First version of list of overseas made building products available in NZ released
The first version of a document listing all international building products now available in New Zealand has been released as the first step in the government's plans to turbo charge the construction sector. Certified Builders Chief Executive Malcom Fleming spoke to Charlotte Cook.
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NZ Herald
19 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Government gives Kiwibank green light to get $500 million capital injection from private sector
Kiwibank to remain at least 51% government owned. Photo / Supplied Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read. Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Already a subscriber? Sign in here Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen. Government gives Kiwibank green light to get $500 million capital injection from private sector Kiwibank to remain at least 51% government owned. Photo / Supplied The Government has given Kiwibank's parent company the green light to raise up to $500 million of capital to help the bank grow. The decision comes as Kiwi Group Holdings has advised the Government there is enough interest among large New Zealand investors to proceed with a capital raise. Kiwi Group Holdings will now start negotiating with KiwiSaver funds, investment institutions, and professional investment groups to try to have a raise completed by June 30, 2026. Any deals will need the approval of shareholding ministers to advance. The terms and conditions of these deals are yet to be negotiated.
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
NorthTec's future debated as locals push to retain unique courses
Lyndon worried about losing educators and their knowledge of specific industries. 'If they go, they will not come back,' she claimed. Lyndon said stories of 'transformation and connection' made possible because of NorthTec had been shared at the hui. 'It was absolutely a positive meeting, it wasn't about attacking NorthTec but promoting the fact that it's so important.' Lyndon said NorthTec was a taonga that needed protecting. Lyndon said a key message from Friday's meeting had been that the Government needed to listen to the community. She explained ensuring viability needed to balance with the region's unique needs. For example, retaining or changing courses that would benefit people across the region - not just in Whangārei. Lyndon said online learning would not work for those in the trades industry and people living in isolated areas. She believed there could be scope for wider courses such as sustainable rural development, for those wanting to build on their whenua. Hūhana Lyndon at the save NorthTec hui on Friday. National MP for Northland Grant McCallum said the Government was working hard to stand NorthTec up as a successful education provider. He said the Minister for Vocational Education Penny Simmonds was conscious of the importance of vocational training institutions as well as Northland's unique needs, which included a dispersed community that needed opportunities to upskill. MP for Northland Grant McCallum said he was working to ensure NorthTec's future was bright despite the need to maintain viability. Photo / NZME McCallum said the Government would be working with a range of industry sectors to establish what was needed. 'They've got to be the right ones for the sector, they've got to be viable and we've got to make sure we're attracting people to [them].' McCallum mentioned how the Government was hoping to provide a facility in Whangārei that gave short block courses and potentially provided accommodation. When asked whether the Raumanga Campus was under threat, he said a range of options were on the table. The Northern Advocate asked if that included Forum North. McCallum replied, saying: 'We want to utilise all the community assets [and we're] working through options at the moment'. McCallum said he understood the enduring challenges with NorthTec, which the Tertiary Education Union had previously stated could mean a growth in distrust and lower enrolment numbers. 'Our job now is to turn that around so we become an educator of choice,' McCallum said. 'It's what we need in Northland, a strong organisation that people see as a good opportunity.' McCallum acknowledged how difficult it has been for staff. 'We understand the urgency; uncertainty is not good for any organisation.' Slatter said although no decisions had been made around campus changes, any such changes would aim to improve vocational education provision. 'If there are developments anywhere in Te Tai Tokerau that would help NorthTec deliver innovative and high-quality learning environments, then we would be interested in exploring them.' Slatter acknowledged changes NorthTec was undergoing involved uncertainty, especially for kaimahi. 'However, enrolments for semester two 2025 are higher than this time last year, and enquiries and applications for 2026 are also up year on year.' Slatter said it was unfortunate that negative rumours could impact learner perceptions and further impact staff. The recent stakeholder hui was positive and focused on ways the community could help resolve barriers to teaching and learning, he said. Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
NZ Herald
5 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Oil and gas ban repeal: Ministers get power over decommissioning costs
The Labour Government in 2021 introduced a law to prevent the Government being lumped with such costs again in future. Resources Minister Shane Jones has vowed to restart the oil and gas industry. He said the aim of the amendment was to close a loophole in that 2021 law. 'It did not seem correct or moral that the Crown should be left with that liability and the people [at fault] – with some very shrewd manoeuverings of script – would escape liability. We have solved that problem,' he told the House. The amendment addresses decommissioning responsibilities, following the costly Tui oil field cleanup. Photo / Supplied The changes replace the process of going through the list of previous permit-holders to figure out who pays for decommissioning, instead putting that decision in the hands of the Resources Minister and the Finance Minister. The amendment also removes several clauses from a previous amendment the minister made to the bill, which itself amends the Crown Minerals Act. Labour's Energy and Resources spokeswoman Megan Woods led the 2021 law change in response to the Tui Oil Field debacle, and told Parliament the changes showed the Government capitulating to the industry's wishes. 'They have bowed to the suggestions of the oil and gas companies and done what they wanted. They have further bowed to the interests of the oil and gas companies in taking eight months to sit with them, find out what they wanted, and then bring a bill back to the House. This is not a government that is putting New Zealand first.' Labour's Deborah Russell pointed out the Regulatory Impact Statement referred to consultation with affected stakeholders. 'Those consulted preferred ministerial discretion to the current act and approach in the bill. In other words, these shadowy participants in the oil and gas industry – a dying industry – who we don't know who they are, much prefer to be able to lobby a minister.' Labour MP Deborah Russell. Photo / Mark Mitchell Jones was unapologetic about those he consulted with. 'Why would you not engage with the stakeholders, the risk-takers, the providers of what precious little gas we have, ruined by the cancel culture.' He was unapologetic about a lack of consultation with others, including iwi. 'So in the future, the engagement will happen. This highly technical matter was not the subject of consultation in a detailed way, it was dealt with with a great deal of confidentiality. And in terms of providing a Māori dimension, I interviewed myself.' The amendment passed with the coalition parties in support, with the opposition parties opposed. The third reading, which would see the oil and gas ban repealed, is expected on Thursday. A gas company warned investors would be cautious about coming back to New Zealand without broad political consensus – and with the opposition parties currently staunchly opposed that consensus seems vanishingly unlikely. The Government also has a $200m fund set aside in this year's Budget to allow the Government to co-invest in new gas fields. It last month pulled out of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, an international coalition for phasing out fossil fuels, in a move the local World Wildlife Fund called an 'international embarrassment'. That was despite the Climate Minister, Simon Watts, previously saying New Zealand would not need to exit the group.
