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Education – ERO provides a new guide to help parents choose a school

Source: Education Review Office

The Education Review Office (ERO) has today released a new Guide to Schools to help parents understand what makes a school good.
ERO Acting Chief Review Officer Tim Fowler says the research is clear: more informed and engaged parents help their children get more from their education and leads to better outcomes.
“ERO reviewers are in schools across the country every day and our researchers are analysing and reporting on what works and what doesn’t. We know that parent and whānau involvement in their children’s education makes a huge difference,” Mr Fowler says.
ERO’s new Guide to Schools provides practical advice on choosing a school, understanding school performance, asking questions and raising concerns.
“As we developed and tested our new school reports with parents and whānau across the country, they told us that they wanted to understand more about what makes a great school.”
The guide sets out the 14 key areas that matter most for education quality and features suggested questions for parents to ask, for example when they visit schools, as well as who and how they should ask.
“We know that many parents and whānau want to be engaged in their child’s learning – but that they face barriers. They told us that they are worried about asking questions and need clearer information about what they can ask and who they should ask.
“Equally, principals said they welcome parents being actively involved and interested and would like parents to be better informed on how they can approach schools constructively.
This parent guide has been designed to accompany ERO’s new School Review Reports. Announced in March, these new reports are designed with parents and whānau in mind – with clear, understandable and accessible information about schools.
“Parents’ decisions and involvement with their child’s school makes a big difference. This guide will help parents talk to their child’s school, about what matters most,” Mr Fowler says.
Notes
  • ERO is the New Zealand government’s external evaluation agency for the education ERO carries out independent, in-depth reviews of different schools across New Zealand.
  • ERO reports on schools approximately every three to four years. In 2024/25, ERO reported on 745 schools and kura (30% of all schools and kura).
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Health and Nursing – 12 May 2026 International Nurses Day: Healthline nurses help 800 New Zealanders a day – from homes just like yours

Source: Whakarongorau Aotearoa

This International Nurses Day (12 May), Whakarongorau is doing a shout-out to the Healthline nurses who care for people across Aotearoa every day – unseen, from home, and maybe from just down the road.
Every day, Healthline nurses help around 800 people across Aotearoa, working through their worries, symptoms and uncertainty. Often – 85% of the time – they help callers stay safely at home, avoiding unnecessary trips to emergency departments and in ambulances, when reassurance or clear advice is all that’s needed.
They do that 24/7 and it costs the callers nothing. And 98% of callers follow that advice!
Over 100 Healthline nurses work from their home offices in communities right across Aotearoa, caring for people they never see face-to-face, yet treating every caller with empathy, professionalism, and respect.
“International Nurses Day is about recognising the skill, resilience, and compassion of nurses everywhere,” says Whakarongorau Chief Operating Officer Brian O’Connell.
“There really could be a Healthline nurse working from their home, on your street,” says O’Connell.
“They don’t wear scrubs to the supermarket, but every day and night, they take care of Aotearoa.”
People using Whakarongorau telehealth services report consistently high satisfaction (averaging close to 90% – well above international healthcare benchmarks), with many saying a nurse’s advice changed – or even saved – their life.
O’Connell says Healthline nurses manage complex clinical situations over the phone, every day.
“They listen, assess risk, and help people make the right decision – all without seeing the person they’re caring for.”
“You might never see them, but their impact on your life – or someone you love – can be profound. At 2am, when a child’s fever spikes. When chest pain comes out of nowhere. When something doesn’t look right and you don’t know whether to call 111 or wait it out.”
So today, if you pass someone walking the dog, heading to the shops, or dropping kids at school, they just might be one of the nurses who yesterday reassured a worried parent, or guided someone through the scariest moment of their life.
You just never see them in uniform.
Notes
  • Healthline is a free, 24/7, nurse- and paramedic-led health advice service available to everyone in New Zealand.
  • Healthline can be reached on 0800 611 116, for free, 24/7.
  • Whakarongorau Aotearoa is New Zealand’s national telehealth provider, delivering services including Healthline, mental health support, emergency triage, and family violence and sexual harm telehealth helpline services.
Healthline:
  • Over 370,000 contacts last year
  • Supporting around 800 people a day
  • Keeping 85% safe at home or directing them to community care instead of emergency departments
  • 98% of callers follow Healthline advice
  • ~90% satisfaction rating
Whakarongorau nurses:
  • Also work in the Emergency Triage Service with Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance, supporting around 100 people each day with non-urgent 111 calls
  • And mental health nurses in the Earlier Mental Health Team who support over 5,000 people each year who call Police and ambulance services but who need a health response rather than a justice response, and nearly 35,000 people who call district mental health services after-hours.
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Government Cuts – Government’s decision to scrap fees free scheme will lead to further student exodus – NZNO

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

The Coalition Government’s decision to scrap the fees free policy for third year tertiary students has left nursing tauira outraged
Finance Minister Nicola Willis confirmed at the weekend the Government will scrap the fees free tertiary scheme to third-year students in the upcoming Budget.
However, NZNO National Student Union co-chair Poihaere Whare says this decision will add further pressure on students who are barely hanging on to complete their studies as it is.
“For students, we are already struggling to travel to our placements, pay rent or even eat a proper meal. The thought of qualifying as a nurse saddled with thousands of dollars of extra debt is mortifying. The burden on Māori is higher.
“This move by the Government will put off more students from qualifying. About one third of students already cannot complete their studies.
“To compound this issue, the country’s largest employer of nurses, Te Whatu Ora, does not offer full time employment to nursing graduates.”
Poihaere Whare says in the last two national student surveys conducted by NZNO, more than 80% of the students reported their biggest stress was financial, with the vast majority saying they needed more Government support.
The last survey also revealed 61% of students made plans to move overseas if they didn’t feel valued in New Zealand.
“They know they will get jobs and feel valued in Australia. That's sad when we have nursing shortages all over Aotearoa New Zealand and a health care crisis to fix.
“Being a nurse in New Zealand is difficult – there’s a massive staff shortage and the working conditions seem less than ideal. Now with little Government assistance for students, why would anyone want to be a nurse?
“This Government must reassess what nurses and all students are worth to them? Speaking for nursing students, we need to keep home-grown nursing tauira in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are our future nursing workforce.” 
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Universities – Junk food designed to make us eat more, study finds – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Ultra Processed foods are designed and marketed in ways that encourage people to keep choosing them, despite knowing they are unhealthy.

A new University of Auckland study finds companies making ultra-processed foods, often called junk food, design and market these products to encourage people to eat more and more of them.

Led by Dr Joshua Clark, the study reviewed ten years of international research to create detailed diagrams showing how these foods are formulated and promoted.

The diagrams were developed through group discussions, repeated revisions and a two-day workshop with experts in food science, marketing and systems research. See Obesity Reviews: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.70135

“What we found were several reinforcing feedback loops, which all drive consumption and purchasing,” says Clark.

“Our biology and our behaviour are at the centre of this system, which goes some way to explaining why, as populations, we are pretty hooked on these foods.

“These UPF manufacturers are very clever at this, because it makes them money.”

It is likely New Zealanders consume half of their diet as ultra-processed foods, in line with other developed countries, researchers say.

A recent global report in the Lancet found ultra-processed foods are causing rising rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other long-term illnesses.

Clark says New Zealand has many options to respond to this health threat.

“So many countries have now implemented taxes on sugary food and drink, regulations on advertising to children, strong front-of-pack labelling programmes, as well as lobbying transparency policies that keep the political playing-field fair.

“We don’t have to be the trailblazers with this one, we just have to follow some of the great work and leadership coming out of places like Latin America.”

Professor Boyd Swinburn, a population nutrition researcher and co-author, says New Zealand has done nothing about its high intake of UPFs.

“Half the world has taxes on sugary drinks but for some reason, political timidity and fear of the UPF industry has meant that we have zero strategies in place to deal with our epidemic of rising obesity.”

The new study proposes that high consumption of ultra-processed food is not just about personal choice, but instead, the result of a system carefully designed to take advantage of how people think, feel and behave.

The researchers found ultra-processed food companies use a combination of strategies, including:

ingredients such as sugar, fat and salt that drive cravings
using people’s online data to target advertising
cartoons and characters aimed at children
strong branding to build loyalty
placing outlets strategically, e.g., near schools and in areas where there is already high UPF consumption
positioning products in high-traffic areas of stores
processing methods that supress the body’s natural feeling of fullness

“It isn’t just one tactic, there are quite a few pieces that are interconnected to increase our exposure to their advertising, to their products,” says Clark.

“Then the foods are designed to be so convenient, so appealing and generally the easier choice for many people, and all of this, when it's interlinked, makes us really crave and over-consume UPFs, and, unfortunately, experience the negative health effects from eating them.”

The research highlights how people become trapped in this system.

“We all hate to be manipulated by big businesses,” says Clark.

“I think shining a light on this is an opportunity to get people to care about it as an issue and to ask, advocate, and demand for governmental policy action to disrupt this system and rebuild a food environment that serves and nourishes us, not the balance sheets of international corporations.”

Senior author Dr Kelly Garton, a senior research fellow in the University’s School of Population Health, says UPF companies learned important lessons from the tobacco industry in the 1980s and 90s.

Research shows US tobacco companies bought food and drink businesses and used their knowledge of flavours and child-focused marketing to help develop sugary drinks and products that combine salt, fat and sugar to trigger strong reward responses in the brain. See BMJ.

Combined with chemical flavourings, these products became ‘hyper palatable’ and designed to be over-eaten. See Addiction.

There is earlier evidence showing how heavily marketed these products are in New Zealand, especially in ways that target children, young people and parents. See Evidence Brief.

What this research adds
Clark says the study identifies many reinforcing feedback loops that keep consumption high.

“Many of these exploit parts of our human biology, psychology, behaviours and social patterns to drive purchasing and consumption of their products.

“Our social norms, daily routines, cultural practices, taste preferences and even our brains’ rewards systems have been captured and conditioned as part of this system to make us crave and overconsume UPFs, meanwhile allowing the health harms as collateral damage.”

The authors call for New Zealand and other countries to implement policies recommended by the World Health Organization to reduce UPF consumption.

What other countries have done

Sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in 120 countries around the world
Front-of-pack nutrition warning labels
Brazil limits ultra-processed food in school food programmes
In Chile, ultra-processed foods high in salt, fat or sugar cannot be marketed to children
Colombia has taxes on ultra-processed products and sugary drinks.

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Environment – EPA welcomes withdrawal of appeal of High Court ruling on glyphosate decision

Source: Environmental Protection Authority

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) welcomes the decision by the Environmental Law Initiative (ELI) to withdraw its appeal of the High Court’s decision confirming the Authority had acted lawfully when deciding not to reassess glyphosate.
ELI filed a claim in judicial review challenging a 2024 decision by the EPA that there was no significant new information about glyphosate that would warrant grounds for a reassessment of the weedkiller.
In October 2025, the High Court ruled that the EPA had acted lawfully when making the decision about glyphosate. The judgment recognised the EPA’s role as New Zealand’s authority on hazardous substances and confirmed it has wide discretion when deciding whether to reassess a chemical.
ELI had appealed the High Court decision to the Court of Appeal but on 5 May abandoned the appeal.
“As we said at the time of the ruling, this case sets an important precedent for how the EPA applies the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996,” says Acting Manager of Hazardous Substances Applications Dr Shaun Presow.
“It also reinforces the value of our expert scientists and our commitment to transparency and science-based decision-making.”
Dr Presow says the EPA is monitoring international advice and regulations around using glyphosate as a weedkiller and ensuring New Zealand’s polices and regulations aligned.
“We are constantly monitoring international developments and will continue to review any new research relevant to the New Zealand context,” he says.
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Universities – Third sister in whānau gains engineering degree – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Tiaho Wihongi-Minhinnick is the third sister in her whānau to graduate in engineering at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Tiaho Wihongi-Minhinnick (22) celebrated her graduation on 4 May, joining sisters Ngarui Manukau (28) and Phoenix Manukau (25), who also have engineering degrees from the University of Auckland.

While completing her Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, Tiaho was chosen to lead a project on mana-enhancing structural design of pou whakairo – traditional carved Māori posts – for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

The iwi wants four ten-metre tōtara pou to be installed at its papakāinga (housing development) in Ōrākei, Tāmaki Makaurau, in a way that preserves the dignity of the posts.

After Tiaho was selected for the task, she asked Ngarui for a hand.

The sisters, of Ngāpuhi and Waikato descent, say new, more culturally appropriate engineering solutions are needed to avoid base structures that detract from the beauty of pou, as they hold them upright.

“Some footings work structurally, but aesthetically, they look horrible and they take away from the mana of the pou.

“These are not just posts, they have stories, histories and mana in and of themselves,” says Tiaho.

The sisters are developing solutions that look seamless and feature traditional materials – while still having the strength to hold up a 1.2 tonne pole for decades to come.

“There are major challenges. The pou are ten metres tall and have a 600-millimetre diameter, which is enormous,” says Ngarui.

“But we’re passionate about creating footings that are culturally appropriate.”

Searching academic publications didn’t turn up any specific solutions for pou footings, though reports about Native American totem poles offered some ideas, says Tiaho.

The pou have not yet been carved, because the iwi wants to ensure the structural system is woven into the pou’s design from the outset.

The sisters hope the techniques they develop might be adapted for more widespread use in the future.

MĀPIHI – Māori and Pacific Housing Research Centre at the University of Auckland provided support for the pou project.

The expected challenges – and the unexpected

Although their parents are both university graduates, the three sisters had to overcome the expected and some unexpected challenges to gain their degrees in engineering.

“It’s rare to have a Māori female engineer, and even rarer to have three Māori engineer sisters together in a family,” Ngarui says.

“The challenge was that this was a whole, brand-new world to us. The journey to get there was rough.”

Initially drawn by the promise of high pay and the chance to use her skills in maths and science to solve problems, Ngarui was the first in her family to study engineering.

“Those who typically have access to this degree and career are usually rich, Pākeha, and male. As someone who is just about the complete opposite of that, how could I have aspired to this if I didn't see it reflected in my reality, my community, my schooling?

“The remarkable thing about this story is that it was a random conversation with a careers advisor in the middle of my second-to-last year of college that opened this door to engineering and ultimately changed our lives,” says Ngarui.

With her encouragement, her two sisters followed in her footsteps.

Having lived and learned in relatively close-knit communities and schools, the shift to study at the University of Auckland took some adjustment, they say.

“You sit down in your first lecture with over 800 engineering students… there's barely anyone there that's Māori. It's quite sad to be honest. The few there are of you group together,” says Ngarui.

Although gaining their degrees has involved conquering myriad challenges, the sisters say they have no regrets.

Having just graduated, Tiaho is off to a flying start, with a permanent role in a structural engineering consultancy.

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Earth Sciences – New energy calculator helps glasshouse growers cut fuel risk and future‑proof food production

Source: Earth Sciences New Zealand

As New Zealand grapples with rising energy costs and uncertain supply chains, questions about our fuel security and food security are becoming tightly knotted together.

Our country relies year-round on our covered crop growers to produce affordable quality fresh produce. This includes 95% of our tomatoes, capsicums and cucumbers. Many of them operate glasshouses that sweep across from South Auckland to Bay of Plenty. Most of them rely on natural gas, waste oil or coal heating to maintain growing temperatures.

“Energy costs are currently about 40% of a grower’s overhead, heating is rapidly becoming one of the sector’s largest and most volatile operating costs. Keeping the heating on is seriously impacting our growers’ ability to keep operating. While many growers currently have their fuel supply locked in through contracts, the real risk is what happens when those contracts run out, and remaining on gas could become unaffordable,” says Dinah Cohen, General Manager of Covered Cropping NZ.

Dr Anya Seward from Earth Sciences New Zealand says the sector could turn to a more local solution, by rather ironically, looking underground.

“Simply, there is no more efficient way to produce heat than by starting with pre-existing heat. Using the geothermal heat directly in our earth’s crust offers a 24/7, low-emissions heating alternative that is more energy efficient than fossil-fuel burners and electric heating” says Seward.

To help growers search for alternative solutions, Seward and her team from Earth Sciences New Zealand and GeoExchange NZ have launched a new “Geothermal for Glasshouses Calculator” . This free online calculator is designed to help covered crop growers assess whether switching from fossil fuel heating to geothermal heating could be technically and economically viable. Growers have already been testing the tool to explore potential heating demand, fuel displacement, emissions reductions, and indicative cost considerations for their specific need.

Seward says the motivation in creating the tool was because geothermal heat presents a major opportunity for the glasshouse industry to reduce exposure to fuel shocks.

“This tool is about giving growers practical, science‑based insights so they can see what geothermal heating could mean for their business and for the resilience of the wider food system.”

Cohen says the calculator responds directly to questions growers are asking.

“Growers want reliable information about alternatives. Having a tool that’s specifically designed for glasshouse operations and grounded in New Zealand conditions is incredibly valuable. This helps turn geothermal heat from a concept into something growers can genuinely evaluate.”

“Speaking of the concept, it’s important for New Zealand to know that the use of geothermal heat in greenhouses is common overseas, even in places you don’t typically associate with the word ‘geothermal’, like the Netherlands” adds Cohen.

While geothermal energy is often associated with known hotspots like Taupō and Rotorua, the developers of the tool stress that its potential is far broader.

“One of the key messages we want to get across is that geothermal isn’t just for a few regions or industries. Across much of New Zealand, low‑temperature geothermal heat is readily available and suitable for many uses currently met by gas below 100°C, from space and water heating to food processing and concrete curing. Higher-temperature hotspots can also support more demanding industrial processes” says Dr Seward.

“But to make realistic progress, New Zealand needs to invest in nationwide geothermal datasets and more tools, like this calculator, that are catered to other industries. Crucially, we also need ways to de‑risk development for potential end users, such as regionally distributed test bores and pilot projects that can confirm what’s in the ground and what it would take to use it. That kind of early investment is one reason greenhouse geoheat has scaled overseas, including in the Netherlands, where developers have drilled much deeper. We’re seeing encouraging signals in the Geothermal Strategy for New Zealand the government released last month. We have a long way to go, but the opportunity seems worth it.”

The Geothermal for Glasshouses Calculator is available now: https://data.gns.cri.nz/geoheat/

This initiative is supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund and Vegetables NZ and Tomatoes NZ, and in collaboration with Earth Sciences New Zealand and GeoExchange NZ.

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Health – Culture of fear at understaffed, dilapidated Hillmorton Hospital

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

A new survey of 186 nurses and care staff at Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital has revealed a disturbing picture of overworked staff too scared to speak out about the state of the facility, NZNO says.
Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO delegate and Hillmorton nurse Sarah Jane Perkin says understaffing is at the heart of many of the issues raised by the NZNO members in the survey: https://www.nzno.org.nz/Portals/0/Files/2026/NZNO%20Hillmorton%20Survey%20Report%20-%20May%202026.pdf?ver=Kdvu9mYrZ6Aj7ygWPkTreg%3d%3d
“Four out of five – or 80% – of the nurses and care workers surveyed felt unsafe at work because of understaffing during the past month.
“This is evidenced in Te Whatu Ora’s own data for 2025 which shows the Whaikaha forensic ward at Hillmorton was staffed below safe levels 1000 shifts – or 91% of all shifts – and a further eight wards at the mental health hospital were unsafely staffed above or close to almost half of all shifts.
“Other survey findings include nine out of 10 staff – or 89% – said they had recently had to work with broken or faulty equipment.
“Staff described broken heaters, peeling wallpaper, graffiti, worn and stained carpet soaked in urine, infestations of ants, rats and mice, building leaks, broken panels in lounge areas and patient room doors getting jammed.
“Of even more concern is that staff also described cameras not working, security doors that don’t lock or close properly, malfunctioning duress alarms, delayed alarm responses and blind spots where patients climb up walls and fences,” Sarah Jane Perkin says.
“Nurses have a professional duty to immediately raise and escalate concerns about patient safety or compromised care standards. However, just over half – 52% – of the workers surveyed felt unable to raise concerns without fear of blame or retaliation. A further third – 32% – reported sometimes feeling unable to safely raise concerns.
“Sadly nearly nine out of 10 workers – 87% – reported negative impacts on their wellbeing from working at Hillmorton. One third reported experiencing burnout, and a further third reported feeling constant stress and anxiety,” Sarah Jane Perkin says.
The survey results prompted NZNO to write to the Ministry of Health to raise its serious concerns about Hillmorton and associated mental health services which are the subject of a monitoring programme under Section 99 of the Mental Health Act.
Section 99 enables the Director of Mental Health Dr John Crawshaw to inspect any hospital or facility where psychiatric treatment is provided in response to serious events or safety concerns.
NZNO delegate and Hillmorton nurse Gabrielle Nolan says NZNO Hillmorton members are calling for Te Whatu Ora to address the issues raised in the survey.
“We would like to see Te Whatu Ora resource baseline rosters to ensure safe staffing, stop using redeployment to plug roster gaps, establish workforce planning for early career nurses, immediately fix maintenance and equipment issues, and set up an anonymous reporting system for staff concerns,” Gabrielle Nolan says.
Quotes from the survey:
I’ve worked shifts where there are panels missing from walls on the unit, ripped vinyl peeling off the walls due to patient damage, buckets on the floor to collect the water that is leaking from the ceiling. Flickering lights due to electrical issues. Doors not closing properly and having to be slammed shut to secure them. Windows not fixed and constantly remaining open causing temperature issues. Water taps not working in patient rooms. This is our ward constantly. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone to be admitted to our ward. The physical environment is anything but healing (RN, Te Whare Manaaki, Hillmorton Hospital).
Working at Hillmorton has an impact on my personal health. I am a more anxious and tearful person than I was before I started. I experienced burnout within months of working there. I went into mental health nursing because I care about people, but the level of care we are able to provide feels substandard. I constantly feel moral and ethical conflict, knowing that the treatment our tangata whai ora receive is often harmful and traumatising (RN, Acute Inpatients, Hillmorton).
Moral injury, for me, shows up when I know what good care looks like but don’t have the resources to provide it. There have been shifts where patients were clearly distressed and needed time, therapeutic engagement, and consistent boundaries, but staffing and skill mix meant my focus had to be on safety and containment rather than care. Instead of time, presence, and de-escalation, medication becomes the default intervention… Knowing that a patient needed more than I could give – and that this may contribute to them returning in crisis – is deeply uncomfortable and stays with me after the shift ends (RN, Te Awakura, Hillmorton Hospital)
When you have such limited time, it is the patients that end up being neglected and missing out. Being able to provide good care to the children I look after is really important to me. Shifts like these I often apologise to my patients for not having enough time for them and spend my shift in a state of chaos and intense guilt. Children shouldn't miss out on quality mental health care because the adults in political power don't care about nurses, patients, and safe staffing (RN, Ngā Kakano, Hillmorton Hospital).
I’ve been a registered nurse for two years now, and I’m burnt out. I want to make a career of this but I’m at a loss of how to do that in a broken system… There’s a couple wards I can think of where they have high staff turnover and it’s simply because staff are feeling super overwhelmed, unsupported and they value their safety more than this job. Some of my friends have moved to different hospitals or even moved to Australia for better working conditions and I don’t blame them. But I want to stick it out here because I strongly feel both staff and patients deserve better. How many more section 99 reports and Coroners Court investigations following murders and suicides need to happen in order for the Ministry of Health to wake up and listen to us on the frontline? (RN, Te Awakura – North Inpatients, Hillmorton Hospital).
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Defence News – NZ Army takes jungle warfare lessons from Philippines exercise

Source: New Zealand Defence Force

The New Zealand Army has completed its first Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines, improving its ability to fight a modern war amid the heat, humidity and venomous snakes and insects of the jungle.

New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, United States, Canada, France and Japan celebrated the successful completion of Balikatan 2026 during a closing ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila last week.

Balikatan, meaning “shoulder to shoulder” in the local Tagalog language, is a bilateral US-Philippines annual exercise designed to strengthen regional security through combined air, land, sea, cyber and space operations featuring maritime drills, coastal defence training, joint live-fire exercises and humanitarian projects.

Around 70 New Zealand Defence Force personnel, primarily from the NZ Army, have been in the Philippines for Exercise Balikatan since mid-April.

About 40 of those personnel are a NZ Army light infantry platoon group from 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, which was integrated into an Australian Army light infantry company from 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, to form Combat Team Jackal.

The NZ Army light infantry platoon has participated across a range of scenarios, shoulder to shoulder with Australian, Philippine and US personnel against a fictitious opposing force, as part of larger formations that cannot be easily replicated in New Zealand.

They also took part in jungle training delivered by the Philippine Marine Corps, and close-combat shooting in the jungle environment.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) also deployed movement operators, health specialists, cyber specialists, communications experts, and other supporting personnel, gaining valuable experience and demonstrating capability to partners.

In the lead up to Balikatan, defence cooperation between New Zealand and the Philippines has been strengthened.

In the past two years, New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement, held bilateral defence talks, signed the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, participated as an observer to Exercise Balikatan in 2025, and held an inaugural maritime dialogue.

The NZDF’s participation in Balikatan reflects a strategic commitment to strengthening regional partnerships, enhancing tactical and operational interoperability, and contributing to regional stability in support of the international rules-based system in the Indo-Pacific.

Lieutenant Colonel Jason Tinsley, Senior National Officer for the contingent says New Zealand is fortunate to have likeminded partners within the Indo-Pacific region.

“A shared sense of purpose for maintaining stability and promoting the international rules-based order has made for an excellent working relationship with our partners on Exercise Balikatan.”

The unique environment of the Philippines has provided a valuable training ground.

“Unlike our Australian and Filipino colleagues, we are not routinely exposed to the dangers of heat, poisonous snakes, and virus-carrying insects,” Lieutenant Colonel Tinsley said.

“Facing and overcoming these challenges provides an excellent opportunity to enhance combat effectiveness in environments very different to New Zealand.”

The NZ Army light infantry platoon group as part of Combat Team Jackal is now taking part in Exercise Salaknib, also in the Philippines and involving the host country, Australia, Japan, the United States, and for the first time New Zealand.

Salaknib’s focus is conducting complex, multi-domain operations, including live-fire events, aviation and counter mobility operations and jungle training.

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World Vision – 50 MILLION REASONS TO ACT: NZERS URGED TO BACK LANDMARK SLAVERY LAW BEFORE DEADLINE

Source: World Vision

World Vision is urging New Zealanders to show their support for a Modern Slavery Bill by making a submission via Select Committee to ensure the Bill becomes law this year. 
The Modern Slavery Bill passed its first reading in Parliament with the overwhelming support of 112 MPs and now moves to the Education and Workforce Select Committee.
The committee is calling for public submissions on the proposed law which requires businesses with a revenue of more than $100 million to publicly report on modern slavery risks.
World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong says it’s vital for New Zealanders to show just how much they support the Modern Slavery Bill.
“New Zealand currently has no law requiring businesses to identify whether their supply chains use forced labour, child labour or human trafficking and it’s important that the Select Committee knows how much New Zealanders want this rectified.
“We need as many people as possible to make a submission to show their support for the Modern Slavery Bill and to offer suggestions on how to make the law even stronger and more aligned with overseas jurisdictions,” she says.
World Vision New Zealand has developed a template submission to help guide Kiwis through the submission process at www.wvnz.org.nz/msl.
The submission strongly supports the Bill, but calls for it to be strengthened by including:
  • Stronger requirements for businesses to take action when they find modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains.
  • A dedicated government entity to identify high-risk sectors and provide practical guidance and support for businesses.
  • A stronger victim-survivor centred approach to better identify, protect, and support those affected by modern slavery and exploitation in New Zealand.
“We want New Zealand to introduce a law that is credible, enforceable, and consistent with the direction other countries are taking to address modern slavery in global supply chains.  Modern slavery is a massive issue and currently affects more than 50 million people, including 8,000 right here in New Zealand.
“Submissions will help to guide the committee to create strong and robust legislation,” she says.
World Vision research shows that the average New Zealander spends around $77 a week [i] on goods that are likely linked to modern slavery, such as electronics, clothing, shoes, and toys.
Hundreds of submissions from school students attending World Vision Youth Conferences have already been made in support of the bill.
World Vision Advocacy Ambassador 18-year-old Delara Elavia says young New Zealanders are firmly behind the proposed law.
“Young people feel really strongly about this bill. They don’t want to be buying clothes, electronics, cosmetics and other products that have been made by children or by people working in appalling conditions.
“They want New Zealand to step up and do our bit to ensure our supply chains are monitored for modern slavery and that businesses take action to prevent it,” she says.
Some of the comments from young people in submissions to the Select Committee include:
  • “I do not want to worry about where my next outfit comes from and whether it is costing someone’s freedom.”
  • “I believe everyone deserves to have their mana protected and to be safe from exploitation and situations where they have no choices.”
  • “If you wouldn’t want to sit in those factories, why do you expect others to? These are people’s lives and they deserve to be able to live them to the fullest and not be forced to work for little to no money so we can experience momentary pleasure.”
New Zealanders have until May 28, 2026 to make a submission to the Education and Workforce Select Committee on the Modern Slavery Bill.
The World Vision template to make a submission can be found here: wvnz.org.nz/msl or a submission can be made directly to the Select Committee here.
Notes
The Modern Slavery Bill will introduce:
  • Mandatory reporting: requiring businesses and other entities with a consolidated revenue of more than $100 million to prepare, submit, and publish public annual modern slavery statements which detail incidents, risks, due diligence, remediation, complaints, and training across operations and supply chains.
  • Greater transparency and accountability: through an online public register of modern slavery statements, and annual reports detailing incidents, risk trends, offences, and civil penalties.
  • Enhanced support for victims: through requirements to guide government agency support, improve victim identification, and the services available to trafficking survivors.
  • Improved national data collection to track the scale of modern slavery, along with a regular review to strengthen modern slavery legislation in New Zealand.
A timeline of advocacy for a Modern Slavery Act:
  • March 2021: 100 businesses sign an open letter calling for modern slavery legislation.
  • June 2021: World Vision and Trade Aid delivered a 37,000-strong petition to the Government.
  • July 2021: The Labour Government establishes the Modern Slavery Leadership Advisory Group (MSLAG) to support and inform the development of an effective regulatory regime in New Zealand.
  • April 2022: The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment solicits public submissions on a proposal for modern slavery legislation. More than 5,000 submissions were made with 90% in support.
  • September 2022: The Labour Government releases the feedback which showed widespread support from New Zealand businesses and individuals to introduce law to address modern slavery.
  • June 2022: When interviewed as leader of the opposition, Christopher Luxon says that an issue he would march in the streets for is modern slavery legislation.
  • March 2023: An independent poll finds that 81% of New Zealanders support legislation to verify the absence of modern slavery in supply chains.
  • July 2023: The Labour Government announces that modern slavery legislation will be drafted requiring businesses to publicly report on modern slavery risks.
  • May 2024: The National Coalition Government disestablished the Modern Slavery Leadership Advisory Group (MSLAG).
  • April 2024: When questioned about modern slavery legislation, Minister van Velden and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said this was not a current priority for the Government.
  • June 2024: Camilla Belich, Labour spokesperson for Workplace Relations and Safety questioned Minister van Velden on modern slavery at Parliament question time. Minister van Velden reiterated that modern slavery legislation is currently not a priority for the Government.
  • December 2024: World Vision NZ’s Rebekah Armstrong, barrister Jacob Parry, and ANZ’s ESG Lead Rebecca Kingi co-drafted the Modern Slavery and Trafficking Expert Practitioners (MSTEP) Modern Slavery Bill.
  • December 2024: The Labour Party issued a media release expressing its support for modern slavery legislation and calling on National to back it as well.
  • April 2025: National MP Greg Fleming lodged the Modern Slavery Reporting Bill as a Private Member’s Bill, focused on business reporting obligations. This complemented his Increasing Penalties for Slavery Offences Bill, currently before Select Committee.
  • June 2025, Labour MP Camilla Belich lodged a Modern Slavery Bill. This bill introduces similar business reporting requirements but is more comprehensive including updates to the Crimes Act stronger provisions for victim protection and support and the establishment of an Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
  • August 2025: The Minister of Justice announced plans to amend the Crimes Act to strengthen laws against trafficking, including many provisions recommended in the MSTEP Bill. World Vision launched its campaign urging politicians to work together utilising the rule of 61.
  • September 2025: 28 signatories, representing institutional investors and New Zealand businesses accounting for more than NZD 215 billion, released an open letter calling for urgent action on modern slavery legislation.
  • September 2025: The Government introduced the Adoption Amendment Bill to prevent trafficking and unsafe adoptions, signalling willingness to strengthen New Zealand's response to modern slavery and trafficking.
  • December 2025- both member bills were removed from the ballot.
  • January 2026 joint modern slavery bill introduced.
  • April 2026: Modern Slavery Bill passes its first reading in Parliament with the support of 112 MPs.
  • May 2026: The Education and Workforce Select Committee calls for public submissions on the Modern Slavery Bill