Category Archives: New Zealand

New Zealand set to cancel Jacinda Ardern’s Waitangi Day BBQ amid security concerns

Posted on by

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...

Jacinda Ardern auctions off ‘arrogant prick’ comment to raise money for prostate cancer charity

Posted on by

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...

New Zealand’s emergency housing system breaches human rights, inquiry finds

Posted on by

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...

Mother charged in New Zealand ‘suitcase murders’ of two children pleads not guilty

Posted on by

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...

New Zealand passes world-first tobacco law to ban smoking for next generation

Posted on by

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...

Jacinda Ardern caught on hot mic calling minor opposition party leader an ‘arrogant prick’

Posted on by

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...

Christchurch attack inquiry: coroner declines to remove lawyer after request from families

Posted on by

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...

Parents who refused ‘vaccinated blood’ transfusion speak out after court places Baby W in care

Posted on by

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...

Health officials gain guardianship of baby whose parents refused ‘vaccinated blood’ transfusion

Posted on by

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...

Parents refuse use of vaccinated blood in life-saving surgery on baby

Posted on by

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...

Jacinda Ardern and Sanna Marin dismiss suggestion their age and gender was reason for meeting

Posted on by

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...

New Zealand ‘suitcase’ murders: South Korea hands over 42-year-old suspect

Posted on by

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...

The littlest rat catchers: New Zealand schoolchildren trap and kill 600 pests in 100 days

Posted on by

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...

First refugees from Nauru to be resettled in New Zealand arrive nine years after deal offered

Posted on by

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.

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

Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern raises Taiwan with Xi Jinping at Apec meeting

Posted on by

New Zealand government statement says PM also asked president of China to help address North Korea tensions and Ukraine crisis

Jacinda Ardern has spoken with Xi Jinping about cooperation between New Zealand and China, while also raising areas of tension and warning that international norms that had benefited the two countries were “being tested”.

The New Zealand prime minister and the Chinese president met for about 50 minutes – running over the scheduled half hour – on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Bangkok. It was their first in-person meeting since 2019.

Continue reading...

Ardern says she must be able to raise concerns in Xi Jinping meeting without ‘retaliatory acts’

Posted on by

Ahead of first meeting with China’s president in three years, New Zealand PM calls for environment where differences can be discussed

Jacinda Ardern has said she must be able to raise concerns with Beijing without prompting “retaliatory acts”, on the eve of her planned meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

The pair’s first in-person bilateral meeting since 2019 is due to take place on Friday evening on the sidelines of the Apec forum. It comes during a strained time in New Zealand-China relations, where ideological differences – and New Zealand’s economic reliance on China as an export market – have continued to grow.

Continue reading...

New Zealand smoking rates fall to lowest on record, but vaping on the rise

Posted on by

Overall smoking rate falls to 8% as country pursues goal of becoming smoke-free by 2025, but many may be switching to vaping instead

The number of people smoking in New Zealand has fallen to a historic low, as the country pushes forward with ambitious plans to wipe out smoking in a generation.

Data released on Thursday showed the number of people smoking daily had fallen to 8%, the lowest rates since records began, and down from 9.4% last year.

Continue reading...

New Zealand ‘suitcase’ murders: suspect to be extradited from South Korea within 30 days

Posted on by

Justice minister approves extradition of woman arrested on suspicion of the murder of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in Auckland

A woman arrested in connection with the death of two children who were found dead in suitcases in Auckland will be extradited from South Korea within 30 days.

South Korean justice minister Han Dong-hoon issued the order on Monday for the extradition of the woman to New Zealand, the ministry said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Serious concerns raised in NZ about environmental impact of major productions including Amazon’s Rings of Power

Posted on by

In response to workers’ claims of high emissions and waste, Amazon says it complied with all laws and ‘either met or exceeded industry standards’

Picture three scenes: in a sheltered clearing, a stand of trees stretches skyward, trunks pale against the dark soil, leaves dappling the ground like golden dollar coins. In another, a maelstrom of white flakes is carried in eddies by the wind. In a third, sheer cliffs are slick with snow, icicles hanging like shards of glass.

Scenes like these have formed the visual signature for onscreen adaptations of the Lord of the Rings, including Amazon’s latest, monster-budget offering, The Rings of Power. That association has helped form the bedrock of a decade of New Zealand tourism campaigns, showcasing the country’s pristine environments to the world.

Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern rallies party faithful as Labour faces difficult re-election path

Posted on by

New Zealand PM tells party conference ‘we are not done yet’ as poll shows Labour’s support at 5-year low ahead of elections in 2023

In the darkened amphitheatre of a south Auckland conference centre, a youth choir swayed, as crowds waited for the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, to take the stage. “Give me one more chance,” they sang, in a medley featuring the Jackson 5’s I Want You Back. “Won’t you please let me back in your heart.”

It was an apt-enough score for the annual Labour conference, with the party facing a steep uphill road to persuade New Zealanders to return them to office for another three years. “We are not done yet,” Ardern told the party faithful, as delegates sought to map a pathway to election victory in an increasingly sour economic and political landscape. Three days of speeches and discussions built a picture of a party girding itself for a bitterly fought campaign: speeches were laced with jabs at centre-right opposition leader Christopher Luxon, warnings of the prospect of gains rolled back under a National government, and encouragement to stay the course under fire.

Continue reading...