Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Norton

Kiwi parents are facing the new realities of digital parenting

Auckland, July 29, 2026 – Parents are entering a new era of digital parenting, and it necessitates a new version of “the talk.”

The Norton Insights Report: Connected Kids, a new study from Norton, a Gen brand, reveals parents of children under 18 are increasingly alert to the need to protect their children from new threats, yet are still feeling their way and wrestling with how to do it.

• 77% of parents in New Zealand say they feel comfortable talking to their children about online risks
• Yet 44% are not confident their child can distinguish AI-generated content from real content.
• While more parents are now alert to the risks AI poses, with 36% having already taken steps to reduce them by measures such as restricting apps, monitoring online activity, or talking to their children specifically about AI, the concern has not gone away. 75% still worry AI could be used to create fake images or conversations involving their child.

“Many parents have done everything they can to teach their kids how to stay safe online,” says Mark Gorrie, VP APAC at Norton, who has two children of his own, “and they've put the safeguards in place: 'Don't reply to messages from strangers.' 'Be suspicious if a profile picture looks off.' 'Question anything with clumsy wording.'”

“Many have spent years building that instinct for spotting what's wrong, but AI is taking that instinct away. A harmless photo your child posted can be altered, passed on, and turned into leverage. On the platforms they use every day, a convincing fake can pose as someone they trust or an official account. The old giveaways, the clumsy grammar and the grainy image, have gone. That's why parents need to keep updating how they talk about online safety.”

The growing risk in every photo

When it comes to images, the risk is growing. Criminals increasingly use AI-generated photos or fake identities to gain a young person's trust – or manipulate them into sharing real images – which are then used for financial sextortion. In 2025, New Zealand enforcement agencies received more than 20,000 reports of online child sexual exploitation and abuse linked to New Zealand from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a 29 percent increase from 2024.[1]

Many parents recognise that AI is reshaping how their children understand what they see online:

• 79% of parents feel their child is being exposed to inappropriate content on social media too early.
• 37% are not confident their child understands that AI tools can produce inaccurate or misleading information.

The Hidden Risks of Gaming

Parents identify TikTok (15%) as their top platform concern, with Snapchat second at 13%. Online gaming follows at 11%. But the behaviours children report inside gaming environments tell a different story about where risk is accumulating.

Among the 48% of parents whose child under 18 plays chat-enabled online games:

• 49% say their child has chatted with a stranger via voice or text chat
• 22% say their child has received inappropriate or offensive messages
• 17% say their child has been encouraged to leave the game and continue a conversation on a different platform

“Social media gets the attention, but plenty of this is happening in the chat layer sitting on top of gaming,” Gorrie said. “It feels like a place where kids are just having fun, so it's easy to let your guard down, and it's far less visible to parents than social media use. When a child moves from a game platform to a private messaging app because someone asked them to, that escalation can be hard to detect, and kids may not recognise it as something worth mentioning.”

High Confidence, Real Exposure

The study surfaces a consistent tension between parental confidence, and the behaviours children are actually engaging in. Seventy-seven percent of parents say they feel comfortable talking to their kids about online risks, but at the same time:

• 32% report their kids go on their device past their bedtime or certain designated hour
• 15% report their children have accessed a social media platform or website they thought they had blocked them from visiting
• 12% report their children watching explicit content
• 8% report their child sharing private information or personal details with a stranger

The gap between reported parental comfort and these behaviours does not mean conversations aren't happening, but it does suggest that having the talk is only part of the picture.

Introducing The Bots & The Bees

The research points to a broader shift in parenting. Conversations that once focused on strangers, passwords and screen time are expanding to include AI-generated images, digital impersonation, online relationships and critical thinking in a world where seeing is no longer believing. To help families navigate these conversations, Norton is introducing The Bots & The Bees, a new educational resource that provides expert guidance, practical advice and resources.

The Norton Insights Report: Connected Kids includes additional findings on social media age requirements, platform-specific concerns, and guidance for families navigating AI-related risks. Norton 360 provides families with tools to monitor online activity, set screen time limits, filter content, and protect personal information across devices. To read the full report and to access The Bots & The Bees resources, visit https://au.norton.com/blog/research/connected-kids-insights-report-2026.

About the Norton Insights Report

The study was conducted online within New Zealand from 22 May 2026 to 19 June 2026, among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, and region, to be nationally representative. Within this report, mentions of parents refer to parents with children younger than 18 years old.

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 organizations including AV-TEST, AV Comparatives, and SE Labs. Norton is a founding member of the Coalition Against Stalkerware. Learn more at https://nz.norton.com/.

[1] Department of Internal Affairs, “Online child exploitation reports linked to NZ up 29%”, 2 June 2026. https://www.dia.govt.nz/press.nsf/d77da9b523f12931cc256ac5000d19b6/23d636d37dbaf792cc258e0b000143c6!OpenDocument

Source: Executive Government of the Federal Republic of West Papua

July 28, 2026

I respectfully refer to the letter dated 21 October 2015 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council, and to the subsequent Security Council communication dated 23 October 2015, in which it was acknowledged that sovereignty over West Irian was not fully clarified at the time of the independence of Indonesia in 1949. The communication further noted that West Papua adheres to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.

We are administering, strengthening and running the Executive Government of the Federal Republic of West Papua with 20 Cabinet Ministers and Institutions of State and Government, and local governments of 10 Provinces, 88 Regencies, 15 Municipalities, and 3 Special Areas.

It was never our choice for West Papua to be integrated into the Republic of Indonesia rather it was because of the foreign interests that we were forced into Indonesia 50 years ago. Over the intervening years, we have fought guerrilla warfare and continuous peaceful resistance against the Indonesian state’s military supremacy and have suffered all forms of horrendous crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Indonesian military, police, and intelligence organization.

As a result, our men, women, and children have suffered terribly.

Nevertheless, we have withstood such oppression, stood our ground, and defended our inheritance upto this day. We thank God, we have been able to endure up until today. We firmly believe that the human rights abuses and suffering in Papua will only come to an end when West Papua gains its full political recognition and independence from Indonesia. We, therefore, make our application and strong appeal to the United Nations to grant us Membership.

The Federal Republic of West Papua will guarantee all Indonesian peoples and Foreigners presently residing in West Papua the right to citizenship and ensure their safety and security from the time of independence and beyond. We run the Executive Government of the Federal Republic of West Papua throughout West Papua. We take over the power from Indonesia through peace gradually from now.

Yoab Syatfle
Prime Minister of the State and Islands of, and Executive Government of the Federal Republic of West Papua, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the WEST PAPUAN Liberation Organizations

https://www.wpegov.com

Source: Tapuwae Roa

Almost 900 Māori leaders, governors and decision-makers are taking part in Amorangi: Māori in Governance Summit today, with 480 attendees gathering in person at Shed 6 Wellington and hundreds more joining online from across Aotearoa.

Delivered by Tapuwae Roa, Amorangi brings together Māori directors, trustees, executives, public-sector leaders, and emerging governors to explore the future of Māori leadership and governance.

The 2026 summit centres on five key themes: Mana Motuhake, Mātātoa, Taurite, Kunenga and Kotahitanga, exploring sovereignty, resilience, balance, transformation and collective action.

This year’s speakers include Hon. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, Chief Judge Caren Fox, Professor Rawinia Higgins, Mataroria Lyndon, and Erin Roxburgh, alongside Māori governance leaders who share insights from across sectors.

For the first time this year, Amorangi is also recognised by the Institute of Directors New Zealand as an approved professional development opportunity, with attendees eligible to receive five IoD Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours towards their governance learning.

Tapuwae Roa Kaihautū, Te Pūoho Kātene, says the hybrid format ensures more Māori governors can access the kaupapa, regardless of where they are based.

“Not everyone can make the journey to Pōneke, so providing an online pathway ensures more of our people can access these important conversations.”

The summit builds on strong national interest, following the inaugural 2022 online-only event which attracted more than 1,000 registrations, and the 2024 hybrid summit which welcomed 818 attendees, including 333 in person and 485 online.

Kātene says Amorangi is about strengthening the networks and capability needed for generations to come.

“Governance is about more than structures. It is about relationships, responsibility and creating meaningful outcomes for our people.

“Amorangi provides a space to celebrate the leadership already happening across Aotearoa and support the next generation of Māori governors.”

Online registrations are still available. For more information, visit: https://www.maorigovernance.co.nz/summit

Source: Environmental Protection Authority

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is seeking feedback on a proposal to amend the Graphic Materials Group Standard 2020, following a request from the New Zealand Toy Distributors Association and the Australian Toy Association.

Group standards set rules for managing groups of hazardous substances with similar characteristics or uses. The Graphic Materials Group Standard applies to art materials like paints and crayons that are imported or made in New Zealand, particularly products used by children.

The proposal aims to clarify and make it easier to comply with the group standard while continuing to manage risks in line with recognised overseas regulators.

Dr Shaun Presow, Manager Hazardous Substances Reassessments, says “The main change we are proposing is removing pens, pencils, and similar products from the standard because they pose a negligible risk to children.”

Safeguards will remain in place as these products are covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act and the Fair-Trading Act.

Dr Presow says, “We are also proposing to reduce the age definition for children under the group standard. We welcome feedback on what age people consider appropriate, noting that studies show children are at much lower risk from graphic materials once they are around eight years old.”

We propose updating wording in the group standard to clarify that products with hazardous ingredients still need to follow the group standard rules, even if the products themselves are not classified as hazardous.

The EPA is looking for feedback on element leaching limits and on a number of other proposed changes as well.

“We want to hear from iwi/hapū representatives, importers and manufacturers, researchers, parents and people in charge of children, and anyone with an interest in art materials and this proposal. We’ll use this feedback to help decide what changes should be made,” says Dr Presow.

Public consultation opens on 29 July and closes on 29 September 2026.

Find out more and have your say: https://www.epa.govt.nz/public-consultations/open-consultations/proposed-amendments-to-the-graphic-materials-group-standard/

Source: deVere Group

July 28 2026

Investors chasing the AI trade need to look past the trillion-dollar figures and ask a much harder question, warns the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organizations.

Nigel Green of deVere Group’s comments come as a global sell-off in semiconductor stocks deepened on Tuesday, with investors growing increasingly uneasy about whether the AI boom can sustain itself. South Korea’s Kospi index dropped as much as 8.1%, its lowest level since April 20, as memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix each slumped more than 9%. Japan’s chip-heavy Nikkei 225 fell 4%.

New mapping of the AI industry’s biggest players shows chipmakers, cloud giants, and AI labs increasingly investing in one another and buying from one another in the same closed loop, while Chinese rivals close the technology gap at a fraction of the cost.

“Today’s rout in Seoul and Tokyo is no random wobble. The market is finally pricing the circularity risk it has been ignoring for months,” notes the CEO of deVere.

“When Samsung and SK Hynix can lose close to a tenth of their value in a single session, that tells you how fragile the confidence underpinning this entire sector has become.”

He continues: “Nvidia funds OpenAI. OpenAI pays Oracle and Microsoft for cloud capacity. Oracle and Microsoft turn around and buy Nvidia chips with the proceeds.

“The same dollar gets counted as revenue three times on its way around the loop. This is not demand. It’s an accounting trick wearing a growth story as a costume.

“Nvidia is valued at $4.5 trillion and has committed up to $100 billion to a company, OpenAI, that is on track to lose roughly $14 billion this year,” says Nigel Green.

“Would any bank underwrite that loan on those terms? Of course not. But dress it up as an AI investment and Wall Street applauds.

“Oracle is sitting on a backlog north of $500 billion, built heavily on commitments from a customer that has already admitted, in public, it may not be able to pay for the computing power it has ordered,” says Nigel Green.

“This isn’t a rounding error. It’s the fault line running under the entire AI infrastructure trade.”

Nigel Green says the bigger danger for Western portfolios is not inside the loop, it is outside it.

“While Silicon Valley recycles the same capital between five companies, Chinese labs are shipping frontier open-source models trained on domestic chips, at a fraction of the cost, and developers are already voting with their traffic,” explains the deVere CEO.

“China is not playing catch-up anymore. In several places, it’s setting the price and the pace, and Silicon Valley is reacting to it.”

“China is going to win parts of this race. Say it plainly, because pretending otherwise does investors no favours,” says Nigel Green.

“Every major technology shift in history has produced winners, losers, and brutal new competitors. Electricity did it, the internet did it, and AI will be no different.”

Nigel Green stresses: “None of this means investors should run from AI.

“It means they should stop investing in the story and start investing in the balance sheet.

“The companies that win will be the ones with real customers paying real money, margins that don’t depend on their own supplier lending them the cash to buy the product, and tech that still works if the financing dries up.”

“Periods exactly like this one, loud, leveraged, circular, are what separate durable companies from fragile ones.

“History rewards the investors who spot the difference early and punishes the ones who mistake the noise for the signal,” says Nigel Green.

He concludes: “The test for any AI holding right now is simple: run three checks. Where does the revenue actually originate?

“Would the customer still be a customer if the supplier stopped funding them?

“And how much of that company’s edge survives a Chinese competitor delivering 80% of the performance at a fraction of the cost?

“The reward goes to the investors doing the work now, not to the ones still cheering the circularity as though it were growth.”

deVere Group is one of the world’s largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients. It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

Source: oToBrite

Hsinchu, Taiwan – oToBrite, a provider of automotive-grade Vision AI and camera solutions for unmanned vehicles, off-highway machines, and robotics, today introduced the GMSL2 Repeater, a compact device that doubles rugged camera-to-SoC transmission to 30 meters on large machines. A single repeater regenerates the GMSL2 signal at the midpoint of the link, doubling the roughly 15-meter reach of a standard GMSL2 connection without changing the camera architecture or the location of the compute unit.

Source release

Large machines place cameras far from the compute unit. Trailer-rear, boom-arm, harvesting-head, and perimeter cameras routinely sit outside the reliable range of a standard GMSL2 link over automotive cabling. Reaching those positions has required either relocating the compute unit or redesigning the cable architecture. The GMSL2 Repeater removes both steps.

Signal Regeneration Extends the Link to 30 Meters

The repeater installs inline between the camera and the host. It recovers the incoming GMSL2 signal in full, then retransmits a clean copy across a second link. This full recovery, rather than analog signal boosting, extends the link to a full 30 meters and adds under 1 microsecond of latency. The device has one GMSL2 input and one GMSL2 output on FAKRA Type Z connectors, runs at 6Gbps, and draws power over the same coax as the camera, requiring no separate power supply.

IP69K Rating and a Compact Body for Permanent Outdoor Use

The GMSL2 Repeater measures 34.6 by 36 by 19 millimeters and installs permanently on the machine. It carries an IP69K rating when its FAKRA connector is mated to a cable connector rated to the same standard, supporting high-pressure washdown. The device operates from minus 40 to 85 degrees Celsius and draws up to 1.3 watts, excluding camera power.

Backed by a Decade of Automotive and Autonomy Programs

For more than a decade, oToBrite has supplied automotive-grade cameras and Vision-AI systems for production vehicle programs and autonomous machine fleets, working with global automotive, off-highway, and robotics companies across the United States, Japan, and Europe.

Applications Across Heavy Machinery and Autonomous Platforms

Primary applications include heavy construction, mining, agricultural, and forestry equipment, along with long-haul trucking. Outdoor autonomous mobile robots and unmanned ground vehicles are a further application as those platforms grow larger and move into harsher environments.

A Single Source for the GMSL2 Camera Chain

The repeater extends the reach of oToBrite's GMSL2 cameras, which the company offers from 1 to 8 megapixels along with plug-and-play adapter kits that connect them to NVIDIA Jetson platforms. That lets a system builder source the cameras, the compute connection, and the long-distance link for a large machine from a single automotive-grade supplier.

Availability: August 2026.

Full specifications and the datasheet are available at https://www.otobrite.com/product/gmsl-repeater/category#gmsl2-repeater.

Key Specifications

• Interface: GMSL2, one input and one output
• Connectors: FAKRA Type Z
• Data rate: 6Gbps
• Power: 10.5 to 17 volts DC over Power over Coax, 1.3 watts maximum, excluding camera power
• Operating temperature: minus 40 to 85 degrees Celsius
• Storage temperature: minus 40 to 95 degrees Celsius
• Ingress protection: IP69K when the FAKRA connector is mated to an IP69K-rated cable connector
• Dimensions: 34.6 by 36 by 19 millimeters
• Added latency: under 1 microsecond
• Extended reach: 30 meters with a single repeater, validated over 24 hours with zero frame loss

About oToBrite

oToBrite is a Vision AI company that brings automotive-grade cameras and perception to autonomous vehicles and robots. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan, it manufactures in an IATF 16949-certified facility and its cameras have been adopted in OEM programs in Japan, Germany, and the United States, including heavy-duty off-road vehicles. For more information visit https://www.otobrite.com.

Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Council of Financial Regulators

28 July 2026

The Council of Financial Regulators (CoFR) held its quarterly meeting on 27 July 2026.

The meeting was co-chaired by Financial Markets Authority Chief Executive Samantha Barrass and Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Anna Breman.

Heads discussed the current economic and regulatory environment, including ongoing global uncertainty, developments in financial markets, consumer outcomes, and the resilience of New Zealand's financial system. Agencies shared updates on emerging risks and priorities across their respective mandates.

CoFR also discussed work underway to support the Government's broader economic agenda, including initiatives relating to capital markets development, payments, and the future of financial services in New Zealand. Heads noted the importance of ensuring New Zealand's regulatory settings can support innovation while maintaining confidence.

Heads considered a range of longer-term developments, including technological change and innovation in financial services, and discussed opportunities for continued collaboration across agencies on these issues.

Heads also reviewed progress across CoFR's existing work programme and discussed opportunities to strengthen engagement with industry and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

Source: Oxfam Aotearoa

• Top six fossil fuel corporations expect Q2 profits to nearly double Q1 levels. Annual profits for 2026 are set to exceed the previous 21 months combined.
• Emissions from five fossil fuel corporations were enough to cause about 1 in 4 heatwaves between 2000 and 2023, which would have been virtually impossible without climate change.
• A tax on the richest oil and gas corporations could raise up to $400 billion in its first year, enough to cover annual climate adaptation costs in low- and middle-income countries.

The world’s six biggest fossil fuel corporations are expected to nearly double their combined net income in the second quarter of 2026, jumping from $23 billion in the previous quarter to $45 billion, reveals new Oxfam analysis ahead of their earnings announcements. New data also finds that the emissions of these corporations have significantly magnified the frequency and severity of heatwaves this century.

The projected full-year profits of BP, Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies amount to $147 billion, more than their combined profits over the previous 21 months (Q2 2024 to Q4 2025). Among the biggest winners, Chevron is expected to report that it has quadrupled its profits to $1,200 a second in the last three months, while ExxonMobil’s profits are expected to have tripled to $1,800 a second.

Oil and gas corporations share an outsized responsibility for the climate crisis. New Oxfam analysis of academic data published in Nature finds that the emissions from BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies were sufficient to cause around 1 in 4 heatwaves reported globally between 2000 and 2023 – heatwaves that would have been virtually impossible without human-made climate change. Using S&P Capital Trucost data, Oxfam estimates that Big Oil was responsible for $60 billion in environmental damage last year.

The findings come as record-breaking heatwaves scorch South Asia, Europe and North America, killing tens of thousands of people. Meanwhile, West African countries are struggling with devastating monsoons and floods that have upended thousands of lives and destroyed vital infrastructure across the region.

Yet rather than scaling back fossil fuel production and accelerating the transition to renewable energy, the six largest fossil fuel corporations plan to increase oil and gas production by 14 percent by 2030 compared to 2024 levels, equivalent to pumping an additional 2.5 million barrels of oil a day.

“Fossil fuel corporations are making a killing, literally and figuratively. As extreme heat, floods and storms devastate communities across the world, the industry is preparing another bonanza of profits. Families are paying the price three times over: through destroyed homes and harvests, through soaring energy prices, and through a cost-of-living crisis worsened by dependence on fossil fuels. Big Oil’s greed is incompatible with a livable planet and unless governments rein it in, they will make a mockery of international climate targets,” said Oxfam’s Climate Policy Lead Mariana Paoli.

Oxfam estimates that a tax on the profits of the largest fossil fuel corporations could raise up to $400 billion globally in its first year, enough to cover annual climate adaptation costs in the Global South. An additional excess profits tax on all corporations could generate up to $681 billion globally.

“While Big Oil fuels extreme weather events, rich countries are refusing to increase the public climate finance that poorer countries urgently need to cope with the climate crisis,” said Paoli. “Until governments make the richest polluters pay, fossil fuel corporations will keep driving us deeper into climate chaos. Taxing the richest polluters could help close the gap in funding for climate adaptation and speed the transition towards renewable energy. Fossil fuel corporations must feel the heat, not us.”

Political momentum for taxing the richest polluters is growing. Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Austria have called for a new windfall tax on energy profits. In Australia, where Oxfam research found that one in three coal, oil and gas corporations are paying no corporate income tax, many members of Parliament are speaking out in support of a 25 percent export tax on gas, with strong public support.

Research in 60 countries found that 28 percent of them have implemented a temporary windfall tax on excess profits from fossil fuel companies in recent years, with a further 13 percent supportive. Just 12 percent are explicitly against the measure.

Oxfam Aotearoa’s Advocacy and Policy Lead, Nick Henry, said, “Fossil fuel companies have a global responsibility for climate change. The New Zealand Government should be holding these rich polluters to account and making them pay the cost of their climate damage.”

Oxfam’s research is based on S&P Capital IQ’s consensus estimates compiled from financial analysts’ forecasts. The six largest fossil fuel corporations are due to publish their second-quarter earnings over the coming week. The projected surge in profits reflects the sharp rise in oil prices following the unlawful US and Israel war against Iran.

Methodology note

Comprehensive investigation

Peer-reviewed analysis

Heatwave deaths and West African flooding

Oxfam estimate

UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2025

Oxfam’s rich polluter profit tax model

EU finance ministers’ letter

Oxfam Australia’s Freeloaders report

Government-support country mapping