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Finance Sector – Borrowers warned of lender loyalty tax despite improving credit climate

Source: Finance and Mortgage Advisers Association of New Zealand

November 18, 2025 – Borrowers are in the box seat to secure better loan deals amid signs of improving credit conditions yet many will still be paying more than they should, according to the Finance and Mortgage Advisers Association of New Zealand (FAMNZ).

FAMNZ managing director Peter White AM said the encouraging credit outlook revealed in credit bureau Centrix’s October Credit Indicator was good reason for borrowers to scale up their ambition.

According to the report, new residential mortgage lending climbed 21.1 per cent year-on-year, with total new household lending up 20.2 per cent.

“Smart borrowers can leverage falling interest rates to help them get a better deal on their loan, provided they have the right plan,” he said.

However Mr White also warned borrowers not to fall into the “loyalty tax” trap, which sees lenders offer new customers lower rates than existing customers.

“Existing borrowers shouldn’t be penalised for years of loyalty by lenders who reward new customers with sweetheart details never offered to them.”

He said that with increased competition in the home loan and personal loan markets, borrowers may be in a stronger position than they realise to secure a better deal.

His advice was to, “regularly review your home loan and personal borrowings and contact your current lender to seek a better rate – and if they don’t deliver, see a mortgage adviser.”

“Don’t just accept what your bank tells you, as mortgage advisers have access to a far wider range of products best suited to your circumstances.”

“There is plenty of competition, and while banks can only sell you their products, a mortgage adviser can tailor a product suited to your unique circumstances.”

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Arts Appointments – NZSA announces Fleur Beale ONZM as 2026 NZSA President of Honour

Source: New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa

The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa is delighted to announce that Fleur Beale is the NZSA 2026 President of Honour, who will deliver the prestigious NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Lecture in 2026.

This prestigious honour is bestowed on a senior writer and long-serving NZSA member in recognition of their contribution to writing, writers and the literary arts sector in Aotearoa.

Fleur Beale ONZM has written over 50 books and readers for children and young adults plus one non-fiction book for adults. Her books have been shortlisted 13 times for the NZ Childrens and Young Adults Book Awards. She won the NZCYP Young Adult category award in 2011 for Fierce September, which also won the LIANZA Esther Glenn Award. Her book Juno of Taris also won the LIANZA Esther Glenn Award. She has received 16 Storylines Notable Book Awards, and twice won the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for A Much Loved Book for Slide the Corner and  I am not Esther. She has had many stories broadcast on Radio New Zealand for both children and adults.

Fleur was awarded the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal in 2012, and an ONZM for services to literature in 2015, and is the current patron of the Dorothy Neale White Children’s Book Collection at the National Library of New Zealand.

She is a manuscript assessor and a member of the Association of Manuscript Assessors NZ, she has given many workshops on writing to young people and adults, judged many writing competitions and has worked as a mentor. For several years she taught creative writing at night classes and took a workshop on assessment for students at the excellent Whitireia publishing course until cuts kicked in, and the admin stopped employing guest lecturers.

It matters deeply to Fleur that NZ young people have books that resonate with their lives and experiences which is why she started writing books set in our country and with text reflecting the way we speak.

On receiving the President of Honour title, Fleur Beale said “I am quite overwhelmed by the honour. The Society of Authors has been such an important part of my life, it’s so reassuring for a writer working away in what feels like the dark to know the Society has our backs and is there to throw light on tricky matters and support us.

I feel that my appointment is an opportunity to spotlight the importance of writing for children who are, of course, the future readers of books for adults. We need to have a solid cohort of keen readers growing up to advocate for and support NZ writing and publishing.”

NZSA President Dr Vanda Symon says “ “We are delighted to have Fleur Beale as our 2026 NZSA President of Honour. We admire her dediation to childrens' literature and the importance of telling New Zealand stories as the building blocks of literacy and creating life-long readers.”
 
The NZSA President of Honour delivers the prestigious annual NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Lecture – an event that comments on the literary sector.
NZSA will announce details of this event in 2026.

The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa PEN NZ Inc is the principal organisation representing writers in Aotearoa. Founded in 1934, it administers prizes and awards and runs professional development programmes for writers. The NZSA works across the sector to make NZ writers and NZ books more visible and upholds principles of fair reward and creative rights.

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Greenpeace – New Zealand "wins" unenviable climate inaction award at COP30

Source: Greenpeace

It’s the award no country wants to receive. New Zealand has been presented with the ‘Fossil of the Day’ at COP30 in Brazil over recent backtracking on methane targets.
The award, presented each day of the UN climate conference by Climate Action Network International, is awarded to the country that is “doing the most to achieve the least” on climate change.
Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Amanda Larsson says, “It’s embarrassing but it’s sadly not surprising. New Zealand has had a reputation for being clean and green but that image is being sullied by the Luxon government’s bonfire of climate policies.
“Fossil of the Day is the award no country wants to receive, and today, the shame of receiving it is on Christopher Luxon’s Government, who are weakening the requirements for our most polluting industry to take action on climate change.”
The New Zealand Government recently announced that it will weaken the target for reducing methane emissions. The vast majority of methane emissions come from the livestock industry, which is New Zealand’s biggest contributor to climate change.
This decision was made after heavy lobbying from groups like Federated Farmers and Groundswell and directly contradicts the advice of the Government’s independent Climate Change Commission, which called for a strengthening of the methane target.
At the heart of the move to reduce methane targets is a controversial accounting trick called “no additional warming”, designed to justify continued high levels of agricultural methane emissions – even as science shows they must fall fast.
Climate Action Network International, who gave out the “award”, said in a press release that, “This is not leadership. It is not science-based. And it is certainly not consistent with the Paris Agreement or with the UNFCCC principles of equity and responsibility.”
That’s a sentiment echoed by international climate scientists, who made headlines in June for writing to the New Zealand Government in an open letter urging Christopher Luxon not to adopt ‘no additional warming’.
Larsson says this is just the tip of the iceberg. “New Zealand is the world’s biggest dairy exporter. Other major livestock producers will be looking to us to see whether this approach is worthwhile. Our Government has just lit the fuse on a global methane race to the bottom – once one domino falls, others will follow.”
“We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Cutting methane emissions now is our emergency brake. And we don’t have time to waste.”
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University Research – Study reveals major diet inequities among New Zealand adolescents – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

A new study has found that many New Zealand adolescents are eating diets high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, with young people in more vulnerable circumstances most affected.

Published on 18 November in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, the research analysed data from more than 4,000 12-year-olds taking part in the Growing Up in New Zealand study, the country’s largest and most diverse longitudinal study of child development. It provides the most up-to-date national insight into adolescents’ diet quality in more than two decades.

Researchers identified two broad dietary patterns among the young people. One, high in refined foods and foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats; the other with higher intakes of core food groups such as fruit, vegetables, protein foods, dairy, and breads and cereals.

The study found significant ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in diet quality.

  • Those from food-insecure households were more likely to follow a dietary pattern high in refined foods and foods high in sugar,  salt and unhealthy fats compared with those from food-secure homes.
  • Adolescents living in rural areas were less likely to follow the dietary pattern high in refined foods and foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats than those living in urban areas.
  • Pacific, Māori and Asian young people were more likely to follow the refined, high in sugar, salt and fat dietary pattern when compared to European adolescents.

Professor Clare Wall, Head of the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and one of the study’s authors, said the findings highlight deep inequities in the food environment facing young people.

“Our research shows that access to healthy, affordable food is not equal across Aotearoa. Adolescents living in more vulnerable conditions have fewer opportunities to eat well, and that has lifelong consequences for health.”

Co-author Senior Research Fellow Teresa Gontijo de Castro, also from the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, said the study adds to growing evidence for stronger national action.

“Access to nutritious food shouldn’t depend on where you live or how much you earn. Policy changes are vital to make nutritious food the easy, affordable choice for every young person in New Zealand.”

The researchers are calling for government-led measures to improve the food environment and reduce disparities, including:

• Expanding the Ka Ora, Ka Ako / Healthy School Lunches programme.
• Establishing mandatory restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.
• Establishing mandatory rules to limit the availability of unhealthy foods, including the display of the front-of-pack labelling in all packaged foods sold.
• Improving the affordability of healthy foods and fresh produce.

“If we want to improve young people’s health and wellbeing, we must start by improving the food environments they grow up in. Ensuring all young people can access nutritious food is one of the most effective investments we can make in Aotearoa’s future,” said Dr Gontijo de Castro.

Visiting professor at the University of Auckland, Luciana Tomita (Federal University of Sao Paulo-Brazil) was the lead author of this paper. Her visit to New Zealand was funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel  (CAPES-Print-Brazil).

Read the full paper here DOI:10.1136/bmjnph-2025-001315  
URL: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjnph-2025-001315
 
 

Notes

  • The study analysed data from 4,021 12-year-olds in the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study.
  • It is the most up-to-date national insight into adolescent diet quality since the 2002 National Children’s Nutrition Survey.
  • Two dietary patterns were identified:
                 – High in sugar, refined foods, salt and unhealthy fats (e.g., sugary drinks, confectionery, fast foods, processed meats).
                 – High in core food groups (fruit, vegetables, protein foods, dairy, breads and cereals).
  • Compared to European young people,  Pacific, Māori and Asian adolescents were more likely to follow the high in sugar, salt and fat dietary pattern.
     Those living in food-insecure households were more likely to have diets high in refined products and foods high in sugar, salt and fat compared with adolescents in food-secure homes.
  •  Adolescents living in rural areas were less likely to follow this less healthy dietary pattern than those in urban areas.

The study calls for equity-focused nutrition policies to ensure all adolescents can access affordable, good food.
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Education – Open Letter – Opposition to undermining the Independence and Core Functions of the Teaching Council

Source: NZ Principals Federation

Open Letter follows:
To: Hon Erica Stanford, Minister of Education
From: Otago Primary Principals’ Association (OPPA)
November 2025
Tēnā koe e te Minita,
As school leaders representing primary principals across the Otago region, the Otago Primary Principals’ Association (OPPA) wishes to express our strong opposition to your decision to strip the Teaching Council of its independence and remove its core professional standard-setting functions.
Our first and most important professional obligation is always to our ākonga – past, present, and future.
The codes and standards that guide our practice have been developed by teachers, for teachers, under the oversight of an independent Teaching Council. That independence is essential to ensuring our profession maintains credibility, integrity, and alignment with the deeply held aspirations of teachers, whānau, and communities across Aotearoa.
Your recent announcement claims to “strengthen” initial teacher education (ITE) and workforce governance. However, the proposed changes instead represent a fundamental erosion of professional autonomy and the ability of teachers and principals to have a voice in determining and maintaining the standards of our profession.
When consulted last year regarding a possible “lift and shift” of the Council’s responsibilities for initial teacher education, the teaching profession – including our association – made it clear that while there is a need to strengthen ITE through greater investment and collaboration, the Teaching Council is the appropriate body to oversee the professional requirements for entry and training.
We also made clear that direct political control of professional programmes and standards would constitute overreach and risk politicising the very framework that underpins trust in the profession.
Transferring these responsibilities to the Ministry of Education removes them from a body that has both professional and democratic accountability – a body jointly governed by elected and appointed members.
No evidence has been presented that the Ministry has the capability or the confidence of the profession to assume this work. The Teaching Council’s independence was deliberately established to protect against this type of political interference and to preserve trust in the profession’s ability to regulate itself responsibly.
Now, without any transparent evaluation of previous changes, evidence-based rationale, or consultation with the 100,000+ teachers and leaders whose registration fees fund the Council, you have announced legislative amendments that effectively silence the profession’s voice.
Under your proposed changes, the Ministry of Education will assume responsibility for all professional standard-setting functions – including teacher education programme approval, professional standards, registration and certification criteria, and the Code of Conduct. The Teaching Council would be left with only registration, quality assurance, and disciplinary functions.
Our Critical Concerns
1. Loss of professional and democratic voice
The proposed legislation severely undermines the profession’s autonomy and ability to self-regulate. Reducing elected representation on the Teaching Council from seven to three, while increasing Ministerial appointments, communicates a clear message of distrust toward the profession. It diminishes teachers’ and principals’ voices in setting the direction for teaching and learning in Aotearoa. The removal of the Council’s legislative responsibility to provide professional leadership, enhance the status of the profession, and promote best practice will affect every teacher and leader – not only those involved in initial teacher education.
2. Replacement of independent oversight with political control
These changes strip the Teaching Council of its independence. When the Ministry of Education – as a government department – both writes and enforces the standards and code of conduct, professional judgement and advocacy for ākonga risk being constrained by political priorities. This represents an unprecedented intrusion into the profession’s self-governance.
3. Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations at risk
The current Teaching Council standards require teachers to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, promote culturally responsive practice and recognise the unique status of tangata whenua. Transferring standard-setting powers to the Ministry creates the risk that these commitments could be diluted or removed, aligning with recent government statements that suggest a deprioritisation of Te Tiriti in education.
As principals, we see daily the impact that professional independence has on the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. The Teaching Council provides an essential framework for ensuring that teaching remains a respected, evidence-informed, and ethically grounded profession.
We urge you to reconsider these changes. The Teaching Council must remain independent and accountable to the profession it serves, not to the government of the day. Anything less risks undermining public confidence, professional integrity, and the quality of education for all ākonga in Aotearoa.
Ngā mihi nui,
Kim Blackwood – Arthur Street School
Jen Rogers – St. Clair School
Chris McKinley – Elmgrove School
Verity Harlick – Maori Hill School
Vicki Nicolson – Port Chalmers School
Robyn Wood – George Street Normal School
Stephanie Madden – Abbotsford School
Greg Lees – Fairfield School
Nic Phillips – Karitane School
Greg Hurley – Silverstream School
Deidre Senior – Weston School
Gary Marsh – Balaclava School
Carmel Jolly – Mornington School
Heidi Hayward – Dunedin North Intermediate
Jared Holden – Opoho School
Steve Turnbull – Brockville School
Gareth Swete – Sawyers Bay School
On behalf of the Otago Primary Principals’ Association (OPPA)
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PSA and Firefighters Union take urgent legal action to stop reckless FENZ restructure

Source: PSA

The PSA and the NZ Professional Firefighters Union have filed an urgent application with the Employment Relations Authority arguing FENZ has breached its collective agreement by failing to consult before announcing proposed job cuts.
The joint application was filed with the ERA late yesterday and seeks to stop the proposed restructure announced last week which would cut 140 roles.
“These proposed cuts pose a serious threat to public safety at a time of escalating climate-driven emergencies and must be put on hold before lasting damage is done to FENZ's ability to respond to emergencies,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi. “We are aiming to stop these dangerous job losses.
“FENZ has clear obligations in the collective agreements to consult both the PSA and NZPFU about proposed changes that impact its members – not just their consequences. FENZ only provided an embargoed copy of its proposal to the PSA the day before announcing it to staff.
“The PSA made several attempts between being advised about the restructure on 29 October and 12 November to be consulted, it’s simply not good enough.”
The NZ Professional Firefighters Union said the cuts would impact fire response. NZPFU National Secretary Wattie Watson said; “The workers who face losing their jobs are all critical to ensuring firefighters access the training and support they need to respond to emergencies properly trained and resourced.
“We are deeply concerned about the impacts on our members that are evident in the proposal but also the unseen implications which we believe may be an attack on the necessary increase in career firefighters and decimating training.
“FENZ is not being transparent on the savings that are far more wide reaching than the immediate savings from job losses. FENZ is also unilaterally deciding to reverse parts of a restructure in 2020 that put community resilience and risk reduction roles in place without first engaging with those that do the work to see if any changes need to be made, and if so why and how.”
The PSA and NZPFU are asking the Employment Relations Authority to determine FENZ has breached the collective agreement, has failed to negotiate in good faith as required by law and issue a compliance order stopping any decisions being implemented to allow proper consultation to take place.
Fleur Fitzsimons said; “Workers at FENZ were given a 265-page consultation document and told to provide feedback within two weeks – that's not genuine consultation, it's a box-ticking exercise.
“We're seeking an urgent hearing because FENZ intends to confirm its decisions on 17 December, just before Christmas, leaving many workers and their families facing a bleak holiday period with their jobs on the line.
“The recent Tongariro wildfire was a stark reminder of the need to have a well resourced fire and emergency response. The Government refused to increase insurance levies last year so the buck stops with them. It must step in, stop the cuts and properly fund critical emergency services.”
ENDS
Background
The proposed restructure would cut more than 10% of non-firefighting staff, disestablish all five regional staff teams and close some regional offices and shave 10% off FENZ's annual budget. Impacted roles include wildfire specialists, desktop and network engineers, project managers, business analysts, learning operations coordinators and team leaders, procurement/sourcing specialists, risk reduction advisors, community readiness and recovery advisors, business service coordinators.
Previous statement
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
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Annual food prices increase 4.7 percent – Selected price indexes: October 2025 – Stats NZ news story and information release


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National population estimates: At 30 September 2025 – Stats NZ information release


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Births and deaths: Year ended September 2025 – Stats NZ information release


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BusinessNZ on Gig economy and more at risk

Source: BusinessNZ

The Supreme Court has today ruled that four rideshare drivers should be classified as employees and not contractors, a decision with far-reaching implications for the economy at large, BusinessNZ says.
Chief Executive Katherine Rich says if this becomes the status quo, then the gig economy could collapse as a result.
“These types of businesses have become a part of our work and leisure, and are founded on a contractor model. If the employment status of platform workers becomes too rigid, then the conveniences we’ve come to enjoy could cease to be.
“Likewise if you are contracting with platforms like rideshare or delivery gigs to supplement your primary income, or working across multiple platforms, then you may be forced to re-evaluate.
“Beyond the gig economy, tradespeople, IT consultants and creatives who value flexibility of contracting could be caught out.”
Rich says BusinessNZ has been long calling for a commonsense approach to the gig economy.
“It’s an issue we’ve raised with the Government before and if it isn’t resolved soon, it has the potential to make not just platform work unviable in New Zealand, but puts contracting employment in general at risk.
“BusinessNZ wants to see decisive action on this as soon as possible and give business and contractors certainty that their arrangements will remain flexible.”
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.