The Niue New Zealand link in the World Wars
Veterans Minister Chris Penk is in Niue to attend Anzac services on the island. Its population is only 4000 but during World War One 150 of its men volunteered to join the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and at least 15 of them were killed. Minister Penk talks to Stacey Morrison.
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Supercharging Residential Solar Power Generation
Minister for Energy Hon Chris Penk Minister for Building and Construction The Government is expanding the permitted voltage range for electricity networks, so Kiwis with solar panels can send more power back to the grid. Changes are being made to clarify that a building consent is not needed to install rooftop solar panels on existing buildings. Councils will be required to process building consents for new homes with solar panels within 10 working days, down from the standard 20 working days. Common sense changes in the energy and building consent systems will drive greater residential solar uptake in New Zealand, Energy Minister Simon Watts and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk say. 'New Zealand's residential uptake of rooftop solar is lower than many other countries. This Government wants to change that so more Kiwis can generate, store, and send their own electricity back to the market. This will allow them to save on their power bills and contribute to a more secure electricity system,' Mr Watts says. 'Rooftop solar will play a crucial role in supporting energy security and reducing emissions. But our networks need to be able to better support the growing flow of electricity from consumers, while also dealing with growing demand for more electric vehicle charging. 'That's why we are expanding the voltage range from +/- 6 percent to +/- 10 percent to manage the changing flow of electricity from rooftop solar and EV charging. This will future proof our electricity system and help electrify the economy. 'Modelling suggests this change could boost solar investment and overall generation by a whopping 507 GWh through increased solar connections. This is great for the security of our energy supply.' Mr Penk says the building consent system can help accelerate the shift towards renewable energy. 'We need the right incentives in place to make rooftop solar a realistic option for Kiwis. 'The Government is focused on getting people into safe, affordable homes faster – and we want those homes to be sustainable and future-ready. 'With the energy system preparing for a surge in residential solar, the consenting process needs to play its part to support the transition. 'We are proposing changes to the Building Act, that will make it clear that a building consent is not needed to install rooftop solar panels on existing buildings. 'Right now, decision-making is inconsistent between councils – creating unnecessary barriers for homeowners who want to take responsibility for their environmental impact and make sustainable choices. "As a further incentive, we are also proposing that Kiwis who choose to include solar panels in the design of new homes will have their entire building consent fast-tracked and processed in 10 working days instead of the standard 20 working days, saving Kiwis around $400 a day in time and consenting costs.' 'Delivering the best outcomes for New Zealanders is incredibly important to Minister Penk and me. Expanding the voltage range could help avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure upgrade costs to accommodate rooftop solar and EV charging being passed on to Kiwi households,' Mr Watts says. 'Combined, these common-sense and cost-effective changes will boost the resilience of New Zealand's electricity supply, make it easier and cheaper for Kiwis to build sustainable homes, and spur New Zealand's residential solar market into the future.' Notes: New Zealand appliance standards have aligned with international +/-10% voltage requirements since the 1980s, meaning compliant appliances should already operate safely within the new voltage range. Consumers using older devices that don't meet New Zealand or international appliance standards may use a surge protector, but consistent high-end voltage delivery is unlikely. The expert modelling referred to in this release was prepared by grid connection specialists, ASNA.
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Defence's Waiouru Housing Project Fails To Break Ground After Deal With Ngāti Rangi Falls Over, Sources Say
Article – RNZ RNZ understands a deal with Ngti Rangi that underpinned the project fell over at the last minute. The Defence Force's flagship project to fix up poor housing that is bad for soldiers' health has failed to break ground two years after it was funded, according to sources in Waiouru. None of the 50 houses promised for Waiouru have been started, according to feedback from the town, which the NZDF has not disputed. Budget 2023 earmarked the thick end of $75 million for the new houses. A Defence tender to find a builder went out a year ago. But on Wednesday the government said, 'Discussions regarding Waiouru are ongoing and progressing well, as part of a wider Treaty Settlement.' Asked what the talks were about, Associate Defence Minister Chris Penk's office said, 'We don't have anything further to add outside of our existing statements currently.' NZDF did not address what the new discussions were about either. It did not respond when asked what had happened to the project and any contract. RNZ understands its deal with Ngāti Rangi that underpinned the housing project fell over at the last minute. Ngāti Rangi is hosting the National Hautapu Ceremony for Matariki next week at Tirorangi Marae. The iwi referred RNZ's questions to the NZDF. A spokesperson for Associate Defence Minister Chris Penk, in a statement sent after the publication of this article, said the Government did not accept the suggestion any deal had fallen over. It said in 2021 that, 'Housing is on the top of our priority list. As part of our settlement we have an arrangement with the New Zealand Defence Force out at Waiouru to build 50 homes. That project we're still working on with NZDF.' Penk told Cabinet colleagues last year that NZDF's widespread 'dilapidated' housing was harming military output. Defence has vacancy rates of about 30 percent and 'ten percent of personnel leave the NZDF predominantly due to the unsatisfactory working, training and living environments', he said. Budget 2025 signalled the start of $9 billion in promised new defence spending by 2029, containing about $3 billion for 15 projects, mostly to do with weapons or IT systems. However, the Budget provided just a fraction over the next four years to address the billion-dollar backlog in maintenance and renewals that is outstanding; past Cabinet papers gave this figure, and NZDF confirmed on Tuesday that its spending on defence regeneration was half a billion dollars behind what the 2019 plan demanded. In August 2024, Penk expressed shock after seeing photos of black mould in Waiouru families' homes. 'No family should have to live like that, let alone the families of those who sacrifice so much to serve their country,' he said. The temperature low in Waiouru over the last 30 days has been under one degree on 17 days. Some housing 'poses potential health risks and can cause housing-related stress to … personnel and their families', and was linked to health conditions like asthma, a Cabinet minute in 2023 said. The 50-house project was announced as settled a year ago, under the Te Tiriti settlement with Ngāti Rangi seven years ago. Ruapehu district mayor Weston Kirton and his council celebrated the deal 11 months ago. 'I don't have any detail, only to say that it seems to be stalled in some shape or form,' Kirton told RNZ on Wednesday. No building appeared to have taken place – a playground and community park were in the tender, too – and the council was not privy to why, or to Defence talks with iwi. 'The minister should give us an update on what progress there is on the Defence presence in the Waiouru community,' Kirton said. NZDF had earlier threatened to shut up shop entirely at the central North Island settlement and head south, so he had been delighted when the settlement secured the army's training area and the housing deal began to firm up. 'It was all go,' Kirton told RNZ. 'They were very excited, they wanted to retain the training area at Waiouru. 'We were excited, the fact that they were going to put resouces back into Waiouru.' On Wednesday, Penk initially made no comment at all about Waiouru, then, when prompted again by RNZ, provided a single line about the 'discussions'. Shortly before that, in a longer statement, he had said, 'The government is improving accommodation for our sailors, soldiers and aviators by addressing decades of underinvestment, which has left Defence housing stock in poor condition.' Penk referred in that statement to projects in Devonport, Trentham and Manawatū, but not Waiouru, even though Waiouru had the lion's share of Budget 2023's tranche one funding for housing upgrades. 'The Waiouru New Build Housing is one of the first projects implemented under the Homes for Families Programme,' said its tender. Two months ago on Facebook, Penk posted – next to a headline '$12 billion for a stronger NZ' cheering the defence capability plan released in April – that: 'This Government is rebuilding the Defence Force after decades of underfunding.' 'Defence housing, messing and dining spaces are going to benefit from fresh investment. 'Our military personnel deserve healthy and modern spaces to live and rest in while they serve our country.' The 50-house Waiouru deal was designed to signal the starter's gun on a half-billion-dollar upgrade of the army camp over the next 25 years, and of an overall $3 billion overhaul of 1600 defence houses countrywide. Most of those required 'upgrading urgently', past Cabinet papers said. Penk a year ago told a Cabinet committee the estate was a 'critical enabler of military effect; providing the working, training and living environments required for generating and maintaining defence outputs'. 'The dilapidated condition of the NZDF estate is evident everywhere, but mainly in the living and training environments, and with utilities such as power, water supply and sanitation.' A 2024 estimate put deferred maintenance at $480m across the estate, which includes not just houses but other facilities. Some 'critical' defence assets were so poor in some places that a 'wholesale shutdown of operations at that location may be needed', Penk stated. The NZDF's annual report a year earlier had said 99 percent of its houses met Healthy Homes standards. Asked how that was possible given what Cabinet had been told, NZDF told RNZ: 'Healthy Homes compliance does not address the state of NZDF's barracks or working accommodation and does not necessarily address whether a home is aged, fit for purpose and or in an accelerated state of deterioration.' Penk had said in August 2024 that funding was constrained but the government was looking at options for improving the housing. Earlier, Budget 2024 funded 35 leased homes at Devonport Naval Base. New initiatives in Budget 2025 funded just $4m of capital and $16m for housing over four years. More would be added 'once the business case is approved by Cabinet', NZDF said. The business case related to a revision of its 2019 estate regeneration plan to fit a 2024-2040 timeline. This had to be revised, in part, to 'address consequences of insufficient funding since the 2019 business case', official papers said. 'The business case is still being drafted and Cabinet's decision on it will be released when that occurs in the next couple of months,' it told RNZ. NZDF mentioned about $30m for upgrades at Devonport Naval base, but this does not appear to be for housing. Budget 2025 also had $120m for depreciated funding of estate assets. It put $26m into deferred maintenance this year, and $104m over four years, against the $480m backlog. Penk said in his statement that three construction contracts and a future lease agreement had been signed for 61 new homes with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei on Auckland's North Shore, and to lease additional houses in Sunnybrae. A new tender signalled 'more housing solutions will be sought this year, including at Trentham and in the Manawatū', he said. Budgets 2023 and 2024 provided $75.4m capital and a total $17.1m over four years, Defence said. This included a renovation pilot for 13 properties at Burnham, Linton and Ohakea.
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Defence's Waiouru Housing Project Fails To Break Ground After Deal With Ngāti Rangi Falls Over, Sources Say
Article – RNZ , Reporter The Defence Force's flagship project to fix up poor housing that is bad for soldiers' health has failed to break ground two years after it was funded, according to sources in Waiouru. None of the 50 houses promised for Waiouru have been started, according to feedback from the town, which the NZDF has not disputed. Budget 2023 earmarked the thick end of $75 million for the new houses. A Defence tender to find a builder went out a year ago. But on Wednesday the government said, 'Discussions regarding Waiouru are ongoing and progressing well, as part of a wider Treaty Settlement.' Asked what the talks were about, Associate Defence Minister Chris Penk's office said, 'We don't have anything further to add outside of our existing statements currently.' NZDF did not address what the new discussions were about either. It did not respond when asked what had happened to the project and any contract. RNZ understands its deal with Ngāti Rangi that underpinned the housing project fell over at the last minute. Ngāti Rangi is hosting the National Hautapu Ceremony for Matariki next week at Tirorangi Marae. The iwi referred RNZ's questions to the NZDF. A spokesperson for Associate Defence Minister Chris Penk, in a statement sent after the publication of this article, said the Government did not accept the suggestion any deal had fallen over. It said in 2021 that, 'Housing is on the top of our priority list. As part of our settlement we have an arrangement with the New Zealand Defence Force out at Waiouru to build 50 homes. That project we're still working on with NZDF.' Penk told Cabinet colleagues last year that NZDF's widespread 'dilapidated' housing was harming military output. Defence has vacancy rates of about 30 percent and 'ten percent of personnel leave the NZDF predominantly due to the unsatisfactory working, training and living environments', he said. Budget 2025 signalled the start of $9 billion in promised new defence spending by 2029, containing about $3 billion for 15 projects, mostly to do with weapons or IT systems. However, the Budget provided just a fraction over the next four years to address the billion-dollar backlog in maintenance and renewals that is outstanding; past Cabinet papers gave this figure, and NZDF confirmed on Tuesday that its spending on defence regeneration was half a billion dollars behind what the 2019 plan demanded. In August 2024, Penk expressed shock after seeing photos of black mould in Waiouru families' homes. 'No family should have to live like that, let alone the families of those who sacrifice so much to serve their country,' he said. The temperature low in Waiouru over the last 30 days has been under one degree on 17 days. Some housing 'poses potential health risks and can cause housing-related stress to … personnel and their families', and was linked to health conditions like asthma, a Cabinet minute in 2023 said. The 50-house project was announced as settled a year ago, under the Te Tiriti settlement with Ngāti Rangi seven years ago. Ruapehu district mayor Weston Kirton and his council celebrated the deal 11 months ago. 'I don't have any detail, only to say that it seems to be stalled in some shape or form,' Kirton told RNZ on Wednesday. No building appeared to have taken place – a playground and community park were in the tender, too – and the council was not privy to why, or to Defence talks with iwi. 'The minister should give us an update on what progress there is on the Defence presence in the Waiouru community,' Kirton said. NZDF had earlier threatened to shut up shop entirely at the central North Island settlement and head south, so he had been delighted when the settlement secured the army's training area and the housing deal began to firm up. 'It was all go,' Kirton told RNZ. 'They were very excited, they wanted to retain the training area at Waiouru. 'We were excited, the fact that they were going to put resouces back into Waiouru.' On Wednesday, Penk initially made no comment at all about Waiouru, then, when prompted again by RNZ, provided a single line about the 'discussions'. Shortly before that, in a longer statement, he had said, 'The government is improving accommodation for our sailors, soldiers and aviators by addressing decades of underinvestment, which has left Defence housing stock in poor condition.' Penk referred in that statement to projects in Devonport, Trentham and Manawatū, but not Waiouru, even though Waiouru had the lion's share of Budget 2023's tranche one funding for housing upgrades. 'The Waiouru New Build Housing is one of the first projects implemented under the Homes for Families Programme,' said its tender. Two months ago on Facebook, Penk posted – next to a headline '$12 billion for a stronger NZ' cheering the defence capability plan released in April – that: 'This Government is rebuilding the Defence Force after decades of underfunding.' 'Defence housing, messing and dining spaces are going to benefit from fresh investment. 'Our military personnel deserve healthy and modern spaces to live and rest in while they serve our country.' The 50-house Waiouru deal was designed to signal the starter's gun on a half-billion-dollar upgrade of the army camp over the next 25 years, and of an overall $3 billion overhaul of 1600 defence houses countrywide. Most of those required 'upgrading urgently', past Cabinet papers said. Penk a year ago told a Cabinet committee the estate was a 'critical enabler of military effect; providing the working, training and living environments required for generating and maintaining defence outputs'. 'The dilapidated condition of the NZDF estate is evident everywhere, but mainly in the living and training environments, and with utilities such as power, water supply and sanitation.' A 2024 estimate put deferred maintenance at $480m across the estate, which includes not just houses but other facilities. Some 'critical' defence assets were so poor in some places that a 'wholesale shutdown of operations at that location may be needed', Penk stated. The NZDF's annual report a year earlier had said 99 percent of its houses met Healthy Homes standards. Asked how that was possible given what Cabinet had been told, NZDF told RNZ: 'Healthy Homes compliance does not address the state of NZDF's barracks or working accommodation and does not necessarily address whether a home is aged, fit for purpose and or in an accelerated state of deterioration.' Penk had said in August 2024 that funding was constrained but the government was looking at options for improving the housing. Earlier, Budget 2024 funded 35 leased homes at Devonport Naval Base. New initiatives in Budget 2025 funded just $4m of capital and $16m for housing over four years. More would be added 'once the business case is approved by Cabinet', NZDF said. The business case related to a revision of its 2019 estate regeneration plan to fit a 2024-2040 timeline. This had to be revised, in part, to 'address consequences of insufficient funding since the 2019 business case', official papers said. 'The business case is still being drafted and Cabinet's decision on it will be released when that occurs in the next couple of months,' it told RNZ. NZDF mentioned about $30m for upgrades at Devonport Naval base, but this does not appear to be for housing. Budget 2025 also had $120m for depreciated funding of estate assets. It put $26m into deferred maintenance this year, and $104m over four years, against the $480m backlog. Penk said in his statement that three construction contracts and a future lease agreement had been signed for 61 new homes with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei on Auckland's North Shore, and to lease additional houses in Sunnybrae. A new tender signalled 'more housing solutions will be sought this year, including at Trentham and in the Manawatū', he said. Budgets 2023 and 2024 provided $75.4m capital and a total $17.1m over four years, Defence said. This included a renovation pilot for 13 properties at Burnham, Linton and Ohakea.
