Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi

• One in four jobs proposed to go at DIA Community Operations Group
• Frontline community advisors disestablished – 70 jobs down to 40
• 16 local service centres to be reduced to just three regional hubs – Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
• Cuts should not be happening this close to election

Deep cuts proposed for the Department of Internal Affairs team that helps communities access funding will strip away trusted, face-to-face relationships built up over years, with remote Māori communities set to be hit hardest.

The proposal unveiled today to staff of Community Operations / Hapai Hapori would result in a net loss of 28 roles, or one in four roles from a current workforce of 116. This includes reducing frontline Community Advisor numbers from 70 to just 40. All 70 roles to be disestablished with 40 new roles established.

“This is a huge hollowing out of expertise and trust that has been built up in communities right across New Zealand, extending deep into rural areas,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

The Community Operations team supports hundreds of community, iwi and hapū groups who rely on advisors to navigate Lottery Grants, central and local government funding, and philanthropic funds

“These are the people who sit down face-to-face with a marae committee, a small rural sports club or a church trust and help them work through the maze of funding they're entitled to access. That relationship, and the knowledge these advisors carry about their communities, can't be replaced by a phone line or a website.”

The changes propose that 16 local service centres around the country consolidated into just three regional hubs in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

“This means whole regions will be left without a single local advisor. Community groups in places like Northland, Tairāwhiti and the West Coast will now have to deal with someone based hours away in a different city after decades of valuable face-to-face support.

“It will mean longer waits for funding decisions and less support exactly when communities need it most.

“Māori communities in remote areas will bear the brunt of this. These are exactly the communities that rely most on a trusted local advisor who understands their context – not a self-service digital portal.

“The system isn't broken. It could be improved. But you don't improve a service by getting rid of the people who provide it and the expertise they carry.

“Let's be clear about what's really going on – this is about saving money, not better services. It's more short-term thinking from the Government that keeps demanding deeper and deeper cuts, and DIA is just the latest department to buckle under that pressure.

“That is why we need a public good test that forces agencies to properly weigh a range of factors including impacts on services, communities and Te Tiriti before hatching plans like this.

“Remember the Government promised no cuts to the frontline. There is nothing more frontline than an experienced community advisor travelling into communities to meet face-to -face with groups.”

The PSA will be strongly opposing this plan. Consultation closes on 8 October with final decisions communicated to staff on 21 October.

“The PSA is calling on DIA to halt these cuts so close to the General Election. Significant decisions like this should not be made when voters are about to choose the next government,” said Fitzsimons.

Background

Under this proposal community advisors will no longer present at the following locations.

• Kaitaia
• Whāngarei
• Hamilton
• Rotorua
• Gisborne
• New Plymouth
• Napier
• Palmerston North
• Lower Hutt
• Nelson
• Greymouth
• Dunedin
• Invercargill

Background on DIA

PSA members at DIA last week took part in the nationwide strikes on 9 September over stalled bargaining for pay increases.

8 September 2026 10,000 public servants will strike tomorrow

2 September 2026 Our precious history under threat as National Library and Archives face more Govt cuts

47 roles being to be axed which would mean, if adopted, the total workforce will soon be 15% smaller than it was two years ago with 350 staff.

29 August 2025 – Department of Internal Affairs job cuts will mean more violent extremism and child exploitation

Digital Safety team cut by a net 60 jobs, with a further 66 fixed-term roles closing.

24 June 2025 – Another 46 jobs to go at DIA with a further 14 under threat

Confirmed cuts following the March consultation, including merged management roles and reduced Personal Assistant support.

27 March 2025 – Preservation of New Zealand's history threatened by latest job cuts

Archives NZ and the National Library confirm 30 roles cut, including librarians, curators and archivists.

18 March 2025 – Internal Affairs gutted again with Govt planning to cut 133 roles

133 roles proposed across all five DIA branches, aiming to save around $8 million a year.

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.

Source: Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation

17 September 2026

The Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, manager of the $95 billion New Zealand Superannuation Fund, has appointed Michael McNee Head of Portfolio Completion, effective from 19 October.

McNee’s two decade career in the investment industry spans sovereign wealth, superannuation and institutional investment mandates in both public and private markets. He was most recently Head of Development and Integration for QIC’s Liquid Markets Group, having previously worked as a Senior Portfolio Manager in QIC's Multi-Asset Solutions team.

The Portfolio Completion team plays a central role in managing the Fund's public market exposure in equities, fixed income, credit and foreign currency, and also manages the Fund's liquidity position.

Guardians Co-Chief Investment Officer Brad Dunstan says McNee has a strong track record of working across investment teams to develop scalable solutions and improve portfolio outcomes, making him an excellent fit for the Portfolio Completion team and for the Guardians more broadly.

“Throughout the recruitment process, Michael impressed us with the breadth of his investment experience, his strategic thinking, and his collaborative leadership style, says Dunstan.

McNee says he is excited to be joining the Guardians and helping to build on the strong work already being done by the Portfolio Completion team.

“It's a great opportunity to work with a terrific investment team, take on a new challenge, and contribute to an organisation I've long respected.”

Source: Save the Children

At least eight children were reported killed early today, and dozens more are among 100 people missing following the collapse of a six or seven story building damaged by an earlier Israeli strike in Gaza City.

As rescuers comb through the rubble, some digging with their bare hands, Israeli restrictions on the entry of essential machinery and rescue equipment are directly hampering efforts to reach people trapped beneath the rubble, putting more lives at risk.

Save the Children said Israel must lift these restrictions immediately and live up to its obligations under the so-called ‘ceasefire’ agreement.

The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza said at least 50 children could be among the missing. More than 10 families lived in the building, which also reportedly fell on tents and makeshift shelters nearby.

The building had been bombed previously during the war and displaced families were living there due to a lack of available shelter. The Civil Defence warned that some 2,000 damaged buildings, currently sheltering large numbers of people, are at risk of collapse.

Shuroaq, Save the Children Media Manager in the occupied Palestinian territory:

“At dawn while we were sleeping, we heard a blast that sounded like bombing, and the whole house was covered in dust. We thought the building we were in was the target. I have just came back from the site and everyone in Gaza is there trying to help with rescue teams. The situation is dire. People are screaming, and others are digging with their bare hands. Children could be heard screaming and pleading for help from underneath the rubble.

“The building is huge. There are people missing from the tents near the building that collapsed on them. People are scared that with the scarcity of equipment and machinery the rescue machine will take days. In Gaza buildings are constantly collapsing on displaced families. These things have been constantly happening, but this is a huge building. Dozens were living there.

“I saw the bodies of a woman and her child being recovered. They were lying together on a mattress where they had been sleeping. This is not a sight that anyone should or ever could ever get used to. I know a family who lived in this collapsed building. They had only recently moved there, fleeing the artillery shells that were close to their tent. Most of the family members are children, and no one from the family has been recovered yet. This is a danger that threatens everyone here in Gaza.”

Hiba AlHejazi, Save the Children Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media Director in the occupied Palestinian territory:

“Nearly a year after its signing, the so-called ‘ceasefire’ continues to fail children. This tragedy did not happen in isolation. Israel’s destruction of homes has displaced families, while its restrictions on the entry of tents, shelter materials and reconstruction supplies have left them with no safe alternative but to live in damaged and unstable buildings. When those buildings collapse, the same restrictions leave rescue teams digging through the rubble with their bare hands.

“Israel is actively blocking the equipment and machinery needed to rescue people and support meaningful recovery and reconstruction. These restrictions must be lifted immediately. The international community must act urgently to press Israel to lift them, or we will continue to witness entirely preventable mass-casualty events like the one we saw this morning.”

Source: New Zealand Defence Force

17 September 2026

The island of Penrhyn in the northern Cook Islands has welcomed a New Zealand Defence Force contingent for the annual Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief task Exercise Tropic Twilight.

At the request of the Cook Islands Government and supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, more than 50 personnel have deployed to Penrhyn via a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130J aircraft to deliver construction, maintenance, health, and hydrography tasks for the communities of Penrhyn.

The New Zealand Army engineers from 25 Engineer Support Squadron, 2 Engineer Regiment, are working alongside five engineers from the Forces Armées en Nouvelle-Calédonie and one engineer from Vanuatu.

They will carry out a range of tasks on Penrhyn, including constructing and upgrading facilities at Omoka and Te Tautua Schools, upgrading the roof on the Omoka Market building, installing solar water stills and assisting local mechanics to service island plant machinery and vehicles.

Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) Littoral Warfare Unit HMNZS Matataua personnel will undertake hydrographic surveys of the navigational approaches, lagoon transit routes, and maritime infrastructure to provide updated data to the Cook Islands Government.

Health personnel from the both the RNZN and NZ Army will work with local medical staff to deliver services to the community.

Deputy Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, Brigadier Michael Bassingthwaighte, says the long-standing exercise continues the good work in the Cook Islands, following last year's deployment to Ma'uke.

“For more than 25 years, Tropic Twilight has reinforced New Zealand's commitment to the Pacific through practical support and enduring partnerships.

“We are proud to return to the Cook Islands this year, working alongside local communities and regional partners to deliver infrastructure, health and hydrographic projects that will leave a lasting positive impact for Penrhyn.”

Before transit to Penrhyn from the main island of Rarotonga, RNZN hydrographers took the opportunity to support the Cook Islands Government with a boat ramp survey at Avatiu Harbour.

NZ Army personnel also conducted cleaning and plumbing of the roof at Aotearoa Marae to enable water collection and helped the National Environment Service with their reusable plastics sustainability project.

Source: Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre

17 September 2026

The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre is appalled by the Government’s dismissive response to allegations of sexual harassment involving the appointment of Pita Wise as Permanent Secretary for Public Enterprise.

The Public Service Commission’s response that the complaint was withdrawn, and the Prime Minister’s assertion that Wise was given time to “cool off” trivialise a serious allegation and demonstrate a disturbing lack of commitment to addressing violence against women.

A complaint being withdrawn does not absolve the PSC of their responsibility to investigate. Women withdraw complaints for many reasons, including fear of retaliation, intimidation, victim-blaming, damage to their careers, and a lack of faith in systems that too often fail to protect them.

Fiji has a National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls, which commits the Government and state institutions to addressing all forms of violence against women, including sexual harassment. These commitments must be reflected in practice.

If the Government is serious about ending violence against women and girls, it must ensure that allegations of sexual harassment are treated seriously, investigated independently, and addressed transparently. Anything less undermines public confidence and sends a wrong message to survivors across Fiji.

We call on the Prime Minister and Government to rectify this decision.

Source: Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers NZ Inc

More than 60 plumbers and drainlayers have already been approved under a new scheme allowing skilled tradies to sign off their own work without a council inspection, saving money and time.

Self-certification for eligible plumbing and drainlaying work went live last week, marking a significant milestone for the sector. There have already been 61 endorsements granted in total with a further 180 applications in the pipeline.

Master Plumbers Chief Executive Greg Wallace said the new regime represents years of advocacy.

“Self-certification is a practical, common-sense reform that recognises the skills and professional responsibility of qualified tradespeople. It will reduce unnecessary delays and costs while maintaining accountability and safety.”

“This outcome was achieved thanks to a strong partnership between industry and government.

“We look forward to continuing this relationship with Building and Construction Minister Simon Watts, who we were delighted to host this afternoon at Jason Brown Plumbing & Gas in Lower Hutt.”

The legislation allows eligible plumbers and drainlayers to self-certify their work, removing the need for routine council inspections. This brings plumbing and drainlaying more closely into line with gasfitting, which has operated under a self-certification model for more than a decade.

Plumbers and drainlayers who meet the required eligibility criteria will be able to opt-in to the voluntary scheme overseen by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board.

Wallace said there will be a period of refinement to get the implementation right, as with any significant regulatory change, and Master Plumbers will work closely with the industry and Board.

The benefits of self-certification would extend well beyond the plumbing and drainlaying sector, he said.

“Last year around 36,000 homes were consented in New Zealand, and most required plumbing or drainlaying work. This reform means fewer bottlenecks, less time waiting on inspections, and more efficient delivery of housing and infrastructure projects.”

About Master Plumbers

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.

Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua

17 September 2026

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua (RBNZ) has today published a Future of Banking study exploring how banking in New Zealand could evolve over the next decade.

The study emphasises that we are living in a period of profound and accelerating change – with rapid technological innovation, advances in AI, new business models and changing consumer preferences all reshaping banking.

“Understanding how banking could change helps us to prepare for emerging risks and opportunities, and remain effective in supporting a sound, efficient and inclusive financial system,” Assistant Governor Financial Stability Angus McGregor says.

The study identifies key drivers of change and outlines three plausible scenarios for banking in New Zealand by 2035, including:

1. Better banks – Banking evolves incrementally as incumbent banks adapt effectively.
2. Digital banking revolution – Digital banks and fintechs gain significant market share.
3. Banking ecosystems – Banking is increasingly delivered through interconnected ecosystems and digital platforms.

Across the scenarios, potential opportunities include strengthened competition, innovation, participation, efficiency and improved consumer outcomes. Change could also amplify existing risks and create new ones, such as increased operational complexity, third-party concentration, AI related risks and increased activity emerging outside the current regulatory perimeter.

The study considers what these changes could mean for New Zealanders, including how people access banking services, who provides them, and how trust and resilience are maintained.

The study does not recommend specific policy positions. It is intended to support preparedness and contribute to public understanding and discussion about the forces that may shape banking in New Zealand over the coming decade.

“We are not seeking to predict the future, and we do not have a preferred scenario,” Mr McGregor says. “The value of this work is in understanding how banking may evolve, so we can be prepared and support a stable financial system, that is competitive, innovative and inclusive, no matter how the future unfolds.”

More information

The Future of Banking Study

Source: Aged Care Association

The Government needs a workforce plan for the entire health system, rather than freezing recruitment in one part of the system and then scrambling to recruit thousands of nurses months later, says the Aged Care Association.

ACA Chief Executive Tracey Martin says reports that Health New Zealand is now recruiting around 2,300 nurses should be good news, but aged residential care providers are already seeing the consequences of recruitment that does not take account of the wider health workforce.

“Our members are telling us that nurses who applied for hospital positions as long as two years ago, subsequently found employment in aged residential care, and are now being contacted and offered hospital roles at salaries our providers simply cannot match.

“We have raised this directly with Te Whatu Ora in the past week.

“This is not about criticising nurses for taking those opportunities, and it is certainly not an argument that our hospitals don't need nurses. They do.

“But shifting nurses from one part of the health system to another is not workforce planning.”

Martin says the current situation demonstrates the need for Government to plan for the health workforce as one interconnected system.

“We cannot freeze hiring, leave qualified nurses looking elsewhere for work, and then suddenly scramble to recruit thousands of people without considering where those nurses are now working and what happens to the services they leave behind.

“A nurse moving from aged residential care into a public hospital is an additional nurse on Te Whatu Ora's books. They are not an additional nurse for New Zealand's health system.

“And when that nurse leaves aged residential care, there can be very real consequences.”

Martin says registered nurse shortages can restrict an aged care facility's ability to admit residents or provide higher levels of care.

“Some of the people waiting for those beds are sitting in public hospitals, medically ready for discharge but unable to leave until appropriate care is available.

“So if we recruit nurses out of aged residential care to increase hospital capacity but reduce aged care's ability to accept hospital discharges in the process, we haven't solved the problem. We've moved the bottleneck.”

Martin says the irony is that Health New Zealand's own workforce planning responsibilities extend beyond the workforce it directly employs.

“Government policy talks about whole-of-system workforce planning and moving more care closer to home. That cannot happen if workforce planning effectively stops at the hospital door.

“Aged residential care employs around 35,000 New Zealanders. Our nurses and caregivers look after some of the oldest and most clinically complex people in the country. Yet too often aged residential care is treated like the ugly cousin sitting in the corner of health workforce planning, rather than as a critical partner in providing the continuum of care.”

Martin says the Aged Care Association has become tired of waiting for comprehensive workforce planning that properly includes aged residential care and has begun doing the work itself.

“We have started working with the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and E tū on workforce planning specifically for aged residential care.

“Employers and unions will not agree on everything, nor should anyone expect us to. But we do agree that New Zealand needs a sustainable aged care workforce and that we should be planning now for the nurses, caregivers and other workers we will need as our population ages.

“We would much rather be doing that as part of a properly coordinated national health workforce strategy, because hospitals, primary care, home and community support and aged residential care do not operate independently of each other.”

Martin says better workforce planning would also allow aged residential care to make a much greater contribution to reducing hospital pressure.

“With appropriate funding, workforce and contracting arrangements, our sector can provide more recovery and step-down care, more respite, support earlier hospital discharge and provide care for older New Zealanders closer to their families and communities.

“That is capacity New Zealand is going to need as our population ages.

“But Government cannot simultaneously expect aged residential care to take pressure off hospitals and treat our workforce as a recruitment pool when hospitals need more staff.

“We need to stop shifting shortages around the system and start planning for the workforce the whole health system needs.

“If we genuinely want older New Zealanders to receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time, close to home, then aged residential care has to be at the workforce planning table as an equal and essential part of New Zealand's health system.”

Source: Coalition for Books

17 September 2026

The Aotearoa New Zealand book sector says the next government has a defining opportunity: to lift literacy, grow local readership, and back a thriving literature ecosystem that produces New Zealand stories for New Zealand readers.

“New Zealanders already love reading, and research consistently shows that reading participation is fundamental to our success as a nation,” says Coalition for Books chair Melanie Laville-Moore.

Reading improves life outcomes, lifts economic productivity, and strengthens social wellbeing. “But the literature sector also faces core challenges that only a coordinated government response can help overcome,” she says.

The Coalition, a collaborative organisation representing all parts of the sector, has identified four priority issues in its Election Manifesto.

Download the full 2026 Book Sector Manifesto for Election 2026 (PDF)

Firstly, the Coalition wants the future government to commit to strategic and more focused funding of the sector.

“New Zealand readers engage strongly with books, yet books still lack the stand-alone, targeted support enjoyed by music and film through their government-funded commissions. A piecemeal, uncoordinated approach is preventing the book sector from realising its full potential,” says Laville-Moore

Secondly, they want the government to join with the book sector to launch the New Zealand Year of Reading, similar to recent initiatives in other developed nations.

“The UK, Australia, Norway – our peers are on to this, let’s join them through our own co-funded major nationwide campaign to get more New Zealanders reading our stories, reading our books,” says Laville-Moore.

The final two issues are ones only the government can move the needle on: legislative reform and local purchasing commitments.

“These can be easily done if there is government will to do it,” says Laville-Moore.

She points to a directive issued last June requiring 130 government agencies to buy New Zealand woollen products for government construction projects.

“If the government would also direct its ministries and libraries to stop the damaging practice of offshore contracts with overseas based books wholesalers, it would have the same benefits and economic outcomes.”

Copyright Act reform, Public Lending Right reform, and new legislation to address AI are all bills which should be on the next government’s agenda.

“Any government which will help the sector work towards these goals is a government ensuring the future is for, and also full of readers. We are asking, will political parties who form the next government open the book for all New Zealanders?” says Laville-Moore.