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New Zealand

The latest news, analysis and opinion on New Zealand. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Wellington

Head of State

King Charles III

Head of Government

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

last updated:

29 November, 2024

A ferry crosses the Cook Strait in rough seas on its way to Wellington, New Zealand. Photo: Stuff via AP

Explainer | Why isn’t there a tunnel connecting New Zealand’s main islands?

A Cook Strait tunnel would dramatically reduce travel times. But unlike in Britain and Japan, New Zealand has not seriously considered it.

8 Jan 2025 - 3:26PM

Crime

Man charged after New Zealand police officer killed in car-ramming attack

1 Jan 2025 - 12:15PM

Animals

Aggressive Japanese shrimp that packs a punch shocks New Zealand

18 Dec 2024 - 10:47AM

Donald Trump

‘Please don’t do that’: New Zealand urges Trump to spare ally from tariffs

The finance minister urged the incoming administration to exempt Wellington from any new levies, highlighting the balanced trade ties between the two sides.

13 Dec 2024 - 9:12AMvideocam

US president-elect Donald Trump arrives at the New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala on December 9. Photo: AP

New Zealand to tweak ‘golden visa’ rules to court more rich investors

The Active Investor Plus Visa that raked in an average US$580 million a year has lost lustre after rule changes in 2022.

12 Dec 2024 - 2:30PM

Animals

New Zealand moves to ban greyhound racing

New Zealand is one of only five countries where commercial greyhound racing is still allowed.

10 Dec 2024 - 11:13AM

United States

US, Canadian hikers missing on New Zealand’s tallest peak believed dead: police

Police said ‘we do not believe the men have survived’ five days after the trio went missing on the peak.

6 Dec 2024 - 12:39PM

Aoraki, New Zealand’s highest mountain, is popular among experienced climbers. Photo: AFP

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmaker GAC doubles down on Hong Kong appetite for EVs

The state-owned carmaker is ‘very optimistic’ about sales growth in the city as it introduces an SUV model with gull-wing doors.

5 Dec 2024 - 7:53PMvideocam

Tourism

A Moana holiday sailing in Tahiti offers tastes of Polynesian tradition

Inspired by Disney’s Moana? Channel the Polynesian princess in Tahiti, where traditional vessels take visitors on cultural journeys by water.

5 Dec 2024 - 5:21AM

Pacific nations

China’s growing presence ‘worries me and it should’: New Zealand’s defence chief

New Zealand’s concerns come as the government plans to increase defence spending, eyeing Nato’s guidance.

4 Dec 2024 - 12:46PM

Type 055, or Renhai-class, large destroyers of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. New Zealand’s defence chief described the vessels as China’s most capable warships. Photo: CCTV

Animals

New Zealand finds bird flu case at egg farm, suspends poultry exports

Tests at the free-range farm identified ‘a high pathogenic H7N6 subtype of avian influenza’, officials said.

2 Dec 2024 - 3:56PMvideocam

Chickens at a poultry farm. Concerns about bird flu have risen as the H5N1 strain of the virus has spread throughout US poultry and dairy farms. Photo: EPA-EFE

Conservation

‘Remarkable’: New Zealand scientists dissect world’s rarest whale

The week-long dissection offers a unique opportunity to study a deep-sea mammal that has never been seen alive.

2 Dec 2024 - 2:36PM

Animals

‘Incredible’ community effort saves dozens of stranded whales in New Zealand

This event highlights the ongoing challenge of whale strandings in the region.

25 Nov 2024 - 5:07PM

Protests around the world

Tens of thousands of Maori, supporters march on New Zealand’s parliament

Protesters oppose a bill drafted by a minor coalition party that aims to redefine a founding treaty of the country dating back to 1840.

19 Nov 2024 - 3:45PM

Members of the Maori community and their supporters take part in a protest march in Wellington on Tuesday. More than 35,000 demonstrators poured into the harbourside, police said. Photo: AFP

Tourism

New Zealand eyes tourist fees for iconic sites amid sustainability pressures

Various pricing options under consideration as the stress on facilities become expensive for the Conservation Department and local councils to bear.

15 Nov 2024 - 10:00AM

New Zealand’s Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. Photo: Getty Images

Diplomacy

Will New Zealand’s alliance with Aukus shift under Trump’s second term?

Analysts believe Wellington will adopt a “wait and see” approach, potentially shifting towards a hedging strategy if Trump abandons the region.

15 Nov 2024 - 1:12PMvideocam

Celebrity style

My Style: Maggie Hewitt, founder of sustainable fashion brand Maggie Marilyn

The designer introduces us to her hometown of the Bay of Islands, and makes her pitch for sustainable products like biodegradable merino wool from her native New Zealand.

13 Nov 2024 - 4:00AM

Crime

‘It was wrong’: New Zealand apologises to 200,000 victims of state, church abuse

Those exposed to ‘unimaginable’ abuse in state, foster and faith-based care over a 70-year period were disproportionately Maori.

12 Nov 2024 - 12:32PMvideocam

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon embraces an abuse survivor following his “formal and unreserved” apology in parliament on Tuesday. Photo: Stuff via AP

Australia

First emperor penguin known to reach Australia found on tourist beach

Adult male was found on a popular tourist beach in temperate southwest Australia – about 3,500km north of its Antarctic home’s icy waters.

12 Nov 2024 - 6:18AM

Art

Video art shows Chinese migrants’ struggle in 1800s New Zealand

Displayed at Tai Twun in Hong Kong, Lisa Reihana’s DigiRadiance: Gold_Lead_Wood_Coal shows Chinese miners in New Zealand in 360 degrees.

10 Nov 2024 - 11:44AM

Indonesia

Indonesia to import 1 million dairy cows for Prabowo’s free meals scheme

The government forecasts milk demand will hit 8.5 million tonnes by 2029. Indonesia’s current milk output is estimated at 1 million tonnes.

6 Nov 2024 - 2:02PMvideocam

Dairy cows drink from a trough after being milked at a farm in the US. Photo: AP

India

Trump or Harris: whoever wins, India expects a more isolationist US

The United States’ prior ‘dominance and generosity’ may be a thing of the past, says India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

6 Nov 2024 - 12:36PM

India

India worries over Canada’s temple vandalism amid New Zealand’s mosque arson

Hindu temples in Canada and Australia have been vandalised in recent weeks, while a mosque in Auckland was set alight on Tuesday.

5 Nov 2024 - 2:12PM

China-New Zealand relations

Tech warning a sign of New Zealand’s ‘hardened’ stance towards China: analysts

Warning shows Wellington’s reluctance to be seen as ‘a point of vulnerability’ in tech transfer amid growing China-West rift, experts say.

1 Nov 2024 - 12:24PM

Australia

New Zealand waves goodbye to its giant ‘monster’ hand sculpture

The 16-feet (5 metres) creation with an unsmiling human face has provoked a myriad of emotions – from horror and revulsion to delight.

30 Oct 2024 - 8:26PM

A 16-foot (almost 5 metres) hand sculpture named Quasi stands perched on its fingertips atop the roof of an art gallery in Wellington. Photo: AP

Aviation

Airport’s ‘max hug time 3 minutes’ sign causes turbulence online

Some have seen the funny side of the sign in the passenger drop off area of New Zealand’s Dunedin Airport, with others flying into a rage.

23 Oct 2024 - 10:58AM

The max hug time sign in New Zealand’s Dunedin Airport went viral on social media, with some criticising it, and others finding it funny. Photo: AP

Tourism

New Zealand airport sets 3-minute time limit on goodbye hugs

Cuddle cap was imposed to ‘keep things moving smoothly’ in the drop-off area, airport CEO says.

22 Oct 2024 - 12:57PM

India

Hoax bomb threats plague India’s airlines – with 30 in 1 day

An anonymous account on the X platform was reportedly behind bomb threats to at least 40 flights. India has threatened ‘very strict action’.

20 Oct 2024 - 3:20PM

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