Latest New Zealand government News
Hawaii has gone down under for invasive species advice – again
A delegation of Hawaii lawmakers and officials recently returned from a more than $50,000 visit to New Zealand seeking ways the state could better shield itself from invasive species – advice it failed to heed almost two decades ago. The South Pacific nation had originally offered...
A New Zealand pilot is freed after 19 months in rebel captivity in Indonesia's Papua region
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A New Zealand pilot held hostage for more than a year in the restive Papua region of Indonesia was freed Saturday by separatist rebels. Phillip Mark Mehrtens, a 38-year-old pilot from Christchurch, was working for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air when...
New Zealand’s army chief: Pacific nations need tailored military training
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — As the U.S., China and other powers vie for strategic influence in Pacific Island militaries, the army chief of New Zealand told The Associated Press that not all of the larger nations bidding to offer support are supplying what tiny island nations find most...
Seen abroad as a leader on Indigenous rights, New Zealand enters a divisive new era
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — On the eve of New Zealand’s Māori language celebration week, the country’s right-wing political leaders ordered public agencies to stop affirmative action policies for Māori people, who are disadvantaged on almost every metric. The lawmakers...
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...