million. The grants have supported some of New Zealand’s best-known historians and some of our most influential historical works on diverse topics.
“The grants have advanced research, resulted in publications, and had a place in career development of history talent throughout Aotearoa.”
Manatū Taonga will explore options to support Aotearoa New Zealand’s historical community following the conclusion of this fund.
“While it is sad that the grants are coming to an end, I am also excited to see the final projects awarded funding through Whiria Te Mahara.
“Start working on your application and send it in. This is your last opportunity to be part of Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants’ journey” says Leauanae.
For information about how to apply for Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants, visit our website: Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants
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Farm News – Strong wool – where to next? – Federated Farmers

Source: Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers meat & wool chair Richard Dawkins joins other farming and wool industry leaders at strong wool workshops in Otago and Southland next week. Richard writes there’s reason for hope the strong wool industry has turned a corner – but farmers need to get in behind the change-makers.
My earliest memories of wool are of hot summer days after weaning, shearing our mixed-aged and two-tooth mid-micron Corriedale ewes.
The hum of the handpieces, my father and grandfather skirting fleeces at the table, and Marty – our long-time worker – stuffing them into the press.
In the early 1980s, wool contributed 65% of our farm’s sheep income. Wool was king, and sheep were a true dual-purpose animal.
Today, strong wool makes up just 1-2% of gross farm income. It’s become little more than an animal health treatment, rather than a value-adding enterprise.
The national sheep flock is now about one third of what it was at its peak in the 1980s – and our influence in global markets has similarly dwindled.
I don’t want to rehash old grievances, but to comprehend what’s next for us farmers and the wool industry, we must understand how we got here, and what we can improve on.
Synthetic fibres rose in the 1970s, capturing market share with low cost and convenience.
The collapse of the Reserve Price Scheme in 1991 removed the price floor, exposing growers to full competition with synthetics.
Prices fell – and kept falling – as industry failed to adapt. The traditional supply chain couldn’t deliver value to farmers, and relying on bulk commodity demand became folly.
Fragmentation remains one of our biggest weaknesses. From farm to consumer, wool is handled, blended, and traded repeatedly – margins are clipped at every stage, but little is reinvested in building demand or brand.
Most farmers have no idea where their wool