Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Epson Australia

SYDNEY, 25 August 2026 – Epson will exhibit at the Victorian Principals Association Conference 2026 on stand 78 at the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention & Exhibition Centre, giving school leaders the opportunity to explore print technology designed to support the operational, communication and planning needs of modern schools.

Held from Wednesday 26 to Friday 28 August 2026, the conference brings together more than 400 delegates, including principals, assistant principals and curriculum leaders, under the theme Leading with Connection and Purpose.

Epson’s presence at the event is designed to deliver practical value for attendees by demonstrating solutions that can improve efficiency, reduce administrative friction and support the everyday communication demands of education environments.

For visitors to the conference, Epson’s participation is especially relevant because school leaders are increasingly looking for technologies that do more than simply print. They need solutions that help staff work more productively, support clearer communication with students, families and communities and make better use of budgets and resources.

The VPA Conference is built around professional learning, meaningful conversation and leadership inspiration and Epson’s stand will give delegates a hands-on opportunity to see how print technology can support those goals in tangible ways. With the program structured to maximise sponsor engagement and personal contact, Epson will be well positioned to have direct conversations with decision-makers about the document workflows and visual communication needs shaping today’s school environments.

WorkForce Enterprise AM-C4000

Among the products on display will be the WorkForce Enterprise AM-C4000, a business colour A3 multi-function device designed for environments where operational efficiency matters. For school leaders, that makes it highly relevant. Schools produce a wide range of everyday documents, from leadership and administrative materials through to classroom resources, parent communications and internal reports and the AM-C4000 is designed to help manage those demands efficiently.

The AM-C4000 is particularly suited to education settings, with its focus on helping organisations save energy, cut waste and reduce costs. For conference attendees responsible for balancing performance, sustainability and value, the AM-C4000 represents a practical example of how the right print infrastructure can contribute to smoother day-to-day school operations.

SureColor T3160M

Epson will also showcase the SureColor T3160M, a 24-inch multifunction large-format printer that will be of strong interest to schools needing economical, high-quality output for visual and oversized materials.

The printer is designed to produce large-format colour and black-and-white output quickly, including maps, plans, drawings, schematics, presentations, POS posters and displays. That makes it particularly relevant for school environments where visual communication plays a growing role in teaching, campus planning, events, student showcases and community engagement.

With fast A1 output, a compact footprint, flexible media handling, an easy-to-use touchscreen and software for straightforward office and specialist application printing, the T3160M demonstrates how Epson is helping education organisations bring more display and planning capability in-house.

Together, the AM-C4000 and T3160M highlight Epson’s value to VPA attendees as a provider of practical, high-quality print solutions that align with the needs of contemporary school leadership.

Epson at VPA Conference 2026

Stand

78

Location

Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention & Exhibition Centre

Dates

Wednesday 26 – Friday 28 August 2026

Show times

Wednesday: Conference opens 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Thursday: 8:15am – 3:30pm
Friday: 8:15am – 1:30pm

About Epson, Epson Australia and Epson New Zealand

Epson is a technology innovation and engineering company whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company uses technology and engineering ability to implement real-world solutions in precision innovation, industrial & robotics, office & home printing and visual & lifestyle.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1.4 trillion.

https://corporate.epson/en/

Epson Australia offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the commercial, industrial, consumer, business, photography and graphic arts markets and is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) solutions for the retail market. Epson is the market leader in Australia and worldwide in sales of projectors for the home, office and education. Established in 1983, Epson Australia is headquartered in North Sydney and is a subsidiary of the Epson Group headquartered in Japan.

https://www.epson.com.au

Epson New Zealand offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the commercial, industrial, consumer, business, photography and graphic arts markets and is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) solutions for the retail market. Epson is a market leader in New Zealand, Australia and worldwide in sales of projectors for the home, office and education. Epson New Zealand is headquartered in Auckland and is a branch of Epson Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Epson Group headquartered in Japan.

https://www.epson.co.nz

Source: Pacific Network on Globalisation

The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) is pleased to invite you to the virtual launch of our new report, Undermining Sovereignty: De-risking the Pacific from Investor-State Disputes in Deep-Sea Mining, today, 25 August 2026, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

The report examines how growing interest in deep-sea mining is increasing the exposure of Pacific governments to Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), and highlights the risks facing Pacific countries, including Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Nauru and the Cook Islands, and explores how ISDS mechanisms may be used by private companies to challenge government decisions relating to environmental protection and climate action.

The launch will feature the report’s author, Dr Jane Kelsey, PANG Deputy Coordinator Mr Adam Wolfenden, and representatives from impacted communities.

Your participation and coverage of this important regional issue would be greatly valued as we strengthen Pacific dialogue and solidarity around the growing risks posed by deep-sea mining and the protection of Pacific sovereignty.

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qhWU2GI8RCWyaIDameuoWg

Source: Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand

The Civil Aviation Authority is inviting aviation participants and industry organisations to join us for an online webinar to hear more about why we are undertaking a Business Transformation programme, Monday 31 August.

Business Transformation is a multi-year programme focused on modernising how we operate, and how we deliver safety and security services. We are still in the early planning stages for the Programme, but some of the opportunities we’re exploring include:

• New systems to support faster, consistent and more robust risk-based decisions, for example in licensing, certification and monitoring of participants
• Implementation of a modern participant portal with real-time access that enables better tracking and transparency for participants
• Improved ability to provide insights to the sector on safety and security current and emerging risks, trends and patterns.

Following our recent announcement in July, this webinar is an opportunity to hear more about our Business Transformation, what it seeks to improve for aviation participants, where the programme is currently, and how we can work with industry as it develops. The session will be led by CAA’s Chief Executive Kane Patena, with support from members of the Executive Leadership Team.

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and discuss Business Transformation. The programme is still at an early planning stage, while not all of the detail has been determined, we want to engage with you early and openly, and continue that conversation as the programme develops.

Webinar details

Date: Monday 31 August 2026

Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Platform: Online via Microsoft Teams Webinar

Duration: Approximately 60 minutes

Registration

To attend the webinar, please register using the link below.

After registering, you'll receive a confirmation email from Microsoft Teams with your webinar access link and calendar invitation. If you can't find the email, please check your junk or spam folder.

Registration link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/ae3bafad-ef64-46b4-ac38-a6a27fe8ab90@2a3a6f74-4030-4a5e-990f-a70e20020429?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog

We recommend joining the webinar using a Microsoft Teams account or through a web browser on your laptop or computer. This will provide access to the full range of attendee features. Please note that some functionality may be limited when joining by phone.

Questions

Questions can be submitted during the session using the Q&A function. We encourage attendees to share questions and feedback as part of the discussion. Questions will be facilitated during the webinar. Should you have any questions about the webinar in the meantime, please contact comms@caa.govt.nz.

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Te Whatu Ora data released today shows patients are continuing to be put at risk by the Coalition Government’s deliberate failure to safely staff hospital wards, NZNO says.

The NZ Herald today released data (available on request) on the 2025 staffing of 663 wards nationwide. It showed nearly half of all wards (42%) were understaffed more than a quarter of all shifts in last year.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nurses-vs-health-nz-who-is-telling-the-truth-about-hospital-staffing/premium/AZN3DU464NDPBHVG53GSP2KFXU/

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO delegate and Hawke’s Bay nurse Noreen McCallan says many of the wards with the greatest nurse shortages are those with the most vulnerable patients.

“More than one-third (38%) of our Emergency Departments (ED) were understaffed more than half of the time last year.

“NZNO has consistently raised concerns that understaffing is dangerous. Sadly, earlier this month a man died after becoming unconscious in the waiting room of a busy Waikato Hospital ED which has been plagued with short staffing,” she says.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/waikato-hospital-ed-swamped-as-winter-patient-surge-overwhelms-staff/5DK3KQIQI5DWNNBK7RFNLVGT3U/

The 2025 data also shows more than half of all children’s wards (53%) were understaffed one in every five shifts and more than a quarter of surgical wards (27%) were understaffed more than a third of all shifts, Noreen McCallan says.

“Mental health continues to be understaffed at crisis levels with eight out of the 10 most understaffed wards last year being mental health wards. Most worryingly, one in ten mental health wards were understaffed for more than 80% of all shifts last year.

“Again, NZNO has continued to raise concerns about short staffing at mental health facilities such as Hillmorton in Christchurch.

https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/361000705/culture-fear-understaffed-unsafe-and-rat-infested-hillmorton-hospital

“In the past two years, NZNO delegates have met with MPs, written to Te Whatu Ora leaders, taken strike action and undertaken surveys of our members.

https://kaitiaki.org.nz/article/rotorua-nurses-raise-violence-safety-concerns-with-local-mp/
https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/361042443/i-feel-im-just-drowning-nurses-say-hospital-workload-forces-them-ration-care
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/health/577443/nurses-midwives-healthcare-assistants-to-take-further-strike-action-over-unsafe-staffing
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/health/594882/the-job-eats-away-at-you-hillmorton-hospital-staff-facing-burnout-anxiety-over-working-conditions

“There have also been two recent Coronial inquests finding short staffing contributed to patient deaths in Taranaki ED and in Palmerston North Hospital.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/coroner-finds-leonard-colletts-fatal-fall-in-taranaki-base-hospital-ed-was-foreseeable-and-preventable/42YU34NZBZDBZMVS5J3IOXNBVI/
https://kaitiaki.org.nz/article/exclusive-learning-the-lessons-of-erica-hume-new-mental-health-unit-might-have-old-problems/

Source: A Greener World

Indigenous-owned family winery in North Canterbury earns independent recognition for its regenerative viticulture

Photo Credit: Tiki Wine & Vineyards, North Canterbury, New Zealand

NORTH CANTERBURY, NEW ZEALAND (25 AUGUST 2026)—Nonprofit certifier A Greener World (AGW) is proud to announce that Tiki Wine & Vineyards, a family-owned, Māori wine producer in Waipara, North Canterbury, has become the first vineyard and winery in New Zealand to achieve Certified Regenerative by AGW status, an innovative sustainability certification providing whole-farm assurance of regeneration and environmental responsibility.

Founded by Royce and Sue McKean in 2006, Tiki has grown into one of New Zealand's largest single-vineyard wine producers, growing, making and bottling its wine under one family-led operation. The name Tiki honours founder Royce McKean's ancestor, Ngāti Uenuku Kōpako chief Tikitere Mihi. For Tiki, regenerative farming is a natural expression of kaitiakitanga: the Māori principle of caring for and protecting the land so it can be passed on in better condition for future generations.

That principle has guided the vineyard since its first vines were planted at Waiata, the family's 364-hectare (899-acre) home estate, of which 320 hectares (790 acres) are under vine, planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Riesling. The estate has been farmed as a living ecosystem for the past six years.

Regenerative viticulture is central to every aspect of the estate's management. Key practices at Waiata include:

• Diverse cover crops, wildflowers and native plantings between vine rows to support pollinators and beneficial insects, and to build a living soil.
• Permanent ground cover and minimal tillage to protect soil structure and biology.
• Sheep grazing between the rows to provide natural fertility and manage weeds.
• On-site composting, returned to the land to build organic matter over time.
• Precision water management to apply water where and when it is needed.
• Reduced machinery use, supported by drone technology to monitor vine health and ground cover across the site.

As public interest in sustainability continues to grow, the demand for rigorous and meaningful assurances of responsible farming has grown with it. Certified Regenerative by AGW is a plan-based, third-party certification, giving farmers, growers, consumers, and buyers confidence in reliability and impact. Certified farms meet rigorous sustainability standards and commit to continuous improvement, assessing risks, setting goals, and tracking progress with support from qualified experts. Plans are reviewed, approved, and independently audited on an ongoing basis by AGW, providing independent accountability for each farm's regenerative progress.

Royce McKean, Founder and Managing Director of Tiki Wine & Vineyards, says: “Being certified by A Greener World gives us an independent, trusted way to show people something that has always been true about how we farm. We chose AGW because it is the world's largest regenerative certifier, with a rigorous, audited standard that measures real change across soil, water, air, biodiversity and social responsibility, not just a marketing claim. As a Māori-owned family winery, this certification is a natural extension of kaitiakitanga.”

Wayne Copp, Regional Executive Director at A Greener World, says: “Our certification provides a rigorous yet practical path to meaningful impact at scale. When consumers see the Certified Regenerative by AGW label on a bottle from Tiki Wine & Vineyards, they can be confident they are choosing a wine that truly stands out, in quality and in positive social and environmental impact. We are delighted to welcome Tiki as the first vineyard and winery business in New Zealand to achieve Certified Regenerative by AGW status, and we look forward to supporting the team as its regenerative journey continues.”

Certified Regenerative by AGW wines from Tiki Wine & Vineyards are available to order online via https://tikiwine.com, as well as through Liquorland, New World, Four Square, and PAK'nSAVE stores across New Zealand and via the winery's international distribution network. Check the AGW directory for details.

About A Greener World UK

A Greener World (AGW) identifies, audits, certifies and promotes practical, sustainable farming systems by supporting farmers and informing consumers. AGW's growing family of trusted certifications includes Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW, Certified Regenerative by AGW, and Certified Non-GMO by AGW. Each programme is designed to have positive and measurable impacts on the environment, society and animals, and to encourage truly sustainable farming practices. AGW's standards and procedures are robust, transparent and achievable. AGW's UK team provides international certification services under the AGW Global umbrella. For more information visit https://agreenerworld.org.uk.

About Certified Regenerative by AGW

Certified Regenerative by A Greener World (AGW) is a comprehensive, plan-based sustainability certification helping producers demonstrate their commitment to the environment and local communities. More than a certification, it serves as a tool for measuring the impacts of management practices. Certified Regenerative farms maximise soil health while mitigating the negative impacts of humans and livestock. This includes the positive management and regeneration of soil, water, air, cropping systems, livestock, biodiversity, wild harvested resources, and people.

The term ‘regenerative agriculture’ is often used to refer to a range of sustainable stewardship practices, many of which have been used by indigenous and traditional agricultural communities for thousands of years. But rising interest has led to a wide and growing variation in how ‘regenerative’ is defined and practiced. As commitments to adopt regenerative practices increase, so does the risk of misusing the claim to imply sustainability without delivering it—also referred to as ‘greenwashing.’ Currently, most regenerative claims are not verified, resulting in wide gaps in consumer expectation and on-farm practices. Unlike most food labels, AGW’s certifications ensure rigorous standards are validated on-farm by independent, trained auditors. For more information visit: https://agreenerworld.org/regenerative-viticulture/.

Source: ProCare

25 August 2026

New Zealand has the opportunity to be a leading small nation in healthcare, but only if it invests in primary care as the foundation of the system.

Our health system needs a reset, and it starts with primary care; which is why ProCare’s 2026 Election Manifesto sets out a clear plan to improve access, strengthen the workforce, and build a healthcare system that is fit for the future.

ProCare, New Zealand’s largest primary care Network, which supports more than 640,000 patients across 131 general practices, says the health system is under increasing strain – while the solutions are well understood.

Bindi Norwell Group CEO at ProCare says: “New Zealand has the opportunity to be a leading small nation in healthcare, but right now too many people are struggling to access timely care.

“General practices are under pressure, clinicians are stretched, and hospitals are carrying demand they were never designed for. We know that investing in primary care is the most effective way to address this.”

ProCare’s manifesto sets out five priorities:

• A clear, long-term strategy for healthcare
• Better co-ordinated care in the community to keep people well and out of hospital
• Investing in and expanding the primary care workforce
• A more streamlined, tech-enabled system to improve access and experience of care
• Rebuilding trust across the healthcare system.

ProCare says a stronger focus on community-based care will improve access and reduce pressure on hospitals.

“The evidence is clear – for every $1 invested in primary care, we can save between $13 and $15 in secondary care,” says Norwell.

“Shifting care into communities, supporting our workforce, and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy will deliver better outcomes for patients and better value for taxpayers,” she continues.

The manifesto also calls for a bipartisan, long-term health strategy and sustained investment in general practice to ensure it can meet growing and increasingly complex demand.

“We can’t continue to take a short-term approach to healthcare,” Norwell says.

“This is about building a system that keeps people well, supports clinicians, and is fit for the future,” she concludes.

ProCare’s full election manifesto: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/69c5db2db64f976d15739067/t/6a8ba439c86605059d754c51/1787536441879/ProCare+manifesto+2026+FINAL.pdf

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 131 general practice teams and healthcare professionals who provide care to more than 640,000 patients across Auckland and Northland. These practices serve the largest Asian, and second largest Pacific populations enrolled in general practice and the largest Māori population in Tāmaki Makaurau.

More information: https://www.procare.co.nz

Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

From left to right: Still from a video filmed by Haaretz journalists at an army checkpoint near Qusra; Israeli soldiers facing reporters near Nablus; journalist Motassem Saqf Al-Hayt evacuated in an ambulance.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) highlights recent attacks and obstructions committed by the Israeli army against Palestinian journalists reporting from the occupied West Bank. The organisation condemns this targeted violence, which aims to prevent media professionals from doing their jobs.

“RSF condemns the Israeli army's attacks on journalists and calls on Israel’s allied governments to pressure the country's authorities to put an end to these actions. Amidst documented violence by extremist Jewish settlers against the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers are targeting journalists, thereby preventing information from emerging from this territory, which is increasingly cut off from the rest of the world.

Martin Roux
Head of RSF’s Crisis Desk

Against the backdrop of intensified repression of Palestinian journalists since 7 October 2023, RSF has documented key incidents over the past three months:

11 May: Violence at Qalandiya camp

Israeli armed forces targeted a group of journalists with tear gas and stun grenades while they were covering a raid on the Qalandiya camp, located between East Jerusalem and the West Bank, both territories under Israeli occupation. The attack specifically targeted a crew from the Qatari channel Al Araby.

16 May: Access to Jenin camp barred

Israeli armed forces barred journalists from entering the Jenin camp in the northern occupied West Bank while military and demolition operations were underway. According to reporters on the scene, Israeli soldiers had sealed off the area.

27 May: Journalist prevented from visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Saif Al-Qawasmi, a 25-year-old freelance journalist who works for the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera Mubasher, among others, was detained by police while heading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on assignment. He was subsequently questioned about his work by law enforcement and Israeli intelligence for several hours. He was banned from accessing the site (initially for one week, and later for six months) on arbitrary grounds. This punitive access ban is frequently used by Israeli authorities against Palestinian journalists, a practice that predates the crackdown following 7 October 2023.

7 June: Live fire in Balata camp

A group of journalists went to the Balata camp, east of Nablus, to cover a large-scale raid by the Israeli army. Among them were Majdi Mohammed Shteih, a photographer for the US news agency Associated Press, and freelance journalist Sidqi Ayoub Rayyan, who works for the news site Noon Post. According to their accounts to RSF, the Israeli army fired stun grenades in their direction and then opened fire while they were attempting to cover the military operation.

16 June: Targeted attacks in Nablus and Deir Abu Mashaal

In the early hours of the night, whilst protecting a convoy of extremist Jewish settlers (not necessarily Israeli citizens) who had illegally entered Palestinian territory en route to Joseph’s Tomb, east of Nablus, the Israeli army forced out about 10 journalists reporting in the area (including crews from the Qatari channel Al Jazeera and the Jordanian channel Roya News) using stun grenades, thereby preventing media coverage of the event.

That same day, Motassem Saqf Al-Hayt, a correspondent for the independent news site Quds News Network, was injured after the Israeli army fired tear gas grenades while he was reporting from Deir Abu Mashaal, a village west of Ramallah where other settlers were attempting to establish an outpost.

22 July: Haaretz team obstructed south of Nablus

The Israeli army blocked a vehicle belonging to a team from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz south of Nablus. Soldiers claimed that the move was intended to prevent clashes with settlers established in the area. On 10 August, the same Haaretz team was blocked and attacked by other settlers near a neighbouring village. This time, Israeli soldiers present at the scene refused to intervene and to protect the journalists, according to accounts.

19 journalists detained

Alongside these attacks against Palestinian journalists covering events, the number of journalist arrests in the occupied West Bank has surged since 7 October 2023. Of the 19 Palestinian journalists from the West Bank detained by Israeli authorities, 15 were arrested after that date.

Most recently, on the morning of 12 August 2026, Israeli armed forces arrested freelance journalist Mohammed Awad, who has notably contributed video work to Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the Qatari channel Al Jazeera, at his home in the village of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, on charges of “terrorism”. When contacted by RSF, the army had not, as of this writing, provided information to substantiate this accusation.

Foreign journalists also targeted

This crackdown on local journalists is compounded by obstacles facing international press correspondents. French journalist Alice Froussard, a contributor to Radio France Internationale (RFI), was deported upon her arrival at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on 10 June. This followed entry bans issued against journalists Queralt Castillo, Khadija Toufik, and Alessandro Stefanelli.

RSF, with the support of its Palestinian partner Watan Academy, continues its commitment to journalist safety. In August, the organisation conducted Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT), tailored to the local context, for 20 Palestinian journalists.

Published on 20 August 2026

Official release

Source: Tāhono Trust and Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand

This is a joint statement by Tāhono Trust and Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand on today’s announcement that the Government will introduce the Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill.

“For a long time, we along with many others across society, have been calling on the Government to provide greater safeguards for online safety based on tech company accountability, including a duty of care (including risk assessments), independent oversight, and penalties for non-compliance.

“We are pleased that it appears the Bill will introduce these requirements. The opportunity now is to extend these protections to everyone. Earlier this year Tāhono and Amnesty released an open letter that was signed by a major cross-sector coalition, from business to media, to community. The letter outlined the serious harm people across society are facing, from attacks to scams. We need action on online harm that addresses the broad range of harms and protects all people,” says Anjum Rahman from the Tāhono Trust.

“While expected, we continue to oppose a social media ban for under-16yr olds, included in the Bill. Our concern, shared by the Children's Commissioner, is that an under-16 access ban, modelled on Australia's law, addresses a symptom while leaving the underlying causes largely untouched.

“Requirements like risks assessments and independent oversight are the sort of changes that can make a real difference, but everyone should get the protection they afford. By extending these requirements to everyone, it could be the beginning of the transformation of online platforms into a positive force in our lives, which lives up to the potential we saw when the platforms first came into being,” says Lisa Woods from Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand.

Notes:

The Amnesty and Tāhono #NoHarmware campaign recommends:

• Transparency: Tech companies should clearly show how their algorithms work, like what content they recommend, what they remove, and how complaints are handled.
• Duty of care: Tech companies must actively try and make sure their products and services are safer by design. This means having strong checks to find risks and ways to reduce them.
• Independent oversight: There should be outside monitoring with the power to penalise companies that don't follow the rules. Tech companies must also provide reports to show if they are following these rules.
• The Government's obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi are upheld, with Māori genuinely involved in developing this regulation, and that people with lived experience of online harm are heard in shaping the final law.

To learn more about the #NoHarmware campaign and the impact online harm is having on human rights, visit: noharmware.nz

Source: Better Taxes for a Better Future

The National Party's promise that there will be no taxes – including ruling out a bank tax and a bed tax – mean everyday New Zealanders will continue to foot the bill to maintain the profits of multi-national corporations and the lifestyles of the wealthiest, warns Better Taxes for a Better Future.

“Currently our tax system is unbalanced, with ordinary working people and local businesses contributing the vast majority of the tax revenue to keep our country going. In refusing to properly tax the major Australian-owned banks or to ask tourists to pay their fair share to maintain the infrastructure they use, the National Party is asking everyday New Zealanders to take on even more of the load,” said Kate Stone, Better Taxes spokesperson.

“For most New Zealanders taking a holiday is a luxury they simply cannot afford right now. Yet, we're all being asked to cover the costs of the services and infrastructure being used by those who have the money to travel. That is rates' and tax revenue that is not being spent on maintaining basic public services that we rely upon, like public transport and hospitals.”

“As the Mayors of Auckland, Rotorua and Queenstown Lakes have said, we're already being taxed to pay for the cost of tourism. A bed tax would have been a small additional charge on those who can afford to stay in a hotel and reduce the amount of rates spent on tourism. Luxon's concernabout a couple spending a weekend away in Queenstown having to pay an additional $6 a night via a bed tax, is a joke at a time when we're seeing record levels of homelessness, and local and national housing providers unable to keep up with the need for emergency housing,” said Stone.

National's decision to rule out a banking levy also looks out of touch. Polling commissioned by Better Taxesahead of the Budget in May showed that a majority of people thought the government should bring in a major bank levy – 52% agreed; 24% disagreed. The support was even higher amongst National and ACT party voters – 59% and 57% respectively.

“Banking levies are common sense measures that already exist in Australia, the UK and elsewhere in Europe. These are measures that would bring in much needed revenue to fund critical public services and infrastructure. Our analysisshows that a levy like Australia's could generate $275-300 million. With the addition of an excess profits surcharge, as in the UK, we could generate a further $250 million. This would be more than enough to fund high, quality free school lunches for all our tamariki,” said Stone.

“What's more the Big 4 Australian-owned banks are making enormous profits out of New Zealand – their profits increased by 25% in real terms over the past 10 years, a higher profit margin than in Australia, but they pay a banking levy there and not here. So when the National Party says “no new taxes” and rules out a banking levy, they're really asking ordinary New Zealanders and local businesses to keep carrying more of the load to keep our economy ticking, while big multinationals making extreme profits aren't paying their fair share.”

“It's understandable that people might be concerned that banks will pass the cost of the levy on to consumers, because the banks are determined to make as much profit for their shareholders as possible. But there are ways that these levies can be designed to mitigate this risk. To refuse to act because big corporates will try to avoid paying their fair share is basically giving up on the idea that New Zealanders should get a fair go,” said Stone.

You can read the full Better Taxes and Tax Justice Aotearoa policy platform here.

The Better Taxes for a Better Future Campaign is a coalition of over 20 organisations led by Tax Justice Aotearoa.