/news/politics/rss 九一星空无限 Get the latest political and government news from 九一星空无限talk ZB's Beehive team. Sat, 21 Jun 2025 18:52:12 Z en /news/politics/christopher-luxon-raises-cook-islands-impasse-with-chinese-premier-disagrees-with-nato-boss-that-china-in-league-with-russia-to-undermine-west/ /news/politics/christopher-luxon-raises-cook-islands-impasse-with-chinese-premier-disagrees-with-nato-boss-that-china-in-league-with-russia-to-undermine-west/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon brought up New Zealand’s frustrations over China’s engagement with the Cook Islands in his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing yesterday.  Relations between New Zealand and the Cook Islands are strained after Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China without consulting the New Zealand Government.  New Zealand believes this breached a consultation duty from a 2001 declaration that helped to define the rules of New Zealand-Cook Island relation.  New Zealand has paused $18.2m in aid funding as a result.  “I raised with Premier Li a number of issues that are important to New Zealand. In particular, the need for engagement in the Pacific to take place in a manner which advances Pacific priorities,” Luxon said after the trip.  Those remarks appear to echo the words of Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who this month urged the Pacific to stand together and stressed the importance of the centrality of the Pacific Islands Forum in conducting Pacific affairs.  “As we face external pushes into our region to coerce, cajole and constrain, we must stand together as a region – always remembering that we are strongest when we act collectively to confront security and strategic challenges,” Peters said.  “Not all partners have followed this model in recent meetings,” Peters said.  The day before meeting Li, Luxon told media the Cooks bust-up was an issue between New Zealand and the Cook Islands. His remarks after the meeting suggest he sees it as an issue for China as well.  Christopher Luxon inspects Chinese troops on his recent visit. Photo / Thomas Coughlan  Luxon was extremely cautious not to give away any details about his closed-door bilateral meetings with the Chinese leadership, revealing almost nothing of his meeting with Xi, including whether he raised the issue of the Cook Islands.  As Li, Xi’s number 2, is Luxon’s opposite number in China it would be normal protocol for him to have the more detailed discussion. The pair also had dinner on Friday night at the Great Hall of the People.  Brown, meanwhile, told the Cook Islands Parliament the relationship between the “Cook Islands and New Zealand is defined by partnership, not paternalism”.  “Decisions to unilaterally pause core sector support reflect a patronising approach, inconsistent with modern partnership,” he said.  Luxon left Beijing for Europe, where he will attend the Nato summit in the Netherlands.  In 2022, the first year that a New Zealand prime minister attended a Nato summit since Helen Clark’s prime ministership, Nato updated its cornerstone strategic concept to single out China as a security threat for the first time.  Luxon was asked what he thought of Nato’s increasingly hawkish position on China. He appeared to disagree with comments from Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who this month warned China was part of a four-nation effort to wage war against Ukraine.  “China is working together with North Korea, Iran,” Rutte said.  “They are supporting, as we all know, Russia’s war effort against Ukraine. So, these four working together is, of course, a relevant development,” Rutte said.  Luxon disagreed, saying that the countries could be disruptive individually, but were not actively collaborating.  “We haven’t seen evidence of those four powers coordinating actively against the west. We’ve seen bilateral associations, say, with Russia and North Korea with respect to Ukraine.  “We’ve seen bilateral arrangements with, say, Iran and Russia as well, but we haven’t seen those countries come together against the West in that way, so that may be a difference of opinion,” Luxon said.  “I’ve seen different remarks from different leaders. Mark Rutte, a friend of mine, has been pretty direct with his Dutch directness as you would understand. We’ve seen no evidence of China collaborating with Russia or Iran and other countries to coordinate with the West at all,” he said.  Dame Jacinda Ardern, attending the Nato summit in 2022, named China in her speech, saying, “China has in recent times… become more assertive and more willing to challenge international rules and norms”.  However, she added Nato should “resist the temptation to simplify the increasingly complex world in which we live”.  Fri, 20 Jun 2025 23:27:36 Z /news/politics/christopher-luxon-meets-xi-jinping-in-beijing/ /news/politics/christopher-luxon-meets-xi-jinping-in-beijing/ Chinese President Xi Jinping wasted no time in addressing the strains in his country’s relationship with New Zealand describing them as “ups and downs” when he met Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Beijing this morning, local time. In his opening remarks to Luxon, Xi said that in the “50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the China-New Zealand relationship has experienced many ups and downs, but we have always respected each other”. Xi said that China’s relationship with New Zealand has “remained for a long time at the forefront of China’s relationship with Western developed countries and delivered tangible benefits to our two peoples”. Xi referenced his first meeting with Luxon at the Apec summit in Lima, Peru last year, saying that he was “very impressed” with Luxon. “We had a very good first discussion... I remember that you said you wish to further advance bilateral relation The pair shook hands and grinned for the cameras before getting down to business. Xi delivered a short speech welcoming Luxon to China, saying it was a “great pleasure” to meet him again. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, 20 June 2025. “I appreciate your positive attitude, and I’m ready to work together with you for new progress for our comprehensive strategic partnership in a new decade, and this will certainly better serve our two peoples.” Luxon responded by saying it was “real pleasure to be able to return to China”. “The world looks to China as a major global power to play a constructive role in addressing many of the challenges that are facing us all. And in this context, New Zealand’s dialogue with China is more important than ever,” Luxon said. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, 20 June 2025. “The stability in our region and our deep and abiding support for the rules-based system are fundamental to New Zealand’s interests. “To President Xi, our long-standing connections and cooperations supports us to continue our positive, constructive, open and comprehensive discussions as partners should do, and I look forward to discussing many of these matters with you this morning.” Fri, 20 Jun 2025 03:15:51 Z /news/politics/gdp-shows-strong-growth-of-08-in-the-first-quarter-of-2025/ /news/politics/gdp-shows-strong-growth-of-08-in-the-first-quarter-of-2025/ GDP grew at 0.8% in the first quarter of 2025 – stronger than even the most optimistic of economists’ forecasts. Activity increased in the March 2025 quarter across all three high-level industry groups: primary industries, goods-producing industries, and services industries, according to Stats NZ data released today. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) had forecast 0.4% for the quarter, but more recently, the consensus of economists moved to 0.7%. There was a 0.5% rebound in growth in the last quarter of 2024, following a recessionary two quarters of contraction. That number was revised down today from 0.7%. Economists had suggested that if GDP landed at 0.7%, it would lift the odds that the Reserve Bank would leave interest rates on hold at its next meeting in July. Today’s number signals a hold is increasingly likely. “With the economy regaining its footing sooner than expected after last year’s sharp downturn, we continue to expect that the RBNZ will take the opportunity to pause and assess the situation at its July OCR review,” said Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon. “The RBNZ has already factored in a soft 0.2% rise in GDP for the June quarter – partly adjusting for the residual seasonality that has crept into the GDP figures. Our forecast currently sits at 0.6%, but we will assess this in the next couple of weeks." ASB economists agreed but warned there were numerous risks to the outlook. “Stronger GDP means the RBNZ has scope to pause in July,” said ASB’s Wesley Tanuvasa. “We think the Bank will. However, we must stress the risks that face the outlook.” Geopolitical deterioration in the Middle East had pushed oil prices up around 17% since May – presenting significant upside risk to the inflation outlook, he said. With New Zealand having just come out of a period of high inflation, the RBNZ was unlikely to be willing “to tolerate the implications of an inflation spike on pricing behaviour”.But conversely, economic activity since March looked to have “spluttered” and tariff-related ructions still presented downside risks to growth, he said. “A risk of stagflation will require surgical policymaking by the RBNZ. For now, a stronger GDP print suggests the Bank has time – it looks like it will need it." ANZ economist Matthew Galt noted that there was still a round of confidence surveys to come before the RBNZ’s call. “If the RBNZ does pause in July, we expect the Monetary Policy Committee will choose to deliver a 25bp cut in August,” he said. “We continue to expect the OCR to end up in stimulatory territory at 2.5% as the recovery disappoints, but the risks are currently tilted towards this easing arriving more slowly than we are forecasting.” The details “At a more detailed industry level, nine of the 16 industries increased, with the largest rises in business services and manufacturing,” said Stats NZ economic growth spokeswoman Katrina Dewbery. The rise in manufacturing was led by an increase in the production of machinery and equipment. This was reflected in increases for components of both investment and exports associated with this type of manufacturing output. The largest decreases were seen in arts and recreation services, and information, media, and telecommunications. GDP per capita rose 0.5% during the March 2025 quarter. There was little change in the New Zealand dollar following the better-than-expected release. By late morning, the currency was trading at about US60.27c. Liam Dann is business editor-at-large for the New Zealand Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003. Thu, 19 Jun 2025 02:11:08 Z /news/politics/new-zealand-pauses-cook-islands-funding-over-china-deal-stoush/ /news/politics/new-zealand-pauses-cook-islands-funding-over-china-deal-stoush/ New Zealand is pausing its funding to the Cook Islands in the wake of a controversial deal signed between China and the Cook Islands.  Foreign Minister Winston Peters today confirmed funding for the island nation in free association with New Zealand will not resume until the Cook Islands Government “takes concrete steps to repair the relationship and restore trust”.  It comes on the eve of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his current visit to China.  In February, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China before signing the Action Plan for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) 2025-2030, which concerned economic, infrastructure and maritime cooperation, and seabed mineral development.  The deal has prompted international concern over China’s growing presence and influence in the Pacific region.  New Zealand, which provided citizenship and other support to the Cook Islands population through its free association relationship, was caught unawares by the deal, with Peters critical over the lack of communication.  Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, left, and Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters in Rarotonga. 8 February 2024 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon  New Zealand then initiated an assessment of its development programme in the Cook Islands, claiming it was designed to “ensure it wasn’t undermined by the increased cooperation the Cook Islands Government is planning with China“.  Peters’ statement today noted New Zealand had provided almost $200 million to the Cook Islands through its development programme over the past three years.  “The agreements signed by the Cook Islands and China and the lack of consultation with New Zealand about them, illustrate a gap in understanding between the Cook Islands and New Zealand governments about what our special relationship of free association requires,” he said.  “New Zealand hopes that steps will be taken swiftly to address New Zealand’s concerns so that this support can be resumed as soon as possible.”  The issue would no doubt feature in Luxon’s upcoming meetings with Chinese leaders during his current visit to China.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been approached for comment.  Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for 九一星空无限 since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.  Wed, 18 Jun 2025 20:57:18 Z /news/politics/exclusive-national-loses-control-of-cost-of-living-to-labour-in-new-survey/ /news/politics/exclusive-national-loses-control-of-cost-of-living-to-labour-in-new-survey/ The Government’s Budget is doing little to reassure voters National can manage the cost of living with a new poll showing more people back Labour to bring down prices.  The latest Ipsos NZ issues monitor survey, conducted immediately after this year’s Budget and obtained exclusively by the Herald, found National had lost New Zealanders’ confidence in managing inflation/the cost of living with voters instead trusting Labour more to handle what was considered the primary issue in the country.  Overall, Labour was considered more capable in handling 11 of the top 20 issues Kiwis were grappling with, including health, housing, education, transport, immigration and unemployment.  National trumped Labour in only three: the economy, crime and defence/foreign affairs.  The Green Party was considered the authority on climate change and environmental pollution while Te Pāti Māori was the only other party to feature, believed to be the most capable on issues facing Māori.  The survey was conducted after Budget 2025, between May 23 and 30, and sought the views of 1002 New Zealanders aged 18 and older. It had a 3.5% margin of error.  Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon have vowed to tackle cost-of-living issues, but a new poll shows public confidence in the Government is waning. Photo / Mark Mitchell  The results were hardly an endorsement of the coalition Government’s cost-of-living support measures in the Budget, which included increasing prescription durations to 12 months, allowing some SuperGold cardholders to get a rates rebate and Working for Families changes that resulted in $14 more per fortnight for 142,000 families.  With 31% of people backing National on cost-of-living management, it was the survey’s lowest result for the party in two years on the issue that played a pivotal role in the 2023 election.  The opposite was true for Labour, recording 32% support and its highest since May 2023.  The divide on health between the two major parties had grown, Labour fielding 40% support as the most capable while 24% backed National.  Inflation and the cost of living remained the top issue for respondents, 55% saying it was among New Zealand’s top three issues compared with 50% in the previous poll in February.  Health maintained second spot, increasing 2% to 43%, and the economy was third with 32%. Housing and crime rounded out the top five with 25% apiece, the latter at its lowest recorded level since February 2022.  The survey authors observed inflation/cost of living was the primary issue for more people in the 18-34 age bracket, despite the recent cut to the Official Cash Rate and reduced house prices.  Political leaning appeared to have little impact on the top five issues of most importance. The only significant difference was how left-leaning respondents considered poverty/inequality the third most important issue and did not select crime, while right-leaning respondents ranked crime fourth and poverty/inequality didn’t make the top five.  Issues facing Māori, listed as the 10th highest concern in February, had slipped to 17th.  Meanwhile, issues concerning defence, foreign affairs and terrorism had fallen to 1% of people saying it was among the most important issues. The poll was conducted before the Israel-Iran conflict began.  The survey’s rating of the Government’s performance in the past six months out of 10 had stabilised. It came in at 4.3, up 0.1 on the last survey, which was the lowest score since Ipsos’ tracking began in 2017.  Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for 九一星空无限 since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.  Wed, 18 Jun 2025 19:09:11 Z /news/politics/govt-can-override-councils-under-rma-shake-up-chris-bishop-announces/ /news/politics/govt-can-override-councils-under-rma-shake-up-chris-bishop-announces/ The Government will take back power from local councils if their decisions are going to negatively impact economic growth, development or employment.  In a speech to business leaders at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Housing and RMA reform Minister Chris Bishop has announced Cabinet will insert a new regulation power into the Resource Management Act.  Before a minister can use the power they would have to investigate the provision in question, check whether it is consistent with the national direction under the RMA, and engage with the council.  Bishop expected the power to only be necessary until the new planning system was in place, but said it was necessary when councils used their power to stop growth.  Bishop on Wednesday released a discussion document on how proposed housing rule changes would work in with the Government’s resource management reforms.  “Next year we’ll replace the RMA with a new planning system that makes it easier to plan and deliver the housing and infrastructure New Zealand needs.  “The new planning system is an enormous opportunity to create a planning system that enables and encourages housing growth,” Bishop said.  The document provided more details on six planned law changes:  The establishment of Housing Growth Targets for Tier 1 and 2 councils  New rules making it easier for cities to expand outwards at the urban fringe  A strengthening of the intensification provisions in the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD)  New rules requiring councils to enable a greater mixed-use zoning across cities.  The abolition of minimum floor area and balcony requirements  New provisions making the Medium Density Residential Standards optional for councils.  Last month ministers released proposed sweeping changes to rules covering councils’ oversight for public consultation.  Under the proposed Resource Management Act changes, granny flats of up to 70sq m, and papakāinga of up to 10 homes would be allowed without a consent on specific land zones.  Papakāinga would also allow commercial activities of up to 100sq m, conservation activity, accommodation for up to eight guests, along with education, health, sports, marae, urupā and māra kai facilities. Medium papakāinga of up to 30 homes would be considered a “restricted discretionary” activity, with those of more than 30 units becoming “discretionary” activities.  - RNZ  Tue, 17 Jun 2025 21:45:07 Z /news/politics/pm-s-deep-dive-into-michael-forbes-scandal-to-release-findings-in-august/ /news/politics/pm-s-deep-dive-into-michael-forbes-scandal-to-release-findings-in-august/ The public will learn in August what failings are uncovered by the Prime Minister’s “deep dive” into the scandal surrounding his former deputy chief press secretary Michael Forbes. Forbes, who also formerly worked for Minister Louise Upston, resigned earlier this month amid allegations he recorded sex workers without their consent and took photos of women in compromising positions. Police had investigated the allegations in 2024 and decided not to charge Forbes, despite acknowledging his behaviour had been “extremely distressing”. The NZ Police executive team was made aware of the investigation but it wasn’t communicated to the Government or Christopher Luxon’s office, prompting concern given the high security clearance Forbes was afforded while working for Luxon. Luxon immediately launched a “deep-dive” into what had occurred, including whether government agencies could have communicated better with each other. The inquiry was being conducted by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon condemned the behaviour of his former staffer. Photo / Mark Mitchell Chief executive Paul James told the Herald the inquiry didn’t have terms of reference “per se”, but it would look into “the policies, processes and procedures inside DIA around the security clearances and also around device usage and our normal [human resources] policies”. James expected to release findings publicly in August. Officials involved in the inquiry were checking the range of security clearances Parliamentary staff had. Likely in July, they would engage police and the NZ Security Intelligence Service to assess information sharing practices. James said he didn’t expect the inquiry would prompt wide-ranging changes but noted he wanted to remain open minded. “For example, we put the onus on the employee to raise if there’s been a change in their circumstances,” he said. “How easy do we make it for them to raise it with us? “Do we want to systematise how regularly we check in with them or something like that, so it’s an open question for us.” James’ comments were relevant to the circumstances concerning Forbes, as it had been his obligation to disclose the 2024 police investigation to his employer, Ministerial Services, which he did not and left him at risk of blackmail. James, however, didn’t guarantee that arrangement would change, noting such an obligation would be applied through employment agreements and codes of conduct. Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for 九一星空无限 since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland. Tue, 17 Jun 2025 03:22:16 Z /news/politics/government-will-not-agree-to-treaty-settlements-that-dispute-crown-s-sovereignty-today/ /news/politics/government-will-not-agree-to-treaty-settlements-that-dispute-crown-s-sovereignty-today/ Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says the Government will not agree to Treaty settlements that dispute whether the Crown is now sovereign. Goldsmith made the comments to the Māori Affairs select committee this morning amid ongoing negotiations with East Coast iwi Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and hopes a settlement can be reached with the country’s largest iwi, Ngāpuhi. Under the previous Labour Government, an initial deed of settlement with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui was drawn up. It includes the first case of a clause agreeing to disagree on who holds sovereignty. The 12 hapū of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui are based in the eastern Bay of Plenty with an area of interest spanning approximately 190,000ha between Hāwai and Pōtikirua. The deed notes Te Whānau-ā-Apanui consider they are a sovereign nation that never ceded sovereignty to the Crown and retain that sovereignty today, while the Crown considers its sovereignty today as incontrovertible. The differing views are not reconciled in the deed and nothing in the deed is to be taken as the iwi relinquishing that sovereignty. Goldsmith said the Government is uncomfortable with this agree-to-disagree clause and it is not prepared to progress the settlement without that being removed. “It makes it difficult in the sense that you’re signing up to a full and final settlement, but the entity fundamental doesn’t acknowledge the authority of the Crown to do it in one respect, and we weren’t comfortable with that," he says. “The Crown’s position is clear; the Crown is sovereign. The Crown is simply the representation of the democratic will of the people of New Zealand.” Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith at the select committee hearing at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell Goldsmith’s office confirmed this approach would be applied to any settlement negotiated under this Government. This is believed to be the first time an iwi has included such a clause. Former Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little, who led negotiations with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui on behalf of the Crown, told the Herald removing the agree-to-disagree clause on who was sovereign was not needed. Former Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little. Photo / Colin McDiarmid “It’s disappointing because it is unnecessary. The Treaty settlement process is about getting the relationships back on foot [between Crown and iwi] and no one loses anything by including the agree-to-disagree clause the minister wants to remove. “The Crown’s position on whether or not sovereignty was ceded is perfectly credible, but it is not going to be agreed to,” Little said, adding that such conversations could be continued outside of settlement negotiations. “Right now, the critical thing is to restore to the best extent we can some of the economic base that was lost through colonisation.” Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism. Tue, 17 Jun 2025 03:12:38 Z /news/politics/labour-mps-apologise-for-swearing-at-acting-pm-david-seymour/ /news/politics/labour-mps-apologise-for-swearing-at-acting-pm-david-seymour/ Labour MP Deborah Russell has apologised for swearing at acting Prime Minister David Seymour to kick off a tetchy select committee hearing.  Seymour, who is acting PM while Christopher Luxon is travelling to China, today fronted the finance and expenditure select committee so members could scrutinise the budget for his new Ministry of Regulation as part of Parliament’s scrutiny week.  During Seymour’s brief initial remarks to committee members, Russell and fellow Labour MP Megan Woods could be heard conversing.  After Seymour had concluded, National MP Ryan Hamilton alerted committee chairman and National MP Cameron Brewer to a “rather unparliamentary outburst” from Russell during the minister’s comments and claimed he wanted to check whether that indicated the standard of committee behaviour.  Brewer seemed happy to move on after noting any such behaviour would warrant the application of Parliament’s rules called Standing Orders.  However, Seymour quickly piped up, asking Russell what she had said.  “It’s something I should have kept under my breath,” Russell responded.  “Well, just tell, people would like to know,” Seymour replied.  “I believe I said, ‘For f**** sake’ in response to something you said,” Russell said bluntly, to which Seymour chuckled.  “That’s the standard of the Labour Party, they’re swearing already,” he proclaimed with a grin.  Acting PM David Seymour was in select committee this morning. Photo / Mark Mitchell  Russell confirmed to Brewer she had withdrawn the comment and apologised.  Labour MP Duncan Webb appeared to follow Russell’s example, claiming later in the committee meeting Seymour was “making s*** up”.  Webb questioned Seymour about his comments around the Ministry of Regulation’s work around flour dust standards.  Webb wasn’t happy with Seymour’s comments, accusing him of conflating Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment advice with a change in regulations.  “Time and again, you [Seymour] have suggested that you have changed the rules ... do you want to correct that, or are you going to keep saying things which are not accurate?”  As Seymour was answering, he was cut off by Webb who told him he was, “making s*** up”.  When challenged, Webb said he was “not here to answer your [Seymour’s] questions”, before apologising for swearing.  It wasn’t the only political tension from the morning’s select committee.  Green MP Francisco Hernandez arrived at Parliament’s Bowen House wheeling a trolley of boxes containing “25,000 pages of Yellow Tape” - a nod to Seymour’s repeated claim his ministry was designed to reduce ineffective and restrictive regulation.  Unfortunately for Hernandez, the trolley didn’t make it into the select committee room. He instead carried one box in with him that he kept at his feet.  Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for 九一星空无限 since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.  Mon, 16 Jun 2025 22:59:40 Z /news/politics/pharmac-makes-u-turn-and-will-fund-estradot-and-mylan-oestradiol-patches-from-late-2025/ /news/politics/pharmac-makes-u-turn-and-will-fund-estradot-and-mylan-oestradiol-patches-from-late-2025/ Pharmac has made a funding U-turn and announced it will fund two brands of hormone replacement patches – Estradot and Estradiol TDP Mylan – from December. People will be able to use either brand of patch, subject to availability. Pharmac, the government agency that decides which medicines and related products are funded, announced plans last year to switch the supplier of hormone replacement patches for menopausal women to Estradiol TDP Mylan transdermal patches. The move came after the factory that made Estradot could not keep up with increasing global demand. The decision to switch the supplier without public consultation was criticised, with one doctor saying women felt blindsided by the decision. As a result, Pharmac asked for feedback on a proposal to fund both the Estradot and Estradiol TDP Mylan brands of oestradiol patches. More than 1100 people responded to the consultation and, according to Pharmac, the majority of the feedback was supportive of the dual-funded approach. Associate Health Minister David Seymour has welcomed the funding U-turn by Pharmac. Photo / Mark Mitchell Associate Health Minister David Seymour said the oestradiol patch funding decision is an example of Pharmac’s new patient-centric approach. “I’m pleased to see Pharmac’s responsiveness to the voices of patients by funding both brands. This decision reflects our commitment to a more adaptable and patient-centric approach. “The community let Pharmac know that they weren’t consulted enough on the original decision. Pharmac has learnt from this and has added an additional consultation step to its annual tender process to seek feedback when considering a medicine brand change.” Demand for oestradiol patches has increased significantly in New Zealand and internationally, and the manufacturer of Estradot has been unable to produce enough to keep up. Last year it was reported that around one in 10 women who use hormone patches said they were unable to source the menopause treatment at all. “There may still be times when Estradot isn’t available for everyone who needs it,” said Pharmac’s manager of pharmaceutical funding Adrienne Martin. “That’s why having another funded brand available is so important.” To help manage supply, both brands will continue to have a two-patch per week limit on each strength. People will also continue to receive one month’s supply at a time from their pharmacy. Pharmac said it will continue to monitor supply and review the patch limit and dispensing rules in 12 months, depending on the supply outlook. Mon, 16 Jun 2025 03:35:02 Z /news/politics/foreign-minister-winston-peters-speaks-as-israeliran-conflict-escalates/ /news/politics/foreign-minister-winston-peters-speaks-as-israeliran-conflict-escalates/ Foreign Minister Winston Peters is set to address media amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. It comes as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon calls for a more stable Middle East as he prepares to leave for China this week before continuing north to Europe to attend the Nato leaders’ summit in The Hague. Peters will speak to reporters at Parliament about 1.30pm. A livestream of the press conference can be found at the top of this article. Israel launched missiles against Iran on Friday night (local time), striking key nuclear sites, including the Natanz uranium facility in northern Iran, and plants in both Fordow and Isfahan. Netanyahu has maintained that Israel’s attack on Iran was a “pre-emptive strike”, intended to dismantle a covert operation dedicated to building a nuclear bomb. The two countries have since traded devastating attacks, some directed at residential areas. According to reports, Iran’s health ministry said three days of Israeli strikes on the country had killed 224 people and injured more than 1200. Luxon today told Herald NOW’s Ryan Bridge he wanted to see the Middle East “stable, secure and peaceful”. “MFAT [the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade] have been monitoring this since the middle of last week. and so they’re looking after our own staff. “NZDF have a number of staff in the region as well, often on peacekeeping missions.” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is calling for calm in the Middle East. Photo / Michael Craig He confirmed all Kiwi staff were safe. MFAT had advised all New Zealanders to leave Israel and any occupied Palestinian territories amid the Iran conflict. Peters would also likely address New Zealand joining Australia, Canada, Britain and Norway in issuing travel bans on high-profile Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir due to their actions related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Speaking last week, Peters described the two ministers as “using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution”. “New Zealand is a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution. Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have severely and deliberately undermined that by personally advocating for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while inciting violence and forced displacement,” he said. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned countries that had applied sanctions. “These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war. “We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. “We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.” Luxon, speaking to reporters last week, said the sanctions were targeted at the politicians because of their “extremist rhetoric”, including when it came to settlements in the West Bank. He said New Zealand had “huge respect” for what the Americans were trying to do to achieve a ceasefire. Mon, 16 Jun 2025 02:43:07 Z /news/politics/christopher-luxon-tops-list-of-world-leaders-ranked-by-confidence-in-handling-foreign-affairs-australian-poll-reveals/ /news/politics/christopher-luxon-tops-list-of-world-leaders-ranked-by-confidence-in-handling-foreign-affairs-australian-poll-reveals/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon heads to China and Europe this week as the world leader Australians feel most confident to do the right thing regarding foreign affairs. The Lowy Institute, a well-known Australian think tank, has today released its annual poll on how Australians view international matters. It’s been running for more than two decades, with the group calling it the “leading Australian survey on foreign affairs”. A key section of the poll reveals Australians’ feelings towards a range of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and an assortment of others. On the question of how much confidence respondents have in each leader “to do the right thing regarding world affairs”, Luxon comes out on top. The results show 63% of respondents had either some confidence or a lot of confidence in the New Zealand leader. Just 14% had either no confidence or not a lot. The rest either weren’t sure or didn’t know who he was. Following Luxon is French President Emmanuel Macron (61%), Albanese (60%), Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (60%), Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy (59%) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (59%). On the bottom of the list is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who only received confidence from 4% of respondents. He’s below Russian President Vladimir Putin (8%), Jinping (16%), and Trump (25%). The Lowy Institute’s report notes that Luxon’s two predecessors as Prime Minister – Chris Hipkins and Jacinda Ardern – both previously topped the poll. In 2023, Hipkins had a confidence rating of 72%, while Ardern’s was 87% in 2022. In 2021, a massive 91% of people had confidence in Ardern’s handling of foreign affairs. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon heads overseas this week. Photo / Mark Mitchell The report also finds that Australians felt the most “warm” towards New Zealand, though New Zealand has held the top spot every year this question has been asked. One question asked of participants was what country or territory comes closest to implementing their ideal form of government. Australia comes out on top, mentioned by 24% of respondents, followed by New Zealand (9%). The poll’s methodology says it surveyed 2117 Australians between March 3 and 16. It has a margin of error of approximately 2.1%. Its release on Monday comes ahead of the Prime Minister travelling to China on Tuesday morning during which he will meet with Jinping. The focus will be growing trade, with China being New Zealand’s largest trading partner. Following that, Luxon will visit Brussels and the Hague for a series of bilateral meetings as well as the Nato Summit. While New Zealand is not a full member of Nato, it participates on the sideline as a member of the Indo-Pacific Four. The trip also comes amid military action between Israel and Iran, which Luxon last week said could be “potentially catastrophic” for the region. He’s called on countries involved to use diplomacy rather than military means to settle issues. Mon, 16 Jun 2025 01:46:11 Z /news/politics/greenpeace-warns-govt-oilgas-ban-reversal-will-open-up-mining-across-nz/ /news/politics/greenpeace-warns-govt-oilgas-ban-reversal-will-open-up-mining-across-nz/ Greenpeace is sounding the alarm as Government minister Shane Jones extols the benefits of reversing the oil and gas exploration ban, including opening up “all acreage” of New Zealand for mining. Jones, speaking at the Asia Pacific Energy Assembly in Singapore this week in his capacity as Resources and Associate Energy Minister, told attendees that reversing the ban would come with a new “open market application” process for companies seeking to mine the country’s resources. He explained the change meant “all acreage is open for application” and not restricted to certain areas determined by the Government. Before the 2018 ban that confined any mining to the Taranaki region, exploration permits were allocated through the “block offer” process, through which the Government selected possible areas for mining based on their prospectivity and commercial interest, which companies could then bid for. In his speech, Jones acknowledged his ongoing advocacy for increased mining activity around the South Island’s West Coast while encouraging companies to think further afield. “Although there is still much to do on the West Coast, we don’t want you to constrain your thinking to just that part of our beautiful country,” he said. “New Zealand has frontier offshore basins off the east coast of both islands. We have the East Coast basin, Canterbury basin, and the Great South Basin. “For these, there are existing open geodata sets with our regulators and companies such as SLB, here with us, who have still confidential commercial exploration data available to you.” Jones also noted the Government’s decision in Budget 2025 to set aside $200 million to co-invest in domestic mining projects, saying it would be “business case-based with a likely government stake of up to 15% for each successful project”. “Having skin in the game as a cornerstone investor demonstrates our own commitment to meeting our future gas needs,” Jones said. “If we really want to address the current reality that we rely on imported coal, not domestic gas, to get through winter, we must be prepared to stand alongside our petroleum sector as a co-investor.” Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop condemned the change to the application process and warned it risked turning New Zealand into a “free-for-all” for the oil and gas industry. “Ending the oil and gas exploration ban was bad enough – but this entirely new free-for-all approach could see multinational oil corporations carrying out risky deep-sea drilling anywhere in New Zealand’s oceans. “Opening up all of New Zealand’s ocean and land to oil and gas exploration is reckless – it flies in the face of what the science says is needed to avoid climate catastrophe.” Jones, through a statement, told the Herald a permit would grant the right to explore or mine, but it would not grant environmental consents, meaning a resource consent was required. Fri, 13 Jun 2025 04:37:14 Z /news/politics/gender-equality-new-zealand-drops-in-global-ranking-for-the-first-time-in-four-years-here-s-why/ /news/politics/gender-equality-new-zealand-drops-in-global-ranking-for-the-first-time-in-four-years-here-s-why/ For the first time in four years, New Zealand has slipped in a global ranking that tracks a country’s progress towards achieving gender equality. The Labour Party fears the drop will continue following the Government’s swift pay equity changes, which lift the threshold for making claims and narrow what roles groups can compare themselves to. But the Government says the new approach makes the system more robust after claims had previously been able to progress without strong evidence that women were being undervalued compared to men for the same work. The World Economic Forum’s annual Global Gender Gap report shows New Zealand has dropped from fourth to fifth place out of 148 countries largely due to the number of women in top political decision-making roles. Protesters rally outside Minister Brooke van Velden’s electorate office in St John, Auckland, opposing the Government’s pay equity legislation. Photo / Jason Dorday The report, which is the longest-running of its kind in the world, reviews the impact of a country’s gender equality efforts on health, education, the economy and politics. It measures the outcomes of those efforts such as wage parity between men and women for similar work, literacy rates, university enrolments, life expectancy and the representation of women in Parliament. New Zealand ranks highly across education (1st equal with 35 other countries), eighth for the percentage of women in Parliament and 36th for the number of women in ministerial positions. The report ranks countries on how close they are to achieving full equality (marked as 100%) across these measures then calculates an average to produce the overall score. The Global Gender Gap report's top ten ranking over time. Photo / Supplied New Zealand’s overall gender parity score was 82.7%, a slight decline from the previous 2024 report figure (83.5%), but enough to be overtaken by the UK after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appointed a record number of women to his cabinet. New Zealand steadily climbed in the rankings from tenth place in 2015 to a peak of fourth from 2021 to 2024. That period covers the 2021 historic high of 61 women parliamentarians, compared with 60 men, under the previous Labour government. This was the first time New Zealand had reached equal gender representation in Parliament. Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with predecessor and current Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Photo / Mark Mitchell The number of women MPs dropped following the 2023 election that October to 57. Currently, four of the 14 ministers in Cabinet are women. In New Zealand, one way officials measure gender parity is with the gender pay gap, which calculates the difference in median hourly pay for men and women. The current pay gap is 8.2%. Labour’s spokesperson for women Carmel Sepuloni said New Zealand was moving in the wrong direction “after years of making good progress”. Protestors protest outside Parliament for pay equity for women. Photo / Marty Melville, NZ Herald “What concerns me is this report doesn’t even take into consideration what we’ve seen recently with what we’ve seen recently in New Zealand with the Government slashing pay equity for women. “If we look at the information in the report, we see quite the backslide from the early 2000s through to the 2010s where we move from a ranking of five to a ranking of 10. What I’m concerned about now is [whether] we are seeing another backslide of that nature.” Mps, including Labour's Carmel Sepuloni, join a protest at Parliament prompted by the Government's pay equity reforms. Photo / Marty Melville Although it would not take into account the actual pay equity legislation, which was passed under urgency last month, upcoming reports could consider relevant flow-on effects which negatively affected women. Sepuloni said the Government’s recent pay equity changes, which prompted significant outrage and protest, were a “slap in the face” for women who endured a “hard fought battle” over decades to improve pay conditions for women. The new pay equity legislation, which was rushed through under urgency in May, prompted former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring to assemble a line-up of former MPs to form their own “people’s select committee” to hear “the evidence Parliament should have heard” on recent pay equity changes. The committee, which includes ex-Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta, will convene on August 11. Former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring will lead a people's select committee on pay equity reforms. Photo / Dean Purcell Nicola Grigg, Minister for Women, said although New Zealand had slipped in the ranking, it remained in the top five globally. “This is a strong position, reflecting long-term commitment.” Recent changes to pay equity would make the system “make it more robust, workable and sustainable” and “identify genuine sex-based discrimination in the workplace”. “New Zealand’s system remains more liberal than many listed in the 2025 Gender Gap Index, for example. Having a fair pay equity system and giving businesses resources to reduce the gender pay gap contributes towards achieving gender equality.” Minister for Women Nicola Grigg. Grigg said measuring gaps in pay for women and men was complex and nuanced with around 80% of contributing factors being “unexplained”, like hiring bias. The Government last year launched a Gender Pay Gap Toolkit to help them address these complex issues. “Since launching the calculator toolkit, we’ve had great engagement with over 23000 visits to the site. “I’m pleased businesses are using the resources now available as it will take a concerted effort across business, organisations, and Government to reduce the gender pay gap and uplift women overtime.” Fri, 13 Jun 2025 03:13:54 Z /news/politics/christopher-luxon-speaks-on-potentially-catastrophic-israel-iran-incident-heads-to-china-europe/ /news/politics/christopher-luxon-speaks-on-potentially-catastrophic-israel-iran-incident-heads-to-china-europe/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says military action between Israel and Iran could be “potentially catastrophic” for the Middle East. He addressed media in Wellington on Friday shortly after Israel launched a “pre-emptive strike” on Iran. The aerial attack on Tehran was intended to target Iran’s nuclear programme, Israeli officials are reported internationally as saying. Israel is preparing for a counter-attack, with the Government declaring a special emergency across the country. Luxon was briefed on the situation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade before his press conference. The situation was an “unwelcome development” for the Middle East and a “huge concern to us”, the Prime Minister said. “The risk of miscalculation is high. That region does not need any more military action and the risk associated with that.” He said he wanted to see the parties come together and have conversations. The United States has been attempting to negotiate an agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear programme. Those conversations were a better pathway forward than military action, the Prime Minister said. The immediate focus for New Zealand was on consular staff in the region, and he reiterated that the Government had been telling Kiwis “for some time now, do not travel to Iran”. “The last thing this region needs is more instability. This is potentially catastrophic for the Middle East, and we don’t want to see that happen.” Luxon said New Zealand had put sanctions on two Israeli ministers for “extremist rhetoric”. “Military action is not solving problems here.” Also at the press conference, Luxon confirmed New Zealand would communicate its thoughts to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the Air India plane crash in the city of Ahmedabad. The PM, who used to head Air New Zealand, said he would also speak with New Zealander Campbell Wilson, the chief executive of Air India, whom he already knows. Prime Minister to meet President Xi and President Trump In China, he will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing. He will also visit Shanghai and travel with a business delegation. Luxon will also be visiting Europe, attending the Nato leaders’ summit in The Hague and visiting Brussels for meetings with EU leaders. US President Donald Trump is expected to attend the Nato summit. Other European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, are also expected to be in attendance. New Zealand is not a member of Nato, but is invited to the summit as a member of the Indo-Pacific 4 (IP4) nations, a group that includes Australia, Japan and South Korea. The Prime Minister of New Zealand has attended every Nato leaders’ summit since 2022. “China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner and a vital part of our economic story,” Luxon said. A significant goal of the trip will be to try to assist the recovery of tourism and international education. “This visit is about backing the recovery of international education and tourism and putting New Zealand front and centre as a world-class destination for travel, study, and long-term connection,” Luxon said. China is keen for New Zealand to reciprocate a level of visa waiver travel for tourists, allowing Chinese tourists to arrive in New Zealand without a visa. This is unlikely, however, given the number of Chinese visitors who overstay their visas or try to claim asylum under the current system. Luxon will be accompanied to China by the 2025 Te Matatini champions, Te Kapa Haka o Ngatī Whakaue. He will celebrate Matariki in China. Luxon said in Europe, he was looking forward to " forging stronger links with businesses and investors as part of our wider plan to rebuild New Zealand’s economy”. “Prosperity is only possible with security, and our discussions will focus on connections between the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security environments. Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:53:50 Z /news/politics/labour-overtakes-national-in-post-budget-poll-economy-top-issue-for-new-zealanders/ /news/politics/labour-overtakes-national-in-post-budget-poll-economy-top-issue-for-new-zealanders/ Labour has overtaken National in the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll, which was conducted this month after the controversial pay equity changes and the Government delivering the Budget. NZ First leader Winston Peters’ net favourability is also now positive, the only leader of the three Government parties to be able to claim that. Also, for the first time since October last year, the cost of living is no longer New Zealanders’ top issue, with it being replaced by the economy more generally. According to the results released today, Labour is on 34.8%, up 1.6 points since the last poll in May. National is down 1.1 points to 33.5%. Among the smaller parties, Act is down 0.4 to 9.1%, the Greens have fallen 0.9 to 8.2% and New Zealand First has lost 1.3 points to 6.1%. Te Pāti Māori remains under the 5% threshold at 3.3% (down 0.6) but would enter Parliament if it secured an electorate seat. While Labour is in front of National, the centre-right bloc would still be able to govern. National gets 42 seats, Act receives 12 and NZ First has eight, a total of 62. That’s compared with 60 for the centre-left, made up of 44 for Labour, 10 for the Greens and six for Te Pāti Māori. Since the previous Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll, Peters has made it clear he won’t work with Labour if the party is still led by Chris Hipkins. A new poll shows it's close between Labour and National. Photo / 九一星空无限 In terms of preferred Prime Minister, National’s Christopher Luxon is at 20.3% (down 4.2 points), while Labour’s Hipkins is down 1.5 points to 18.5%. Peters is at 8% (down 0.1), Act’s David Seymour is at 6% (down 0.7) and the Greens’ co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick is at 5.6% (up 0.6). Meanwhile, Peters has jumped into positive net favourability territory. In this poll, he is sitting at +1%, just behind Hipkins, who is on +3.2%. Peters’ coalition partners are in the negative. Luxon is at -8.6% and Seymour is on -17.6%. Despite Kiwis souring on the Government parties, they are slightly more positive about the country’s direction than in the last poll. The results have 39.6% of New Zealanders thinking the country is heading in the right direction, up 6.3 points, compared with 47.6% who say it’s going in the wrong direction. That is a net -8%, compared with a net -13% last month. The poll results show the economy is the most important issue for 20.2% of voters (up 3.7 points), followed by the cost of living at 18.1% (down 8.3 points). Health is next on 11.9% (down five points), then employment on 5.8% and the environment on 4.5%. Unlike the previous Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll released in early May, this poll captures the mood of New Zealand after the Government’s controversial changes to the pay equity regime and also Budget 2025. The Government’s pay equity changes make it more difficult for people to make claims. While ministers argued the adjustments were necessary to keep the scheme fit for purpose, the Opposition said ministers were cutting into future potential settlements to pay for their Budget. Budget Day revealed the Government would save nearly $13 billion through the changes. Also among the headline announcements at the Budget was a new tax incentive for businesses in the form of Investment Boost and changes to KiwiSaver. A Talbot Mills Research poll reported by the Herald last month showed it had tested poorly with voters. Asked whether they thought the Budget delivered on May 22 would be good for New Zealand overall, bad, or would not make much of a difference, 33% said it would be bad and 22% thought it would be good. “We’ve been measuring New Zealanders’ reception of government budgets for nearly 30 years. This is the worst we’ve ever recorded,” said David Talbot, director of Talbot Mills Research. The poll was conducted by Curia Market Research Ltd for the Taxpayers’ Union. It is a random poll of 1,000 adult New Zealanders and is weighted to the overall adult population. It was conducted by phone (landlines and mobile) and online between Saturday 07 and Monday 09 June 2025, has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1% and 6.1% were undecided on the party vote question. Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub Press Gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards. Thu, 12 Jun 2025 02:49:51 Z /news/politics/nicola-willis-criticises-reserve-bank-over-handling-of-adrian-orr-resignation-chair-admits-regret/ /news/politics/nicola-willis-criticises-reserve-bank-over-handling-of-adrian-orr-resignation-chair-admits-regret/ The Finance Minister has told the Reserve Bank chairman that his organisation did not appropriately handle how it communicated information relating to the resignation of former governor Adrian Orr more than three months ago. The chair, Neil Quigley, has now owned up to the bank being “late” in responding to official requests for information and has said it will be looking at how to improve its responses in the future. After the central bank yesterday released information about the resignation, Nicola Willis provided a statement saying it was her view “that it would have been appropriate for the bank to share that information earlier”. Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, Willis elaborated, saying she had made that message clear directly to Quigley. “I have spoken to their chairperson Neil Quigley and expressed my view they did not manage that Official Information Act request well and I expect them to do better,” the Finance Minister said. She also said that Quigley had “acknowledged they could have and should have done better”. Quigley at that point had not acknowledged this publicly. But in a statement issued a few hours after Willis’ comments, he admitted the bank was “late in producing a response to some of the OIAs we received” “I regret that this delay occurred,” he said. “The circumstances and the volume of information associated with the OIAs on Adrian Orr’s resignation were complex, and we needed to be sure that our consideration of relevant information was comprehensive. “As well as our obligations under the Official Information Act, we needed to take into careful consideration the former Governor’s exit agreement and privacy law. For this reason, we extended consultation on the information and our response, including review by senior external counsel.” He said he was limited in what he could say on the day Orr resigned “both by the terms of his exit agreement and the fact that we were still working through finalisation of the detail of the next Five-Year Funding Agreement (FYFA)”. “We were conscious of the need to explain to staff of the RBNZ the potential implications for staffing levels of a lower level of funding and needed time to consider the details of that,” Quigley added. “We are taking into account the feedback that we have received on our management of these OIA requests and looking carefully at how we can improve our response times in the future.” The Herald has contacted the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) today for comment from the board’s chairman. Willis said earlier that agencies must “comply with their statutory obligations” and “wherever possible, are open and transparent with New Zealanders”. “Of course, they need to balance that against their legal obligations when it comes to employment discussions and agreements, but on this one, I think they could have pulled their socks up.” It comes after the central bank finally revealed to the public why Orr resigned out of the blue in March, a bombshell decision that was never adequately explained at the time and has led to months of speculation. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has criticised the bank's handling of the information. Photo / George Heard Following the resignation, the Herald, like other media outlets and commentators, requested communications and briefings about the decision under the Official Information Act (OIA). After several delays, the Reserve Bank yesterday provided a summary of those documents, rather than releasing them individually. It decided to withhold information for various reasons – such as privacy and to maintain legal privilege – and didn’t believe the public interest outweighed these grounds. The statement confirmed Orr resigned as he wanted more funding for the central bank than what the Government was willing to provide. “Mr Orr and the RBNZ chair, Professor Neil Quigley, attended a meeting with the Minister of Finance and Treasury officials on 24 February. By then it was clear that the board was willing to agree to a considerably lesser amount than the amount Mr Orr thought was the minimum necessary,” the RBNZ said in its summary. This, according to the bank, led to Orr deciding “he had achieved all he could as Governor of the Reserve Bank and could not continue in that role with significantly less funding than he thought was viable for the organisation”. “Mr Orr and Professor Quigley entered discussions which led to Mr Orr’s decision to resign. The matter was distressing for Mr Orr. Both parties engaged senior counsel to negotiate an appropriate exit agreement. In the circumstances, an immediate departure and special leave for Mr Orr was appropriate, although he agreed to provide handover support.” Willis said in her statement yesterday that she became aware on February 27 that employment discussions had begun. She was not involved as it was an employment matter between Orr and the bank. “While I have always been able to speculate that Mr Orr’s views on funding may have contributed to his resignation, I did not view it as proper for me to speculate on that matter when I was not a party to the employment discussions that led to his resignation.”  Reserve Bank chairman Neil Quigley has always described it as a "personal" decision by Orr. Photo / Mark Mitchell The Herald asked Quigley on the day Orr resigned whether any disagreement over funding had contributed to the then governor’s decision to quit. Quigley did not confirm that, instead saying the bank was working through “some views” about funding and finalising its submission to the minister. “That conversation about funding has involved the normal challenge that you would expect and has been constructive, so the board is managing that process,” he said. In the aftermath of the resignation, the Reserve Bank began internally trying to keep staff on message, emphasising that Orr’s decision to resign was “personal”. The documents released primarily relate to an extensive communications plan about the resignation. The situation was codenamed “Project Baroda”. A series of answers to different questions were produced in case staff were asked about the resignation. None of the answers were upfront about what led to Orr’s resignation. The matter of funding had been bubbling away for a while. In September last year, the RBNZ bid for more than $1 billion of government funding for the five years to 2030. Treasury advised Willis the proposal didn’t provide good value for money. In mid-February, Orr wrote to the board to explain why he believed it should push for the funding it believed it needed. The meeting referenced in the Reserve Bank’s summary occurred on February 24. The Herald previously revealed Willis told a press secretary not to discuss with reporters the nature of that meeting. On February 27, Willis became aware of the employment discussions. The Herald also published an article about the minister suggesting to the bank it may need to trim its expectations around funding. Orr resigned on March 5. Nine days later, the RBNZ submitted a more modest bid for $786 million of funding. Then in mid-April, Willis confirmed the RBNZ’s five-year funding package would total nearly $776m – 8% more than the funding it received in the five years to 2025. Willis reappointed Quigley chair mid-last year. This was despite the fact the Reserve Bank board recommended Orr be reappointed governor – a move Willis opposed when in Opposition. Thu, 12 Jun 2025 02:07:15 Z /news/politics/united-states-condemns-new-zealand-and-other-countries-for-sanctions-on-israeli-politicians/ /news/politics/united-states-condemns-new-zealand-and-other-countries-for-sanctions-on-israeli-politicians/ The United States has condemned sanctions imposed by New Zealand and other countries on two members of the Israeli Government. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has responded by saying he is confident the sanctions are “the right course of action for us”, but New Zealand has “huge respect” for what the US is trying to do to achieve a ceasefire between the parties in Gaza. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters on Wednesday morning announced New Zealand was joining with international partners – Australia, Canada, Britain and Norway – to issue travel bans on high-profile Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. The Israeli Finance Minister and National Security Minister were described by Peters as “using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution”. “New Zealand is a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution. Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have severely and deliberately undermined that by personally advocating for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while inciting violence and forced displacement,” said Peters. “New Zealand’s consistent and historic position has been that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law. Settlements and associated violence undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution.” The New Zealand minister said the action wasn’t “against the Israeli people”, who he acknowledged had “suffered immeasurably on October 7 and who have continued to suffer through Hamas’ ongoing refusal to release all hostages”, nor against the wider Israeli Government. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) has condemned the decision to impose sanctions on two Israeli ministers. Photo / Getty Images But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has now responded with a statement saying the US condemns the countries for their sanctions. “These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” said Rubio. “We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. “We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.” Luxon, speaking to reporters this afternoon, said the sanctions were targeted at the politicians because of their “extremist rhetoric”, including when it came to settlements in the West Bank. He said New Zealand had “huge respect” for what the Americans were trying to do to achieve a ceasefire. “We have a good relationship with the American Administration. We have differences in approach. The Americans are doing an excellent job behind the scenes in trying to get Israel and the Palestinians to the table to talk about an immediate ceasefire.” Luxon confirmed New Zealand would not roll back the sanctions as the US wanted, saying the current approach was “the right course of action for us”. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is standing by New Zealand's approach. Photo / Dean Purcell According to overseas reporting, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said the countries’ sanctions were an “outrageous” decision. “I discussed it earlier today with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, and we will hold a special Government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision,” said Sa’ar. According to the ABC, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the US had been contacted overnight about the sanctions. “There are occasions on which in our alliance [with the US] we have had differences of views and differences of approach, but obviously there remains a great deal of strategic alignment across many domains,’ the ABC reported. Peters, who is in Europe for meetings, said the sanctions were consistent with how New Zealand had approached other foreign policy issues, such as placing travel bans on politicians from Russia. “The crisis in Gaza has made returning to a meaningful political process all the more urgent. New Zealand will continue to advocate for an end to the current conflict and an urgent restart of the Middle East peace process.” Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards. Wed, 11 Jun 2025 03:06:37 Z /news/politics/us-calls-nz-travel-bans-on-israeli-ministers-unhelpful-in-gaza-ceasefire/ /news/politics/us-calls-nz-travel-bans-on-israeli-ministers-unhelpful-in-gaza-ceasefire/ The United States has denounced sanctions by Britain and four mutual allies, including New Zealand, against Israeli far-right ministers, saying they should focus instead on the Palestinian armed group Hamas.  “We find that extremely unhelpful. It will do nothing to get us closer to a ceasefire in Gaza,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.  Britain, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Australia “should focus on the real culprit, which is Hamas”, she said of the sanctions.  “We remain concerned about any step that would further isolate Israel from the international community.”  Five nations ban ministers  The five Western countries imposed sanctions on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for “repeated incitements of violence” against Palestinians.  The two ministers faced repeated criticism but no formal sanctions under former US President Joe Biden. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has vowed unstinting support for Israel.  “If our allies want to help, they should focus on supporting Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff’s negotiations and backing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation when it comes to food and aid,” she said.  The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed aid in coordination with the Israeli military, an effort criticised by the United Nations and longstanding aid groups, which say it violates humanitarian principles.  Spokesperson for the US Department of State Tammy Bruce. Photo / Andrew Thomas, Middle East Images via AFP  - Agence France-Presse  Tue, 10 Jun 2025 22:27:12 Z /news/politics/nz-joins-allies-in-banning-israeli-politicians-over-gaza-remarks/ /news/politics/nz-joins-allies-in-banning-israeli-politicians-over-gaza-remarks/ New Zealand has placed a travel ban on two “extremist” Israeli politicians over their comments about the war in Gaza.  The Government has banned ultra-nationalists Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, from entering New Zealand in a joint decision with the UK, Australia, Canada and Norway.  “New Zealand has joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in placing travel bans on two extremist Israeli politicians," Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement this morning.  The bans will prevent Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, from travelling to New Zealand.  Peters said that New Zealand remained in favour of a two-state solution and the Israeli ministers “severely and deliberately undermined that by personally advocating for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while inciting violence and forced displacement”.  NZ has joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in placing travel bans on two extremist Israeli politicians. The bans will prevent Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich & National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from travelling to NZ.Release: https://t.co/6355lHtfBD— Winston Peters (@NewZealandMFA) June 10, 2025 “New Zealand’s consistent and historic position has been that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law. Settlements and associated violence undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution.”  It was reported last year that Ben-Gvir called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.  “We must encourage emigration, encourage the voluntary emigration of the residents of Gaza.”  He also said earlier this year that “there is no need to bring in aid [to Gaza]. They have enough”.  He had previously resigned from the Israeli government when the hostage release deal was made, only rejoining when Israel began bombing again in mid-March.  Peters said the bans were consistent with the Government’s other approaches to incidents like this, such as banning ministers from Russia, Belarus and Myanmar.  “The crisis in Gaza has made returning to a meaningful political process all the more urgent. New Zealand will continue to advocate for an end to the current conflict and an urgent restart of the Middle East Peace Process.”  The Telegraph reported that Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar called the move “outrageous”.  Sa’ar said that they would hold a special government meeting early next week “to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision”.  Peters is in Europe for the Pacific-France Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.  Tue, 10 Jun 2025 19:16:12 Z /news/politics/government-agrees-to-big-change-for-proposed-anti-stalking-law-justice-minister-paul-goldsmith-says/ /news/politics/government-agrees-to-big-change-for-proposed-anti-stalking-law-justice-minister-paul-goldsmith-says/ Anti-stalking legislation put forward by the Government is being strengthened after amendments recommended by MPs during the Select Committee process. They include changes to what the legislation considers to be a pattern of stalking or harassment behaviour. Under the bill proposed by Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, stalking or harassment is a pattern of behaviour directed at someone by doing a specified act on at least three occasions within 12 months knowing it would likely cause fear or distress to that person. However, the Justice Select Committee has unanimously recommended this be changed to two specified acts within 24 months. “We note that stalking is often pre‐meditated and could involve perpetrators tailoring their behaviour so that it falls outside specified time periods,” the committee’s report, released today, says. “We also recognise that the behaviour may occur around anniversaries, which could cause anxiety and stress over a prolonged period.” Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is welcoming the committee's amendments. Photo / Ben Dickens Goldsmith confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the Government parties had agreed to recommendations put forward by the committee. “This change better recognises patterns in stalking behaviour and time that can pass between incidents. For example, stalking that occurs around anniversaries would not be covered under the original 12-month period,” Goldsmith said. “We’ve said from day one victims are our priority. Returning them to the heart of our justice system underpins all our work to restore law and order. “Stalkers have been able to evade real consequences for their actions for far too long. As I announced in November, the offence will have a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.” The list of what is considered a “specified act” is also being expanded. Currently, it includes watching, following, loitering near or obstructing someone, as well as recording, tracking, contacting or communicating with a person. The committee believed the act of “doxing” should be added to the list. This is described as “collating and publishing private and identifying information about an individual, including posting information on their behalf”. “We recognise that this behaviour invades a victim’s privacy and can cause significant harm. We consider that doxing is not clearly captured in the list of specified acts in the bill as introduced,” the report says. Goldsmith said other changes made to the legislation by the committee include: Adding new sections to enable the disposal of any intimate visual recordings possessed by a person convicted of the new stalking and harassment offence. Adding the new offence to the Firearms Prohibition Orders regime, allowing those orders to be made when a person is convicted of the new offence. Clarifying the new aggravating factor relating to stalking by more clearly linking the associated stalking and harassment-type behaviours to the offence the person is charged with. Making it clear that restraining orders under the Harassment Act 1997 and orders under the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 can be made when a person is discharged without conviction in relation to the new offence. “I want to thank those who made submissions during the select committee process. Your input has identified some important ways we can combat this insidious behaviour,” said Goldsmith. The committee’s report includes a section on the view of the Act Party. It sets out that it believes requiring two specified acts within 24 months “helps address the concerns raised by submitters and more closely aligns with the current existing criminal harassment offence”. The party also says “we do need to strike a balance between ensuring a sufficient pattern of behaviour is established to protect victims while not unintentionally creating offenders and burdening the courts”. It encouraged police to give written notification to potential offenders “to the fullest extent possible” to ensure they “are made aware of the specified acts which may trigger an offence”. Act also wants the list of potential defences to be “maintained in the interests of justice”. The report includes a “differing view” from Labour, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori. The parties welcomed the commitment to address stalking and harassment as well as the amendments proposed, but believed more could be done. One of their proposals was for the provision requiring the alleged perpetrator to know their behaviour would be likely to cause fear or distress to be reviewed within one or two years to evaluate how it is functioning. They suggested it be reworded to include that someone “ought to know” their behaviour would cause fear or distress. This would be in line with how Australia and England have dealt with this issue. “This would create a broader and more survivor-centred threshold, consistent with international best practice and the lived realities of survivors,” the three parties say in the report. Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards. Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:53:35 Z /news/politics/les-mills-identified-as-the-gyms-where-michael-forbes-took-photos-of-women/ /news/politics/les-mills-identified-as-the-gyms-where-michael-forbes-took-photos-of-women/ The gyms where the Prime Minister’s disgraced former press secretary took photos of women working out have been revealed.  Michael Forbes, who had recently been promoted to Christopher Luxon’s deputy chief press secretary after working for Minister Louise Upston, was the subject of a 2024 investigation after police received a report from a Wellington brothel manager on July 12.  He was accused of making audio recordings of sex workers without their knowledge, as well as taking photos of women in compromising positions at the gym.  In a statement last week, Detective Inspector John Van Den Heuvel said police earlier seized Forbes’ two phones, including his Government-issued phone, where they found “a number of photos and video of women in public spaces, and what appears to be women in private addresses, taken from a distance away”.  “Police considered the available evidence and concluded it did not meet the requirements for criminality, and therefore charges could not be filed.”  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and former press secretary Michael Forbes (left). Photo / Mark Mitchell  The Herald visited Les Mills gym on Lambton Quay in central Wellington where manager Josh Brodie said he was unable to comment.  The manager of the Taranaki St branch, Tristan Laubscher, said in a statement he could not comment on members, ex-members or visitors, “but in a situation such as you’ve presented, a person’s membership would be terminated with immediate effect”.  “Any allegations of this nature are taken extremely seriously and dealt with appropriately, as they represent a clear breach of our club rules. The safety and security of our members and team remain our top priority and we constantly review safeguarding policies to ensure the gym is a place where everyone feels safe and protected.”  The Herald visited Les Mills, Lambton Quay but was told the manager could not comment. Photo / Melissa Nightingale  He did not respond to further questions about whether the gym had been approached by police, and if there was any message they wanted to send to existing members.  One of the sex workers who raised the story visited the gym to tell them about what had been happening.  She told Stuff the response from the gym had not been good enough.  “It’s a word salad. I left that gym because I didn’t know if I’d see him. If I was a woman at that gym, I would definitely want to know what had been done.”  Last week, Van Den Heuvel, manager of Wellington police’s criminal investigations unit, said “the individual concerned” spoke voluntarily to police and admitted to taking the recordings and images, deleting them in front of police.  While he acknowledged Forbes’ behaviour was “extremely distressing” and any new information would be “thoroughly considered”, the police would not progress the matter any further based on current evidence.  The allegations related to Forbes were made public in a Stuff report last week.  Luxon’s office was informed of the issue through the journalist’s questions on Tuesday. The police last year hadn’t informed the Government of the investigation.  Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, who was not in the role at the time of the investigation, said any decision to inform the Government under the no surprises convention was a matter for the commissioner, who at that time was Andrew Coster.  Coster, now chief executive of the Government’s Social Investment Agency, claimed to the Herald he hadn’t been made aware of the investigation until this week, despite Chambers today stating members of the police’s executive team had been informed.  Coster made no further comment and police have declined the Herald’s request to interview a member of its executive team.  Luxon ‘shocked’ and ‘frustrated’ at revelation  Luxon expressed “absolute shock”, “frustration and anger” at the allegations and the impact it has had.  He said an Internal Affairs’ review into the matter would be a “deep dive” into the security vetting processes Forbes was subject to and the level of communication between agencies in relation to the police investigation.  Press secretary Michael Forbes (left) seen here walking with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister Louise Upston. Photo / Mark Mitchell  He described the allegations were “serious and concerning”.  “They were discussed with the staff member on the evening of June 3 and it was clear their employment was untenable.  “It was agreed that the staff member was stood down that evening and they resigned the following morning. Had the staff member not resigned, we expect their employment would have been terminated after a short investigation.”  Forbes declined to be interviewed last week but in a statement to the Herald said he wanted to apologise to the women and recognised the harm he had caused.  Forbes said he had failed to make a genuine attempt to apologise and had tried to move on without offering the women accountability and acknowledgement.  But therapy had helped him reflect on his behaviour and address what had led to it.  “I understand that my past actions may have undermined the trust people place in me. So, I have resigned from my job to focus on the work I need to do.”  Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice, and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.  Mon, 09 Jun 2025 22:59:46 Z /news/politics/government-makes-another-investment-into-tourism-marketing/ /news/politics/government-makes-another-investment-into-tourism-marketing/ The Government is pumping another $13.5 million into international tourism marketing, with the expectation it brings an extra 72,000 visitors to New Zealand. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism Minister Louise Upston are expected to talk to media about the announcement at a 3.30pm press conference at Auckland International Airport. The money is on top of other investments into marketing announced earlier this year. Those were focused on increasing visitors between now and early 2026, while today’s announcement is focused on arrivals in the years beyond that. Upston said today’s funding – which comes from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) - will be targeted towards core markets like Australia, the United States and China over the coming years. “We know how important marketing is to attract visitors, with around 14% of international holiday visitors directly influenced by Tourism NZ’s marketing activity,” she said. It’s expected to deliver an extra 72,000 international visitors to NZ and generate about $300 million in spending, which the minister said was a “very strong return on investment”. Upston said international visitor numbers continue to climb and this additional investment would help drive economic growth. “Encouraging more visitors means more people staying in our hotels, eating in our cafés, spending in our shops and visiting our attractions. “This creates jobs and drives economic growth. We want people to know New Zealand is open for business and we welcome visitors with open arms.” The minister said this is the first investment from the Government’s yet-to-be-revealed Tourism Growth Roadmap. She said it will set out a “series of Government initiatives and investments for the Government and industry to work together to double the value of tourism exports by 2034″. This is in addition to the $13.5 million announced by Upston in April for marketing as well as the ‘Everyone Must Go’ campaign to get Australians to New Zealand. Mon, 09 Jun 2025 03:36:29 Z /news/politics/alex-baker-throws-hat-into-ring-for-wellington-mayoralty/ /news/politics/alex-baker-throws-hat-into-ring-for-wellington-mayoralty/ By RNZ A seventh candidate has thrown their hat into the ring to be Wellington’s next Mayor. Alex Baker is a chartered accountant and has also worked in urban development. Baker said he was a progressive candidate and was focused on creating a vibrant city that could have sustainable growth. Baker’s ideas for setting the city up for growth included improving housing affordability, improving transport networks and facilitating an innovative and productive commercial environment. He also wanted to change the way Wellington set rates and for development contributions to be fairer. Baker is the seventh to enter the all-male candidate pool. Others vying for mayor include former Labour MP Andrew Little, current city councillor Ray Chung, Karl Tiefenbacher, Kelvin Hastie, Rob Goulden and Graham Bloxham. Nominations are open until August 1. Mon, 09 Jun 2025 01:50:15 Z /news/politics/government-announces-new-visa-to-allow-migrants-parents-to-visit-nz-for-up-to-10-years/ /news/politics/government-announces-new-visa-to-allow-migrants-parents-to-visit-nz-for-up-to-10-years/ The Government will allow migrants in New Zealand to sponsor their parents to visit and stay here under a new visa rolling out in September. The visa will allow the parents of New Zealand citizens and residents multi-entry access for up to five years, with the opportunity for renewal once, meaning they could hold the visa for 10 years. However, applicants will have to fulfil a list of criteria, including demonstrating they have health insurance and meet character requirements. An income requirement will also need to be met by either the applicant or their sponsor. The National Party promised the Parent Boost visa during the 2023 election campaign, with the intention of making New Zealand a more attractive option for skilled migrants. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today announced applications would open on September 29. “In order to drive economic growth, we need to incentivise skilled migrants to choose New Zealand. Ensuring we continue to attract the right people with the skills this country needs will deliver significant economic and social benefits for all New Zealanders.” Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the Government understood a long-term visitor visa for parents was a key consideration for migrants when choosing where to build their lives. “Whether it be welcoming a new child, additional support during health challenges or providing childcare so parents can work, there is nothing quite like having family support close by,” Stanford said. “We are proud to deliver this coalition agreement between National and ACT, which will make the New Zealand proposition more appealing and more competitive.” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford made the announcement on Sunday. Photo / Mark Mitchell Act’s immigration spokeswoman Dr Parmjeet Parmar welcomed the visa, though noted it differed slightly to what her party had proposed during the 2023 election campaign. “ACT’s 2023 proposal differed slightly in that it would have included an annual fee to fund healthcare costs through a public health fund,” she said. “The Parent Boost Visa’s alternative, a requirement for comprehensive private health insurance, serves a similar purpose in protecting New Zealand taxpayers.” According to the Government, to be eligible for a Parent Boost visa, applicants must: have an eligible sponsor who is a New Zealand citizen or resident meet Acceptable Standard of Health requirements demonstrate they have at least one year of health insurance coverage which provides emergency medical cover (of at least up to $250,000), repatriation, return of remains and cancer treatment (of at least $100,000) and maintain this insurance for the entire duration they are in New Zealand   meet character requirements and be a bona fide / genuine visitor while offshore during the 3rd year of the multiple entry visitor visa, complete a new medical assessment and demonstrate they have maintained their insurance  One of the following income requirements must also be met: The sponsor must earn the median wage to sponsor one parent, joint sponsors must earn 1.5x the median wage; or The parent/s have an ongoing income aligning with the single rate of New Zealand Superannuation for a single parent and the couple rate for a couple; or The parent/s have available funds of $160,000 for a single parent and $250,000 for a couple to support themselves for the duration of their visa The sponsors must remain living in New Zealand while the visa holder is onshore and is liable for any costs incurred in relation to the visa holder during this period, the Government said. The applicants will be able to renew their visa once, allowing for a maximum length of visit to be 10 years. They will need to spend three months outside of New Zealand prior to getting their second visa. Currently, Immigration NZ’s Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa allows for stays of up to six months at a time, with a maximum of 18 months across three years. The separate Parent Resident Visa allows parents to come to New Zealand indefinitely, but they must be invited to apply after submitting an expression of interest. Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards. Sun, 08 Jun 2025 02:25:24 Z /news/politics/labour-s-willie-jackson-doesn-t-want-a-war-with-the-m%C4%81ori-party/ /news/politics/labour-s-willie-jackson-doesn-t-want-a-war-with-the-m%C4%81ori-party/ Labour’s Willie Jackson says Te Pāti Māori needs to compromise and focus on the main issues facing New Zealanders, like health and housing, following three MPs’ sanctioning in Parliament this week. He’s also responded to comments from Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, the partner of Te Pati Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi and the daughter of the party’s president, John Tamihere. In a social media video yesterday, she accused Jackson and Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe of being “conditioned big-time into trying to appease the Pākehā”. She was critical of them for suggesting there may be value in Te Pāti Māori apologising for some of their recent conduct. “You’re doing that for the sake of peace and the peace of the rules and the rules which have been crafted by colonisers to continue to oppress and assimilate,” she said. After being shown part of the video on Q+A this morning, Jackson responded by saying he had known Tamihere-Waititi for a long time and thought she was inspiring young people. “We have to agree to learn how to disagree. We are going to have differences sometimes,” he said. “I don’t want a war with the Māori Party, and I don’t think we should be fighting or warring. The main problem here is the Government. We have to get this Government out. We have to work together. Jobs, health, homes, that’s the kaupapa for us in Labour. “When I’m out there, nobody comes up to me and says, ‘I’m not happy about the tikanga in Parliament. They come up to me and they say, ‘it’s really tough, we can’t build homes, it’s hard in the health area, we can’t get jobs’. That has to be the priority for us and has to be the priority for the Māori Party.” Labour MP Willie Jackson says Parliament is a place of compromise. Photo / Mark Mitchell The interview follows Parliament voting this week to suspend Te Pāti Māori’s Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi for disrupting a vote on the Treaty Principles Bill last year by engaging in a haka and approaching Act MPs. During a debate on the sanctions recommended by the Privileges Committee, both Jackson and Rurawhe opposed the lengthy penalties put forward, but suggested there was a need for compromise and Te Pāti Māori to consider what its strategy was. “I know it’s hard to apologise, but I want to say to you Te Pāti Māori that not every single Māori in the country supports you and they don’t support some of the strategy. They love you, I love you, but some of the stuff is not going down well,” Jackson said. He said Māori culture should be brought into the Westminster system, but “I don’t think the kōrero [discussion] so far is going to help with the partnership”. Rurawhe, a former Speaker, implored Te Pāti Māori to think about Jackson’s comments as apologising “might go a long way”. He also said by entering Parliament, Te Pāti Māori had agreed to its rules and it “can’t have it both ways”. He said the party could use the mechanisms of Parliament to change the rules. Jackson told Q+A “there’s nothing wrong with saying sorry”. “We’re within the system. I think I’ve upset them a little bit by saying apologise. But you compromise when you come into Parliament.” He said the parties needed to use the system “to get better results for our people”, including in health, housing and jobs. “Those have to be the priorities. With respect, not the haka,” Jackson said. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi holds up a noose in Parliament during the debate on the haka sanctions. Photo / Jamie Ensor Asked about Labour’s ability to work with Te Pāti Māori in a potential future government arrangement (current polls show Labour would need Te Pāti Māori’s support to have any chance at power), Jackson said he thought the two parties “can work things out” and make a deal. “I want to sit down with Kiri and Te Pāti Māori. I know they get upset. I know their strategy is never back off, never compromise. But that’s a generation. There’s a lot of Māori who are proud of them who want progress, who actually want to be pro-Māori, but they don’t want to fight on every kapa haka, tikanga issue.” He said Labour hadn’t had any conversations with Te Pāti Māori about potential future governing options. “We have a healthy relationship with them. Not too good over the last week,” he said. As the Herald revealed last week, Tamihere went to a party hosted by Labour on Budget night where he told attendees that he understood it had to do its things its way, while Te Pāti Māori would do things its own way. In her speech on Thursday, Maipi-Clarke said that following the haka last year, she told the Speaker she recognised she disrupted the vote. “I took accountability. I apologised directly to the Speaker, accepted the consequences made that day, which was a 24-hour suspension, docked pay, and being named. But I will not apologise for my actions.” Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi later told the Herald the Privileges Committee never asked them to apologise. “Unlike Willie Jackson and Adrian Rurawhe, who work in a majority Pākehā party, we don’t have those constraints. We are not chained by party politics. We are chained by our people,’ said Waititi. According to the Privileges Committee report, in Waititi’s written submission to the committee, he said he “would not apologise for the haka”. Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards. Sun, 08 Jun 2025 01:48:52 Z /news/politics/act-party-leader-david-seymour-s-side-loses-oxford-union-debate-remarks-on-contrast-to-reprehensible-te-p%C4%81ti-m%C4%81ori-actions/ /news/politics/act-party-leader-david-seymour-s-side-loses-oxford-union-debate-remarks-on-contrast-to-reprehensible-te-p%C4%81ti-m%C4%81ori-actions/ David Seymour says the Oxford Union debate on the topic of “no one can be illegal on stolen land” was “great fun” despite his side losing.  The Act Party leader told the Herald there was a contrast between “the high level of respectful debate and respect for free speech here at the Union and what Te Pāti Māori have tried to do with our Parliament”.  Seymour, who is also Deputy Prime Minister but participated as a private citizen, said it was “reprehensible” that Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi brought a noose into Parliament yesterday during the debate on the Privileges Committee report.  The Oxford Union debate is best known in New Zealand as the setting in which former Prime Minister David Lange argued in 1985 that nuclear weapons were morally indefensible. It was here he delivered his iconic line about smelling uranium on his opponent’s breath. Last year, Labour’s Willie Jackson took part.  Seymour was invited to participate in this week’s debate on the opposing side to the moot that states “no one can be illegal on stolen land”. He was joined by R.J. Hauman, an American immigration enforcement expert, and Art Arthur, a fellow of the United States-based Centre for Immigration Studies.  Their opponents, who were speaking in favour of the moot, were Aviva Chomsky, a US history professor and daughter of Noam Chomsky; Nivine Sandouka, a Palestinian human rights activist and member of the Alliance for Middle East Peace; and Australian senator Mehreen Faruqi.  Speaking to the Herald from Britain after the debate on Friday morning (NZ time), Seymour said that when he received the invitation he was told “people would listen politely, but I didn’t have a hope in Hades of winning”.  “Both of those things turned out to be true, but it was closer than anyone thought, and some of the organisers told me I pulled it back at the end. I was thrilled with the debate.”  David Seymour was on the opposing side of the debate on Friday morning (NZT). Photo / Dean Purcell  He called it “great fun”, but there was also a “level of hatefulness that came out”, referencing one of his opponents who he said was critical of “white immigration to Australia”.  The Oxford Union doesn’t livestream its debates – videos of the speeches are expected to be made public at a later date – but Seymour said those arguing for the moot “opposed the success of a lot of countries like New Zealand”.  “[They] tried to explain our success as being built on theft. What I tried to argue was the question is not what happened in the past, but how we deal with it today,” he said.  “The only way to do that is to make the most of each day and try and find a better way forward. I was proud to use the example of New Zealand as a country that has meticulously studied its history and redressed past wrongs through the Treaty Settlement process.”  He said New Zealand took in a large number of migrants every year and “our country works as a beacon of what a tolerant, pioneering society can be”.  “We can either spend our lives meditating on the failures of the past and try to outcompete each other in showing we care more, or we can ask ourselves how we can make a better world.  “In my view, that requires countries, who have the right to make laws, and if they make good laws, they’ll succeed, more people will want to go there, and fewer will leave, and other countries will copy them. If they make bad laws, the opposite happens.”  Seymour said the audience was hostile to one of the speakers on his side and “generally very favourable” to his opponents.  “But I thought I got a very quiet and thoughtful response. People were clearly listening, and that is exactly what I intended to do ... pull people back to our side.”  Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi holds up a noose in Parliament during debate on haka sanctions. Photo / Jamie Ensor  ‘Contrast’ to Te Pāti Māori actions  He said the debate presented a “contrast” to what had happened recently in New Zealand’s Parliament.  Seymour was in Britain as the New Zealand Parliament yesterday debated the recommendations of the Privileges Committee on three Te Pāti Māori MPs found to have acted “in a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the House in the discharge of their duty”.  This relates to the MPs engaging in a haka, leaving their seats, and approaching members of the Act Party during the voting process on the first reading of Seymour’s controversial Treaty Principles Bill. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was accused of using a hand gesture similar to a finger gun, though she’s disputed that interpretation.  Parliament voted in favour of suspending Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke (for seven days), and Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi (both for 21 days). The vote was not unanimous, with government parties in favour and the Opposition against.  Seymour made mention of his Act colleague Nicole McKee’s contribution to the debate. Part of her speech was about how MPs were sent to Parliament to speak.  “Not to get out of your seats and start going up to other members of the House and trying to intimidate them with your stupid little fingers,” McKee said.  “Why don’t you put your brain into gear, get some words in your mouth, and start debating. Because that’s what you do in this Whare.”  Act's Nicole McKee was critical of Te Pāti Māori in her speech. Photo / Mark Mitchell  The Act leader said Waititi bringing a noose into Parliament to hold up during the debate was “absolutely reprehensible”.  “It may be that if all the other incidents weren’t enough, that may be the one that has voters in the Māori electorates saying, ‘you know what, we agree there’s grievances and problems, but we did not sign up for this’.”  He said he was with another New Zealander in the UK when they read about the noose.  “They were just apoplectic. They couldn’t believe that this was happening in our Parliament. I just despair.”  When Waititi raised the noose in Parliament yesterday, he spoke about how Te Pāti Māori MPs felt they were being silenced by the proposed suspensions.  “The silencing of us today is a reminder of the silencing of our ancestors of the past, and it continues to happen today – 21 days of silence.  “This may be confronting, but this is a reality for our whānaus. This is the reality for the people who descend from tīpuna, who are wrongfully accused because you interpreted something. Interpretation is a feeling, it’s not a fact. And so you’ve interpreted different things to mean that we were violent, and you’re making this out to your voters that we’re violent. We haven’t created the violence here. And now you’ve traded the noose for legislation.”  After the vote, the co-leaders vowed to “continue to be the voice that our people expect us to be”.  “We’ve heard the kōrero and now we’ve got to go home and show that we stood our ground,” Ngarewa-Packer said.  Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.  Fri, 06 Jun 2025 02:05:33 Z /news/politics/mps-react-to-te-p%C4%81ti-m%C4%81ori-suspension-for-controversial-haka/ /news/politics/mps-react-to-te-p%C4%81ti-m%C4%81ori-suspension-for-controversial-haka/ Ministers have described yesterday’s chaotic debate on Te Pāti Māori’s suspension for controversial haka as disturbing and contemptuous.  The hours-long debate on Thursday evening included almost constant heckling and name-calling.  Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have been suspended from Parliament for 21 days, and MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven days, effective immediately.  Labour MP Deborah Russell described it as a “pretty horrible day in the house”.  “There was a lot of yelling back and forth across the house,” she said on Herald NOW this morning.  She thought it was “disturbing” that Waititi held up a noose during the discussion and that Winston Peters called Waititi’s traditional facial tattoos “scribbles”.  Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke has been suspended from Parliament for seven days over a haka performed after the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill in November. Photo / RNZ  “We need to get back things that actually matter to New Zealanders,” Russell said.  Russell said she was disappointed that National MPs didn’t speak to why they supported the “extraordinary ban”.  National MP Erica Stanford said the party’s position was already clear.  “The Māori Party treat that place with contempt, they always have and they did again yesterday,” she told Herald NOW this morning.  “They didn’t say sorry, they didn’t turn up.”  Stanford said Te Pāti Māori treats Parliament “like it’s a stage for their social media videos to spread their division”.  She said Labour should have criticised Te Pāti Māori’s Parliament haka earlier, and Russell retorted that the party was respecting the parliamentary process.  Parliament’s Privileges Committee chair Judith Collins said the committee was “pretty much almost universally appalled” after the Te Pāti Māori haka in the House last year.  Speaking with Mike Hosking on 九一星空无限talk ZB, Collins said the committee stuck to its principles.  Privileges Committee chair Judith Collins begins the debate to a full chamber and empty public gallery. Photo / Mark Mitchell  “The six months of hearings, including the three attempts to get the three MPs to turn up and to answer questions ... it was actually worth it.  “It’s about time that Parliament realised the public of New Zealand are appalled by some of the antics they have seen in Parliament, including interrupting the vote, seeming to threaten other MPs or certainly to try and influence them.”  Collins said Te Pāti Māori did not attend the discussions.  “It’s not about the haka, it’s about interrupting the vote, finger-pointing in terms of a gun movement at three Act MPs, and none of the protocols were respected in parliament.”  Hosking said: “They’re not serious people”, and Collins agreed.  “Hana, she is only in her first term and very young, and we felt she was very heavily influenced by the co-leaders, who are now five years into Parliament.”  Collins said Te Pāti Māori “threw” the job to tear up the paper in Parliament at Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke at the last minute.  Constant heckling, name-calling  Te Pāti Māori is fiercely condemning what they called an “ugly and sad” debate that led to three of its MPs receiving the harshest penalties in Parliament’s history.  The chaotic hours-long debate on Thursday evening included almost constant heckling and name-calling, with Waititi brandishing a noose and Winston Peters making “disparaging” remarks about Waititi’s moko, for which he apologised.  Speaking directly after receiving the penalties, Te Pāti Māori acknowledged it was a “heavy day” but remained defiant in their refusal to apologise for the haka that brought Parliament to a standstill during the first reading of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill.  Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi have each been suspended from Parliament for 21 days. Photo / Mark Mitchell  “We’ve heard the kōrero and now we’ve got to go home and show that we stood our ground,” Ngarewa-Packer said.  Waititi highlighted NZ First leader Peters’ criticism of tā moko, saying his description of their Māori face tattoos as scribbles was “ugly and sad”.  “What makes it even sadder is that it comes from somebody who has whakapapa,” he said of Peters.  “I feel sorry for him that his internalised racism and internalised colonisation can take him to that type of rhetoric.”  In a message to supporters, Waititi said: “We must continue to hold on to the taonga of our ancestors – whether it be haka, whether it be moko, whether it be our reo, and not to allow old colonialist views that we are anything or anybody less than anybody else.”  Thu, 05 Jun 2025 20:56:18 Z /news/politics/will-te-p%C4%81ti-m%C4%81ori-face-the-harshest-sanctions-ever-for-controversial-haka-mp-debate-continues-today/ /news/politics/will-te-p%C4%81ti-m%C4%81ori-face-the-harshest-sanctions-ever-for-controversial-haka-mp-debate-continues-today/ Parliament has voted to dish out the toughest parliamentary sanctions ever to the Te Pāti Māori co-leaders after a fiery debate in the House today. The debate relaunched this afternoon after it was abruptly adjourned last month to give way to the Budget. Parliament’s Privileges Committee recommended suspending Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer for 21 days and MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven days after a controversial haka in the House last year. Previously, the longest suspension in Parliament’s 171-year history was three sitting days.The committee’s recommendations were put to the House for debate where they passed – but only after acrimonious scenes. NZ First leader Winston Peters called Te Pāti Māori a “bunch of extremists” and said the Māori world “has had enough of them”. Waititi held up a noose in Parliament, saying those in power had “traded the noose for legislation”. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi holds up a noose in Parliament during a heated debate on sanctions for performing a haka. Photo / Jamie Ensor Labour and the Greens MPs pushed for a weaker punishment. Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said she believed the committee’s recommendations were partisan and the House should guard against this. She said the Treaty Principles Bill was designed to provoke and threatened generations of “fundamental relationships” between Māori and non-Māori. “It was political violence,” she said, adding the haka was the least it deserved. Labour’s Dr Duncan Webb said the Privileges Committee is usually bipartisan, but it is “unfortunate” this isn’t the case with these recommendations. He acknowledged there was a contempt of the House but warned the sanctions proposed were “inconsistent” with the principles of democracy. Act MP Parmjeet Parmar, a member of the Privileges Committee, spoke about the MPs approaching Act’s seats and highlighted a hand gesture Ngarewa-Packer made, which Act compared to a gun. She said MPs can disagree on ideas through debate, rather than intimidating physical gestures. She said the House has debated controversial legislation before without that kind of behaviour. The vote on the sanction for Maipi-Clarke passed with 68 in favour and 55 opposed, meaning she has been suspended for seven days. On the question of Ngarewa-Packer being suspended for 21 days, this passed with 68 in favour and 54 votes opposed. The one less vote opposed reflected that Maipi-Clarke had been suspended and therefore could not vote. As for the question of Waititi being suspended for 21 days, this passed with 68 in favour, 53 votes opposed. Members of Te Pāti Māori perform a haka in front of Act MPs during the first reading of the Treaty Principles bill last year. Photo / Adam Pearse Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke was among those to perform a haka at Parliament after the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill in November. Photo / RNZ The haka at the centre of the matter happened during the first reading of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, which was eventually voted down at second reading. The haka has since gone viral globally, amassing hundreds of millions of views on social media. Maipi-Clarke, Parliament’s youngest MP, brought Parliament to a standstill when she began the haka while ripping up a copy of the bill, a proposal from Act leader David Seymour to replace the many Treaty principles developed over time by experts and the court with three new ones. Many perceived the bill as a threat to Māori and detrimental to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It was a catalyst of the massive hīkoi protest to Parliament in November last year. Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer stood up and joined Maipi-Clarke in the haka, moving from their seats towards the Act Party benches. Labour’s Peeni Henare also moved away from his seat to perform. Henare later apologised to the Judith Collins-led Privileges Committee for knowingly breaking the rules by stepping away from his seat, but said he stood by his haka and would do it again. Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi (left) and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have been defiant in their defence of the haka in Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell The trio from Te Pāti Māori were referred to the Privileges Committee but ignored the initial summons to appear in person, arguing they had been denied legal representation and the ability to appear together. At the time, they promised to hold a separate “independent” hearing. Te Pāti Māori have been defiant in their defence of the haka. Waititi told reporters on Wednesday afternoon it was not clear exactly what the trio were being punished for. “Some of the House found it intimidating, some of the House found it exhilarating because half of House stood up. We don’t know what the reasons are for the 21 days sanctions.” Waititi spoke with The Hui soon after the committee’s unprecedented recommendations were released. He said he was thinking about the people who had entrusted him to “represent them the best way I know”. “And that is to be unapologetic, that is to be authentic and honest and respectful of who we are. We should be able to do that without fear or favour and be able to do that without being ashamed of being Māori,” Waititi told The Hui host Julian Wilcox. “What I feel is that we are being punished for being Māori. The country loves my haka, the world loves my haka, but it feels like they don’t love me.” Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism. Thu, 05 Jun 2025 02:24:59 Z /news/politics/former-police-commissioner-andrew-coster-claims-he-didn-t-know-about-michael-forbes-investigation-despite-police-exec-knowing/ /news/politics/former-police-commissioner-andrew-coster-claims-he-didn-t-know-about-michael-forbes-investigation-despite-police-exec-knowing/ Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says he won’t intervene at this stage over police’s investigation into allegations against a now-former deputy press secretary to the Prime Minister. Christopher Luxon spoke to the media this morning for the first time since it was revealed his deputy press secretary Michael Forbes resigned. Forbes resigned on Wednesday following a Stuff report that Forbes allegedly recorded audio and took photographs of women in compromising positions without their consent. Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster claims he wasn’t aware of police’s investigation into the Prime Minister’s former deputy chief press secretary, despite the current commissioner confirming police’s executive team knew. It comes as Police Commissioner Richard Chambers doesn’t believe he needs to intervene over police’s investigation into allegations against Michael Forbes and is leaving the decision to his Wellington staff. The 2024 investigation into Michael Forbes was not disclosed to the Government, Chambers saying police’s executive team was made aware of the matter and the decision to disclose it would have been for Coster, who was the Police Commissioner at the time. However, Coster - now the chief executive of the Government’s Social Investment Agency - is claiming he was unaware of the matter until it reported publicly yesterday. “I learned of this situation through the media in the last 24 hours,” Coster said in a statement. “As I no longer have access to information about Police’s processes I am unable to comment further.” Police last year investigated a complaint received from a Wellington brothel after a “client was found to have concerning images and recordings on his phone”. did not meet the threshold for criminal prosecution. (function(n){function c(t,i){n[e](h,function(n){var r,u;if(n&&(r=n[n.message?"message":"data"]+"",r&&r.substr&&r.substr(0,3)==="nc:")&&(u=r.split(":"),u[1]===i))switch(u[2]){case"h":t.style.height=u[3]+"px";return;case"scrolltotop":t.scrollIntoView();return}},!1)}for(var t,u,f,i,s,e=n.addEventListener?"addEventListener":"attachEvent",h=e==="attachEvent"?"onmessage":"message",o=n.document.querySelectorAll(".live-center-embed"),r=0;r',c(t.firstChild,i)))})(window); Michael Forbes, who has been temporarily working in Christopher Luxon’s office and was previously Social Development Minister Louise Upston’s press secretary, allegedly recorded audio and took photographs of women in compromising positions without their consent, Stuff reported yesterday. The Prime Minister’s Office says it only became aware of the allegations after being approached by a journalist on Tuesday afternoon. Forbes subsequently resigned from his role. Questions have arisen about whether police should have alerted Ministerial Services or the Prime Minister’s Office about the investigation. In a statement to the Herald, Chambers said he was “first made aware of the issue late on Tuesday afternoon after a media inquiry”. “I immediately contacted the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and subsequently informed the Police Minister under the no-surprises practice. “It was raised with the police executive in July 2024, during the investigation into the complaint. It was not brought to the attention of ministers or Ministerial Services at the time. “It is up to the commissioner of the day to decide what to elevate by way of the no surprises convention. “Those decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. It would be wrong for me to comment on decisions made by the then executive because I do not know the information they were based on, or the reasons for those decisions. “In situations such as this, it should also be considered whether there is an obligation on an individual to raise any issues that might be relevant to their employment with their employer or prospective employer.” “Decisions around the handling of the investigation and questions about whether it should be re-visited are for Wellington District police to consider. I have absolute faith in them to do that.” In a subsequent stand-up with media, Chambers wouldn’t comment on the decision not to disclose as he wasn’t part of the police executive team at the time. He did acknowledge police’s executive team were informed about it and spoke of the importance of the commissioner being made aware of such matters. Luxon earlier fronted the media for the first time and expressed “absolute shock”, “frustration and anger” at the allegations and the impact it has had. On Wednesday afternoon, it was revealed Forbes had resigned in the wake of the allegations being revealed. The Prime Minister’s office became aware of the allegations on Tuesday afternoon. The Herald has asked Forbes for comment. Forbes declined to be interviewed but in a statement said he wanted to apologise to the women and recognised the harm he had caused. He said it did not meet the threshold for criminal prosecution and the case was filed. He confirmed officers spoke with “the individual” as part of police’s investigation. The Prime Minister’s Office said it first became aware of the allegations by a journalist at 4pm on Tuesday afternoon. Press secretary Michael Forbes (left) seen here walking with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister Louise Upston. Photo / Mark Mitchell Forbes has been temporarily working in Luxon’s office recently and had previously worked as press secretary for Social Development Minister Louise Upston during the time of the alleged behaviour. “The matters were immediately raised with Ministerial Services and the Prime Minister was informed that evening,” the statement said. “The allegations were serious and concerning. They were discussed with the staff member on the evening of June 3 and it was clear their employment was untenable. “It was agreed that the staff member was stood down that evening and they resigned the following morning. Had the staff member not resigned, we expect their employment would have been terminated after a short investigation. Forbes said he had failed to make a genuine attempt to apologise and had tried to move on without offering the women accountability and acknowledgment. He said therapy had helped him reflect on his behaviour and address what had led to it. “I understand that my past actions may have undermined the trust people place in me. So, I have resigned from my job to focus on the work I need to do.” Wed, 04 Jun 2025 22:54:49 Z