Stories from Wellington · New Zealand

Private Capital Group and Altria Asset Management have launched new funds specifically for investing in New Zealand infrastructure. The firms stated they aim to address the country's infrastructure deficit.

Data from employment website Seek indicates that 50% of workers have received a pay rise in the past 12 months. The report suggests millennials are the demographic most likely to have seen salary increases during this period.

Retail New Zealand Chief Executive Carolyn Young stated that the Iran war and resulting fuel crisis have hit the retail sector badly. Young urged consumers to prioritize essential purchases such as school shoes, rain jackets, or household items.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins stated that the party's policy promise of three free doctor's visits per year is realistic. Rural Health Network chair Dr. Fiona Boldem urged a focus on workforce shortages instead of universal free visits.

New Zealand has reached a tipping point for solar power adoption. Money correspondent Susan Edmonds-Mordin reported that homeowners installing solar panels will see increased savings. The report discussed the implications of this shift for residential energy use.

An adjustment factor for Cook Strait ferry transport rose as of May 3, 2026. The fee applies monthly to commercial vehicles and trucks moving freight across the strait.

Tangata Tariiti, Chief Executive of Huiye, expressed concern regarding the potential merging of ring-fenced lottery funds. She noted that specialist committees currently distribute more than $220 million annually to community sector groups.

The state drug buyer, Pharmac, is considering feedback on an application from the Meningitis Foundation. The application requests funding for vaccines for all individuals aged 13 to 25. The decision follows reports of rapid symptom progression in affected patients.

A leaked report prepared for the TAB states the horse racing and breeding industry is unsustainable without additional tax breaks. The report was prepared by a committee that includes two major donors to the New Zealand First party.

The New Zealand government has committed $400 million to develop tools to reduce agricultural methane, including vaccines and low-methane genetics. This follows the decision last year to scrap a plan to tax agricultural methane by 2030 in favor of a technology-led approach.