New Zealand anti-vax protesters inspired by Canada truckers camp outside parliament

New Zealand has seen a second day of demonstrations against pandemic restrictions with protesters camping outside the nation’s parliament. Inspired by large anti- vaccine rallies in Canada, hundreds of Kiwis arrived on Tuesday to stage new protests against vaccine mandates and other Covid rules. Protesters adopted the name “Convoy for Freedom” and blocked streets in

American vaccine misinformation and extremism are infiltrating New Zealand

When Josephine Bartley, a member of the city council in Auckland, New Zealand, heard that a local Covid-19 vaccination clinic had been vandalized early this month, she drove over to survey the damage. After she spoke to the owners and helped them connect with law enforcement officials, she noticed three men loitering near her parking spot. “Some guys

Australian nuclear subs will be banned from New Zealand waters: Ardern

New Zealand will not lift a decades-long ban on nuclear-powered vessels entering its waters in the wake of key ally Australia’s decision to develop a nuclear submarine fleet, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday (Sept 16). Ms Ardern said her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison had briefed her on Canberra’s plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines with the

New Zealand police kill ‘violent extremist’ after he stabs 6 at Auckland supermarket

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the incident as a terror attack and said the man was inspired by the Islamic State group. Police in New Zealand say they were so concerned about the threat posed by one “violent extremist” that they were following him on what appeared to be a routine trip Friday to a supermarket in

New Zealand shuts Australia travel bubble as Sydney’s Covid outbreak worsens

Jacinda Ardern pauses flights for eight weeks as her health chief says the spread in NSW was ‘clearly not under control’ New Zealand is shutting down the quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia for two months, as the country grapples with a number of serious outbreaks of Covid-19. The country had already paused travel with the states of

NZ to apologise for ‘discriminatory’ police raids against Pacific community

New Zealand is to make a formal apology to the Pacific community which felt “targeted and terrorised” during police raids searching for overstayers in the 1970s, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday. The so-called “Dawn Raids”, carried out between 1974 and 1976 to find, convict and deport overstayers, often took place very early in

New Zealand to cut ‘low-skill’ immigration and refocus on wealthy

Government signals sweeping changes to address ‘reliance on temporary migrant labour’ New Zealand has become an increasingly appealing destination for those seeking a haven – from Covid-19, economic recession or chaotic international politics. In recent years, the country gained a reputation for “billionaires’ boltholes”, as mega-rich speculators including Peter Thiel bought up remote properties in scenic, isolated

Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand’s differences with China are becoming ‘harder to reconcile’

Jacinda Ardern has conceded managing her country’s relationship with China isn’t easy, with some issues becoming “harder to reconcile”. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that differences between New Zealand and China are becoming harder to reconcile as Beijing’s role in the world grows and changes. In a speech at the China Business Summit

New Zealand raises minimum wage and increases taxes on the rich

Jacinda Ardern says the changes to wages and benefits will help support the most vulnerable New Zealand is raising its minimum wage to $20 an hour and increasing the top tax rate for the country’s highest earners to 39%. The changes will be rolled out on Thursday, alongside small increases to unemployment and sickness benefits.