As new broadcasting minister Willie Jackson ramped up the rhetoric against Big Tech following his appointment in June, Google appears to have accelerated efforts to get Showcase live.
Google will pay publishers a monthly fee to license news, and users can access articles from a wide range of trusted sources.
CapitalNZ will be an independent digital news outlet for Wellingtonians.
Sources say Google is poised to launch the NZ service as soon as this month, with the week beginning Aug 22 earmarked as a potential start date.