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19 May 2026

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Council loans for rooftop solar still waiting on government green light
Ministers are yet to make a decision about whether to go ahead with a scheme which would let councils provide long-term loans to any homeowners that wanted it.

'Bigger isn't always better': Hipkins on plan to merge government departments
The Finance Minister has indicated she plans to slash the number of civil servants again.

Zoom expands AI access to meeting data in third-party tools
Workers can now pull Zoom meeting notes and transcripts into ChatGPT, Claude and Codex, reducing the need to hunt across systems.

Pre-teen among youths arrested for Dunedin car thefts
When police received a tip where the youth offenders behind a series of stolen vehicles were located, a police dog was used to track them across multiple properties.

Dell boosts partner incentives with AI channel hub
Partners selling Dell's focus products will get quicker rebates and real-time pricing as the company moves to simplify AI dealmaking.

Fresh Laundry: Forget Spotify, try the spin cycle
Fresh Laundry has turned old washing machines into jukeboxes, spinning unreleased 'C Sides' by New Zealand artists at laundromats across the city.

Dell expands AI Factory with NVIDIA for enterprise use
Enterprises can now run more AI projects on their own infrastructure as Dell adds data tools, racks and partner software to its NVIDIA tie-up.

Temperatures plunge to -7.1C as rain system approaches
It was a freezing start to Tuesday, with Mount Cook Village recording its coldest temperature of the year at -7.1C.

Guidewire: Modernising insurance with accountability
Regulators are warning insurers to keep humans accountable as AI speeds up claims work and other busy tasks, Guidewire says.

Satellites and AI used to track UK hedgehogs in bid to slow decline
Researchers hope the project will also help to identify barriers preventing hedgehogs from finding food and mates in the wild.

Robo-top: The machines that could make your next t-shirt
Most clothes are made in Asia, but new machines could bring some of that work back to the West.

Disability Support Services Bill 'worst piece of legislation I've ever seen' - advocate
The government introduced the Disability Support Services Bill on Monday, aimed at "providing clarity and stability" to the system supporting disabled New Zealanders.

Rents rise, but not in main centres
Rents have risen at a national level for the first time since November - but places such as Wellington are still recording drops.

Public electric vehicle charger useless after copper cables chopped
The Hutt Valley charger was left without charging cables, prompting a police report for copper theft.

University of Canterbury's space lab ready for lift-off
The shoebox-sized laboratory will allow experiments in microgravity, where protein crystals form more perfectly.

Qualtrics completes USD $6.75 billion Press Ganey deal
The expanded business will give hospitals faster patient feedback tools as pressure grows to improve care, communication and outcomes.

Dell launches deskside agentic AI for local workloads
Local deployment could cut agentic AI costs by up to 87% over two years, Dell says, while keeping enterprise data on premises.

'So many different reasons' for choosing to be child-free
The number of babies born in New Zealand continues to fall with the latest data showing more than 1500 fewer babies were born last year.

BeyondTrust named leader in KuppingerCole PAM report
The ranking underscores growing demand for tools that secure human, machine and AI identities across cloud and hybrid environments.