Category Archives: New Zealand

Cyclone Gabrielle worst storm to hit New Zealand this century, says PM

Posted on by

National state of emergency invoked and thousands displaced as storm devastates large parts of North Island and minister says ‘this is climate change’

New Zealand is in a national state of emergency, as Cyclone Gabrielle batters the country, with floods trapping people on roofs, thousands displaced and landslides destroying homes in what officials have described as an “unprecedented” natural disaster.

“Cyclone Gabrielle is the most significant weather event New Zealand has seen in this century. The severity and the damage that we are seeing has not been experienced in a generation,” the prime minister, Chris Hipkins, said on Tuesday. “We are still building a picture of the effects of the cyclone as it continues to unfold. But what we do know is the impact is significant and it is widespread.”

Continue reading...

Flooding hampers rescue efforts as North Island residents told power could be out for weeks – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed

New Zealand’s national power grid operator has declared a “grid emergency” and warned that power might not be restored to some for “for days to weeks, rather than hours”.

The widespread power cuts in Hawkes Bay and Bay of Plenty happened after a substation flooded during severe rain from Cyclone Gabrielle.

Continue reading...

New Zealand minister decries climate crisis ‘lost decades’ in wake of Cyclone Gabrielle

Posted on by

James Shaw says country is entering ‘period of consequences’ for inaction over climate change as extreme weather wreaks havoc across the North Island

New Zealand’s climate change minister has made a furious speech excoriating parliament for lost decades of “bickering” over the climate crisis, as Cyclone Gabrielle devastates the country.

“As I stand here today, I struggle to find words to express what I am thinking and feeling about this particular crisis,” James Shaw told parliament on Tuesday.

Continue reading...

Auckland at a standstill as storm leaves thousands in North Island without power – as it happened

Posted on by

Damaging storm causes wind gusts up to 160km/h. This blog is now closed

Rain and wind expected to intensify

The approach of Cyclone Gabrielle is bringing particularly strong winds, heavy rain and huge swells to Auckland and nearby regions.

The impact of Gabrielle is still in its early stages and further serious and severe weather is still expected for Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) later today into Tuesday morning.

Now is not the time for complacency.

Continue reading...

Storm Gabrielle: thousands without power on New Zealand’s North Island

Posted on by

Red weather warnings issued for rain and wind; schools closed and flights cancelled in Auckland

Evacuations were under way and thousands of people were without power as Storm Gabrielle approached New Zealand’s North Island, where the largest city is still recovering from record rain last month.

As the former tropical cyclone barrelled towards New Zealand, the MetService issued a series of red weather warnings for intense rain and gale-force winds, including for Auckland, the largest city, which was hit by flooding a fortnight ago.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Cyclone Gabrielle: Norfolk Island issues red alert as tropical storm approaches

Posted on by

Authorities prepare emergency shelter for residents and tourists with fears of significant damage from gale-force winds and dangerous surf

A red alert warning was issued on Norfolk Island with residents urged to take shelter in the strongest part of their homes as Cyclone Gabrielle approached with wind gusts of up to 140km/h and dangerous surf conditions.

Emergency Management Norfolk Island urged residents to stay inside until an all-clear message was broadcast. An emergency shelter was established in a town hall for those who could not make it home safely.

Continue reading...

Do look up: 1,000 street lights at risk of falling, Wellington tells residents

Posted on by

New Zealand city council says ‘you would be seriously injured or killed’ by lamps weighing up to 15kg, like a microwave or bulk sack of rice

New Zealand’s capital is being plagued by hundreds of potentially deadly street lights that have begun dropping without warning and smashing on the footpath below.

Wellington city council spokesperson Richard MacLean said the council was aware of the problem. The lamp heads weighed up to 15kg (33lb), he said – about equivalent to a bulk sack of rice, full-grown border collie or a microwave oven. They were falling from heights of 4-6m.

Continue reading...

Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle intensifies on path to Norfolk Island and New Zealand

Posted on by

Weather system off the Queensland coast predicted to intensify to category three, with winds of up to 224km/h

Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle is expected to strengthen to category three as it barrels towards Norfolk Island, in line to pummel New Zealand’s North Island.

The system is predicted to intensify to category three on Friday morning, picking up speed and strength with winds of between 165km/h and 224km/h, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia and New Zealand best placed to survive nuclear apocalypse, study finds

Posted on by

Researchers say food and energy security boosts prospects for civilisation to continue, along with Vanuatu, Iceland and Solomon Islands

The lucky country can count on one more piece of good fortune, with researchers finding Australia – followed by neighbour New Zealand – best placed to survive a nuclear winter and help reboot a collapsed human civilisation.

The study published in the journal Risk Analysis describes Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as the island countries most capable of producing enough food for their populations after an “abrupt sunlight‐reducing catastrophe” such as a nuclear war, super volcano or asteroid strike.

Continue reading...

Wreck of ship carrying rare ‘ordinary’ crockery wins protection off Kent coast

Posted on by

Unknown patterns found on ceramics from Josephine Willis, which collided with steamer in 1856

The wreck of a mid-19th century sailing ship transporting British people to New Zealand and with a cargo of exceptionally rare ceramics onboard has been listed for protection 167 years after it sank off the Kent coast.

The Josephine Willis wooden packet boat, built in Limehouse and launched in 1854 by HH Willis & Co, foundered four miles (6.4km) south of Folkestone harbour following a collision with the steamer Mangerton on 3 February 1856, with the loss of 70 lives including Captain Edward Canney. The ship lies in two parts on the seabed, 23 metres deep.

Continue reading...

Separatists fighters in Papua hold New Zealand pilot hostage

Posted on by

Police and military sent to Nduga area after Susi Air plane was stormed and then burned by separatists opposed to Indonesian rule

Separatist fighters in Indonesia’s Papua region have taken a New Zealand pilot hostage after setting a small commercial plane alight when it landed in a remote highland area on Tuesday, a pro-independence group said in a statement.

A police spokesperson in Papua province, Ignatius Benny Adi Prabowo, said police and military personnel were sent to the area to locate the pilot and five passengers.

Continue reading...

Bodies of two Britons killed in Ukraine recovered as part of prisoner swap

Posted on by

Chris Parry and Andrew Bagshaw died in Soledar area while helping to evacuate people from frontline

The bodies of two British volunteers killed in Ukraine while carrying out a humanitarian evacuation have been recovered, a Ukrainian official has said.

Chris Parry, 28, and his colleague Andrew Bagshaw, 47, who held dual UK and New Zealand citizenship, had been trying to evacuate an elderly woman from Soledar when their car was hit by an artillery shell.

Continue reading...

Weather tracker: historic rainfall wreaks havoc in New Zealand

Posted on by

Auckland has experienced its wettest January since records began, while temperatures plummet in southern US

Historic rainfall hit New Zealand in the past week with the worst flooding in at least 200 years in Auckland. Auckland airport reported 249mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period on 27 January, with a month’s worth of rainfall in less than an hour. At another station, Albert Park, there was 280mm in one day, with 211mm falling in less than six hours.

These totals are more than 8.5 times higher than a typical January, and more than 2.5 times higher than an entire typical summer. Overall, Auckland has had the wettest January since records began, with more than half a metre of rain falling in places. The rainfall has caused numerous landslips, flooding and damage to roads and properties with four people killed and 350 in need of emergency accommodation. More than 9,000 people are still stranded as flights in and out of Auckland experiencing delays and cancellations.

Continue reading...

Auckland floods: city begins clean-up after ‘biggest climate event’ in New Zealand’s history

Posted on by

As rain and flooding eases, attention turns to assessing the scale of the damage after four people were killed by unprecedented extreme weather

Insurers say devastating flooding in Auckland was the “biggest climate event” in New Zealand’s history, as rain eased after days of downpours and a clean-up of the city began.

Friday was the wettest day on record for New Zealand’s largest city, with severe rain leading flood waters to sweep through streets and down highways, killing four people. Schools and businesses closed as buildings and roads were ravaged by the deluge. Auckland International Airport was shuttered temporarily, stranding thousands of travellers overseas.

Continue reading...

Auckland flooding: death toll rises as New Zealand hit with more heavy rain and landslides

Posted on by

Four people have been killed as authorities warn severe weather conditions will continue in New Zealand’s north island

Heavy rainfall continued to batter New Zealand’s north island, causing landslides, flash floods and knocking out roads, with the death toll rising to four after a person who had been missing was confirmed dead.

Battered by rain since Friday, Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city of 1.6 million people, remained under a state of emergency on Sunday. The nation’s weather forecaster, MetService, warned of more severe weather on Sunday and Monday for the north island. Intense rainfall could also cause surface and flash flooding, it said.

Continue reading...

Authorities use GPS data to try to find missing device – as it happened

Posted on by

Perrottet promises easier access to housing for domestic violence victims

NSW domestic violence victims will have easier access to housing through concessions on stamp duty and rental bond loans if the Perrottet government is re-elected, AAP reports.

Continue reading...

Two missing Britons killed in Ukraine while evacuating citizens from Soledar

Posted on by

Foreign Office confirms Chris Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 47, killed carrying out humanitarian work on frontline

Two Britons missing in Ukraine were killed while trying to carry out a humanitarian evacuation in the east of the country, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

Chris Parry, 28, and his colleague Andrew Bagshaw, 47 – who held dual UK and New Zealand citizenship – had been attempting the evacuation of an elderly woman from Soledar when their car was hit by an artillery shell, Bagshaw’s family said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Did she inspire or fail to deliver? Readers on how Jacinda Ardern will be remembered

Posted on by

Most praised New Zealand’s outgoing prime minister for her handling of crises, while others criticised her domestic policy record

Jacinda Ardern’s legacy has divided reader opinion. While many described the outgoing New Zealand prime minister as “inspirational” and praised her ability to manage a crisis, some responses also revealed anger at her handling of the Covid response and criticism for failure to deliver on promises.

Below is a selection of reader comments conveying the range of reactions when we asked the question: how will you remember Jacinda Ardern’s time as New Zealand PM.

Continue reading...

Hipkins is unlikely to reach heights of Jacindamania, and that may suit New Zealanders

Posted on by

Chris Hipkins promises a ‘solid’ government that will focus on bread-and-butter issues, in the wake of the international stardom of Jacinda Ardern

Jacinda Ardern has a natural presence most politicians would sacrifice a kidney for.

She spoke like a normal person most of the time, but could switch into moving rhetoric at the exact points it was needed – like when a terrorist carried out a mass murder, a global pandemic shut the world down, or at a normal old election rally.

Continue reading...

New Zealand’s Chris Hipkins vows to focus on inflation ‘pandemic’ and ‘fairer’ tax system

Posted on by

Incoming prime minister echoes Jacinda Ardern’s promise to cut back Labour’s agenda to focus on cost of living issues

New Zealand’s next prime minister, Chris Hipkins, has promised to cut back government reforms to focus on the “global pandemic of inflation”.

Speaking to media on Monday morning, the prime minister-to-be promised to “run the ruler” over the government’s work programme and cut inessential reforms to focus on the economy. In the final months of 2022, Jacinda Ardern made similar commitments, in a tacit admission that the government’s packed legislative agenda may have become a distraction from the rising cost of living – a core issue worrying voters.

Continue reading...