ACT Justice spokesman Todd Stephenson is disappointed, but not surprised, at the Green Party’s plan to release criminals in order to partially fund their latest socialist manifesto.
“Buried in their proposed budget is a $770 million ‘saving’ from ‘averting increase in prisoner numbers’ – with no further explanation.
“That’s just doublespeak for opening the prison gates and letting thugs and thieves back onto our streets.
“Even taking the most inflated prisoner cost figures at face value, this amounts to 3,850 criminals being released into the community.
“I’m disappointed, but not surprised, that this is the latest wacky idea from the Greens. This is the same party that fundraises for prison and police abolition groups, criticises increased beat patrols and lies about how many people are in prison due to non-violent offences.
“Even then, their soft-on-crime plan wouldn’t pay for more than a third of their $2.5 billion hiring spree for bureaucrats. It’s a dangerous and unserious idea from a party that clearly doesn’t care about public safety.”
Source: Govt’s austerity Budget to cause real harm in communities
OBITUARIES
Peter MalcolmHilt
SPEAKER: Members, I regret to inform the House of the death on 19 April 2025 of Peter Malcolm Hilt, who represented the electorate of Glenfield from 1990 to 1996. He chaired the Government Administration Committee, was a member of the Justice and Law Reform Committee, and in 1995 became the last member to be appointed as Deputy Chairman of Committees. In 1996, he was the first to be appointed to the role of Assistant Speaker. I desire on behalf of this House to express our sense of loss and sympathy with the relatives of the late former member. I now ask members to stand with me to observe a period of silence as a mark of respect for his memory.
Source: Govt’s austerity Budget to cause real harm in communities
WEDNESDAY, 14 MAY 2025
TheSpeaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.
KARAKIA/PRAYERS
GREG O‘CONNOR (Assistant Speaker): Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the King and pray for guidance in our deliberations, that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom, justice, mercy, and humility for the welfare and peace of New Zealand. Amen.
Source: Govt’s austerity Budget to cause real harm in communities
ORAL QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS
QuestionNo. 1—Finance
1.DANA KIRKPATRICK (National—East Coast) to the Minister ofFinance: What recent reports has she seen on the Government’s fiscal position?
Hon NICOLA WILLIS (Minister of Finance): There’s been some recent ill-informed commentary suggesting New Zealand’s fiscal position is strong and that our debt is not too high. I disagree. That view counts for New Zealand’s super fund as if it were available for day-to-day costs. It is not. It was confirmed this week that we’ll start contributing to superannuation from 2028. That money is already committed. The reality is our debt is very high by historic standards, we’re spending significant amounts on interest, and our ability to respond to future shocks is limited. Now is the time to rebuild buffers, reduce waste, and get the books back on a sustainable path, and that is exactly what next week’s Budget will do.
Dana Kirkpatrick: What is the scale of New Zealand’s debt problem, and why does it matter?
Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Between 2019 and 2024, Government debt increased by nearly $120 billion, rising from under $58 billion to $175 billion. Net core Crown debt reached 42 percent of GDP last year, the highest since the mid-1990s. The Government is still borrowing around $500 million a week, and that is not sustainable. Last year, we paid $8.9 billion in interest, and that is money that cannot go to health, education, or infrastructure. High debt limits our ability to respond to future shocks, increases our exposure to global risks, and places an unfair tax burden on future generations.
Dana Kirkpatrick: What is the Government doing to get debt under control while protecting essential services?
Hon NICOLA WILLIS: The Government is taking a responsible, balanced approach. We are not reducing essential services; we are re-prioritising existing spending towards high-priority areas. That means reducing low-value or wasteful spending and focusing on core services like health, education, and law and order. We’re also limiting the growth in new spending. The goal is simple: to deliver better results from the money already being spent, not just rely on more borrowing and more tax. By rebuilding fiscal buffers and managing spending carefully, we will put New Zealand in a stronger position for whatever lies ahead.
Dana Kirkpatrick: Has the Minister considered alternative approaches to fiscal and economic management?
Hon NICOLA WILLIS: I have seen some interesting proposals from “Planet La La Land”, including an $88 billion tax grab, and unlike some members opposite, I’m prepared to rule them out.
SPEAKER: I’m on my feet. I’m sure even the Minister doesn’t read documents from “La La Land”. If it’s the end of the question, we’ll go to Laura McClure.
Populist rhetoric targeting young offenders often leads to kneejerk punitive responses, such as stricter bail laws and lowering the age of criminal responsibility. This, in turn, has led to more young people being held in detention.
In Australia, the number of young people held in detention facilities increased by 8% (from 784 to 845) between the June quarter of 2023 and the June quarter of 2024.
But what if some of these young people were treated and helped, rather than incarcerated? A series of recently published studies examining mental health in the youth justice population suggests treatment would be more beneficial than punitive measures – some of which may even promote persistent offending.
Increased incarceration
New South Wales saw a 31% increase in young people in detention between 2023 and 2024.
Increases in youth detention numbers have also been reported in Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and South Australia over the same period.
About 60% of young people in detention are First Nations youth.
Custody as a catalyst
Young people in the justice system have significantly higher rates of mental ill-health and adverse childhood experiences than their peers in the general population.
However, less clear is how involvement in the justice system, particularly custody, affects the severity and trajectory of these mental health issues over time.
Our team examined how exposure to the justice system affected mental health among young people in NSW. We analysed administrative health and justice data over two years post-supervision.
We found young people who had spent time in custody faced markedly higher rates of subsequent psychiatric hospitalisation compared with those supervised in the community.
The risk of psychiatric hospitalisations was higher for those with multiple custody episodes. This demonstrates the significant negative impact of incarceration on the mental health of young people long after they are released.
We also examined how the impact of custody on psychiatric hospitalisations differed by age.
We found psychiatric hospitalisation rates were similar among youth aged 14–17 years who had been supervised in the community, compared with those aged 18 and older.
However, youth aged 14–17 who were placed in custody were hospitalised at significantly higher rates than their older peers aged 18 and above.
This suggests incarceration is particularly harmful for younger offenders.
How does this affect crime?
When we examined the long-term consequences of youth detention on subsequent offending, we found conviction during adolescence, especially before the age of 14, significantly increased the likelihood of later entering the adult prison system.
Those who were incarcerated during adolescence faced a fivefold increase in the risk of being incarcerated as an adult, compared with young people who’d never been in custody.
This suggests it may be beneficial to delay the involvement of young people in the justice system to help prevent repeat offending in the future.
Breaking the cycle
So what can be done to help?
In NSW, laws allow young people with mental health conditions to be diverted from judicial processes into treatment. Such laws for young people also exist in other states, although specific models vary.
While research shows those diverted into treatment have a lower risk of reoffending, less than half of eligible youth receive this option.
How do we help those who miss out? Our studies examined whether going to mental health services voluntarily (without a court order) could help reduce recidivism.
Among boys who had been in custody, we found they were 40% less likely to reoffend if they received mental health treatment after release than those who did not receive such treatment.
A similar, but larger, benefit was observed among boys supervised in the community. There, mental health treatment was associated with a 57% reduction in reoffending risk.
Evidence-based reform
Evidence shows punitive measures do not deter youth crime, but instead are likely to perpetuate cycles of offending into adulthood.
Policymakers should reimagine youth justice to protect young people and create real pathways to rehabilitation.
Raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to delay the onset of formal contact with the justice system aligns with developmental science and prevents early criminalisation of young people.
Enhancing routine mental health screening in the justice system and expanding access to diversion programs is warranted.
Our findings on the benefits of routine mental health treatment highlight the potential for more integrated approaches. When combined with wraparound services for health and education, they could be even more effective.
As detaining a young person costs around $1 million annually, mental health treatment-based approaches make sound financial sense too.
Tony Butler receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Emaediong I. Akpanekpo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the Providing Our Regional Companions Upgraded Protection in Nefarious Environments (PORCUPINE) Act. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) is the lead Democrat sponsor. The PORCUPINE Act will help streamline the process for arms sales to Taiwan regulated by the Arms Export Control Act. Currently, sales to NATO member states and other close allies and partners of the United States have shorter congressional notification timelines and higher threshold values. However, Taiwan is not currently included on that list. The bill will also make it easier for our allies and partners to send U.S.-origin weapons to Taiwan.
“On my recent CODEL to Taiwan, I saw a partner ready and willing to provide for its own self-defense in the face of increasing aggression by Communist China,” said Ricketts. “However, our antiquated arms sales process and struggling defense industrial base have prevented Taiwan from getting the weapons it needs in a timely manner. The PORCUPINE Act will make it easier for us to send arms to Taiwan, quicker, while also creating a process for our closest allies and partners to do the same.”
“Taiwan is on the front lines of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and defending the island and our values requires that we swiftly provide the weapons systems it needs—but in the face of Chinese greyzone pressure and the constant threat of invasion, it takes far too long to deliver these weapons,” said Coons. “China isn’t going to bide its time and wait for arms sales to be completed before launching an attack. Passing the PORCUPINE Act today is the first of many steps we need to take to update our arms sales process and ensure our Taiwanese partners have what they need to defend themselves.”
The PORCUPINE Act would:
Put Taiwan in the NATO-plus category for shorter formal Congressional notification times and higher weapons value thresholds.
Require the Secretary of State to establish an expedited decision-making process for blanket third party transfers of defense articles and services from NATO member countries, Japan, Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand or Israel to Taiwan, including transfers and re-transfers of U.S. origin grant, FMS, and DCS end-items not covered by an exemption under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
BACKGROUND:
Under the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the Department of State (State) submits to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee a notification of a prospective major arms sale before the executive branch takes further formal action. This allows committees to ask questions or raise concerns prior to State initiating a formal notification. State will generally not proceed as long as one of the four corners has a hold on a sale during the informal process.
After the informal notification process is complete, the AECA requires the President to formally notify Congress 30 days before issuing a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for an Foreign Military Sales(FMS)-administered sale, enhancement, or upgrading of major defense equipment valued at $14 million or more; the sale, enhancement, or upgrading of defense articles or services valued at $50 million or more; or the sale, enhancement, or upgrading of design and construction services valued at $200 million or more. In the case of such sales to NATO member states, NATO, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Israel, or New Zealand, the President must formally notify Congress 15 calendar days before proceeding with the sale. The prior notice threshold values for transfers to these recipients are $25 million for the sale, enhancement, or upgrading of major defense equipment; $100 million for the sale, enhancement, or upgrading of defense articles and defense services; and $300 million for the sale, enhancement, or upgrading of design and construction services.
A similar process for formal notification times and thresholds exists between NATO-Plus countries and other countries for Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), as well. FMS involves the U.S. government acting as an intermediary, facilitating a government-to-government transaction, while DCS allows direct contracts between US companies and foreign entities. DCS offers more flexibility in contract terms and conditions. FMS often include a “total package” approach, encompassing training, spare parts, and other support, potentially leading to higher initial costs. FMS contracts typically adhere to U.S. military standards, ensuring interoperability with US forces. DCS contracts may offer non-standard configurations.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) — The 8th meeting of heads of border emergency management departments of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and an exchange event on emergency management and cross-border cooperation between China and Central Asia were held in Shanghai, east China, from May 11 to 13.
The meeting discussed approaches to establishing the SCO Emergency Information Exchange System and the China-SCO Emergency Medical Assistance Cooperation Center. In addition, communication mechanisms and information exchange channels were also defined.
China is willing to work with other SCO countries to continuously promote the establishment of cooperation mechanisms in emergency management in border areas and accelerate the development of cooperation in border areas in such areas as joint forest and grassland fire prevention and control, information exchange, cross-border rescue operations, joint exercises and training, according to Liu Shunzhang, an official with China’s Ministry of Emergency Management.
The meeting was attended by heads of territorial emergency response agencies of border regions from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and other countries in online and offline formats. -0-
The sustained targeting of recidivist thieves has resulted in another significant reduction in shop theft offences in South Australia, the latest crime statistics have revealed.
The March rolling year crime statistics reveal shop theft has declined for the fifth successive period, recording an eight per cent reduction – 1,511 offences – from 18,783 to 17,272 reported incidents.
The reduction follows the previous eight per cent reduction in the February period, a five per cent decline in January, three per cent in December and two per cent in November.
Acting Assistant Commissioner (metropolitan Operations Service) John de Candia said the reduction in offending corresponded with the continuing efforts of officers involved in Operation Measure across all policing districts.
“We continue targeting the hardcore, recidivist offenders we know are committing large numbers of shoplifting offences and that is having an impact,’’ he said.
“Some of these offenders are committing literally dozens of offences across the metropolitan area, often endangering innocent members of the community.’’
While Operation Measure teams continue to target individual offenders, operations are also held at specific locations that record high levels of offending. One such two-day operation at an eastern suburbs liquor outlet in March resulted in the arrest of four offenders.
Significant arrests in March included a Christie Downs man, 27, who was charged with 19 counts of shop theft committed across multiple districts, a Renown Park man, 22, charged with 22 counts of shop theft mostly committed in the western suburbs and an Elizabeth South man, 37, who was charged with 14 counts of shop theft committed in the northern suburbs.
The March rolling year statistics also reveal house break-ins have dropped for the ninth successive period, while car theft and robbery and related offences have also continued to decrease significantly.
The figures reveal house break-ins declined by eight per cent in the period from 5,873 to 5,378 reported offences. This followed a seven per cent decline in the February period, a five per cent decline in the January period and a six per cent decline in the December period.
The number of non-residential break-ins declined by five per cent from 3,672 to 3,476 reported offences. This followed an identical decline in the February period.
Car theft and theft from a vehicle have again recorded decreases in the March period. Car theft dropped by nine per cent or 340 offences – from 3,814 to 3,474 offences. This followed an 11 per cent decline in the February period, 12 per cent in January and an 11 per cent drop in the December period.
Theft from a motor vehicle declined by 23 per cent – from 10,082 to 7,796 offences. This followed a 22 per cent decline in February, a 20 per cent drop in January and a 19 per cent decrease in the December and November periods.
Robbery and related offences also continued to decrease in the March period with a 13 per cent decline reported. Within that category aggravated robbery declined by 16 per cent or 80 offences – from 503 offences to 423 offences – while non-aggravated robbery declined by six per cent – from 81 offences to 76 offences.
The number of homicides committed in South Australia has continued to decrease with a 52 per cent decline recorded in the March period – from 23 to 11 offences.
While a majority of offence categories showed decreases in the March period, increases were recorded in offences including serious assaults not resulting in injury, common assault, aggravated sexual assault, property damage and graffiti.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is warning the community about a proliferation of dodgy websites sharing fake news about changes to the superannuation preservation rules and withdrawal rules starting on 1 June.
ATO Deputy Commissioner Emma Rosenzweig confirmed the maximum preservation age (the age when you can access your superannuation savings on retirement) is 60 for anyone born from 1 July 1964.
Taxpayers who have questions about the legitimacy of tax information should refer to the ATO’s website or speak to their registered tax professional if they have one.
Quotes attributable to ATO Deputy Commissioner Emma Rosenzweig:
‘This is classic fake news. Always consider the source of information you see, and if in doubt go to trusted sources such as the ATO website www.ato.gov.au, your super fund website, your registered tax agent or licensed financial adviser.’
‘Beware of websites that might be trying to harvest your personal information such as your TFN, identity details or myGov login details.’
‘Think twice before acting on information heard from third-party sources, including non-official websites or on social media.’
‘Be cautious about ‘free expert’ tax advice. If you are going to approach someone to help you manage your tax affairs, ensure they are a practising lawyer or registered with the Tax Practitioners Board. You can check if a tax professional is registered on the Tax Practitioner’s Board websiteExternal Link.’
Nearly a quarter of the money spent on the Government’s flagship FamilyBoost policy has gone to administration, not to families to help with childcare.
So far, the scheme has cost $62 million, $14 million of which is administration costs.
“That is taxpayer money that isn’t helping families with childcare, rather going to the administration costs of a scheme that is quickly becoming a farce for parents and an embarrassment for the Finance Minister,” Labour finance and economy spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said.
“Nicola Willis catastrophically botched the numbers, recently being forced to admit only a few hundred families are getting the full amount for childcare.
“Of the 130,000 families she claimed would receive some support, a figure she revised to 100,000 upon coming into Government, only half are getting any money at all. Now we find out that nearly a quarter of the cost of the scheme is being spent administering it.
“This scheme is unnecessarily complicated for time-poor parents, who have to keep invoices for childcare and submit them for a rebate. It’s clearly complicated for officials too given $14 million is being spent on administration.
“Costs are piling up on families under this Government and people are not getting what they were promised to help them with the cost of living,” Barbara Edmonds said.
The Government finally admitted late last night that roughly 180,000 people will be affected by its decision to halt pay equity claims.
“Last week the Government killed 33 pay equity claims, pushing the law change through under urgency, with the clear intention of paying for their budget off the backs of hardworking women,” Labour workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.
“Now the Minister has finally admitted just how many people they’ve screwed over: roughly 180,000 people, mostly women, had their claims tossed out, just in time for Mother’s Day.
“This is money that was set aside to lift women’s pay, but this Government has chosen to take this money because their Budget didn’t add up. That is a pay cut, plain and simple.
“These are nurses, teachers, care and support workers who have been fighting for years for pay equity. These are the workforces made up of mostly women, who hold this country together. This is National telling them they are not valued.
“Across the country thousands of women are making their voices heard and Labour proudly stands with them. We will restore women’s fundamental rights to equal pay for equal work,” Jan Tinetti said.
Wednesday 14th May 2025 – New Zealand has ranked fourth lowest out of 36 OECD and EU countries for child well being in a new report just released by UNICEF.
For mental wellbeing, New Zealand was the lowest ranking country, in 36th place out of 36 countries with available data.
New Zealand showed the single highest youth suicide rate in the analysed countries during the reporting period – almost three times higher than the average for high-income countries.The report cites suicide as the fourth most common cause of death globally among adolescents aged 15-19 years.
The latest in a UNICEF Innocenti research series spanning 25 years, Report Card 19: Fragile Gains – Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World uses globally comparable datasets to provide critical insight into child wellbeing in the world’s wealthier countries between 2018-2022. While it is encouraging that recent domestic statistics on suspected suicide indicate that rates may be slightly decreasing, New Zealand is still a notable outliercompared to other countries and our rates are much too high.
The report also shows where Aotearoa is falling behind on other key issues facing children – including physical wellbeing, where New Zealand has the third highest percentage of overweight children, and bullying, where the percentage of bullied children is the second highest.
UNICEF Aotearoa CEO Michelle Sharp says the data should be a wake-up call and the upcoming Budget is an opportunity for the government to create positive change.
“Too many children in Aotearoa are missing out on their childhood. We’re calling on the government to direct funding towards addressing these problems and to shift the dial, so New Zealand is not ranked so alarmingly close to the bottom of the table when it comes to child wellbeing. The government can act now, and act quickly to make positive impacts if it chooses to,” she says.
UNICEF Aotearoa is deeply concerned about what the report tells us on children and young people’s wellbeing in our country, and the trajectory this continues to take since 2022.Recent data captured in the Government’s own Annual Report on the Child and Youth Strategy, as well as the most recent child poverty data from Statistics NZ, indicates that on major themes relating to poverty and mental wellbeing, the data has not improved in the last two years.
Food security, affordable housing, hospital admissions and material hardship all continue to show negative trends.
Faced with this stark data, UNICEF Aotearoa is calling on the government to address economic inequality and to prioritise funding for suicide prevention in the upcoming Budget, particularly for Māori and Pacific youth, who are disproportionately represented in negative statistics.
UNICEF Aotearoa Director of Advocacy and Programmes Teresa Tepania-Ashton saysthere are several measures that could be implemented quickly.
“Immediately expanding eligibility for the Best Start payment to all children up to the age of five and laying out a roadmap for expanding eligibility up to the age of 18 would help tackle economic inequality and make a positive difference to many whānau in Aotearoa who are doing it really tough at the moment,” she says.
“We also support calls for the government to address food insecurity by fully funding an expanded Ka Ora Ka Ako healthy school lunches programme, ensuring that all children across every school and early childhood centre have access to nutritious meals, thereby tackling food insecurity quickly”.
Sharp says child wellbeing in New Zealand is a political choice.
“The quality of life being experienced by the tamariki and rangatahi in this country is down to political choice, and we urge our decision-makers to make the right choices and directly invest in children in the imminent Budget and beyond”.
Sharp says child wellbeing in New Zealand is a political choice.
“The quality of life being experienced by the tamariki and rangatahi in this country is down to political choice, and we urge our decision-makers to make the right choices and directly invest in children in the imminent Budget and beyond”.
This Thursday 15 May at 8am a delegation of working women and their whānau will attend a multigenerational pay equity forum at Parliament to share the impacts on their lives of the Government’s decision to gut the Equal Pay Act.
The event will be hosted by Labour and the Greens in the Labour Party Caucus Room. One of the families will be available to speak with media.
“Pay equity is about ending pay discrimination for working women and lifting the wellbeing of whānau. We’re so grateful that some of the most impacted families have agreed to share their pay equity stories with MPs,” said NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges.
“We will keep fighting to ensure the voices of working women stay front and centre in the campaign to protect pay equity,” said Ansell-Bridges.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has joined 18 other nations for a large French-led multinational training exercise scenario of a hypothetical cyclone striking the islands of Wallis & Futuna.
Exercise Croix Du Sud was based in New Caledonia, about 1900km southwest of Wallis & Futuna, and involved about 2000 personnel.
New Zealand Army Captain Zoe Williamson and a small number of Kiwi staff officers bolstered the exercise headquarters.
“This has been a great opportunity allowing us to work with our partner nations in a likely humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) scenario, developing relationships and an understanding of how we work individually but are able to come together as a whole,” she said.
“Training with our Pacific neighbours is important to ensure we are ready to respond when the time comes, and Exercise Croix Du Sud is a valuable test, ensuring we can deliver this critical capability when and where it’s needed.”
Exercise Croix Du Sud also provided the opportunity for two NZDF officers to deploy with the Pacific Response Group (PRG), a new multinational support group consisting of personnel from Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, France, Australia, and New Zealand with Chile in support.
The PRG was established in 2024 by recommendation of the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting to address the need for pan-Pacific HADR cooperation.
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s Lieutenant Commander Nikita Lawson said the Pacific Response Group was a short-notice deployable team with strong planning skills designed to assist civilian authorities and other organisations in any response to a disaster.
“The PRG deployed a small team forward to Wallis & Futuna to assess the situation on the ground, determine where military assistance was required and what humanitarian assistance was needed,” she said.
The PRG command team remained in New Caledonia to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and critical capabilities.
“Information, assessments and the ‘ground truth’ provided by our PRG team were invaluable at shaping the HADR response plans formed by the wider exercise headquarters,” Lieutenant Commander Lawson said.
Xi congratulates Australian PM Albanese on reelection
Xinhua | May 14, 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday congratulated Anthony Albanese on his reelection as Australian prime minister.
Xi said that over the past three years, he had met with Prime Minister Albanese, and engaged with him in in-depth discussions on strategic, comprehensive and directional issues concerning the development of China-Australia relations.
These discussions led to important consensuses that have provided strategic guidance to improve and grow bilateral ties, he added.
Strengthening cooperation between China and Australia, Xi said, is of great significance for achieving shared development and promoting world peace and stability.
The Chinese president also expressed his readiness to work with Albanese to advance the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership in a steady fashion, delivering greater benefits to the people of both countries.
On the same day, Premier Li Qiang sent a congratulatory message to Albanese, saying that China is willing to work with the new Australian government to promote a more mature, stable and fruitful China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Xi’an, an ancient capital of China and the starting point of the historic Silk Road, is writing a new chapter in global trade as it strives to develop an airfreight-driven economy, with its international air cargo and mail volume doubling in the first four months of 2024.
From January to April, the inland metropolis handled 17,200 tonnes of cross-border shipments — primarily e-commerce goods — marking a 102.4 percent year-on-year increase.
The growth was driven by Xi’an’s expanded Eurasian cargo network this year, with more cargo flights to Budapest and the launch of four new freight routes linking Tbilisi, Milan, Debrecen, and Madrid, thereby strengthening the city’s connections with Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, according to Xi’an Xianyang International Airport.
In February, the airport’s Terminal 5, a 705,500-square-meter “super terminal” larger than the combined area of the previous three terminals, officially opened, adding 115 aircraft parking stands while boosting the city’s air logistics capacity.
Amid global economic uncertainties, China has continued to advance high-level openness. The country’s total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms expanded 1.3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025, demonstrating stable growth and strong resilience, according to the General Administration of Customs.
Xi’an’s booming airfreight economy is part of China’s broader opening-up drive, contributing to the country’s overall trade expansion.
In the Airport New City (ANC) of Xixian New Area, where the airport is located, bonded warehouses are stocked with imported daily necessities and cosmetics as workers at a cross-border logistics company busily load orders for delivery.
“Compared with coastal cities like Hangzhou, Xi’an offers a cost advantage for air cargo to Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, with flight times shortened by around two hours,” said Lan Yibo, the general manager of the company, adding that they have begun exporting Chinese-made light industrial products to Europe starting this year.
The airport’s high customs clearance efficiency and convenience have attracted a growing number of businesses.
“By making prior reservations, companies can cut customs clearance times from three or four days to just seven hours,” said Dang Liming, an official of the ANC.
Benefiting from the airport-oriented economy, the ANC now hosts 13 logistics parks and over 200 leading logistics firms.
The thriving air logistics has boosted the express delivery and cross-border e-commerce businesses.
Last year, the Xi’an airport handled over 7.3 million international express shipments, ranking second in China.
Located within the ANC, the northwest China regional hub of delivery giant YTO Express handled 1 billion parcels last year, up 33.3 percent year on year.
Shao Xing, a manager at the company, said the Xi’an regional hub has ranked among the top five nationwide in terms of scale.
“The company will launch a new Silk Road international port project by the end of next year, aiming to expand multimodal transport capabilities and enhance connectivity in Central Asia through integrated logistics networks,” Shao said.
Frontline attendance services will receive a significant funding boost so they can support more schools and reach double the students, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says.
Budget 2025 includes a $140 million package to improve attendance over the next four years. This includes around $123 million for the delivery of a new attendance service and almost $17 million to support and strengthen frontline attendance services.
“Frontline attendance services will be more accountable, better at effectively managing cases, and data driven in their responses. To achieve this, they will soon have access to a new case management system and better data monitoring, and their contracts will be more closely monitored,” Mr Seymour says.
“In 2024 the Education Review Office (ERO) completed a report into attendance services which found that the system designed to get students back in school was ineffective and required substantial reform. For example, the current system fails to consistently improve student attendance because funding varies between providers. Many services are under resourced and cannot meet demand.
The 2024 ERO report made four recommendations for a successful new attendance service:
Having effective targeted supports in place to address chronic absence
Increasing the focus on retaining students on their return
Putting in place an efficient and effective model
Strengthening how we prevent students becoming chronically absent
“The new attendance services model addresses the first three recommendations. The wider attendance action plan, which includes the requirement for schools to have their own attendance management plan, aligned with the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) in place by Term 1 of 2026, will address all four,” Mr Seymour says.
“Service providers will work with families, local communities and social agencies to deliver comprehensive services. The level of service provided will depend on the need. It will range from advice and support to schools, to intensive case management of students.
“Schools with the highest numbers of chronically absent students will be able to apply for funding for an in-school service. The schools in this bracket tend to be ones in higher Equity Index (EQI) groups, facing the most socio-economic barriers.”
Transitioning to the new Attendance Service will begin at the end of this year and the new services will become fully operational from early 2026. The Ministry of Education will work with providers to ensure the transition is smooth, and that students continue to receive the services they need during this period.
“Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves,” Mr Seymour says.
I am honoured to be reappointed the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in the second term Albanese Labor Government, and I thank the Prime Minister for his continued support.
In our first three years, we embarked on a transformative agenda to reform commonwealth infrastructure investment and return discipline to investment decisions.
This included reforming the infrastructure pipeline so Australians can have confidence projects can be delivered when they are promised, and securing new five-year funding agreements with the jurisdictions that require infrastructure investments to be properly planned and costed.
In transport, we embarked on significant reform to Australia’s aviation industry including reforms to the slot system at Sydney Airport for the first time in 25 years, and landed a record number of bilateral air agreements.
We restored integrity to the federal grants process, increased funding for local roads, and legislated a national fuel efficiency standard.
With the foundations set in the first term, it is time to harness the opportunity to build a better and stronger future, with infrastructure that connects people and businesses and makes our communities not just liveable, but desirable.
We have a significant agenda for our second term, including: establishing a robust consumer aviation protection regime, preserving regional aviation and driving competition in the sector; driving productivity in construction and across our supply chains; getting on with Melbourne Airport Rail, fixing Queensland’s Bruce Highway, finishing Western Sydney International, and much more.
I look forward to continuing to work with an impressive team of Ministers to progress this important work.
The Australian people have put their trust in us and we look forward to delivering on our commitments.
Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, was interviewed by the Asia Media Centre, on the margins of his Working Visit to New Zealand. The interview covered key topics, including the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-New Zealand dialogue relations, among others.
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Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated in in the roundtable discussion organised by the Asia New Zealand Foundation in Wellington. Participated by New Zealand’s government officials and academia, the Roundtable focused on geopolitical issues and challenges impacting the region, as well as opportunities to strengthen cooperation on this matter. SG Dr. Kao shared his observations on ASEAN and how it has managed to navigate the evolving geopolitical changes. He further emphasised the need to work together and explore ways to effectively address challenges in this rapidly changing world.
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Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of New Zealand, The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, during his Working Visit to New Zealand. The meeting served as a reaffirmation for the strong and enduring ASEAN-New Zealand partnership, which has steadfastly grown and broadened over the past five decades.
SG Dr. Kao and Prime Minister Luxon exchanged views on regional and international developments and pathways to further advance ASEAN-New Zealand ties, including the proposal for the establishment of an ASEAN-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in conjunction with the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of ASEAN- New Zealand Dialogue Relations this year.
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The CFS is responding to a shed fire at Canowie Belt, approximately 18 kilometres east of Jamestown, in the Mid North of South Australia.
CFS volunteers on 8 trucks are on scene working to extinguish the fire and prevent the fire spreading to nearby fields.
Smoke will be visible for some distance.
Roads are currently open around this incident, however, this may change at short notice. Continue to monitor at: traffic.sa.gov.au
Smoke may impact roads in the area, and visibility may be reduced. To ensure your safety and that of firefighters and other emergency personnel who are working in the area, please do not enter the area unless necessary.
The Green Party is delivering for Māori with its Green Budget.
“Our Green Budget is a statement: we stand for Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we stand on the right side of history and we stand against this Government,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Māori Development, Hūhana Lyndon.
“Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a promise of protection, for people and planet. This forms the foundations of our Green Budget and our vision for Aotearoa.
“We have seen this Government undo decades of progress with endless assaults on our people and the lands we live on, all for the benefit of a wealthy few. We will not stand for this. With our Budget we have a way forward that can help us undo the damage that has been done.
“We will fill the gaps in our health system that have failed our people across generations by bringing back Te Aka Whai Ora and rolling out free GPs across the motu, especially in hard to reach communities.
“We will build for a future where everyone has a home, with publicly funded kāinga led by Māori. Our tamariki will be set up for success with warm homes, and education that connects them to their culture and unlocks their full potential.
“Our Hoki Whenua Mai policy means land back for tangata whenua and protection against further takings from the Crown.
“We can do all of this and more by making this a one-term Government, by demanding the rich pay their fair share and by using Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the poutokomanawa of our whare ora,” says Hūhana Lyndon.
The Green Party has launched its plan for Free GPs as part of its Green Budget.
“Healthcare isn’t a luxury, it’s a human right we can afford to provide to all,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson.
“In the last election, we campaigned on providing free dental for all. Today, we’re expanding that to ensure nobody is priced out of receiving the care they need, whether that is from the dentist or the doctor.
“Successive Governments have failed to invest in the health of our communities, resulting in more and more people falling through the cracks and being left behind. A shocking 44 percent of Māori have an unmet need for primary care.
“This is just common sense. Free GP visits will reduce the pressure our hospitals are under by stopping small issues becoming big ones that need emergency treatment.
“Our approach will make sure communities right across the country have access to the care they need with our Community Health Service. We will create community care clinics in the highest need areas first, such as South Auckland, which has an estimated shortage of about 127 GPs.
“Community not-for-profit primary care providers, such as kaupapa Māori providers, will also be funded to provide free GP and nurse visits alongside the Community Health Service.
“We will build the workforce we need to support our communities and ensure everyone has access to a GP by maximising the medical student caps at both Auckland and Otago University. This will begin to close workforce gaps and ensure we have what we need to meet increased demand.
“Rather than leaning on private healthcare and leaving thousands out in the cold like the current Government, we can take control and build a health system that supports all of us and leaves nobody behind,” says Marama Davidson.
Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines
A two-year-old child sustained life-threatening injuries in a horrific dog attack in March 2024.
The young boy was mauled by two dogs while playing in the front yard of his south Auckland home. The unprovoked and sustained attack left him with several serious wounds to his neck and head, and a fractured shoulder blade, requiring multiple surgeries and a prolonged hospital stay.
The dogs, two American Bulldogs roamed freely into the child’s yard and attacked him without warning.
Despite heroic efforts by bystanders and the victim’s mother, who physically lifted her child to safety, the dogs continued to attack. CCTV footage confirmed the brutality of the attack, which ended only when the dogs were forcibly removed and driven away by the owners’ relatives.
On 30 July 2024, the Auckland Council commenced a criminal prosecution against the owner, laying two charges for owning dogs that attacked a person causing serious injury.
Last week in the Manukau District Court, Judge Moala sentenced the owner, Ms Janna Faumui who had pleaded guilty to the charges, to 150 hours of community work and ordered her to pay $2,000 in emotional harm reparation to the victim’s family.
Judge Moala considered that where the victim of a dog attack has suffered near-fatal injuries, the starting point for sentence is likely to be one of imprisonment.
However, the Judge did not consider imprisonment was appropriate in this particular case given the defendant’s lack of criminal history and there being no indication she was a danger to the community. The defendant was given credit for her early guilty pleas, her lack of conviction history and the remorse she had shown for the offending.
Chair of the Regulatory and Safety Committee, Councillor Josephine Bartley expressed heartfelt concern for the toddler.
“It is not okay for dogs to be roaming or uncontrolled. The trauma and injuries inflicted on this child were horrific and entirely preventable,” she said.
“Dog owners must understand their responsibilities. This is not optional. If they fail in those duties, we will not hesitate to prosecute.”
Auckland Council’s General Manager of Licensing and Compliance, Robert Irvine, says this is another devastating example of the serious consequences of roaming dogs in our city.
“We commend the bravery of the bystanders who tried to intervene in the attack,” said Mr Irvine.
“No one should ever have to witness such violence, especially a parent.”
“We have increased the number of Animal Management Officers and their proactive patrolling in high-risk areas, and we are doing all we can to prevent incidences like this from happening, but we can’t be everywhere all the time. We need dog owners to take responsibility for their dogs, keep them contained and not allow them to roam,” adds Irvine.
The council has confirmed both dogs were voluntarily surrendered and euthanised following the attack.
Auckland Council urges all dog owners to ensure their pets are secure, well-trained, and never allowed to roam.
“One moment of negligence can result in a lifetime of pain,” says Mr Irvine.
Further case highlights dangers of careless dog ownership
In a separate case in the Manukau District Court, Maxine Hona was sentenced to 100 hours of community work and ordered to pay $200 in emotional harm reparation after her dog, Otis, seriously attacked a visitor in her home in March 2024.
Despite Ms Hona’s attempt to contain her dog before allowing the victim inside, it escaped and launched a persistent attack, injuring both the visitor and Ms Hona herself.
The court rejected arguments that this was an exceptional incident and made an order for the dog’s destruction.
Judge Patel stressed that even one-off failures to control dogs can have devastating consequences.
This case reinforces Auckland Council’s message: pet ownership comes with absolute responsibility. There is no margin for error when it comes to public safety.
More information about responsible dog ownership is available on the Auckland Council website.
New Zealand Food Safety is consulting on changes to the Organic Export Requirement: Recognised Agencies and Persons (OER: RAP). The OER: RAP forms part of the Official Organic Assurance Programme (OOAP).
The OER: RAP was last updated in March 2023. Since then, we’ve identified areas where further changes are needed to foster continuous improvement on the requirements for agencies and persons.
The proposed updates aim to improve definitions, recognition criteria, and suspension rules.
This consultation is separate to the development of the new Organic Products and Production Act 2023, proposed new regulations, and the national standard for organic food, beverages, and plant and animal products.
We are accepting submissions from 14 May until 5pm on 11 June 2025.
What’s being proposed?
The proposed changes include amendments to:
definitions
requirements for recognition of agencies and persons
requirements for suspension of recognition
contract for services as a recognised agency for OOAP, including the addition of a schedule to the contract for health and safety.
All proposed additions in the draft OER: RAP are highlighted in yellow. Text that we propose to delete from the existing OER: RAP is not shown. Note that your feedback on the draft OER: RAP should be restricted to the proposed amendments.
While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:
OOAP: Organic Production Rules Consultation Plant, Wine, and Organic Assurance Assurance Directorate Ministry for Primary Industries PO Box 2526 Wellington 6140 New Zealand.
What to include
Make sure you tell us in your submission:
the title of the consultation document
your name and title
your organisation’s name (if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation, and whether your submission represents the whole organisation or a section of it)
your contact details (such as phone number, address, and email).
Submissions are public information
Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.
People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.
If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Sitting at his desk, turning on his computer and entering his password, Indian Joseph begins his working day.
Joseph is an electric drive assembly and testing engineer. This is his third year with Chinese electric vehicle company NIO and his 13th year in China.
For Joseph, the rapid technological changes in the EV industry are an opportunity to constantly learn new things. “Unlike the traditional automotive industry, there are so many new, constantly improving technologies in EVs. As someone who works at the forefront of R&D, I am constantly exposed to new things, and my technical knowledge and skills are constantly being enriched,” says Joseph.
Hu Bo, Joseph’s colleague and also an electric drive assembly and testing engineer, praises him: “Joseph has more than ten years of experience in the electric vehicle industry. He is an excellent engineer and has unique methods for solving complex technical problems.”
“As a global company, overseas engineers are an important part of NIO’s technology ecosystem, helping us better interact with the global market. In order for China’s EV industry to maintain its leading position, it is necessary to attract global innovation resources,” Hu Bo said.
Thirteen years ago, Joseph, a graduate in automotive engineering from Coventry University in the UK, came to China with hope and excitement.
Joseph’s initial work was not as an automotive engineer, but at a consulting firm specializing in the automotive industry. “At the time, the Chinese EV industry was in its infancy, and we were mostly doing market analysis,” Joseph says.
In 2022, Joseph moved to Hefei, Anhui Province, and became an electric vehicle engineer. He believes that, like many Chinese electric vehicle companies, NIO has strong innovation capabilities, and he enjoys challenging and creative work. “Here, I don’t have to follow a template, and I can always implement my ideas.”
Having worked in China for over a decade, Joseph has witnessed the rapid development of China’s electric vehicle industry: “When I first came here, I never imagined that electric vehicles would develop so quickly in China and would be in every home within a few years.”
An escape of a 13-year-old girl from a hostage crisis on the border of Papua New Guinea’s Western and Hela provinces has boosted hopes for the rescue of her fellow captives.
The group of 10 people was taken captive early on Monday morning at Adujmari.
PNG Police Commissioner David Manning has called the perpetrators “domestic terrorists” and warned that officers were able to use lethal force if needed to secure the release of the hostages.
The girl Aiyo’s fellow captives are four adults — a teacher and his wife, and a health worker and his wife — along with another four school girls.
The Post-Courier reports that the kidnappers have demanded the government pay a ransom of K500,000 (NZ$207,000) for the safe release of the captives.
Aiyo has told police that the kidnappers had threatened to harm the group if no money was forthcoming.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Commander Steven Francis, said officers were working around the clock to secure their safe release.
Locals in the Adujmari district have so far raised more than K11,000 (NZ4500) to try and negotiate the safe release of the group.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.