Category Archives: New Zealand

Housing, inequality, climate: what the Guardian’s New Zealand readers asked Jacinda Ardern

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As an election year approaches, several key themes emerged from questions you sent in for the prime minister

As New Zealanders count down to the end of tumultuous year and look ahead to the election in 2020, the Guardian asked readers which questions they would like to pose to Jacinda Ardern.

We will publish the prime minister’s answers on Monday, but here we lay out the topics that people in New Zealand felt were the most pressing.

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New Zealand police say 56,000 guns and 194,000 parts handed over in buyback

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Authorities say nearly 3,000 guns made lawful under new scheme, as expiry to hand over firearms ended at midnight on Friday

New Zealand police have confirmed that more than 56,000 guns were handed in as part of the buyback and have praised gun owners for their response to the scheme, which ended at midnight.

“As of midnight, 20 December 2019, 56,240 firearms and 194, 245 parts have been handed in,” said deputy police commissioner, Mike Clement.

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‘It’s fine not to do it their way’: Bret McKenzie on home, Hollywood and the oddness of fame

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The Flight of the Conchords star, who is guest curating the New Zealand festival, reflects on his career and the cost of compromise

Although he’s one of Wellington’s best-known pop cultural exports – as a musician, songwriter, actor and comedian – nobody makes a fuss when Bret McKenzie arrives in a central city cafe.

Fuss wouldn’t be entirely unwarranted. McKenzie’s portrayal of a particular type of socially awkward, deadpan New Zealander helped put the country’s dry humour on the map. And the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords – in which he performs with Jemaine Clement – so enraptured Hollywood that he could still be there if he wanted to, churning out season after season of the acclaimed TV show of the same name.

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New Zealand’s gun buyback won’t change things overnight, but it will give people hope | Hera Cook

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New Zealanders who refuse to hand in their now illegal weapons may alienate the community and expose themselves to prosecution

The New Zealand gun buy back ends today. The very fact that semi-automatic weapons are now prohibited and the buyback took place is a success. Politicians, supported by 70% of the public, are changing the direction of travel for New Zealand gun culture. This country had climbed to an estimated 17th highest number of guns per capita in the world. Three decades of plaintive warnings about the need to ban semi-assault rifles before another massacre took place, had no effect.

The primary aim of the buyback is prevention of future mass killings by taking these guns out of society and compensating the previous owners. Prevention is a poor servant and a hard master.

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Something to chew on: New Zealand man sets up ‘stick library’ for dogs

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Andrew Taylor came up with the idea because of a lack of ‘good’ sticks at the local park

A New Zealand man has created a “stick library” for his local dog park as a way to recycle branches from tree pruning.

Andrew Taylor, of north Canterbury in the South Island, cut a dozen tree branches down to “stick” size for the community’s four-legged friends, and smoothed away the rough edges using tools he had around the house.

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New Zealand’s euthanasia and cannabis referendums will rightly give power to the people | Bryce Edwards

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Some politicians may fret about the consequence of a public vote on these two issues, but with an increasing suspicion of elites, it’s the best way forward

New Zealanders will take part in a world-leading double referendum next year when they vote in the country’s general election. In addition to electing a new government, one referendum question will ask about the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use, and the other will ask whether euthanasia should be legalised in certain circumstances.

It’s going to be messy, emotional, and polarised. There’s already a lot of anxiety and negativity about the referendums across the political spectrum. Much of this is influenced by the ongoing fallout from the Brexit referendum, as well as a general fear of conservative populism.

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New Zealand volcano: last two bodies may never be found, say police

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Both bodies are believed to be in the water surrounding Whakaari, with police using tidal models to expand search

The bodies of a local guide and an Australian tourist who died on Whakaari may never be recovered, New Zealand police have said, after days of bad weather hampered search efforts.

Deputy police commissioner Mike Clement told RNZ he believed both bodies were in the sea, but sonar radar and divers had been unable to find them. The search was now being widened beyond Whakaari, also known as White Island, in line with tidal modelling.

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New Zealand is a precarious country. Life here means facing that risk daily | Rebekah White

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Volcanos and fault lines are a part of daily life, but should the tragedy on White Island make us rethink the dangers they pose?

One summer evening in Auckland I got the fright of my life. My house groaned, as though its wooden frame was crying out in pain. The sofa I was lying on began sliding back and forth. I looked up, expecting to tell one of my brothers to cut it out. No one was there. All at once I thought: “This is an earthquake. Auckland doesn’t have earthquakes. Auckland has volcanoes.” I ran to the window and jerked the curtain aside, scanning for the glow of fire in the night sky, then turned on the news. I was terrified. It was finally happening.

It wasn’t. (Just an earthquake, after all, a puny 4.5 on the Richter scale.)

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The unanswered questions behind New Zealand’s volcano tragedy

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It’s the worst burns incident in New Zealand history, with more than a dozen fatalities and lives still hanging in the balance. Now questions are being asked about how and why it happened. Reporters Eleanor Ainge Roy and Stephen D’Antal discuss how the week unfolded, and the long road ahead to understanding this tragedy

To learn more about this story read Melissa Davey’s piece on the long road ahead for the injured survivors, and Eleanor Ainge Roy’s reporting on how the local Maori people feel about Whakaari.

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New Zealand volcano: 21-year-old Australian is first recovered victim to be named

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Krystal Browitt was on White Island with father and sister when eruption occurred

Krystal Browitt, the 21-year-old Melbourne woman missing since the White Island volcano eruption, has become the first victim to be identified by police from the six bodies recovered from the island on Friday.

Browitt was on the island with her sister Stephanie and her father Paul when the volcano erupted. Stephanie is in a coma in hospital with her mother, Marie, who stayed on board their cruise ship instead of taking the volcano trip, at her bedside. Paul Browitt is being treated for burns in hospital in Melbourne.

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‘Nothing short of miraculous’: the long road ahead for injured survivors of White Island

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Recovery won’t be easy for the Australians burned in the New Zealand volcano disaster, but some of the world’s best specialists are on hand to help

As families of the Australian survivors of the New Zealand volcano disaster wait anxiously on their loved ones’ prognosis, there will be a small comfort in knowing that some of the world’s best plastic surgeons and burns specialists will lead their care as they return home for treatment.

Specialist paramedics travelled to New Zealand as part of a medical evacuation team to accompany patients on their return, with 11 Australians flown to major burns units throughout the country including Concord hospital in Sydney and the Alfred hospital in Melbourne. More patients were expected to arrive on Friday evening.

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New Zealand volcano eruption: dive teams search for two bodies off White Island – live

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Six bodies transferred to HMNZS Wellington by helicopter, as divers continue search for final two missing

The NZ defence force have released images of those who took part in the mission to recover the remaining bodies from White Island this morning.

We are expecting the New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, to hold a news conference in the next few minutes and will bring you that as soon as it begins.

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White Island volcano victims cannot bring civil lawsuits for negligence

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New Zealand’s accident compensation scheme covers cost of treatment for all injuries and bars victims from taking legal action against operators

In New Zealand, where bodies still lie on a volcano after Monday’s eruption and survivors fill hospital burns units across the country to capacity, questions are mounting about who exactly was responsible for the safety of tourists on Whakaari or White Island, and, if failings are found, who will be held accountable.

Questions are also being asked about the wisdom of allowing tourists on to the island while it was assigned a volcanic alert level of two out of five, signalling volcanic unrest – a practice that has happened for years.

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New Zealand volcano: police plan body retrieval on Friday despite eruption risk

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Deputy commissioner says police have been facing increasing pressure from victims’ families to recover bodies from White Island

The New Zealand military will deploy to White Island at first light in an attempt to bring eight bodies home to their desperate families – despite a serious risk of the volcano erupting again.

Eight specialist military personnel will land on the island on Friday morning local time (Thursday evening UK) in an operation that is expected to last several hours, and involves multiple risk factors including the Island’s heightened seismic activity, the weather, and conditions on the ground.

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New Zealand volcano death toll rises to eight

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Two more people have died from injuries sustained during the eruption on White Island

Two more people have died from injuries sustained during the eruption of New Zealand’s White Island volcano, bringing the confirmed death toll from the disaster to eight.

Related: New Zealand surgeons working 'non-stop' to help volcano victims

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New Zealand surgeons working ‘non-stop’ to help volcano victims

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Country’s health authorities said to have ordered 1.2m sq cm of skin to treat burn injuries

Surgeons are working around the clock to help tourists who suffered horrendous burn injuries in the eruption of the New Zealand’s White Island volcano, health experts have said.

New Zealand health authorities have reportedly ordered 1.2 million sq cm of skin from the US in order to treat those injured: 27 of whom had burns to more than 30% of their body, with some having burns to 90-95% of their body. For context, experts say the palm of a hand is about 1.5% of the area of the body.

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New Zealand volcano: first Australian victims of White Island disaster named – updates

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Families of Julie and Jessica Richards from Brisbane, and Gavin Dallow and Julie Hosking in Adelaide, confirm deaths

Here are some edited excerpts from this afternoon’s press conferences with police and health officials, plus a volcano expert.

New Zealand police have released the names of nine confirmed victims. Seven of them are Australian, two are New Zealanders.

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White Island volcano: retrieving bodies is an ‘absolute imperative’ – video

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Sarah Stuart-Black at New Zealand's civil defence ministry says recovering the bodies of those killed on Whakaari/White Island is 'an absolute imperative'. John Tims of New Zealand police says the resources are standing by to go back to the island 'as soon as we are confident there are no risks'. Conditions on New Zealand’s Whakaari/White Island have worsened, hampering the retrieval of those killed in Monday's volcanic explosion. Volcanologist Graham Leonard says volcanic activity has increased at the site and that there is a risk of another eruption like Monday’s. Leonard also says it would be challenging for rescuers to breath, see or walk on the island given the current activity.  


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New Zealand helicopter pilot describes horror of volcano rescue

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‘The burns were horrific … A lot of the people could not talk,’ says Mark Law

A commercial helicopter pilot who led a team that rescued 12 victims from the White Island volcano eruption has told how he believed he was their last hope of survival.

“We found people dead, dying and alive but in various states of unconsciousness,” said Mark Law, a tour company boss who flew to the volcano and spent an hour on the ground even as a pillar of ash towered above them.

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‘The scale is devastating’: families and Ardern react after New Zealand volcano erupts – video

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The families of those missing after the White Island eruption in New Zealand say they are 'standing together' as they wait for information about their loved ones. Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, said the scale of the disaster was 'devastating' and that reconnaissance flights had found no sign of life on the island. Police have launched an inquiry into the eruption after at least six people died and many more were injured

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