Latest New Zealand government News
Leaders of South Korea, New Zealand strongly condemn expanding North Korea-Russia military ties
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The leaders of South Korea and New Zealand strongly condemned the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as they met Wednesday for a summit meant to strengthen bilateral ties. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arrived in...
New Zealand's Māori King dies after 18-year reign
NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga (AP) — New Zealand’s Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, died Friday at age 69, days after the celebration of his 18th year on the throne. He was the seventh monarch in the Kiingitanga movement, holding a position created in 1858 to unite...
New Zealand official says Western neglect of Pacific Islands let other nations boost their influence
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Western nations, including the United States and New Zealand, failed to understand swiftly enough the geopolitical importance of island nations in the South Pacific, leaving a power vacuum that allowed other countries to increase their diplomatic influence, New...
Kiribati's pro-China government bars foreign officials from visiting until 2025, citing elections
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The government of Kiribati is suspending all diplomatic visits to the tiny Pacific Island nation until next year and has cancelled some already planned, because it is in the midst of an election process that could run for several more months, an official said...
Australia and New Zealand are locked in a battle of tongue in cheek after Māori words are removed
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The removal of basic Māori phrases meaning “hello” and “New Zealand” from a Māori lunar new year invitation to an Australian official was not a snub of the Indigenous language by New Zealand’s government, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday,...
New Zealand's inquiry into systemic abuse follows 2 decades of similar probes worldwide
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand is the latest country to wrestle with its history of the cruel, systemic and commonplace abuse of children and vulnerable adults in the care of state and faith-based institutions. Its six-year independent inquiry, presented to Parliament...
New Zealand will radically ease zoning rules to try to relieve its stubborn housing shortage
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand will drastically ease zoning restrictions in a bid to “flood the market” with land for homes and override the powers of local councils to curb development, the nation's housing minister said in announcing reforms to what he called one of the...
As political fervor for New Zealand's Māori resurgence wanes, a new Indigenous holiday comes of age
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When Ngarauru Mako told her family she was calling off Christmas festivities in favor of celebrating Matariki, the Māori new year holiday that's experiencing a renaissance in New Zealand, her children didn’t believe her. “We grew up with...
An ex-gun lobbyist is revising New Zealand's gun laws, tightened after the 2019 mosque attack
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government will overhaul the tighter gun laws introduced after a deadly mass shooting by a white supremacist five years ago, because they put excessive burdens on gun owners who feel vilified by law enforcement and the public, the lawmaker leading...
Japan, New Zealand agree on intel sharing pact amid growing regional security concerns
TOKYO (AP) — Japan and New Zealand agreed Wednesday in principle on an intelligence sharing pact as their leaders shared concerns over the increasingly challenging security environment in the region, including closer ties between Russia and North Korea. In a joint statement, Prime...
