Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Posted on

Health – 20 years of ProCare scholarships for University of Auckland medical students

Source: ProCare

ProCare is proud to mark the 20th anniversary of its scholarship programme supporting Māori and Pacific medical students at the University of Auckland. Since 2003, the ProCare Scholarship has recognised top-performing students in the General Practice part of the University’s Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme.

This year these scholarships are awarded to Maaike de Goede (Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Haua) and Zion Ioka (Pacific).

Bindi Norwell, Chief Executive at ProCare says: “Twenty years ago, we set out to support Māori and Pacific students on their journey to becoming doctors in partnership with the University of Auckland. Supporting our future workforce, particularly our Māori and Pacific students, is a key priority for us. Having our workforce reflect the community we serve means patients have better healthcare experiences and ultimately live better, healthier lives.”

“Maaike and Zion are incredibly hard workers who are dedicated to their studies and to helping the community. We are thrilled to recognise and celebrate their inspiring efforts, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for them,” Norwell concludes.

Mihi Blair, Kaiwhakahaere Hauora Māori, Mana Taurite (GM of Māori Health and Equity), at ProCare says: “These awards both commend the success of our top Māori and Pacific students and aid them in their journey to become medical professionals, helping to ensure that Māori and Pacific are represented in the medical field. 

Our Māori and Pacific tauira (students) succeed not just for themselves, but for their whānau and wider communities. We are proud to walk alongside them as they prepare to serve and uplift their communities,” concludes Blair.  

Maaike and Zion have exciting goals for the future, which the scholarships will assist them with.  

Māori Scholarship recipient, Maaike de Goede, says: “I plan to continue working in rural hospitals in the Bay of Plenty. My current potential specialisations are intensive care, anaesthetics, or paediatrics (or combining them!). However, I am still open-minded and enjoying where my career will take me.  

“Having a workforce that reflects our society doesn't just mean we look the same. It also refers to our experiences. Understanding, relating to, and empathising with people only enhances whakawhanaungatanga. There is a whakatauki that I like to tell myself when things are tough, whether it be life in general, work or school – Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke – fight like a shark, don't give up like an octopus,” concludes de Goede.

Pacific Scholarship recipient, Zion Ioka, says: “This has to be the most full-circle moment throughout my time in the MBcHB, as I entered this degree with every intention of graduating and completing my specialty training as a GP. My dream is to open a GP clinic in West Auckland with the intention of serving the community that I was born and raised in.

“I would like to thank everyone involved for awarding me the ProCare Top Pacific GP placement award in 2024,” Ioka concluded.

This award was established in 2003 and is a significant academic accolade. The prize is intended to foster interest in General Practice medicine as a career path for Māori and Pacific students.

About ProCare

ProCare is a leading healthcare provider that aims to deliver the most progressive, pro-active and equitable health and wellbeing services in Aotearoa. We do this through our clinical support services, mental health and wellness services, virtual/tele health, mobile health, smoking cessation and by taking a population health and equity approach to our mahi. As New Zealand’s largest Primary Health Organisation, we represent a network of general practice teams and healthcare professionals who provide care to nearly 700,000 patients across Auckland. These practices serve the largest Pacific and South Asian populations enrolled in general practice and the largest Māori population in Tāmaki Makaurau. For more information go to www.procare.co.nz

Posted on

Govt Cuts – Govt kept secret cuts to science funding to finance new Applied Tech Institute – PSA

Source: PSA

Last month’s announcement on the new Applied Technology Institute failed to reveal that science funds were being cut to finance it.
MBIE has now revealed to media that there is no new money for the institute, but the $231 million budget comes from cutting science funds and from other science pools.
This includes the Government chopping nearly $70 million from four key science research funds – Endeavour Fund, Marsden Fund, Health Research Fund and the Strategic Science Investment Fund, plus $21 million from National Science Challenges, a programme the Government abandoned last year (see MBIE media statement below)
“The Government says it wants to kick start our economy with investment in science – meanwhile chopping science off at the knees and hoping no one will notice,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul, raiding science funds without providing the increased funding science needs to drive growth. The economy will be worse off, and we will keep losing scientists to other countries which value them.
“You can’t grow the economy by cutting science funding. Just ask Sir Peter Gluckman and the Science System Advisory Group which said in its report that greater investment in science was key to driving productivity.
“Scientists rely on these funds for ground-breaking work; they deserve ongoing support. These secret cuts on top of closing down Callaghan Innovation show that this Government has no commitment to science.
“It’s ironic that less than a year ago then Science Minister Judith Collins said the ‘Endeavour Fund round being funded is focused on economic growth and commercial outputs’.
“How does cutting $13.5m from the fund in 2025 make sense when this year was supposed to be all about going for growth?
“It just shows how mixed up the Government’s economic strategy is.”
See statement from Science Minister Judith Collins on 16 September 2024 here.
“This is happening at the same time the Government is giving a $300 million tax break to big tobacco – this funding sleight of hand speaks volumes to the real priority the Government places on science.
“The Government should be open and transparent about these changes not making them in secret.”
The PSA has written to the Minister for Research, Science and Technology, Shane Reti, seeking an urgent meeting to discuss the impact of these cuts and the need to protect the science workforce and the science and research institutions that are now at risk.
Statement from MBIE released to media
The Government is investing over $231 million in the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology over four years. This new public research organisation will invest in science and technologies like AI, quantum computing, and synthetic biology – fields with the potential to transform industries, grow exports, and lift New Zealand’s global competitiveness.
Of the $231 million, $150.4 million is being reprioritised within the Science, Innovation and Technology portfolio. This reflects a shift in priorities within the Science, Innovation and Technology portfolio towards emerging technologies that can be commercialised.
The majority of this funding will continue to go into science – but into new areas of research that have significant potential, where New Zealand is developing greater capability.
Funding is reallocated from:
Endeavour Fund – $13.489m (from 2028/29)
Health Research Fund – $11.487m (from 2028/29)
Marsden Fund – $15.119m (in 2028/29)
New to R&D Grant – $18.084m across 2025-2028
Callaghan Innovation Operations – $24.336m across 2027-2029
Contract Management – $3m across 2026-2029
$37.537m has also been reprioritised from the Strategic Science Investment Fund (from 2025/26 to 2028/29) to the Institute for Advanced Technology from contracts which are coming to an end over the next three years and $21.603m has been reprioritised from unallocated National Science Challenge funding.
The remaining funding, of just over $80 million, will continue to support functions transferring to the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology from Callaghan Innovation. These are the HealthTech Activator, the New Zealand Product Accelerator and the Technology Incubator.
The relevant briefing will be released on the MBIE website in due course.
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.
Posted on

Privacy Commissioner announces new rules for biometrics

Source: Office of the Privacy Commissioner

New Zealand now has new privacy rules for the automated use of biometrics – rules that aim to protect New Zealander’s sensitive personal data, while allowing agencies to innovate.
Biometric processing is the use of technologies, like facial recognition technology, to collect and process people’s biometric information to identify them or learn more about them.
The Privacy Commissioner has issued a Biometric Processing Privacy Code that will create specific privacy rules for agencies (businesses and organisations) using biometrics and give New Zealanders confidence about the use of their sensitive personal information.
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says “Biometrics are some of our most sensitive information. It is not just information about us, it is us. The very thing that makes biometrics risky, their uniqueness, also makes them useful. The aim of the new rules is to allow for beneficial uses of biometrics while minimising the risks for people’s privacy and society as a whole.”
The Code, which is now law made under the Privacy Act, will help make sure agencies implementing biometric technologies are doing it safely and in a way that is proportionate.
“It’s important that agencies can innovate while keeping New Zealanders safe from privacy risks; this Code will do that” says Commissioner Webster.
“The final Code has the force of law. It has the same legal status as the Information Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act – it just replaces them for when agencies use biometric information in automated processes.”
The Code comes into force on 3 November 2025, but agencies already using biometrics have until 3 August 2026, 12 months from today’s announcement, to align themselves with the new rules.
“We understand the Code may require some changes to agencies’ processes and policies for them to be compliant, like creating new notifications, training staff, or changing their technical systems, and we wanted to give them enough time to make these happen,” says Mr Webster.
In addition to the usual requirements from the Privacy Act, the Code strengthens and clarifies the requirements on agencies to:
– assess the effectiveness and proportionality of using biometrics – is it fit for the circumstances
– adopt safeguards to reduce privacy risk
– tell people a biometric system is in use, before or when their biometric information is collected.
The Code also limits some particularly intrusive uses of biometric technologies like using them to predict people’s emotions or infer information like ethnicity or sex, or other information protected under the Human Rights Act.
“Biometrics can have major benefits, including convenience, efficiency, and security.
However, it can also create significant privacy risks, including surveillance and profiling, lack of transparency and control, and accuracy, bias, and discrimination,” says Mr Webster.
Most comparable jurisdictions have additional protections for sensitive information like biometric information. In New Zealand, the Privacy Act regulates the use of personal information (and therefore biometric information), but the Code now provides clear privacy rules around using biometric technologies.
“Having biometric-specific guardrails will help agencies deploy these tools safely, using the right tool for the job and protecting people’s privacy rights as they do it,” says Mr Webster.
Guidance is also being issued to support the Code. The guidance is very detailed and explains how we see the Code working in practice. It also sets out examples so agencies planning to use biometrics can better understand their obligations.
“Our guidance is a starting point; agencies still need to do their own thinking and seek advice to understand their own situation and how they are using or plan to use biometrics.
“Biometrics should only be used if they are necessary, effective and proportionate; the key thing to make sure of is that the benefits outweigh the privacy risks,” says Mr Webster.
For more information:
Posted on

Property Market – Property values still going nowhere fast – Cotality

Source: Cotality

Property values in Aotearoa New Zealand edged down by -0.2% in July, according to Cotality NZ’s latest hedonic Home Value Index (HVI).

The result mirrors the annual change, which was also a –0.2% drop, bringing the median value nationally to $819,921. Cotality NZ Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson said the result was yet another reminder that market conditions remain subdued.

“At the end of 2024, our analysis suggested that 2025 was likely to be a ‘year of conflicting forces’ in the property market, with the upwards influence on house prices from lower mortgage rates counteracted to an extent by headwinds such as an abundance of listings and the weak labour market.”
“That broad theme has proven correct, with regions including Auckland and Wellington remaining soft. Even in more resilient areas such as Hamilton and Christchurch, the picture isn’t that much better.”
“The jobs market uncertainty is surely a key limiting factor at present.”
“That said, rising sales activity has now started to erode the stock of available listings a touch, probably augmented by some would-be vendors actively withdrawing their listed properties from the market.”
“This could lead to more competitive price pressure later in the year, especially as a greater number of existing borrowers roll off older, higher mortgage rates and down to current levels.”

Across New Zealand, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Ōtepoti Dunedin were the weakest of the main centres in July, dropping by -0.6% apiece – with the former also -1.4% down in the past quarter.

Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington dipped by -0.2% and Ōtautahi Christchurch saw a minor -0.1% decline, although values are still slightly higher (+0.4%) than three months ago.

Meanwhile, Kirikiriroa Hamilton saw a +0.4% lift in July, with Tauranga up at +0.9%. However, that’s not necessarily a clear new trend in Tauranga, with some previous softer months meaning it’s still only +0.8% higher over the past year.

National and Main Centres
Index results for July 2025
Change in dwelling values
Month
Quarter
Annual
From peak
Median value
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
-0.6%
-1.4%
-0.7%
-21.7%
$1,069,605
Kirikiriroa Hamilton
0.4%
0.5%
3.1%
-9.8%
$767,994
Tauranga
0.9%
1.1%
0.8%
-15.8%
$919,105
Te-Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington*
-0.2%
-0.6%
-3.3%
-24.7%
$796,289
Ōtautahi Christchurch
-0.1%
0.4%
2.7%
-4.7%
$704,623
Ōtepoti Dunedin
-0.6%
-0.5%
-0.4%
-11.3%
$601,155
Aotearoa New Zealand
-0.2%
-0.6%
-0.2%
-16.6%
$819,921


Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Value patterns were variable in the wider Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington area in July, with Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt up by +0.3%, and Porirua also edging higher. By contrast, there were falls in other key sub-markets, such as Wellington City itself.

Over the past year, Porirua has managed to sneak up by +0.8%, while all other areas have dropped. Yet even Porirua is still substantially below its peak too (-21.6%).

“Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington’s previous sharp downturn in property values is likely to have come to an end, but that doesn’t mean an upturn has suddenly emerged. In fact, market confidence levels around the Capital seemingly remain low, and property value tr

Posted on

Firefighters test their driving skills at UFBA driving competition

Source: United Fire Brigades' Association

Firefighters from around the country will be in Fielding at Chris Eamon Circuit, Manfeild Park on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 August for the United Fire Brigades’ Association (UFBA) National Drivers Challenge.
The United Fire Brigades’ Association Drivers Challenge brings together over 100 firefighters from all around the country to compete and upskill in a challenging driving competition using fire appliances (fire engines/trucks).
The competition comprises a pre-drive, theory test and 11 individual exercises, in which drivers are judged on overall ability, efficiency, aptitude and smoothness of operation of fire appliances.
The exercises are designed to test critical spatial awareness and judgment decisions that reflect the real-life challenges when driving on New Zealand roads. Challenges include bay and parallel parking, straight-line driving, lane changes, braking, estimating clearance, and negotiating serpentine and shrinking chicanes – all of which are crucial driving and parking skills needed to strategically and safely get the truck where it needs to be for any kind of emergency.
This event also helps with re-validation for brigade drivers completing Emergency Response Driver certificates. UFBA CEO Bill Butzbach says, ” Most of our competitors are volunteer firefighters, who make up 86% of Fire and Emergency’s frontline workforce, and this challenge provides them with an opportunity to practice and perfect their driving skills to ensure the safety of their crew on board and other road users, while responding to an emergency.
This event is a vital opportunity for sharing, upskilling, testing against compliance and simple camaraderie for firefighters to network in a competitive and safe environment.”
Spectators are welcome to come along and gain insight into the world of firefighters. Understand and appreciate the incredible skill it takes to control and maneuver a 12-ton fire truck with precision and patience.
About the UFBA – for over 140 years the United Fire Brigades’ Association has been the leading association representing firefighters in New Zealand. Today our services support c.14,000 firefighters throughout the fire and emergency services sector by providing advocacy, skills-based challenges, workshops, and service honours.
For more information visit www.ufba.org.nz
Posted on

Zero Waste – Anxiety rises as decision on incinerator due

Source: Zero Waste Aotearoa

Zero Waste Aotearoa is more worried than ever about the waste-to-energy incinerator proposed for Te Awamutu. That’s because so many concerns have emerged about the track record of the company behind the proposal: scrap metal dealer Global Metal Solutions (GMS).

The Board of Inquiry decision on resource consent for the proposal is due next week.

“It has flouted environmental laws at all of its three sites, operated without consent and used lawyers to push back against local councils and the Court – at high cost to ratepayers. It would be exceedingly risky to allow such people to own or operate a highly complex, novel-to-New Zealand technology next to residential areas and five schools representing all ages of children. Waste-to-energy incinerators can create and release some of the world’s worst contaminants, and skilled and careful operation is vital,” said Sue Coutts, spokesperson for Zero Waste Aotearoa.

Auckland: Illegal operations, council and landlord want it gone

The company has operated at its Auckland site for five years without resource consent to release contaminants to air and water, which it routinely does as part of its operations. It dug up a large area of contaminated land without consent. Auckland Council let it operate under an abatement notice for the past three years, but told it to cease operations after a major fire at the site in March this year. In response, GMS’s lawyers wrote to the Council, blaming the Council for not providing the right advice about resource consents and hinting strongly that it could be liable for GMS’s financial losses if operations must cease. GMS’s landlord in Auckland has long sought to end its lease.

New Plymouth: Holds no resource consents

GMS also has a scrap metal site in New Plymouth, where it’s operated since 2018 – again without resource consent. Scrap metal yards are known to produce contaminated wastewater, and air pollution if they process/shred vehicles, and therefore require consents. Other scrap metal yards that previously operated in the vicinity held consents to discharge contaminants to land and water.  GMS’s site is directly next to the Waitaha Stream, which Taranaki Regional Council is investigating for the source of high metal levels.

Zero Waste Aotearoa is awaiting further information from Taranaki Regional Council via a July 18th official information request on the resource consents GMS should have and on the stream’s water quality.

Hamilton: Indifferent to its Environment Court obligations

GMS’s third site is in Hamilton. It was taken to the Environment Court by Hamilton City Council for repeatedly breaking noise limit rules. The Court issued it with an enforcement order in 2020. In 2021, it was finally forced to move the noisy equipment, and the Judge wrote that: “We conclude the company is indifferent to its obligations under the Court order and the directions and seeks to continue its activity in breach of the plan for the pursuit of profit” (emphasis added). It had to pay costs of $134,900 and the Judge wrote that ‘We find that a higher-than-normal award of costs is appropriate …. GMS's arguments were advanced without substance.’

The Environment Court’s written decisions and GMS’s lawyer’s letter to Auckland Council reveal similarities: GMS claiming to misunderstand what rules applied, its attempts to fix the problems being exceedingly drawn-out, saying employee’s jobs are threatened, and blaming the Council.

It is not GMS that has applied for consent to build and operate a waste-to-energy incinerator at Te Awamutu, but Global Contracting Solutions, which is owned by the same people as GMS. Its plan is to incinerate 400 tonnes of waste or more each day, including plastic and tyres, and non-metal vehicle parts such as dashboards and upholstery shredded at the unconsented Auckland site.

“It is not simply that these people own an unrelated business that is not operating with appropriate consents. Rather, it is that this scrap metal business is intimately connected with the incinerator. It was the reason the owner wanted to build it in the first place, to get rid of the waste left over from the scrapping process.”

A decision on whether the incinerator will be granted resource consent is being considered by a Board of Inquiry following a hearing that concluded in July. The Zero Waste Network – recently rebranded as Zero Waste Aotearoa – teamed up with the Environmental Defense Society to oppose the incinerator at the hearing. The evidence and submissions at the hearing included information on the Hamilton and Auckland failings but not the absence of consents at the New Plymouth site.

Posted on

Greenpeace turns on NZ First over its support for corporate land grab bill

Source: Greenpeace

During today’s public submission hearings on the ACT Party’s Overseas Investment Amendment Bill, Greenpeace took direct aim at NZ First, highlighting the hypocrisy of NZ First’s support for the Bill at first reading – despite its long-standing opposition to foreign ownership. The party’s sole representative was notably absent for most of the hearing.
Greenpeace accused the party of abandoning its values and backing a law that would see some of the country’s most ecologically sensitive land sold to multinational corporations, even if those corporations have a criminal history and have broken environmental laws in other jurisdictions.
“If NZ First does bend the knee to another of ACT’s ideological policies then so be it,” said Toop. “The voters’ cards will fall as they may, and they may very well fall under 5%, but that will be the bed that NZ First makes for itself by signing up to a Bill that would see New Zealand being sold off to the highest bidding foreign corporation.”
The organisation opposed the bill on several grounds including that it removes the requirement that the Government check whether a foreign buyer of sensitive land has committed serious crimes abroad, such as breaking environmental or labour laws, or evading paying taxes.
Sensitive land is outlined in Schedule 1 of the Bill and includes the conservation estate, offshore islands, lake beds, the marine and coastal zone, wāhi tapu and other culturally significant sites, and land adjoining these areas.
“The Bill makes it harder for the government to decline the sale of lake beds, offshore islands and the conservation estate to multinational corporate cowboys,” says Toop.
“If this Bill is enacted the Government will no longer be able to impose the bare minimum of environmental conditions on the sale, things like biodiversity protection, heritage preservation, and allowing ongoing public access to public lands.”
The organisation also condemned the move to scrap the special tests for foreign forestry investment, pointing out that much of the devastation caused by the forestry slash and erosion, such as during Cyclone Gabrielle, is caused by foreign-owned forestry companies.
Toop pointed out that Global Forest Partners, the 8th largest landowner in New Zealand in 2019 was registered in the Cayman Islands and asked whether the committee thought the forest industry had paid their fair share to rebuild bridges and roads destroyed by their industry.
She suggested they hadn't and “were instead metaphorically – or literally – bathing in the Cayman Islands’ warm, tax-free waters while New Zealand taxpayers footed the clean-up bill.”
“Greenpeace believes that all corporations, whether New Zealand owned or overseas owned, should be regulated to ensure that they don’t harm the environment, but the Overseas Investment Act currently provides an additional tool that enables the Government to regulate overseas corporations, in particular, to achieve better environmental and community outcomes.”
“It is simply not reasonable to pass an amendment bill that says offshore forestry investments – which have already brought such demonstrable harm to the country – will receive less scrutiny and have fewer conditions imposed on them,” Toop said.
In a pointed moment during the hearing, Toop held up a placard reading NO, referencing Winston Peters’ infamous “NO” placard and stated: “If the NZ First member of the committee had shown up he might recall that sign. Or perhaps it's been forgotten – as NZ First does seem to have forgotten a few things lately, like what it is they purportedly stand for.”
“This ACT party bill literally removes the benefit to New Zealand test so that it is easier to sell off New Zealand to multinational corporations. You’ll have to forgive me for failing to see how that, by any stretch of the imagination, puts NZ First.”
Toop also criticised the Government’s rushed consultation process – with the Government only allowing five hours of oral submissions on the Bill, all via Zoom.
“It is undemocratic, but it's not surprising – especially from a Government who recently engaged in voter suppression. Add to that the new FBI office in our capital city, and you'd be forgiven for thinking you hadn't woken up in Aotearoa – you’d woken up in Trump's America.”
Greenpeace urged the Committee to reject David Seymour's Bill and Toop ended by asking:
“Is it really too much to ask that this Government start governing for New Zealanders, not governing in service of foreign corporations and their offshore shareholders?”
Posted on

Local News – New dashboard tracks progress on streamside planting – Porirua

Source: Porirua City Council

A new online dashboard is now live, providing a window into collective efforts to restore the health of Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour.
The Riparian Management Programme, a five-year initiative that began in 2021, aims to plant 630,000 native plants to restore the streamside and prevent erosion within the Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour catchment. It’s a joint commitment by Porirua City Council and the Ministry for the Environment, in partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira, councils, landowners and community.
Porirua City Parks Manager Julian Emeny says the dashboard helps tell the story of the mahi taking place across the harbour catchment.
“This is about more than planting trees,” says Julian. “We’re restoring the mauri of our streams and harbour – improving water quality, stabilising erosion-prone land, and creating habitats where native wildlife can thrive. The dashboard lets people see this progress almost in real time.”
Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour has endured decades of environmental degradation – from urban development and intensified land use to increased runoff and pollution. But change is underway.
Key strategies in the riparian programme include replanting with native species, targeted weed control, and, with the help of Greater Wellington Regional Council, fencing off waterways from livestock. These actions help reduce sediment and nutrients entering the harbour, protecting its social, cultural and ecological values for future generations.
The new dashboard uses ArcGIS mapping to display planting progress across the harbour’s sub-catchments. It shows updates on plant numbers, fencing lengths, and restoration areas -making the scale of work visible and transparent to all.
This work is part of Porirua City’s broader restoration programme, and a commitment to Te Wai Ora o Parirua – The Porirua Harbour Accord. This project also engages schools and supports volunteers in improving the health of our harbour for future generations.
“We all have a role to play in restoring the wellbeing of our harbour,” says Julian. “This is what it looks like when community, councils and iwi work together for our waterways and harbour.”The dashboard, which is best viewed on a desktop, can be found here [https://pcc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/b0d060a816894333a3a9c0662b6021d4]
Posted on

Tech Security – Norton Adds Audio and Visual Deepfake Protection on Mobile

Source: Botica Butler Raudon Partners

Analysis of AI-generated audio and facial manipulation techniques now available in early access phase through Norton Genie Scam Protection for users in New Zealand.

Auckland, 5 August 2025 – Norton, a leader in Cyber Safety and part of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), has launched AI-powered deepfake protection in the Norton Genie AI Assistant on Norton 360 mobile apps. Currently in early access phase, Norton Deepfake Protection enables people to defend themselves from malicious AI-generated audio and video content. Initially available on select Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, people can now protect themselves not only from everyday scams, but also AI scams even if they don’t have an AI PC.

Norton Deepfake Protection in the Genie AI Assistant includes the ability to analyse audio and visual content for signs of manipulation. Beyond detecting AI-generated voices used in fraudulent schemes, the feature provides an added layer of contextual protection by spotting inconsistencies or faint deformations in the physical features of people appearing in videos. If a harmful deepfake is detected, the Genie AI Assistant will provide conversational Cyber Safety guidance and suggestions on what to do next.

“As AI-generated voices and faces become harder to distinguish from the real thing, trust is rapidly becoming one of the most fragile elements of our digital lives,” said Leena Elias, Chief Product Officer at Gen. “The line between truth and deception is blurring, especially when malicious actors can abuse AI to create scams that replicate voices and imagery with startling realism. This is why we’ve made our deepfake protection accessible to people who don’t have AI hardware, so they can confidently navigate and consume digital content without second-guessing what they see or hear.”

Currently, Norton Deepfake Protection in Genie Scam Protection supports English-language YouTube videos with plans to expand platform and language support in future updates. To check for signs of scams in video content, people can upload YouTube links to Norton Genie AI Assistant and receive real-time guidance on the authenticity of a video. If malicious AI-generated content is found, the Genie AI Assistant will flag it and provide advice on what to do next.

The early access version of Norton Deepfake Protection is currently available in Norton 360 mobile products in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, across Android and iOS devices with desktop support coming soon. The focus at Norton on AI-powered scam protection won’t stop here. Later in the year, deepfake protection for AI PCs will extend to devices powered by Intel chipsets, and more advanced detection capabilities will be available on both desktop and mobile platforms. For more information, visit https://us.norton.com/feature/ai-scam-protection.

About Norton

Norton is a leader in Cyber Safety, and part of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted consumer brands. Norton empowers millions of individuals and families with award-winning protection for their devices, online privacy, and identity. Norton products and services are certified by independent testing organisations including AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. Norton is a founding member of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance North America Chapter and the Coalition Against Stalkerware. Learn more at Norton.com and GenDigital.com.
Posted on

Local News – Volunteers needed for Papakōwhai community planting day

Source: Porirua City Council

A community planting event on Papakōwhai Rd in August will add to the work that has already been done along that road as part of the shared pathway project.
The planting event, planned for Saturday 16 August, 10.30am – 1pm, will focus on planting at the Papakōwhai Lagoon, located across the road from Papakōwhai Reserve.
“We have 2500 native plants to get in the ground on this day, and we would love the support of the community to help with this important piece of work,” says Porirua City Manager Parks Julian Emeny.
“We will be planting native shrubs, trees and intertidal rushes, which will further help improve the water quality and biodiversity of our streams and harbour.”
The work is part of Porirua City’s wider streamside planting programme, which, in partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira, aims to restore the mauri (life force) of Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour and create healthy waterways for future generations.
“We have a big planting programme this year, with the aim to get 165,000 plants in the ground,” says Julian.
“This is being done by Council staff, contractors, volunteers and school groups, showing that it takes many hands to get this important mahi done.”
The planting on Papakōwhai Rd follows on from two years of planting done by contractors and local kura along the shared pathway.
If you are keen to come along, please email your name and the number of people attending to: streamside.planting@poriruacity.govt.nz
Find out more about Council’s streamside planting programme here.