The push to power farms by solar
The Energy Minister Simon Watts has launched the Solar on Farms initiative at Fieldays - with plans for tools and data to be made available as well as moves to make financing these products easier.
ASB Bank is offering interest free loans up to $150,000 over 5 years.
It comes as joint venture company Farmlands Flex adds its launch of a software product that will help connect solar systems to batteries and the grid.
Farmlands Flex chief executive is Andrew Pegler and Becks Smith is founder of Solayer - a company installing solar systems on farm.
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RNZ News
20 minutes ago
- RNZ News
What you need to know about the Parent Boost Visa
Ethnic communities were excited to see the unveiling of the long-awaited Parent Boost Visa on Sunday, which aims to support parents visiting their families in New Zealand for longer durations. However, the excitement was followed by mixed emotions as they worked hard to figure out the conditions they would need to satisfy for their parents to be eligible for the visa. Questions emerged about the visa's health insurance and income requirements, among other things. Immigration New Zealand said it would release more information on its website prior to applications opening on 29 September. Until then, here's what we know about the Parent Boost Visa so far. It is a multiple-entry visitor visa that allows parents of New Zealand citizens and residents to visit for up to five years, with the possibility of extending it for another five years, enabling a total stay of up to 10 years. Applicants must have a sponsor who is their biological or adopted child and is a New Zealand citizen or resident. The sponsor must also agree to cover the applicants' essential costs, including accommodation and other daily expenses. There are three ways to meet the financial requirements. The sponsor must earn at least the New Zealand median wage, which is $69,804.80 a year to sponsor one parent, or 1½ times the median wage for joint sponsors, equivalent to $104,707.30. The amount increases by 0.5 times the median wage ($34,902.40) for additional parents being sponsored. Immigration New Zealand updates the median wage it applies to visa applications in February each year. Alternatively, parents can have a personal income equivalent to New Zealand Superannuation, which is $32,611.28 per year for a single parent and $49,552.88 for a couple. Otherwise, parents must have personal funds worth $160,000 for a single applicant or $250,000 for a couple. Photo: RNZ Applicants must hold at least one year of health insurance that covers emergency medical care (minimum $250,000 a year), repatriation, return of remains and cancer treatment (minimum $100,000). They must hold valid health insurance for the entire duration of their stay in New Zealand. No. Applicants must apply for a Parent Boost Visa when outside New Zealand. "This offshore application requirement reinforces the visa's temporary status and the expectation that parents maintain a connection to their home country," Jock Gilray, director of visas at Immigration New Zealand, told RNZ. Parent Boost Visa holders can study for up to three months each year or undertake remote work for an offshore employer. They do not have the right to work for a New Zealand employer. Visa holders are required to leave New Zealand any time between three and four years of the visa to complete a health check to confirm they can continue to meet the health standards, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said. Gilray said the visa is a temporary one and it's essential that holders maintain strong connections to their home country, and the requirement to leave New Zealand supported that approach. The visa cost most people $3000 to apply and $2450 for people eligible for the Pacific fee band. Applicants also needed to pay the $100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. After three years, an additional processing fee was charged for the third-year health check of $325 for most people, or $240 if eligible for the Pacific fee band. At the media standup on Sunday, Stanford said the visa was "not a regular visitor visa" when explaining the hefty application fee. "There's quite a lot more to it that we're going to have to check in terms of health and insurance, a character and many other things," she said. "It is more akin almost to a residence application, so it will take longer and will cost us more to process." An elderly couple walks down Auckland's Queen Street. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin Immigration New Zealand estimated most applications would be processed within four months. Timeframes would depend on the information and evidence provided, whether further assessment was required (for example where there are potential health issues) and demand for the visa. Immigration New Zealand said no English-language requirement was needed. Applicant must remain out of New Zealand for three months after the first visa expired before applying for a second five-year-visa, Gilray said. This was also to reinforce the visa's temporary status and the expectation that parents maintained a connection to their home country, Gilray said. Sponsors must continue to live in New Zealand while their parents visit to ensure they could provide the support required, Gilray said. "This won't prevent the sponsor from going on holidays, but they should primarily reside in New Zealand," Gilray said, adding that further information about this requirement will be made available before the application opens. This visa is only available for parents of New Zealand citizens and residents except in some cases where the sponsor's parents are deceased and grandparents who fill this role could be included. Instead, grandparents can use the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa to enter New Zealand. There is no cap. Luxon said the government was expecting 2000 to 10,000 takers a year, averaging 6000 annually. Although parents on the visa must hold private health insurance to visit, some worry that having them in New Zealand for prolonged periods risks putting pressure on the country's health system due to limited resources and staffing shortages. A spokesperson from Stanford's office told RNZ the two health examinations at application and three years would ensure that parents were healthy enough to stay in New Zealand. "The requirement for ongoing health insurance will support the visa holder to meet their health costs as they will not be eligible for publicly funded healthcare," the spokesperson said. Aside from the standard visitor visa, people can also apply for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, which allows visa holders to visit New Zealand for up to six months at a time, and 18 months in three years, with an application fee of $441. A Parent Resident Visa allows parents to live in New Zealand indefinitely, with income thresholds for sponsors that have been described as a hurdle. The 2500 yearly cap, application backlog and ballot system have also made the process difficult for many families. It costs $5810 to apply. Parents will be able to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after holding this visa for 10 years. There is also the more expensive Parent Retirement Resident Visa, which requires parents to have at least $1 million to invest in New Zealand for four years and have at least $500,000 for settlement, and an annual income of at least $60,000. Parents can stay here indefinitely with this visa, which costs $12,850 to apply. If parents meet all conditions, they may be granted a Permanent Resident Visa at the end of the four-year investment period. The government said the Parent Boost Visa was not a pathway to residence. "Those seeking permanent residence should consider submitting an expression of interest under the Parent Category Resident Visa," according to Immigration New Zealand's website. Settings for Parent Boost Visa would be reviewed in 2027 to ensure they were working as intended, Stanford's office said. For more information, visit the Immigration New Zealand website .
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Expanding investment in voluntary nature credits
Photo: Andrew Wilson The Government is backing the expansion of a New Zealand voluntary nature credits market. The market's aim is open income opportunities for farmers and other landowners who have projects on their land, by linking them with investors interested in projects designed to protect nature. The Associate Minister for the Environment, and Agriculture, Andrew Hoggard, says the credits will appeal to international and domestic investors - including corporates, banks, and philanthropists who are seeking high-quality nature credits that meet global standards. Some privately funded pilot projects are already underway to test how a voluntary nature credit markets can work in the New Zealand context. Forest and Bird has cautiously welcomed the announcement, of what's planned to be a high integrity model, but expressed reservations that it could become a vehicle for offsetting environmental harm. Associate Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard is on the programme.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
New facility to recycle construction waste near Huntly
A new facility near Huntly will process more than 60 tonnes of construction waste per hour, aiming to divert over 100,000 tonnes of construction waste from landfill. Building researchers BRANZ say typically 40 to 50 per cent of all construction waste goes to landfill. The $16 million Green Gorilla facility in Rotowaro opened this week. The project was co-funded by a $4 million grant from the Ministry for the Environment's Waste Minimisation Fund. The facility will be taking waste from South Auckland, Waikato, Thames-Coromandel, and the Bay of Plenty. Green Gorilla chief executive is Elaine Morgan. Photo: Supplied by Green Gorilla
