‘Steep mountain ahead,’ prime minister says as 11 deaths confirmed so far after storm sweeps north and east of the country. At least 11 people have died and thousands are missing in New Zealand after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the North Island last week. The cyclone hit the northern part of …
Read More »New Zealand drops its COVID-19 elimination strategy as delta variant persists
New Zealand on Monday abandoned its strategy of eliminating coronavirus, easing some COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in its biggest city Auckland, and will instead look to live with the virus while controlling its spread. The Pacific nation was among just a handful of countries to bring COVID-19 cases down to zero …
Read More »Two years after Christchurch, New Zealand makes plotting a terrorist attack a crime
New Zealand politicians on Thursday passed a law that makes plotting a terrorist attack a crime, fixing a legal loophole that was exposed earlier this month by a violent knife attack. The new law had been months in the planning but was hurried through Parliament after an extremist inspired by …
Read More »New Zealand PM Ardern extends COVID-19 lockdown in Auckland
New Zealand’s largest city Auckland will remain in lockdown to beat the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday. Auckland will remain in the strict Alert level 4 lockdown until midnight on September 21, after which it will move to alert level …
Read More »New Zealand lifts COVID-19 lockdown this week, barring Auckland
New Zealand will mostly lift its Covid-19 lockdown this week, with only the country’s infection epicenter Auckland to remain under strict stay-at-home orders, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday About three million New Zealanders will no longer be under stay-at-home orders as of Tuesday overnight, and schools will reopen …
Read More »Man who stabbed seven people at New Zealand supermarket is named
The man who stabbed seven people at a New Zealand supermarket has been named as Ahamed Samsudeen. The 32-year-old had been assessed by authorities as such a high risk that he was being monitored by up to 30 police officers in the weeks leading up to the attack. Samsudeen, who …
Read More »New Zealand COVID outbreak claims first death in six months, toll at 27 so far
New Zealand recorded its first COVID-related death in six months Saturday, but health authorities said there were signs the outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant was coming under control. A woman in her 90s, who had underlying health conditions and could not receive a ventilator or intensive care support, …
Read More »New Zealand keeps curbs until next week to beat Delta; Auckland shut for longer
New Zealand on Friday extended pandemic restrictions by four days after which they will be eased slightly, although businesses and schools will remain shut and the biggest city Auckland will be locked down for longer. New Zealand had been largely virus-free, barring a small number of cases in February, but …
Read More »New Zealand’s Ardern locks down nation over single COVID-19 case
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern put the nation under strict lockdown on Tuesday after one new case of the coronavirus was reported in its largest city of Auckland, the country’s first in six months. All of New Zealand will be in lockdown for three days from Wednesday while Auckland …
Read More »Police officer killed on duty in New Zealand
An unarmed police officer was killed and another was seriously injured after being shot during a routine traffic stop in New Zealand on Friday, the authorities have said. The incident took place in Auckland, the country’s largest city, on Friday morning after the officers tried to stop a vehicle of …
Read More »Volcano eruption death toll rises to 17.
The death toll from New Zealand’s White Island volcano eruption earlier this month has risen to 17 after another person died Sunday, police said. The latest victim died at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand police said. Sixteen victims of the eruption have died in New Zealand and one person …
Read More »‘Cat-sized’ rats plague New Zealand town.
A beachside New Zealand suburb known for roaming chickens and yoga has become infested with hordes of unwelcome guests: large, writhing rats. The rodents — which have swarmed around shops and houses in the artsy west Auckland suburb of Titirangi — have made headlines in New Zealand recently, where local …
Read More »Christchurch attack suspect pleads not guilty.
The main suspect in the Christchurch attacks in March has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Brenton Tarrant is charged with the murder of 51 people, 40 counts of attempted murder and one terrorism charge in New Zealand’s deadliest peacetime mass shooting. Appearing via video link from prison, the 28-year-old …
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