Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Northland Regional Council

Fifteen community-led Taitokerau projects from planning for climate adaptation to installing solar infrastructure on marae have secured a total of $480,000 funding through the latest round of Northland Regional Council's Climate Resilient Communities Fund.

The 2026 funding round, the third tranche of investment from the fund, provides support for projects that will strengthen climate resilience in communities from the Far North to Kaipara through practical action focused on energy, water, food systems, ecological restoration and climate adaptation planning.

This year, the fund had $480,000 available for allocation but received an overwhelming response from communities, with 90 applications seeking a combined $3.5 million.

Northland Regional Council Chair Pita Tipene says the level of demand highlights both the growing awareness of climate risks and the willingness of communities to take practical action now to build resilience for future generations.

He says the successful projects range from solar power and water security initiatives at marae, to dune restoration, regenerative farming, youth leadership programmes, and hapū-led climate adaptation planning.

“Climate resilience is strongest when it is built locally.” “These projects are community-led, grounded in local knowledge and priorities, and focused on creating solutions that work for the places and people of Taitokerau.”

The 15 projects funded demonstrate significant potential to make a real difference in their communities while contributing to the wider resilience of our region and include:

–
Two energy resilience projects, supporting solar power and battery systems at Te Rāwhiti Marae and Pananawe Marae.

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Two water resilience projects, improving water security for Te Huruhi Marae in Awarua and the remote community of Maraewhiti.

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One kai resilience project, expanding the successful Peruperu Rawa initiative to strengthen food sovereignty and community enterprise.

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Four nature-based resilience projects, focused on regenerative farming in Kaipara, development of a living classroom for ecosystem restoration in Kawakawa, Mangawhai Harbour protection through planting of the spit and a kura-led dune restoration at Kaimaumau.

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Six planning and preparedness projects, supporting climate adaptation planning, youth leadership, hapū resilience frameworks and whānau preparedness.

This full list of this year's successful projects is:

Energy resilience (Te Ngao)

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Te Rāwhiti Marae Solar Power ($40,000) – solar power installation at Te Rāwhiti Marae to strengthen energy security and emergency response capability.

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Pananawe Marae Energy Security Upgrade ($40,000) – replacing diesel generator dependence with solar and battery storage at Pananawe Marae.

Water resilience (Te Wai)

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Water Resilience (Te Wai) ($38,867) – bore water system for Te Huruhi Marae in Awarua to provide reliable year-round water supply.

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He Oranga Whānau ($19,900) – protecting a remote community's sole water source and improving water security in Maraewhiti.

Food resilience (Te Kai)

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Peruperu Rawa Stage 2 ($40,000) – expanding a circular peruperu economy through seed sharing, growing knowledge and community enterprise opportunities.

Nature-based resilience (Te Taiao)

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Future Ready Farms ($39,725) – supporting regenerative and climate-adaptive farming practices across the Kaipara District.

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Kawakawa Climate Resilience Community Hub ($34,783) – developing a living classroom focused on food systems, water resilience and ecosystem restoration.

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Mangawhai Distal Spit Planting Programme ($18,000) – restoring the Mangawhai Harbour spit using locally sourced native plants.

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Whakaora i te Roto me te Tatahi ($5,000) – Te Kura o Waihārara led dune restoration and native plant propagation at Kaimaumau East Beach.

Planning and preparedness

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Girls Who Grow – Te Tai Tokerau ($20,000) – empowering young wāhine to become climate resilience leaders.

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Te Aumangea o Ngāti Tara ($30,000) – strengthening hapū climate literacy and coastal resilience.

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Matawara Matawhānui Taiao o Te Uri o Tai ($40,000) – developing a hapū-led climate resilience framework for Pawarenga.

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Ngāti Rēhia Climate Adaptation Plan ($40,000) – supporting hapū-led adaptation planning for climate risks.

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Ngāti Kuta Rohe – Hapū and Community Resilience ($39,050) – developing a coordinated resilience roadmap and building local capability.

–
Te Roroa Climate Resilient Marae & Whānau Programme ($34,000) – delivering marae resilience planning and whānau preparedness initiatives.

Background

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The Climate Resilient Communities Fund supports community-led initiatives that strengthen climate resilience across Taitokerau.

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Since inception, the fund has now invested approximately $1.65 million across 59 community-led projects.

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The fund operates across five resilience streams: Te Kai (food), Te Wai (water), Te Ngao (energy), Te Taiao (nature-based resilience), and Ngā Mahi Whakamahere (planning and education).

Source: Northland Regional Council

Northland Regional Council's Climate Resilient Communities Fund has generated millions in value for the region a report by Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL) has found.

The report covered the fund’s first two years during which it invested $1.17 million across 44 community-led projects spanning food resilience, water security, renewable energy, environmental restoration, and climate preparedness.

In the report – compiled for the council – BERL found for every $1 invested by NRC, the fund generates an estimated $4.59 in value for Taitokerau.

The report says the fund's value lies not in any single project, but in the way these investments work together.

“Food, water, energy, environmental restoration, and community capability reinforce one another to build stronger, more self-reliant communities.”

The report says the programme has delivered practical assets such as water tanks, solar systems, māra kai, orchards, and restoration projects, while also strengthening local leadership, mātauranga Māori, preparedness, and community connections.

“These social and cultural benefits are just as important as the physical infrastructure.”

The report says value is generated across multiple stakeholder groups.

“Communities benefit through improved well-being and resilience; marae and hapū through strengthened capability and cultural resilience; community leaders through increased knowledge and leadership; and NRC through reduced future infrastructure, environmental, and emergency management pressures.”

The report says funded activities include capacity building; community resilience planning; implementation of projects across food, water, energy, environmental restoration, and climate action; as well as community engagement and awareness raising.

“These activities generate tangible outputs, such as community resilience plans; improved access to sustainable food, water, and energy systems; ecosystem restoration; and increased participation in resilience initiatives.”

The report says over time, these outputs contribute to stronger outcomes for Northland communities.

“Communities become better equipped to identify and manage climate risks, vulnerable populations experience greater water and energy security, and the transition to a low-emissions future is more equitable.”

It says the fund also encourages lasting behavioural change by supporting more sustainable and circular practices across the region.

“At the highest level, the fund contributes to ‘Kia Manawaroa Taitokerau’: a Northland where communities are connected, prepared, adaptable, and thriving.”

“It supports progress toward a net-zero emissions future by 2050, while enhancing environmental sustainability, reducing future disaster recovery costs, and strengthening intergenerational resilience and well-being.”

Source: Epson Australia and Epson New Zealand

SYDNEY, 18 August 2026 – Epson will showcase its latest projection and
display technology at Integrate, inviting media, partners and visitors to discover
the brand's Larger Than Life experience on Stand HK12 at the ICC from 2-4
September.

As one of the key names to watch at this year's event, Epson's presence at
Integrate signals the company's continued investment in visual display solutions
that help businesses, venues and organisations create more engaging, more
memorable audience experiences.

For trade media, consumer media and industry visitors, the stand will offer a
timely look at how Epson is expanding what is possible in projection, wayfinding,
collaboration and immersive visual communication.
On display will be a strong line-up of solutions led by the EB-XQ2030B with the
ELPLU06H lens, a new product and hero model for the show. The Epson EB-XQ2030B is the world's smallest and lightest 30,000-lumen 4K 3LCD laser

projector*, weighing approximately 34.4 kg and offering roughly half the size and
volume of standard high-lumen projectors in its class. It is engineered for large-scale venues, rental staging and immersive environments.
Visitors will also be able to explore the EB-L795SE, EB-L690SE, EV-115, EB-810E and new EB-870Ei, each demonstrating Epson's
focus on flexibility, image quality, reliability and application versatility across a
wide range of commercial and public environments.
Rather than serving as a conventional product display, the Epson stand has been
conceived as an experience in its own right.
Built around Epson’s Larger Than Life theme, the space is designed to magnify
detail, shift perspective and draw visitors into a vivid brand world that reflects
Epson's strengths in scale, clarity, colour fidelity and precision.
Using ultra high-resolution macro imagery of insects, together with oversized
foliage and other natural forms, the stand environment will reveal textures,
patterns and colours often missed by the naked eye. This amplified visual
language is intended to create a striking sense of immersion while reinforcing
Epson's ability to deliver exceptional detail and impactful large-scale imagery.
Epson will also use Integrate to build momentum around further developments in
its portfolio. More information will be released in the lead-up to the show and on
the stand itself, adding another layer of anticipation for media and attendees
planning their visit.

With a standout creative concept, an important and world-beating new hero
product, a carefully selected range of display solutions and more news still to
come, Epson's stand HK12 is shaping up to be a major drawcard at Integrate
2026.
Event details
Location: ICC Sydney
Show dates and times:
Wednesday 2 September: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Thursday 3 September: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Friday 4 September: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
*As of January 2026. Main unit without lens. 30,000lm in accordance with ISO 21118.

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.
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.
www.epson.co.nz

Source: New Zealand Principals’ Federation

The New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) is calling for a permanent, independent, and statutory Curriculum and Assessment Council to break the cycle of disruptive education reform and give schools the stability they need for our children’s learning.

“New Zealand's education system had no shortage of reform. What it has lacked is the stability required to make change work,” says NZPF President Jason Miles.

“Every few years, curriculum, assessment, and accountability settings are overhauled, often before earlier reforms have had a chance to embed.

“Schools and early childhood education are left absorbing more than the system can realistically support.

“This is not good for our tamariki and rangatahi, and it is not good for our country.

“Our classrooms do not need more change. They need time to make change work,” he says.

NZPF’s proposed council would take a long-term stewardship role across curriculum and assessment, from early childhood through to secondary school. It would ensure that major initiatives are informed by research, developed with educators, iwi and Māori education partners, and communities, piloted and evaluated before wider rollout, and supported by realistic implementation plans covering resources, timelines, and professional development.

“High-performing, equitable, and effective education systems take patience, steady effort, and long-term commitment – not constant upheaval,” Mr Miles says.

“Our proposed Council would operate across electoral cycles and be shaped by genuine partnership with iwi and Māori education partners from the outset. It would bring rigour, professional expertise, and a more deliberate process to curriculum and assessment changes before they reach classrooms.”

Mr Miles explains why Ministers would continue to set overall education policy and retain final decision-making authority.

“This proposal is about strengthening democratic decision-making, not taking authority away from elected governments. We are simply asking for a system that lets good policy survive long enough to actually work, no matter who is in office.

“Together, we can make sure that every child has a consistent and coherent learning journey throughout their education.

“Let’s give our young people the education system they deserve,” says Mr Miles.

Additional information

NZPF has developed a series of information sheets that further explain the rationale, evidence, proposed model, and what success would look like over time. These are publicly available on the NZPF website and are being updated as the proposal evolves. You can access these here (https://www.nzpf.ac.nz/research-centre/EFbkPqt/).

About the New Zealand Principals’ Federation

New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) is New Zealand’s leading advocacy group for the rights and interests of principals. Its members lead diverse school communities, from remote rural kura to large urban facilities, serving students from all backgrounds and with all learning needs. It is the professional voice for school leaders, equipping principals with the tools, support, and knowledge they need to lead schools where every child can thrive. www.nzpf.ac.nz (http://www.nzpf.ac.nz)

Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand

18 August 2026

We are seeking feedback on the issues we have identified with our
payments system, and the proposed areas of work needed to address these.

Assistant Governor Karen Silk says payment systems are core economic
infrastructure and enable everyday transactions across the economy.
Around $2 trillion of retail payments flow between New Zealand banks
annually. Given the scale of payments systems, even small improvements
in their efficiency can lift national productivity, enhance the global
competitiveness of local businesses, and strengthen our economic
resilience. Conversely, an outdated system can constrain economic
growth.

“New Zealand's retail payments system is operationally reliable, but is
outdated, and does not meet international best practice for modern,
faster retail payment systems. We have fallen behind global standards,
with outdated infrastructure, limited modern payment capabilities, and
insufficient innovation,” Ms Silk says.

The Minister of Finance has endorsed the Reserve Bank to lead the
delivery of a strategy for payments modernisation in New Zealand, in
coordination with key agencies and industry participants. This reflects
the close alignment between payment system outcomes and RBNZ's monetary
and financial stability mandates, settlement operations, and our wider
central bank policy interests.

We have set up 2 workstreams to progress payments modernisation:

* The first workstream will examine the technical requirements needed
to modernise payments infrastructure and will inform the development of
future options.
* A separate workstream focuses on reforming strategic leadership,
regulatory coordination and system governance, across the retail
payments system.

Key strategic questions include whether to continue pursuing incremental
reform or to undertake structural modernisation of the underlying
payments infrastructure to build long-term capability and strengthen
resilience.

A close working relationship with industry will be fundamental to the
success of this initiative, Ms Silk says.

“We cannot do this alone and, in partnership with other government
agencies, are committed to working closely with businesses, the payments
industry and other interested stakeholders to shape the future direction
for New Zealand's payments system and meet broader public interest
objectives.”

The Issues Paper consultation will be open for 10 weeks. Feedback is
welcomed from all those with an interest in the future of the payments
system until 27 October 2026.

“Following the Issues Paper consultation, we will analyse submissions
and provide Ministers with advice on options for future work and reform.
We expect this to be completed in the first half of next year,” Ms Silk
says.

A proposed roadmap and business case will be developed in addition to
the options paper. Proposed roles and responsibilities, and payments
modernisation policy options will be subject to a subsequent public
consultation as part of the policy development process, including cost
benefit analysis.

MORE INFORMATION

* Modernising New Zealand's retail payment system (PDF, 779 KB): https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/-/media/project/sites/rbnz/files/consultations/future-of-money/modernising-new-zealands-retail-payment-system.pdf
* Have your say on the future of payments: https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/money-and-cash/payments/have-your-say-on-the-future-of-payments

PAYMENTS MODERNISATION WEBINAR

We will be hosting a public webinar at 11am on Monday 24 August to
discuss our issues paper with RBNZ policy staff. Please let us know if
you are interested in attending by emailing Future of Money and
Payments.

Source: Rotokākahi Board of Control

14 August 2026

The High Court has found that Rotorua Lakes Council broke the law in the
way it pushed ahead with the Tarawera sewerage scheme past Rotokākahi, the
tapu ancestral lake of Tūhourangi and Tumatawera.

In a judgment delivered on 13 August 2026, the Court declared *two* Council
decisions unlawful: the decision to proceed with the scheme, and the later
decision to issue a section 87BB notice treating the works as a permitted
activity that needed no resource consent.

“These are serious findings against the Council,” says Rotokākahi Board of
Control chair Wally Lee. “We demand accountability and correction.”

The Court found the Council was required to engage directly with the Board
before it proceeded — and did not. The Council knew Rotokākahi is tapu, and
knew the Board had signalled “grave concern”, yet it never sought the
Board’s views on what the scheme would mean for the lake. The Court found
the Council proceeded on a wrong legal principle and failed to turn its
mind to the protections that applied, including from the Council’s own
planning documents for the Lakes A Zone which specified that a resource
consent was required for scheme’s earthworks. The Council’s decision to
proceed was unlawful.

On the section 87BB notice, the Court found the Council was wrong in law.
Its conclusion that the cultural effects of the earthworks were “less than
minor” was not one available on the evidence before it. The Council had
measured the wrong thing — the brief duration of the earthworks rather than
their cultural impact on a landscape our people regard as sacred.

The pipeline may now be in the ground, but completing the works does not
erase the unlawful decisions that allowed them to proceed, nor the
cultural, environmental and intergenerational consequences our people are
left to carry. The Court granted the declarations so that the Council will
“take notice and care” before undertaking future activities in the Lakes A
Zone.

When members of our community stood in opposition to these works, the
Council obtained a court injunction against them — pursued at ratepayers’
expense. The High Court has now found that what those protestors were
standing against was the Council’s own unlawful conduct. The Board is proud
to have stood alongside them, and we thank them for their courage and their
steadfast support in defence of Rotokākahi.

“For us, this is not the end,” says Mr Lee. “The Board is considering the
judgment and taking advice on further legal options. We are clear that
unlawful decisions affecting Māori-owned whenua and a tapu ancestral
landscape cannot be made without consequence.”

Te Whatanui Skipwith, of Protect Rotokākahi, says the ruling vindicates a
struggle of more than two years. “The High Court has now confirmed that our
concerns were justified. We stood then. We stand now. And we will continue
to stand for Rotokākahi.”

Key points

The High Court declared *two* Rotorua Lakes Council decisions unlawful: the
decision to proceed with the Tarawera sewerage scheme, and the decision to
issue a section 87BB notice treating the works as a permitted activity.

The Court found the Council was required to engage directly with the Board
before proceeding and failed to do so, despite knowing Rotokākahi is tapu
and that the Board held “grave concern”.

The Court found the Council’s conclusion that cultural effects were “less
than minor” was not available on the evidence, and that the Council applied
the wrong legal test.

Rotokākahi is Māori freehold land, governed by the Rotokākahi Board of
Control under the 1922 Te Arawa lakes settlement. It is tapu and of deep
significance to Tūhourangi and Tumatawera.

Citation: *Rotokākahi Board of Control v Rotorua District Council* [2026]
NZHC 2380 (13 August 2026).