New Zealand’s Ardern faces down frustration over pandemic curbs
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sought to cool simmering resentment over the slow unlocking of the country’s pandemic restrictions on Thursday, a day after police cleared a weeks-long Canada-style protest outside parliament. Police in riot gear battled protesters late into the night on Wednesday, finally bringing an end to the occupation […]
New Zealand’s Ardern labels anti-vaccine mandate protests ‘imported’ as crowds defy calls to leave
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday she felt demonstrations against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate now entering their second week were an “imported” phenomenon, and nothing like anything she had seen before in the country. Hundreds of protesters continue to occupy lawns in front of the distinctive ‘Beehive’ parliament for […]
Updated: Australia, New Zealand step up efforts to aid tsunami-hit Tonga
Updated: 11am (AEDT)Sydney, Australia/Wellington, New ZealandReuters Australia and New Zealand dispatched surveillance flights on Monday to assess the damage in Tonga, isolated from the rest of the world due to the eruption of an underwater volcano that triggered a tsunami and blanketed the Pacific island with ash. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged to provide […]
New Zealand swears in first Indigenous woman as Governor-General
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand’s first Indigenous Māori woman to be named Governor-General, Dame Cindy Kiro, was formally sworn into the largely ceremonial role in parliament in Wellington on Thursday, pledging to reach out to migrants and marginalised citizens. Speaking to a small audience at the swearing-in ceremony, Dame Cindy said she was proud of […]
New Zealand’s PM Ardern apologises for 1970s immigration raids on Pacific community
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issued a sombre state apology on Sunday to the Pacific community for racially targeted immigration raids in the 1970s that resulted in deportations and prosecutions. The “Dawn Raids”, which often occurred early in the morning, took place from 1974 to 1976 when New Zealand’s economy was in […]
Australia and New Zealand unite over China human rights issues
Wellington, New ZealandReuters Australia and New Zealand on Monday expressed grave concerns over developments in Hong Kong and the human rights situation in the Xinjiang region of China, as the two nations sought get in lockstep over their biggest trading partner. In the first face-to-face meeting between heads of both countries in over 15 months, […]
New Zealand marks two years since Christchurch mosque killings
Wellington, New ZealandAP New Zealand on Saturday marked the second anniversary of one of its most traumatic days, when 51 worshippers were killed at two Christchurch mosques by a white supremacist gunman. Several hundred people gathered at the Christchurch Arena for the remembrance service, which was also livestreamed. A similar service planned for last year […]
New Zealand backs drone project to protect endangered dolphins
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand’s government said on Friday that it was backing a new project that uses drone technology to understand and protect the endangered Māui dolphins in the country. Maui dolphins live in a small stretch of ocean off the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island and current estimates suggest that only […]
New Zealand marks 10 years since Christchurch earthquake
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand on Monday marked 10 years since an earthquake struck its South Island city of Christchurch, killing 185 people, injuring thousands and leaving a trail of destruction. At 12:51pm on 22nd February, 2011, the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck close to Christchurch city at a depth of five kilometres. Although not as […]
New Zealand plans vaccine roll-out in second half of 2021
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand will begin to offer free COVID-19 vaccines to its entire population by the middle of next year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday. The government said it had secured enough vaccines to inoculate all of the country’s five million people, with two new agreements signed with pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca […]