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Federated Farmers – Government running out of time on freshwater fix

Source: Federated Farmers

With today marking six months until the next election, Federated Farmers says the Government is rapidly running out of time to fix a broken freshwater system.
Freshwater spokesperson Colin Hurst says while progress has been made repealing or replacing some of the previous Government’s unworkable freshwater rules, far too many of the rules still sit idle on the books.
“Former Environment Minister David Parker brought in a swag of poorly written freshwater rules in mid-2020,” Hurst says.
“The current Government came into office promising to unwind them and put things right for farmers.
“Farmers are starting to get really worried that, with only six months to go until the election, a number of those promises haven’t been fulfilled.
“The clock is really ticking now and we’re getting genuinely concerned they’ll run out of time.”
When elected, the Coalition Government said it would replace Labour’s freshwater targets with rules allowing more flexibility.
Nearly three years on, Parker’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 remains law.
“It’s good the Government has hit pause on regional councils coming up with new rules to try to achieve the unachievable freshwater targets,” Hurst says.
“Early drafts of these plans showed huge areas of farmland would need to be retired to even come close to the targets.
“But in the background, Parker’s policy still sits on the books, which means resource consents must be tested against it and Environment Court decisions will also consider it.
“It’s continuing to cause real headaches across the country.
“There’s also the risk that any change in Government would mean it can be immediately turned back on and implemented.”
Hurst says the current Government also promised changes to make vegetable growing and on-farm water storage permitted activities – but again, that’s yet to happen.
New Freshwater Farm Plan regulations also haven’t been completed, he adds.
Many of these changes hinge on the Government delivering an improved replacement to the Resource Management Act (RMA).
Mark Hooper, Federated Farmers RMA reform spokesperson, says bringing in that new legislation was one of the Government’s flagship policies.
“The RMA is by far the biggest handbrake on the growth of our agricultural sector and rural economies,” he says.
“From expensive resource consents to unachievable freshwater targets, these difficulties for farmers all sit under the RMA legislation.
“We were really pleased when the Government introduced two bills to replace the RMA last year, but a deep dive into the wording revealed some significant flaws.
“The Natural Environment Bill, in particular, is so poorly drafted that it risks making things even worse for farmers than the current RMA.”
Hooper says a major gap right now is the lack of detail around what will replace the current national policy framework.
“What we’ve got in front of us with the Natural Environment Bill is essentially the framework for the new system.
“But a lot of the real detail will sit in national policy direction and national standards, and that’s the part we haven’t seen yet,” he says.
“That creates uncertainty. Farmers are being told change is coming, but we still don’t know what the replacement for things like the National Policy Statement will actually look like.”
He says, in the meantime, farmers remain stuck operating under the very rules the Government has promised to replace.
“Farmers were told there would be new national standards for things like vegetable growing, water storage and gravel extraction, but none of that has happened yet.
“So, despite all the talk of major reform and quick wins, nothing has really changed in practice and the old system is effectively still live.”
Hooper says that uncertainty is weighing on farmer confidence and investment decisions.
“People want clarity. They want to know what the rules of the game are before they make long-term investment decisions – and right now, that certainty just isn’t there.”
Hurst says credit must go to the Government for moving quickly to repeal Labour’s replacement RMA in 2023, and make fixes to stock exclusion rules and winter grazing rules.
“Farmers also breathed a sigh of relief at last year’s law change to roll over existing resource consents into a promised new resource management system.
“Those are all good things – but the job is far from done.”
He says there’s cautious optimism about new Environment Minister Nicola Grigg, who comes from a strong farming background.
“For Nicola Grigg, I think there’s a real opportunity here to cut through the noise and deliver what farmers have been waiting for.
“She’s shown she understands the issues, but I guess the challenge now is whether she can turn that into action.”
With only months left in the Government’s term, Hurst says time is running short.
“Farmers are watching closely, because what happens next will shape how this works on the ground for years to come.
“The Government needs to get cracking.”
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Federated Farmers – Countdown begins for Canterbury local government reform

Source: Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers is calling on Canterbury’s council leaders to move quickly and show real leadership for their communities in the face of impending local government reform.
“The starting pistol has been fired and there’s now real urgency here to get this right,” says Federated Farmers North Canterbury president Bex Green.
“Central Government has been very clear that local councils have three months to come together and do something, or the Beehive will step in and do it for them.
“This is our community’s best and only chance to land a locally driven solution that will actually work for Canterbury. We simply can’t afford to let that opportunity pass us by.”
Green says the worst-case scenario for provincial Canterbury, and the region’s rural communities, would be a ‘super region’ centred around metropolitan Christchurch.
“Environment Canterbury has been a dysfunctional and divided shambles since its inception, but a super region would be even worse. It would amplify the problems instead of fixing them.
“Urban and rural communities have different needs and priorities. When you put them at the same table, it dilutes the voices of the communities they represent.
“The needs of Christchurch city’s rapidly growing population are very different to the needs of those who live in places with smaller rural populations like Hurunui, Methven and Waimate,” Green says.
Federated Farmers is firmly opposed to a single unitary council for Canterbury.
Instead, it favours two or three unitary councils representing distinct communities across the region.
“It makes sense to have one unitary authority – a metropolitan council – focusing on managing urban growth pressures and changes in Christchurch city.
“And then we want to see one or two other unitary councils that focus on the unique needs, challenges and priorities of rural Canterbury.
“That’d be better for everyone.”
In South Canterbury, there are three district councils: Mackenzie, Timaru, Waimate.
“Bringing those councils together to create one South Canterbury unitary authority, rather than having land use rules and rates set from Christchurch, simply makes sense,” Green says.
“There’s uncertainty around where the boundaries might fall for Mid and North Canterbury districts, but one thing is clear – the needs of those communities are very different to those of metropolitan Christchurch.
“Whatever happens, it’s essential that rural representation is protected.”
Green says getting local government reform right in Canterbury is crucial.
“The Government is in the process of replacing the Resource Management Act but that won’t be successful unless we have councils that can deliver it properly.
“We need a functioning local government in Canterbury that truly represents the communities they’re setting rules and managing infrastructure for.
“Council leaders now have three months to present a credible and workable solution, so we all need to get around a table quickly and get on with the job.
“Federated Farmers wants to be part of that conversation to make sure rural voices are heard loud and clear when recommendations are made to Government.”
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Health – Medical Specialist Association reaches agreement with Health NZ, looks to next steps

Source: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists – Toi Mata Hauora (ASMS) has ratified a new collective agreement with Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora. The new agreement has been endorsed by 94 per cent of members who voted in an indicative ballot this week.
“This is positive news,” ASMS Executive Director Sarah Dalton says, “but there remain significant and ongoing challenges in our public health system that need to be addressed.
“Unmet need, inequitable access to care and failure to staff and resource health services cast huge shadows over the work of our members. We will keep fighting for safe staffing and improved access to public healthcare.”
The new collective agreement runs until the end of January 2027. As well as an effective 5.9 per cent average pay increase, the agreement fully restores doctors’ personal grievance work rights (taken away by the coalition Government’s amendments to the Employment Relations Act earlier this year) and enshrines Te Mauri o Rongo New Zealand Health Charter into the collective agreement.
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Banking and Security – Fraud check delays well worth the inconvenience, says Banking Ombudsman

Source: Banking Ombudsman Scheme

Delays in processing payments while banks conduct fraud checks can be frustrating but are necessary to prevent scams, says the Banking Ombudsman.
Nicola Sladden said the scheme recently investigated a case in which a customer was unhappy with such a delay, and the consequences it caused.
The customer asked the bank to transfer $500,000 so he could buy gold. The bank refused because it was concerned the payment could be a linked to a scam.
The customer later said the delay meant he had to pay more for gold because the exchange rate had changed. The scheme found the bank was entitled to refuse to process the payment while it checked the fraud risk and did not uphold his complaint about the delay. However, the customer accepted $1,500 compensation offered by the bank for how it communicated the reason for the delays.
Ms Sladden acknowledged that security checks could sometimes be frustrating, particularly when urgent payments were involved. However, such measures were a vital part of protecting customers from scam-related losses.
“When banks detect high-risk transactions, they have an obligation to conduct a check. This might be frustrating in some circumstances, but can be seen as a small price to pay to prevent being scammed out of thousands of dollars – as has often happened.”
Ms Sladden said banks were mindful of the need to strike a balance between protecting customers and avoiding unnecessary delays.
She said following a few simple steps could minimise the risk of being scammed. They included independently verifying the identity of an organisation by using its official website or publicly listed contact details, rather than relying on the information provided in a message. She said a genuine representative from a bank or similar organisation would never pressure anyone to act quickly or oppose efforts to verify that person’s authenticity.
Checking the bank’s website for scam alerts was also useful because it kept customers alert to current scams. A final tip was never to share PINs, passwords or one-time codes with anyone.
Ms Sladden said customers who suspected they had been scammed should immediately cease all contact with the scammer and notify their bank. The bank could then secure their accounts and review any suspicious activity.
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University Research – OpenAI’s evolution examined amid Musk lawsuit – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, alleging the company abandoned the public-interest mission on which it was built. New research suggests Musk has a point, though the full picture is complex.

The article, OpenAI: Governance for Public Good or Private Gain? by Alexandra Andhov (University of Auckland) and Ian Murray (University of Western Australia), traces OpenAI’s development.

It follows the company from its origins as an incorporated non-profit charity, through a capped-profit hybrid model, to its most recent shift to a for-profit, for-purpose public benefit corporation.

When OpenAI was set up, Andhov says its non-profit status was designed to remove the profit motive from developing powerful AI, signalling to researchers, regulators and the public that safety and social benefit would take precedence over returns.

“Our paper analyses OpenAI's trajectory from non-profit to possibly a really substantial IPO later this year and shows how their non-profit mission has eroded over time,” she says.

The paper finds safeguards were put in place at each stage to protect OpenAI's purpose. Yet, those safeguards faced pressure from a small group of key funders, commercial relationships, and the need for capital. As a result, the researchers note a gradual ‘mission drift’: a shift away from OpenAI's original purpose toward commercial priorities.

Read the full release and research paper: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/05/06/openai-s-evolution-examined-amid-musk-lawsuit.html
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Consumer NZ – The award no brand wants to win: The Yeah, Nah Awards 2026

Source: Consumer NZ

Consumer NZ has opened nominations for the worst businesses, services and products in Aotearoa New Zealand – the ones that have excelled at letting consumers down.

It’s time for the Yeah, Nah Awards 2026.

“If you’ve been at the pointy end of a bad experience that’s cost you time or money, given you a headache and left a bad taste in your mouth, we want to hear about it,” says Consumer NZ head of research and advocacy Gemma Rasmussen.

“The Yeah, Nah Awards are an opportunity for consumers to make their voices heard and put bad operators on notice.”

Last year’s awards covered a wide range of issues, including sticky plasters that did not stick, misleading claims about consumer rights, online services that were difficult to unsubscribe from, and retailers’ promoting “specials” that were anything but.

“In a cost-of-living crisis, it’s important to keep businesses honest – and that’s what we’re all about at Consumer NZ,” says Rasmussen.

Who won last year?

Last year, Pams plastic plasters won the “You Had One Job” Award after a Consumer member tipped us off that the plasters “do not stick properly” and our in-house trial confirmed it.

Barkers took out the “On Bad Terms” Award for potentially misleading consumers about their rights. We reviewed return policies across 30 online stores and were unimpressed by Barkers’ high number of dubious claims.

The “Unsubscribe Impossible” Award went to HelloFresh. After months of research into deceptive online design practices, the food delivery service stood out for a particularly exasperating cancellation process (also known as a subscription trap).

Finally, the “No, Harvey Norman, No” Award went to Harvey Norman, following our review of pricing at New Zealand big-box retailers. A bewildering number of specials were labelled “super deal”, “great price” or “huge deal” when they really were not.

How to nominate

“We want to hear from the people on the receiving end of dodgy deals, broken promises and baffling business behaviour,” says Rasmussen. “Tell us what’s left you annoyed, out of pocket or shaking your head in disbelief – and help us expose this year’s Yeah, Nah winners.”

To make a nomination, head to the website and fill out the nomination form: https://consumernz.cmail19.com/t/i-l-zhjlkiy-ijjdkdttjk-j/

Nominations close 31 July 2026.
Winners will be announced in November 2026.

About Consumer

Consumer NZ is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to championing and empowering consumers in Aotearoa. Consumer NZ has a reputation for being fair, impartial and providing comprehensive consumer information and advice.

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Unemployment rate at 5.3 percent in the March 2026 quarter – Labour market statistics: March 2026 quarter – Stats NZ news story and information release

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Defence News – Protection of merchant shipping top of agenda during wargames in Auckland

Source: New Zealand Defence Force

Safe passage of merchant shipping and freedom of navigation is more relevant today than at any time since the Second World War, says New Zealand Defence Force Maritime Component Commander, Commodore Shane Arndell.

Commodore Arndell was addressing the participants of Exercise Bell Buoy, a recent 10-day desktop exercise at Devonport Naval Base, involving naval and government representatives from 10 countries.

Exercise Bell Buoy fosters a Maritime Trade Operations capability among members of the Pacific and Indian Oceans Shipping Working Group, where Maritime Trade Operators (MTOs) – usually Navy Reservists – support the freedom of navigation of shipping when domestic and international threats to maritime security occur.

In a contested environment, MTOs could be called upon to provide sailing information, conduct briefings to ship masters and manage high-risk areas at sea, including re-routing of merchant shipping.

World tensions are prompting navies to look at Maritime Trade Operations and Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) in a new light, Commodore Arndell said.

“The deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific, and indeed the world, is requiring us to be more alert of the potential for impacts to our vital shipping links to international markets,” he said.

“If any time was ‘your time’, it is now.”

With 99 per cent of New Zealand’s imports and exports travelling by sea, it has never been more important to ensure sea lanes are secure, Commodore Arndell said.

Countries participating in Ex Bell Buoy were Australia, Canada, Ecuador, France, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The MTO participants exercised a joint response to a scenario involving maritime security threats to merchant shipping in the Indo-Pacific.

Sub Lieutenant Amos Kamo, a Maritime Trade Operations reservist with Auckland-based unit HMNZS Ngapona, says the Middle East conflict has really brought home the importance of their trade.

“Everything that is playing out over there, is everything we have trained for,” he said.

“People have become a lot more interested in what we do, and they can see the relevance of it.

“The real highlight for us is spending time with other countries, getting to know other people and getting a great sense of how they take their military doctrine and effect it. You see a lot of competency and confidence and it’s really cool to absorb it.”

Lead planner for Ex Bell Buoy, Lieutenant Commander Kris Herbison, says he was encouraged by the professionalism and collaborative spirit among the nations attending.

“Bell Buoy reinforces that maritime security is a shared responsibility, and the relationships strengthened here directly enhance the resilience of the wider Indo-Pacific maritime domain.”

Commander Glenn Woolfrey, Royal Canadian Navy, says their attendance underscores Canada’s commitment to strengthen interoperability with partners and grow their readiness to support NCAGS.

Captain Cannon Neslen, U.S. Pacific Fleet NCAGS Director, says the global merchant shipping industry is facing “unprecedented” security challenges.

“It highlights the importance of the MTO teams communicating with key shipping and country stakeholders in understanding the array of commercial and military risks.

“Bell Buoy was very successful in reinforcing understanding of NATO NCAGS doctrine, command and control, and assessing the impact of MTO effects. We look forward to continued partnerships with future exercises.”

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April Climate Analysis – A cyclone and a low dominate the picture – Earth Sciences

Source: Earth Sciences New Zealand

April was dominated by yet more severe weather events – with Cyclone Vaianu in the second week, followed just a week later by a complex low-pressure system that caused widespread impacts, especially across Wellington and the lower and central North Island.
Further highlights:
  • The highest temperature was 28.3°C, observed at Alexandra on 2 April.
  • The lowest temperature was -5.0°C, observed at Middlemarch 23 April.
  • The highest 1-day rainfall was 151 mm, recorded at Arthur’s Pass Village on 17 April.
  • The highest wind gust was 194 km/h, observed at Cape Turnagain on 13 April.
  • Of the six main centres in April 2026, Auckland was the warmest, Wellington was the wettest, Christchurch was the coolest, driest, and sunniest, and Dunedin was the least sunny.
  • The sunniest four regions in 2026 so far are wider Nelson (1044 hours), Taranaki (1019 hours), Bay of Plenty (973 hours) and Tasman (969 hours). 
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Tech – Thought leadership release: AI-powered pre-travel approval gains momentum in enterprise finance

Source: Recognition PR

When artificial intelligence (AI) comes up in Australian enterprise IT discussions, the focus tends to centre on generative tools, intelligent copilots, and innovation at the edges of the business. However, some of the most concrete and measurable uses of AI are emerging deep in enterprise operational workflows, such as corporate travel management.

According to Jonathan Beeby, managing director, SAP Concur Australia and New Zealand business travel in Australia is gaining real momentum. “SAP Concur data shows that flight bookings in Australia increased almost 10% in 2025 compared to 2024. March 2025 achieved the highest velocity, with corporate bookings surging more than 44% compared to March 2024, reflecting a sharp rebound in corporate travel demand,” he said.

As travel activity continues to accelerate in 2026, Australian organisations are rethinking how travel decisions are controlled and authorised. This shift isn’t just about updating corporate travel policies. It’s about making smarter decisions earlier, moving intelligence upstream of expenditure rather than downstream of it.

Consequently, pre-travel authorisation powered by AI is quietly becoming one of the most pragmatic AI applications in enterprise finance, according to SAP Concur.

Jonathan Beeby, managing director, SAP Concur Australia and New Zealand said, “Travel and expense management is no longer about post audits but preventative control. In traditional travel and expense programs, compliance was largely reactive: employees book trips, later file expenses, and finance teams audit them against policy afterwards. That approach can identify where policy was breached, but it offers little in the way of early prevention, and cost visibility and management.

“In Australia, that shift toward proactive governance is gaining momentum. Business travel surged over the past year as organisations resume commercial travel and business events post-pandemic. Demand for control over discretionary spend is tightening as finance leaders seek earlier visibility, and internal audit teams push for stronger evidence of upfront approval. Modern travellers also expect digital workflows that are intuitive and fast. These combined pressures are driving enterprise adoption of intelligent pre-travel authorisation, where AI and automation inform decisions before bookings are confirmed.”  

Pre-travel authorisation workflows require employees to submit structured trip requests, including rationale, cost estimates, and any policy exceptions. AI and agents are transforming the process.

In contemporary enterprise platforms, AI and agents are being deployed to automatically suggest or pre-fill estimated travel costs based on historical spend patterns; flag out-of-policy items in real time; and tailor approval routing according to risk categories, spend thresholds, and employee profiles.

Jonathan Beeby said, “Intelligent automation interprets context and provides richer guidance at the point of request rather than relying solely on rigid, static business rules. This helps organisations scale governance controls without multiplying manual checks, giving finance teams early insight, and travellers clearer guidance toward compliant choices.

“One of the most compelling benefits of AI-driven travel requests is the quality of data created. Rather than free-text explanations submitted after travel, structured requests capture why the business travel is necessary, anticipated costs, and which manager approved the itinerary and under what conditions. This produces a defensible, machine-readable audit trail that shows approvals, edits, and exceptions over time; a powerful asset as Australian organisations face greater oversight from boards and internal audit functions.”

Solutions such as the Concur Request capability maintain a detailed audit trail showing approvals, changes and exceptions over time and automatically raise flags for review, providing advance spend visibility for Australian finance leaders.

One of the standout advantages of embedding AI in pre-travel authorisation is that it shifts travel data from being a lagging indicator to a leading signal of future expenditure. By consolidating authorised travel commitments ahead of time, finance teams gain a clearer view of upcoming costs long before they hit the general ledger.

This early insight supports better forecasting and proactive budget management, which is particularly valuable in Australia’s geographically dispersed market where aviation and accommodation pricing can vary significantly by region. This proactive intelligence helps CFOs understand emerging travel trends and cost pressures without having to manually wrangle spreadsheets or disparate systems.

Jonathan Beeby said, “The common concern around pre-travel authorisation is the risk of creating process friction that delays routine travel. Smart AI workflows are central to addressing this. They can reduce repetitive data entry and minimise back-and-forth between travellers and approvers, so that low-risk or recurring trips can move quickly through the system, while higher-risk requests trigger additional scrutiny.

“This typically means fewer rejected expense claims for employees, fewer surprises after trips have been taken, and a smoother overall experience; a valuable differentiation in Australia’s increasingly competitive talent market.”  

Pre-travel authorisation is a standout AI example because of its practical utility. This isn’t research code or speculative innovation, it’s an operational capability delivering measurable outcomes including reduced risk, stronger compliance, better data, and faster decisions. Embedding intelligence into day-to-day workflows can demonstrate how AI can be applied sensibly to deliver tangible business value.

As corporate travel continues to rebound, more Australian organisations are recognising that the most impactful place to apply intelligence is before spending is committed, at the moment of intent. AI-driven pre-travel authorisation is emerging as a clear example of how enterprise technology can strengthen governance not by adding layers of control, but by embedding smart decision support where it matters most.