Chris Parry and fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw had been helping people evacuate from frontline
The family of one of the two British men missing in Ukraine have said they are “very worried” about his disappearance.
Chris Parry, 28, was last seen on Friday with fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw, 48, heading to the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Continue reading...Neighbours furious after firefighters had to be called to Redemption Song, owned by Empire State Building magnate Tony Malkin
Residents of a New Zealand town are calling for a ban on private fireworks after a display by a New York billionaire set off a blaze on New Year’s Eve.
Ten minutes into the new year, firefighters were called to fight multiple grass fires at the property of Tony Malkin – chief executive of the entity that owns the Empire State Building – after an extravagant private fireworks display went awry near Queenstown in Central Otago.
Continue reading...Storms followed months of heavy rain on the North Island, while temperatures in France and Spain rose to almost 20C
Over the Christmas period, the upper North Island of New Zealand experienced stormy conditions, grounding flights and flooding roads. Thunderstorms broke out on 22 December, leading to heavy rainfall and an incredible 4,500 lightning strikes in just two hours. Unfortunately, one of these lightning strikes set a property alight in the town of Waitōtara in the south of the island. Although no injuries were reported, the property and surrounding farmlands were mostly destroyed. Furthermore, a small tornado was spotted in the Southland region of the South Island, though thankfully, no damage was caused.
Although there were long sunny spells on Christmas Day, thunderstorms arose once more on Boxing Day. Between 2pm and 7pm local time, about 25-40mm fell over the upper North Island, although one rain gauge in the Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu recorded 50mm in just one hour. Parts of the motorway close to Mount Wellington were consequently closed, and several flights grounded. This excessive rainfall comes after several months of above average precipitation for the area, which exacerbated the risk of ground flooding and landslides.
Continue reading...Colony cages are larger but animal welfare campaigners say the birds are still not able to behave naturally
Battery cages for layer hens will become illegal in New Zealand from 2023 but animal welfare campaigners are urging the government to scrap the replacement colony cages, which they say are just as bad.
The plan to ban battery cages has been 10 years in the making – in 2012, the previous National party government committed to phasing them out by 1 January 2023.
Continue reading...New Zealand PM features in the follow up to Netflix’s Harry and Meghan documentary that was released this month
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern says she learned she would feature in Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new documentary series the day the trailer was released.
Ardern featured prominently in the first trailer for 'Live to Lead, a new documentary project, which will feature “leaders committed to making a difference in the world share[ing] their inspiring life stories”. The series is a follow-up to Harry & Meghan, Netflix’s documentary series by and about the pair, released this month.
Continue reading...Move expected to help clear backlog of about 11,500 applications and could ease process for up to 300,000 Kiwis
The Australian government has lowered the bar for New Zealanders who have applied for permanent residency.
Under changes announced by the home affairs department, New Zealanders who applied on or before 10 December for a subclass 189 visa will no longer face hurdles related to income, period of residence and health conditions.
Continue reading...The annual event likely won’t be going ahead in 2023 amid growing concerns that radical fringe groups are transforming the country’s security environment
Jacinda Ardern’s much-loved Waitangi Day ritual of hosting a barbecue breakfast for the public will likely be off the menu in 2023 due to security concerns, as New Zealand deals with increased threats and harassment of politicians.
Since 2018, Ardern, her family and government ministers have donned aprons and wielded tongs to cook a free barbecue for all who brave the early wake-up for a dawn service on the country’s national founding holiday, at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Paihia.
Continue reading...New Zealand PM was caught on hot mic earlier this week with a candid comment about Act party leader David Seymour
An official signed copy of the transcript of New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern calling a political opponent an “arrogant prick” will be auctioned off to raise money for a prostate cancer charity.
Bidding on the copy of the parliamentary record, signed by both Ardern and David Seymour, leader of the libertarian right Act party, had reached $50,000 by Friday. The auction, titled “Ardern, Seymour join forces for pricks everywhere”, ends on 22 December.
Continue reading...Motels used to temporarily house homeless people were found to often be unclean and unsafe
New Zealand’s emergency housing system that temporarily places homeless people in motel units is breaching human rights, with residents reporting filthy and unsafe environments, an inquiry has found.
The report released on Wednesday by the Human Rights Commission included what it called, “distressing” testimonies from those living in emergency housing. It said that while the intent to house people was good, the system was in some cases exacerbating problems and trauma.
Continue reading...The 42-year-old accused of the murder is the children’s mother, and was extradited from South Korea in November
A woman charged with the murder of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in New Zealand has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The 42-year-old woman accused of their murder is the children’s mother, and was extradited from South Korea on murder charges in late November.
Continue reading...The country is believed to be the first to implement an annually rising legal smoking age
New Zealand has introduced a steadily rising smoking age to stop those aged 14 and under from ever being able to legally buy cigarettes in world-first legislation to outlaw smoking for the next generation.
Associate health minister Ayesha Verrall said at the law’s passing on Tuesday: “Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be $5bn better off from not needing to treat the illnesses caused by smoking, such as numerous types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, amputations.”
Continue reading...New Zealand PM apologised for comment made live on parliament television during question time
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has become the latest leader to fall victim to a hot microphone, after her comment that the leader of a minor opposition party was an “arrogant prick” was picked up and broadcast on parliament television.
During question time in the house on Tuesday, the leader of the libertarian Act party, David Seymour, asked Ardern if she could “give an example of her making a mistake, apologising for it properly, and fixing it”.
Continue reading...Senior lawyer assisting coroner will not cross-examine police witnesses after bereaved families objected to her law firm’s work with the police
The coroner leading an inquiry into the 2019 terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques has ruled a senior lawyer assisting her investigation will not cross-examine police witnesses or give advice on officers’ conduct, after bereaved families called for her removal over her law firm’s close work with the police.
But coroner Brigitte Windley said in a ruling published on Friday that there was no allegation of misconduct by the lawyer, Alysha McClintock, who is also a Crown prosecutor. Windley declined the families’ application to remove McClintock from the inquiry altogether, rejecting their arguments that she might face real or perceived conflicts of interest when questioning officers at an inquest.
Continue reading...New Zealand parents say they will focus on supporting their son, now in the guardianship of his doctors, through life-saving operation
The family of a baby who has been placed in his doctors’ care because his parents refused to consent to a transfusion of “vaccinated blood” in a life-saving operation have said they will prioritise time with their son before the surgery.
The parents’ lawyer, Sue Grey, said in a Facebook post on Thursday morning that the family would be prioritising “a peaceful time with their baby until the operation, and to support him through the operation”.
Continue reading...New Zealand high court case has become a focus of protests from anti-vaxxers
A New Zealand high court judge has ruled in favour of health authorities who sought guardianship of a baby boy after his parents refused to consent to a transfusion of “vaccinated blood” in a life-saving operation.
The landmark decision, delivered on Thursday, is expected to have wide-ranging ramifications and has become a focus of protests for anti-vaxxers who held demonstrations outside the courtroom.
Continue reading...New Zealand’s health services go to court over guardianship of four-month-old boy whose parents have not let heart operation go ahead
New Zealand’s health service has made a court application over the guardianship of a four-month-old baby whose parents are refusing to allow his life-saving heart surgery to go ahead unless non-vaccinated blood is used.
The parents of the baby discussed their son’s health situation and their medical preferences in an interview with an anti-vaccination campaigner.
Continue reading...Finland’s PM says she met Ardern in New Zealand because they are both ‘prime ministers’ after journalist asks whether it was due to similar age and gender
The prime ministers of Finland and New Zealand have taken a swipe at suggestions their first face-to-face meeting in New Zealand happened because they are both young female leaders.
“We’re meeting because we are prime ministers,” Finland’s Sanna Marin said at a joint press conference at Auckland’s Government House on Wednesday morning, after a journalist suggested some people may have thought they were meeting because they share a similar demographic.
Continue reading...Seoul says unidentified woman was transferred to New Zealand authorities on Monday evening
South Korea has extradited a 42-year-old murder suspect to New Zealand, two months after she was arrested over her possible connection to the discovery of the bodies of two long-dead children in abandoned suitcases in August.
South Korea’s justice ministry said on Tuesday the unidentified woman was handed over to New Zealand authorities on Monday evening at Incheon international airport near Seoul. The ministry said it also has provided New Zealand with unspecified “important evidence” on the case.
Continue reading...As part of an attempt to rid Stewart Island of the rodents, children as young as five have taken part in a rat catching competition, with remarkable results
In a tiny school on the southern-most tip of New Zealand, the children are lining up their kill.
Big brown rats with long tails, their stomachs caked in blood. Smaller rats, stiff from the refrigerator, tails in a tangle.
Continue reading...Six men who had been held in Australia’s offshore processing facilities for more than eight years arrive in Auckland
The first six refugees to be resettled in New Zealand from Australia’s offshore processing regime on Nauru have landed in Auckland.
The flight follows a resettlement deal first offered by New Zealand nine years – and three prime ministers – ago when it proposed taking 150 refugees from Australia’s offshore centres every year.
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