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Northland News – CITYLINK WHANGĀREI LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE TRACKER

Source: Northland Regional Council
CityLink Whangārei’s new online bus tracker will go live on Monday 20 July, giving passengers a more convenient and reliable way to plan their journeys. It replaces the previous tracker and will provide a similar user experience, with additional features intended to improve trip planning and passenger confidence.
Using the tracker, passengers will be able to see where their bus is, when to head to their stop and what time they are likely to arrive at their destination, all from their phone.
The new tracker includes a route map, customisable timetable by stop, a connections planner and bus times.
From Monday 20 July, the tracker will be available through buslink.co.nz
Passengers are encouraged to “check before you trek” and use the new tool before travelling to confirm route information, check service updates and plan connections.
REGISTRATIONS OPEN FOR ENERGY RESILIENCE BUSINESS BREAKFAST
Northland businesses are invited to register for a free business breakfast exploring energy resilience.
The event will be held at Hihiaua Cultural Centre in Whangārei on Thursday 6 August, from 7:30am to 9:30am.
It will cover practical steps businesses can take to reduce exposure to energy price shocks and build resilience to energy disruptions. Attendees will hear from Northland businesses who are building energy resilience into their business and positioning themselves as a trusted partner to international customers.
While the event has an exporter focus, it will be relevant to all businesses.
The event is being organised by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, Northland NZ, and Northland Regional Council.
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Palestine Forum NZ – What Went Wrong?

Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand

What Went Wrong

Eight months ago, the world was told the war on Gaza was over. A ceasefire. A hostage exchange. A twenty-point plan, endorsed by the UN Security Council, backed by a new international body with a grand name: the Board of Peace. Officials queued up to call it historic. For people who have spent two years burying their children in scraps of cloth because there was nothing else, “historic” felt, for a moment, like it might mean something.

It hasn't.

The plan on paper

The framework that became Security Council Resolution 2803 promised a lot: an end to hostilities, the return of every hostage, a surge in humanitarian aid, and a phased path toward Palestinian self-governance in Gaza under international supervision. The living hostages came home within days. That part worked, because it was the part the guarantors actually wanted to work.

Everything harder than that has stalled.

The plan on the ground

Since the ceasefire was declared, Israeli strikes inside Gaza have killed more than a thousand Palestinians. Six people were killed in a single week this month alone: a drone strike on a displacement camp, gunfire elsewhere in the Strip while the word “ceasefire” sat in quotation marks in every report describing it. Israeli forces now control roughly 80 percent of the territory, expanding steadily beyond the line the truce was supposed to fix in place. Families near that line are being pushed from their homes again, in what is meant to be peace.

Ninety percent of Gaza's civilian infrastructure lies in ruins. Hospitals, water systems, schools, mosques and churches are gone or unusable. The famine that a tightened blockade produced hasn't been undone by a piece of paper signed in Washington. Aid still moves at the pace the occupying power allows it to move.

And the political horizon the plan promised Palestinian governance, a route to statehood, a say for Palestinians in their own future has quietly narrowed to something else entirely. One version on offer involves “alternative safe communities”: walled compounds under Israeli military control, each holding twenty to twenty-five thousand people, administered rather than governed. Another version, unveiled with a straight face by a property developer, imagined Gaza's ruins rebuilt as seaside resorts and skyscrapers, a real-estate pitch delivered over a mass grave. Neither is self-determination. Both were drawn up without the people whose lives they claim to plan.

Meanwhile in the West Bank, settler violence keeps climbing and the Palestinian Authority grows weaker by the month, sidelined and discredited in the eyes of the people it's supposed to represent.

So what went wrong?

Not one thing. The same thing that has gone wrong for decades: a peace process built to manage the appearance of a conflict rather than resolve its cause. Disarmament is demanded of the side under siege before occupation is lifted from the side doing the besieging. Reconstruction is promised, then re-imagined as real estate. Self-governance is offered, then redefined as supervised containment. A body called the “Board of Peace” is chaired by the same government that has spent two years arming one side of the war it claims to be ending.

This is not a plan that failed by accident. It is a plan that was never built to deliver what it promised because delivering it would have meant treating Palestinians as a people with a right to determine their own future, not a population to be managed until the cameras move on.

What doesn't go wrong

What has never wavered, through every ceasefire and every collapse of one, is Palestinian sumud steadfastness. People who have lost everything and are still refusing to leave. Journalists are still filming. Doctors are still operating without anaesthetic. Families still naming their newborns after the ones they buried, so the name carries on.

Solidarity from the outside doesn't get to be passive while that continues. It means saying plainly, in public, what went wrong and who kept it that way and it means not letting the word “ceasefire” launder what is still, by any honest reading of the last eight months, an occupation tightening its grip under a different name.

The plan on paper was never the point. The plan on the ground is the one Palestinians are still living through. That is where solidarity has to meet them.

— Palestine Forum of New Zealand

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Tech: New Zealand has the most AI-aware web of 43 countries — one in seven sites has published a formal AI policy

Source: Piperic

While most of the world's websites have never answered the AI question at all, New Zealand quietly leads the planet in answering it: 15.3% of Kiwi sites have published a formal, machine-readable AI policy — the highest share of all 43 countries in the study, ahead of Australia, and double or triple most of Europe. That is the picture from an analysis of 41.8 million websites by data platform Piperic.

Piperic analysed the robots.txt files and AI directives of 76,371 live New Zealand websites. On blocking, the country is unremarkable: 4.1% (3,150 sites) exclude at least one known AI crawler — 23rd of 43 countries, mid-table, slightly more cautious than Australia (3.4%). ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are free to learn from the content of the remaining 95.9%.

The record is elsewhere: 15.3% of Kiwi sites have consciously opted in, publishing an llms.txt policy file — roughly one in seven websites, the highest rate measured anywhere, ahead of Australia (14.7%) and far ahead of the UK (9.5%), Germany (4.6%) or France (6.2%). As a result, New Zealand's “silent majority” — sites that never made any AI decision — is the smallest in the study: 80.6%, against global norms above 90%. It's a small web that has done its homework.

The tourism paradox — and a cautious press

The sector table repeats a pattern seen across tourism economies: attractions block AI at 9.1% — more than twice the national average — precisely as travellers increasingly plan their trips with ChatGPT. In this market, hiding from AI means hiding from future visitors. The Kiwi press is cautious too: 15.7% of the 223 news sites analysed block AI crawlers — well below Australia's barricades (25.1%), well above the relaxed British press (3.6%). Meanwhile, of 22,606 New Zealand online shops, only 2.9% block — the catalogues of more than 21,900 Kiwi shopsare already readable by AI shopping assistants. And Kiwi blocking is clean: only 4.7% of GPTBot-blockers accidentally exclude ChatGPT's search robot (global average: 6%).

“New Zealand punches far above its size on AI awareness: fifteen percent of Kiwi sites have published an llms.txt — the highest rate of all 43 countries we analysed. Nowhere else has a larger share of the web actually sat down and decided what AI may do with its content. The one blind spot is ironic for a country that lives on visitors: attractions block AI at twice the national average, just as travellers hand their itineraries to ChatGPT,” — says Attila Rácz-Akácosi, founder of Piperic.com.

The full interactive New Zealand report — with sector comparison, world ranking and quarterly updates — is freely available: piperic.com/ai-report/nz

THE NUMBERS AT A GLANCE

76,371 live New Zealand websites analysed · 41.8 million worldwide
15.3% have consciously opted in (llms.txt) — the HIGHEST rate of all 43 countries (Australia: 14.7%, UK: 9.5%)
the “silent majority” is 80.6% — the smallest in the study (global norm: 90%+)
95.9% block no AI crawler · 4.1% (3,150 sites) block — 23rd of 43
attractions: 9.1% block (2.2x the average) — the tourism paradox · press: 15.7% (n=223)
more than 21,900 Kiwi online shops are already readable by AI shopping assistants
only 4.7% of NZ GPTBot-blockers accidentally lock themselves out of ChatGPT Search (global: 6%)

METHODOLOGY Piperic analyses the public web continuously; these figures come from a snapshot taken on 13 July 2026 covering 41,818,678 live websites, of which 76,371 are New Zealand sites. Live = reachable (HTTP 2xx) and not parked. AI blocking = robots.txt excludes at least one known AI crawler (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, CCBot and others). Important: these figures cover the ENTIRE New Zealand web, not just the biggest sites — the 19–25% blocking rates often cited in international coverage refer to the global top 1,000 most-visited sites, where awareness (and legal exposure) is far higher. The two numbers don't contradict each other: they describe different populations.

ABOUT PIPERIC Piperic (piperic.com) is a business-data platform that maps and makes searchable the technology, content and AI-access data of 41.8 million live websites. The AI Report is the platform's free research series covering 43 countries, updated quarterly.

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Health Coalition – Call for kotahitanga against tobacco, alcohol and junk food

Source: Health Coalition Aotearoa

Public health experts are challenging politicians, ahead of the general election, to put the health of Kiwis ahead of the profits of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food industries.
One-quarter, or 350,000, of healthy life-years lost annually to preventable illness are due to these three widely available commercial products.
Today, 20 July, Health Coalition Aotearoa launches its Prevention Brief 2026, a wero to politicians to enact policies, as many other countries have done, to reduce the devastating harm these products cause.
Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Professor Boyd Swinburn says, “Thousands of lives can be saved and the stress on our overstretched healthcare system greatly reduced, if the next Government gets serious about prevention: our Prevention Brief offers a blueprint.
“Over the past few years, prevention policies have been reversed or shelved, in favour of industry-friendly policies or no action at all,” Swinburn says. “We need action to reduce the pile-up of preventable cases in the emergency rooms and doctors’ clinics around the country.”
Aotearoa’s low socioeconomic communities are swamped by marketing of harmful products. Children see an average of 68 advertisements a day for unhealthy food and drink. Aotearoa now has the third highest rate of obesity in the OECD, flowing on to a tsunami of diabetes, heart disease and other preventable illnesses.
Smokefree 2025 has come and gone without reaching its target. The national prevalence of seven percent hides appalling inequities, with Māori twice as likely to smoke as non-Māori, and Pacific and people in poor communities also over-represented. Māori life expectancy is six years younger than non-Māori and about a third of that is attributed to differences in smoking rates.
Industry influence has almost certainly played a part.
The past three years have seen the repeal of New Zealand’s globally leading smokefree legislation and the country plummet from second place in the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index to 53rd place. A Helen Clark Foundation report recently found only two in five New Zealanders now trust the Government to do the right thing.
Around 900 deaths and 1,250 cancers per year are caused by alcohol each year, but these figures do not reflect the destructive impacts of alcohol on violence, family harm, suicide, injury and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The costs of those harms are estimated by the Ministry of Health at $9b per year.
Health Coalition Aotearoa interim co-chair Jason Alexander says enacting the policies in the Prevention Brief would immediately reduce stress on our overburdened health system and save lives.
“Prevention is the most cost-effective and arguably the only way to tackle a crisis that will only deepen with an ageing population.
“It’s not just about saving lives. It’s about giving people more years of good health, more time at home with their loved ones, and more freedom to live life on their own terms.”
HCA's Prevention Brief 2026 is a call-to-action to voters to stand against powerful tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food companies and their undue influence on political decision-makers.
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Tech – Fujitsu to explore physical AI development and implementation across industries with FANUC, Yaskawa Electric, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries integrating NVIDIA technology

Source: Fujitsu Limited
 
Sydney, Australia, 17, 2026: Fujitsu Limited today announced that it has begun exploring business opportunities in the field of physical AI with leading robotics companies FANUC CORPORATION, YASKAWA Electric Corporation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. This initiative aims to promote the development of a collaborative control platform that ensures sovereignty by bridging the digital and physical worlds and integrating NVIDIA’s open physical AI technologies. By accelerating the societal implementation of physical AI across various industrial sectors – including manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare – Fujitsu seeks to realise a society where humans and robots coexist and collaborate, and strengthen Japan’s industrial competitiveness.
 
Background
 
In recent years, various industrial sectors – particularly manufacturing- have faced growing challenges such as labour shortages due to Japan’s declining birthrate and ageing population, a decline in the number of skilled technicians, and intensifying global competition. To resolve these challenges and achieve sustainable growth, the promotion of digital transformation (DX) is essential. In particular, expectations are rising for physical AI, where AI recognises and analyses real-world information and executes it as physical actions.

Physical AI enables the automation of tasks, improved productivity, stable quality, and the creation of new services by allowing robots and various pieces of equipment to assess situations and autonomously determine and execute optimal actions. However, realising this requires advanced robot control technology and an AI infrastructure that leverages high-quality on-site data, as well as a collaborative control platform that integrates these elements to bridge the digital and physical worlds. Yet, there are limits to what a single company can achieve in terms of development and widespread adoption.

Given this situation, as a technology company, Fujitsu will promote the societal implementation of physical AI through collaboration with leading robotics companies- FANUC, Yaskawa Electric, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries – while simultaneously working to standardise and open up the collaborative control platform.
 
Overview
 
1. Social implementation utilising physical AI
These explorations will cover the social implementation of physical AI in the following industrial sectors with plans to expand into other sectors in the future in place.
• Factory solutions: By optimising the planning of overall factory production activities – taking into account factors affecting production fluctuations and on-site conditions – and enabling autonomous on-site adaptation, Fujitsu will help the manufacturing industry achieve further productivity gains and flexibility.

• Solutions for retail and logistics: By automating material handling operations based on logistics plans that incorporate real-time sales and inventory data, Fujitsu will achieve labour-saving and automation in logistics.

• Healthcare solutions: Based on optimised plans triggered by instructions from hospital operational systems, robots autonomously execute tasks to automate the in-hospital transport of pharmaceuticals and specimens, as well as outpatient reception and guidance services.
 
2. Promoting the standardisation and openness of a sovereign collaborative control infrastructure by bridging the digital and physical worlds
 
Fujitsu will develop software platforms and hardware interfaces that serve as a common foundation for physical AI by first gaining a deep understanding the cutting-edge technologies – such as AI, robotics, control systems, simulation, and data analysis – held by each company. These technologies will facilitate collaboration among various robots and equipment, and help to realise more advanced autonomous control systems. At the same time, as the scope of robot applications expands and collaboration with other equipment increases, risks such as cyberattacks, system-wide downtime or malfunctions, and leaks of confidential information also rise. Therefore, Fujitsu will develop a sovereign collaborative control infrastructure which will be provided as an open platform for participating companies and research institutions, thereby promoting the implementation of physical AI across the entire industry.
 
Collaboration with NVIDIA
 
Through this initiative, Fujitsu will lead business discussions with the companies and leverage the AI, world model, simulation, and robotics technologies underpinning NVIDIA’s physical AI platform. By doing so, it will further enhance the sovereign collaborative control platform and accelerate the social implementation of physical AI in industrial domains.

• Fujitsu will leverage the NVIDIA Cosmos global foundation model in its socio-physical simulations to enhance its ability to understand and predict events in real-world environments. Furthermore, it will accelerate the development and real-world implementation of physical AI solutions across diverse sectors, including manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare.

 • Fujitsu will leverage libraries such as NVIDIA Omniverse, the NVIDIA Isaac open platform, and the Newton physics engine to streamline Sim2Real as well as robot learning, verification, and optimisation.
 
Future Plans
 
Starting with business discussions with these companies, Fujitsu will formulate a roadmap for concrete technology development and business expansion. As the robotics market expands, Fujitsu is confident that establishing a framework to provide an AI infrastructure – leveraging Japan’s world-class robot control technology and high-quality on-site data – will be a crucial step toward Japan leading the global robotics market. Through the societal implementation of physical AI, Fujitsu will contribute to the realization of a safe and prosperous society where humans and robots coexist and collaborate, as well as to the strengthening of Japan’s industrial competitiveness.
 
Executive Comments

Kenji Yamaguchi, Representative Director, President and CEO, FANUC CORPORATION comments:
 
“This collaboration marks an important step toward significantly advancing and accelerating the real-world deployment of Physical AI powered by robotics. We have already begun practical utilisation of Physical AI systems based on open platforms. Our key objective is to bring unprecedented “AI systems that are flexible and that can be utilised by users of all skill levels” to the shop floor in a timely manner. By combining your company's autonomous AI platform- which integrates Fujitsu’s Takane LLM and NVIDIA technologies – with FANUC robots featuring advanced AI capabilities and support for open platforms such as ROS 2 and Python, we aim to address critical challenges such as labour shortages. Through this collaboration and by leveraging the AI technologies of NVIDIA, a strategic partner of both companies, we will strive to create a society in which people and robots coexist and collaborate seamlessly, strengthen industrial competitiveness, create new value, and contribute to the realisation of a sustainable society.”
 
Masahiro Ogawa, Vice Chairman, Executive Officer, YASKAWA Electric Corporation comments:
 
“It has been about 10 years since Yaskawa Electric proposed the solution concept “i3-Mechatronics” in 2017, aimed at realising a new industrial automation revolution based on the fusion of mechatronics and data utilisation. During this time, technologies such as AI and GPUs have evolved significantly, and the expansion of automation through data utilisation – a goal we have championed – continues to advance.
Our company rapidly brought the MOTOMAN NEXT – an autonomous AI robot equipped with NVIDIA GPUs as standard – to market. Furthermore, by advancing ROS 2 compatibility and leveraging robots as open platforms, we are working to implement physical AI in society, as outlined in our mid-term management plan. We believe that strengthening our relationships with various partners is essential to realising this vision and further expanding the scope of automation. We have high hopes that this initiative will enable us to accelerate the societal implementation of physical AI together with all of you.”
 
Yasuhiko Hashimoto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. comments:
 
“We have high expectations that this collaboration will generate significant synergies between our companies and accelerate the social implementation of Physical AI. Today, the healthcare and nursing care sectors face serious challenges, including ageing populations and labour shortages. Addressing these issues through the creation of new solutions leveraging robotics and AI is an urgent priority.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries possesses robotics technologies that are widely utilised across a broad range of industries, as well as extensive operational data and expertise accumulated over many years. By combining these strengths with Fujitsu’s advanced IT capabilities and digital platforms, we are confident that we can realise a hospital one-stop solution that safely and efficiently connects every stage of the patient journey – from hospital admission and consultation to treatment, surgery, and post-operative care – thereby helping to address critical healthcare challenges.

Through this partnership with Fujitsu, we aim not only to advance technology development but also to co-create solutions that take root in real-world settings and contribute to improving the quality of healthcare. Together, we will deliver new value to the global healthcare and nursing care sectors.”
 
Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of NVIDIA comments:
 
“Physical AI is the next industrial revolution – and it will be made in Japan. Fujitsu, FANUC, YASKAWA and Kawasaki are the companies that taught the world how to manufacture. Together with NVIDIA's full-stack physical AI platform, they will teach the world's machines to think, move and work alongside people – across factories, hospitals and cities. Japan invented modern industry. With AI, Japan will define its next era.”
 
Takahito Tokita, Representative Director, CEO of Fujitsu Limited comments:
 
“We are happy to begin exploring business opportunities together with leading robotics companies FANUC, Yaskawa Electric, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries – companies that are leading the global robotics industry. By bringing together the world-class robot control technologies developed by these companies with Fujitsu’s digital technologies and highly reliable computing capabilities, we aim to create a new social infrastructure in which people and robots work collaboratively across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare.

In addition, by leveraging NVIDIA’s advanced Physical AI technologies, we will synthesise a collaborative control platform that seamlessly connects business applications with robotic control technologies and expand its deployment globally. Through the vertical integration of robots and business applications, we can increase the autonomy of robotic decision-making and movement, enabling dramatic productivity improvements across a variety of operational environments.

Building on the launch of this initiative, we will accelerate the social implementation of Physical AI, contributing to the realisation of a safe and sustainable society while strengthening industrial competitiveness.”

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From Climate Campaigns to Football: Save the Children Patron Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visits the charity in South Korea and Thailand

Source: Save the Children

Save the Children UK’s Patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, has met children playing football in Thailand and leading climate campaigns in South Korea as part of her visits to the child rights organisation [1].
In Bangkok, Her Royal Highness met children participating in football-related activities at a school in one of the city’s largest informal urban communities, where many families face social and economic challenges.
The ‘Play for Change’ sporting event gave 60 children and youths from Bangkok and Northern Thailand the chance to connect with and learn from people from different backgrounds to promote inclusion and build confidence through sport.
Speaking at the event, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal said:
“Save the Children Thailand, whose work here since 1979 and whose projects I have seen before show the value of practical support, partnership and the community leadership that really does transform the lives of children.”
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal added:
“I know the value of football, and I know the value of sport in so many different ways. It's not just about competition. These values really lie in building confidence and teamwork and talent, and the confidence to have that talent and to deal with success and failure. And for those who are here from the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, we're having to deal with failure this morning and some of you didn't get much sleep, so I apologise.” [2]
The event was hosted by Save the Children Thailand in partnership with British Embassy Bangkok and Liverpool Football Club Foundation. One of Liverpool FC’s legendary former players, Emile Heskey, presented certificates to children and youths, including Moe Pyae Pyae Zaw, 15, who was very excited to be playing football, making new friends and visiting Bangkok for the first time.
Moe Pyae Pyae Zaw said:
“My mother once asked me why, as a girl, I wanted to play football. I believe that playing football isn't about gender. It’s about teamwork.”
Guillaume Rachou, Executive Director of Save the Children Thailand, said:
“We are incredibly honoured to host the Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and to show her the talent and aspirations of children and youth in Thailand.
“Play is one of the most powerful ways children learn, develop confidence, build relationships and discover their potential, regardless of their background or circumstances.
“At Save the Children, we believe every child deserves opportunities to play, learn, participate, and thrive. Her Royal Highness’ visit celebrates the power of play and the power of partnerships to help children build brighter futures.”
During her visit to Save the Children Korea in Seoul on 15 July, Her Royal Highness met with Earthemble, a child and youth participation group, and Young Saver, the organisation’s child rights advocacy group.
Seoyeon Lee, 17, Earthemble Leadership Member, said:
“It was a great honour to meet Her Royal Highness and exchange perspectives and experiences on climate action. As an Earthemble Leadership member, I hope this meaningful exchange will help amplify children's voices on the climate crisis and inspire more people to take action.”
The children presented a statement on the climate crisis and child rights to The Princess Royal which reflected their perspectives on the climate crisis and included proposals for governments, businesses, local authorities and schools to ensure that children's voices are reflected in climate policies and decision-making.
Joon Oh, Chairman of Save the Children Korea, said:
“We are honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to Save the Children Korea and are deeply grateful for her longstanding support for children.
“107 years after Save the Children was founded, this was a fantastic opportunity for children and youth we support to share their views with her firsthand on the challenges facing them and future generations.”
The Princess Royal served as President of Save the Children UK from 1970 to 2017 before becoming the charity’s Patron in 2017. Save the Children was the first major charity with which she became closely associated.[1]
In her work for the organisation, The Princess Royal has visited Save the Children projects in countries around the world including China, Botswana, Uganda, Madagascar, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
Save the Children has worked in Thailand since 1979. Save the Children Thailand works to support children who are most impacted by discrimination and inequality through programmes on education, child protection, livelihood and child rights governance.
Save the Children Korea works to ensure that every child can grow up safe, healthy and protected through its domestic and international programmes, humanitarian assistance, and policy and advocacy work.
References:
[2] Reference to England’s defeat in the FIFA World Cup semi finals on 15 July
About Save the Children NZ:
Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.
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Wilderness – New Permanent Public Access to the Whakapapa River Celebrated – Fish and Game NZ

Source: Fish and Game NZ

A significant milestone in protecting public access to New Zealand's outdoors was celebrated on Wednesday.
Minister for Hunting and Fishing, Hon James Meager, joined project partners for the opening of a newly created public access point to the internationally renowned Whakapapa River.
Through the purchase of the riverfront property, Auckland/Waikato Fish and Game has secured permanent public access by establishing legal easements and esplanade strips. What was once inaccessible is now protected in perpetuity, ensuring New Zealanders can enjoy the river for fishing, swimming, kayaking, tramping and other outdoor recreation for generations to come.
The opening ceremony brought together representatives from Ngāti Hāua, the Outdoor Access Commission, the Department of Conservation, neighbouring Fish and Game Councils, local community members, and project partners who have helped make the project a reality.
Guests were welcomed onto the property by representatives of Ngāti Hāua, who provided a moving whakatau acknowledging the significance of the whenua and the awa, and the importance of protecting and caring for these taonga for future generations. The welcome set the tone for a day centred on partnership, shared stewardship and a commitment to ensuring people can continue to connect with this special place.
Minister for Hunting and Fishing, James Meager acknowledged the outstanding work Auckland/Waikato Fish and Game had done to make the project possible.
“As Minister, these are the exact sorts of projects I encourage and want to see more of. Access to our rivers and outdoor areas is part of who we are as New Zealanders, and projects like this help ensure those opportunities are protected not just for today, but for the future.
“I believe this initiative provides a model that could be replicated across New Zealand.”
Auckland Waikato Fish and Game Chief Executive David Klee said the project represented an innovative approach to securing permanent public access.
“Public access is one of New Zealand's greatest outdoor traditions, but it cannot be taken for granted. Opportunities to secure access are becoming increasingly rare as properties change ownership and long-standing access arrangements disappear.”
“Recognising the significance of this property, Auckland Waikato Fish and Game purchased the land through its Angler Access Fund with the specific purpose of securing permanent legal public access to the Whakapapa River. Once the easements and esplanade strips had been established, the balance of the property could be sold, allowing the investment to be recycled into securing the next access opportunity.”
“The Stone Jug Road project was delivered at no cost to Fish and Game licence holders. The property was purchased using externally sourced revenue and donations secured through the Auckland Waikato Fish and Game Angler Access Fund, demonstrating how partnerships and innovative funding can create lasting public benefits without drawing on licence revenue.”
Mr Klee said the innovative funding model ensured that every dollar invested had the potential to create multiple permanent public-access opportunities over time.
“This is about creating a legacy. Rather than simply purchasing land, we are investing in permanent legal access that will remain in place forever, regardless of who owns the surrounding property in the future.”
He said the project's success reflected the willingness of many organisations to work together towards a common goal.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support and collaboration of Ngāti Hāua, the Outdoor Access Commission for their funding and technical support, the Ruapehu District Council, neighbouring Fish and Game Councils, and everyone else who contributed to bringing this project to fruition.
Chief executive of the Outdoor Access Commission, Dan Wildy, said, “We want to thank Auckland/Waikato Fish and Game for what they’ve achieved here. This is a lasting contribution to public access – and it’s not just anglers who’ll benefit, but anyone wanting to experience the Whakapapa River.
“This isn’t just about access here at Stone Jug Road – it's proof of what's achievable elsewhere. People around the country can look at this and see a real, workable model for getting similar results.”
Mr Klee echoed those sentiments, noting that the Stone Jug Road project demonstrated the potential for a national contestable public access fund to help secure strategically important access opportunities across New Zealand.
“Strategic opportunities to secure permanent public access often arise with very little notice. Having a dedicated national contestable fund would allow organisations to move quickly to secure these opportunities before they are lost forever.”
“Stone Jug Road is proof that this model works. A relatively modest investment has secured permanent public access to one of New Zealand's iconic rivers, creating a legacy that will benefit generations of New Zealanders. There is enormous potential to replicate this approach throughout the country.”
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Cook’s Strait Ferries – Ferry Holdings welcomes today’s Government announcement

Source: Ferry Holdings Ltd

Ferry Holdings welcomes today’s Government announcement about progress of the Cook Strait Ferry Replacement Programme.
“Shareholding Ministers’ approval of a range of infrastructure delivery, funding, asset ownership and commercial arrangements is a welcome endorsement of the huge collaborative effort by all partner agencies to get to this point,” said Chris Mackenzie, Chair of Ferry Holdings.
“It’s exciting for everyone involved that we’re now officially heading into the delivery phase of the programme as major works get underway at both ports and we enter the final stages of the ships’ design before construction begins in May 2027.”
Mr Mackenzie reiterated that Ferry Holdings and its partners remain sharply focused on delivering the rail-enabled ferries on schedule in 2029 and within the $1.7 billion funding envelope approved by Cabinet, using a maximum re-use, minimum viable value-for-money approach to port upgrades.
“The new rail-enabled ships are a landmark investment in inter-island connectivity and will bring resilience, reliability and sustainability to one of New Zealand’s most important transport corridors and one of its iconic journeys,” he said.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners to deliver modern, safe, reliable and sustainable ferry services for New Zealand in 2029.”
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Governance – Institute of Directors recognises Māori Governance Summit as registrations near sell-out

Source: Tapuwae Roa

Tapuwae Roa’s biennial Amorangi Summit 2026 has been officially recognised by the Institute of Directors New Zealand for 5 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), marking a significant endorsement of tikanga-led governance learning in Aotearoa.
This comes as Amorangi prepares to return to Wellington on 29 July 2026, with fewer than 10 per cent of in-person registrations remaining less than two weeks out from the event.
Tapuwae Roa Kaihautū, Te Pūoho Kātene, says this recognition reflects the growing discipline of tikanga-led Māori governance as a critical area of professional practice.
“The recognition from the Institute of Directors reinforces the value of tikanga-led governance learning and the importance of creating spaces where Māori governance capability can continue to grow,” says Kātene.
“We are seeing increasing demand from across iwi, Māori and non-Māori organisations, businesses, and community sectors for governance development that is grounded in Māori values while also responding to the complex challenges facing our communities and economy.”
Since launching in 2022, Amorangi has grown into one of Aotearoa’s leading kaupapa Māori governance gatherings, attracting more than 900 virtual attendees in its inaugural year and expanding in 2024 to a hybrid model with more than 800 participants nationally across in-person and online attendance.
The Institute of Directors says the partnership recognises the summit’s contribution to governance learning and leadership development.
“It's exciting to partner with the Amorangi Summit in 2026, recognising the Summit's important contribution to governance learning and leadership development in Aotearoa,” said Herman Visagie, GM of the Governance Leadership Centre at the Institute of Directors. 
Kātene says maintaining affordable online access remains a key focus for Tapuwae Roa.
“We know many people seeking governance development are balancing commitments to whānau, mahi, and community.
“Continuing online access helps ensure these conversations remain accessible regardless of where people are based.”
Amorangi 2026 will take place on 29 July 2026 at Shed 6, Wellington.
Final release in-person tickets are available for $249 incl. GST, while online livestream registrations remain available for $69 incl. GST.
ABOUT AMORANGI
Amorangi: National Māori in Governance Summit is a biennial kaupapa hosted by Tapuwae Roa that seeks to inspire, strengthen, and grow the next generation of tikanga-led, future-focused Māori governance leaders.
Designed by Māori, for Māori, Amorangi brings together a diverse range of governors, trustees, directors, executives, rangatahi leaders, and changemakers for high-impact kōrero and whakaaro from across the Māori governance landscape.
ABOUT TAPUWAE ROA
Tapuwae Roa is a pan-Māori charitable trust pursuing tikanga-led social change via targeted funding, investment and delivery of impactful kaupapa. Established by the Māori Fisheries Act in 2005, Tapuwae Roa’s purpose is to promote the sustenance of Māori identity – whāngaitia matua te tuakiri Māori.
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Yemen: More children killed by landmines and other UXOs in first half of this year than all of 2025

Source: Save the Children

More children in Yemen have been killed by landmines and other unexploded ordnances (UXOs) in the first six months of this year than all of 2025, according to new Save the Children analysis[1], with the escalating toll of explosive weapons demanding urgent action to protect children and clear deadly remnants of war. 
The aid group's analysis of data collected by the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project (CIMP), part of the Protection Cluster in Yemen, also found a 61% increase in both child deaths and injuries from landmines or UXOs from January to July this year compared to the same period in 2025. [2] 
Landmines and UXOs killed and injured more children than other types of armed violence such as small arms fire, airstrikes and shelling. According to the analysis, in the first half of this year, landmine or UXO incidents resulted in an average of 1.4 child casualties, compared to 0.18 child casualties per incident for other types of armed violence. 
 The news comes just one month after at least five children were killed and seven more injured by an unexploded ordnance (UXO) that detonated next to them while they were collecting scrap metal to sell. Save the Children supported some of these injured children, who have undergone multiple surgeries to extract shrapnel from their body and lower limbs. 
Children in Yemen are three times more likely to be killed or injured by landmines and UXOs than adults due to a lack of mine risk awareness and increased risk while engaged in hazardous work [3], with UNICEF data showing that 12.5% of children aged 5-14 are engaged in child labour. 
 Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing met victims of UXOs during a trip to Yemen this month when she visited a Child and Family Care Centre supported by the organisation which provides a safe space for children to play and access psychosocial support. 
 Ms Ashing met Othman-, 16, from Aden, who was forced to flee his home due to the conflict, and, due to economic desperation, was out of school and working in a yard collecting scrap metal to help support his family. Last year, he lost his left leg in an explosion from a UXO hidden among the scrap metal. Othman was immediately taken to hospital, where he received emergency medical treatment and surgery. 
Save the Children referred Othman to psychosocial support services and coordinated with a prosthetics centre where he received a prosthetic limb. He also received food and cash support to support him and his family to recover and meet urgent needs.
Othman- said: “I worked from the age of 12 until I was 15. One day, while I was working with some of my colleagues, an unexploded ordnance near us detonated. 
“I lost consciousness immediately and remained unconscious for seven days. When I finally woke up, I was in the hospital, and my leg had been amputated.” 
Despite his ordeal, Othman hopes to return to school one day: 
“I always wished I could be in school, and I still dream of returning to my education. But because of our current circumstances, I can't. If my family and I had the means, I would have been sitting in a classroom instead of working-and I would not have lost my leg.
“If I am given the opportunity to return to school, I will work hard to continue my education and become someone who can achieve great things in the future. 
“There are still many children working in the same place where I was injured, risking their lives every day just to earn enough to survive.” 
Othman receives support from Jihad, 30, from Taiz, who works at Save the Children providing psychosocial support for children with blast injuries. Jihad himself is a survivor of a landmine incident, which resulted in amputation of his leg and injury to his eye. When he witnessed eight children become injured by a mortar shell, Jihad decided to dedicate his life to helping children affected by war. Save the Children is also working to ensure that Othman returns to school and can enrol in vocational training. 
Inger Ashing said: “In meeting Othman I saw the devastating impacts of explosive weapons on children. He should have been in school, not risking his life collecting scrap metal to help his family survive. Instead, a hidden explosive left him with life-changing injuries and changed his future in an instant. 
“Othman told me that he feels paralysed by his circumstances – not due to disability, but because of his family's economic situation. Despite everything he had endured, I was struck by how open and brave he was to share his story. Spaces like the Child and Family Care Centre supported by Save the Children provide a safe space for children like Othman to play, develop and simply be a child again. 
“No child should have to risk their life to help feed their family or lose a limb because deadly weapons contaminate the areas where they live, play, and are forced to work. The international community cannot look away while children in Yemen are still paying the price with their lives due to the double threat from explosive war remnants and child labour. 
“We urgently need greater investment to support children like Othman and ensure that their families are not forced to take children out of school and into hazardous work.” 
A report by Save the Children last year found that globally, explosive weapons were killing children on a scale never seen before, with 60% of child casualties in war zones now resulting from explosive weapons. 
 Save the Children is calling on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to de-escalate the crisis, stop the use of explosive weapons and uphold international humanitarian law to prevent further harm to children and civilians. 
 It also called on international donors to increase funding for the clearance of UXOs, victim assistance and risk education initiatives that have been scaled back due to global aid cuts. Families also need more support for sustainable livelihoods so that children are not forced into work, putting them at risk. 
Save the Children has been working in Yemen since 1963, implementing programmes in education, child protection, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, and emergency response across most of the country. This includes specialized care and assistance for children injured by explosive weapons and mine risk education.
[1] According to data from the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project, part of the Protection Cluster of NGOs in Yemen, 18 children were killed by landmines and UXOs in Yemen in 2025, and 20 children were killed by landmines and UXOs in the first six months of this year. So far in 2026, 123 children have been killed or injured due to armed violence (53 fatalities, 70 injuries). Full data available on request. 
[2] 45 children have been killed or injured so far this year due to landmines and UXOs (20 fatalities, 25 injuries). In the first six months of 2025, 28 children were killed or injured in the first six months of 2025 (10 fatalities, 18 injuries) 
[3] Between April 2022 and 25 March 2026, 511 of 1,182 children killed or injured as a result of armed violence were due to landmines or UXOs (43%). Of 6,051 adults killed or injured in the same period, 747 (12%) was a result of landmines or UXOs, based on analysis of data collected by the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project, a service of the UN Protection Cluster. Data available on request.
About Save the Children NZ:
Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.