Latest New Zealand government News
Tom Hanks named Harvard's 2023 commencement speaker
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Two-time Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks was named the principal speaker at Harvard's commencement on May 25, the Ivy League university announced Tuesday. Hanks, 66, has appeared in almost 100 films. Nominated for an Oscar six times, he won best actor...
New Zealand's foreign minister to visit counterpart in China
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will visit her counterpart Qin Gang in Beijing this week in the first trip by a New Zealand minister to China in four years, officials said Monday. But the visit comes at an awkward time, with Chinese...
China appeals for fair treatment after latest TikTok bans
BEIJING (AP) — China appealed Friday to other governments to treat its companies fairly after Britain and New Zealand joined the United States in restricting use of TikTok due to fears the Chinese-owned short video service might be a security risk. Governments are worried...
New Zealand lawmakers banned from TikTok amid data use fears
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand lawmakers and other workers inside the nation's Parliament will be banned from having the TikTok app on their government phones, officials said Friday. The ban, which takes effect at the end of the month, follows similar moves in many...
Trailblazing transgender lawmaker Georgina Beyer dies at 65
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Georgina Beyer, a trailblazing New Zealand politician who in 1999 became the world's first openly transgender member of Parliament, died Monday at the age of 65. Friends of Beyer said she died peacefully in hospice care. They did not immediately give...
New Zealand needs to rebuild for weather resilience, PM says
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — After last week's damaging cyclone, New Zealand needs to rebuild with more resilient infrastructure to cope with more frequent and intense weather events, the prime minister said Tuesday. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has described Cyclone Gabrielle,...
Scottish leader Sturgeon quits with independence goal unmet
LONDON (AP) — Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said Wednesday that she plans to step down after more than eight years in office, amid criticism of her drive to expand transgender rights and her strategy for achieving independence from the United Kingdom. Sturgeon made the surprise...
New Zealand fears more fatalities after cyclone kills 4
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A cyclone that left a devastating wake of extensive flooding and landslides in New Zealand has claimed at least four lives and police have “grave concerns” for other residents who remain unaccounted for, the prime minister said on Wednesday. ...
Separatist rebels in Papua say kidnapped NZ pilot is safe
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua province released photos and videos Tuesday of a man they said is the pilot from New Zealand whom they took hostage last week. Phillip Mark Mehrtens of Christchurch, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company...
New Zealand declares emergency as Cyclone Gabrielle eases
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The New Zealand government declared a national state of emergency Tuesday after Cyclone Gabrielle battered the country’s north in what officials described as the nation’s most severe weather event in years. A firefighter was missing and another...
