Wellington, New Zealand | AFP | Friday 1/27/2023 A state of emergency was declared in Auckland on Friday after torrential rain caused widespread flooding in New Zealand’s largest city, closing the airport and forcing the cancellation of an Elton John concert. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown told a news conference late on Friday he was “deeply saddened” after a body was found in a northern suburb. Police have not confirmed whether the death was a […]
Tag: Auckland
New Zealand queries virus approach as Delta outbreak grows
New Zealand conceded its ambitious “Covid zero” elimination strategy may no longer be viable Sunday, as an outbreak of the virulent Delta variant continued to spread. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins reported a further 21 cases in a virus cluster that emerged in Auckland last week, ending a six-month run of no local cases and sparking a national lockdown. Hipkins said Delta’s highly transmissible nature was making this outbreak more difficult to contain than others, […]
New Zealand’s largest city back in lockdown as Covid lingers
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered New Zealand’s largest city back into lockdown on Saturday as Covid-19 cases continued to be detected in the community. The latest restrictions in Auckland will last at least seven days and come less than two weeks after a three-day shutdown in the city. Ardern said a new coronavirus case confirmed on Saturday could not be directly connected to other positive tests over the last […]
Mussels ‘cooked alive’ in balmy New Zealand ocean
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Up to half a million mussels were effectively cooked in the wild in unusually balmy waters on the New Zealand coast in a massive “die-off” that marine experts have linked to climate change. The dead mollusks were found by Auckland man Brandon Ferguson earlier this month at Maunganui Bluff Beach, near the northern tip of the North Island. Footage posted to social media shows a stunned Ferguson wading through rockpools choked […]
New Zealand mourns after ‘First Cat’ Paddles run over by car
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand was mourning the loss of the nation’s “First Cat” Wednesday after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s pet puss Paddles was run over by a car in Auckland. The prime minister’s office confirmed that the ginger and white rescue cat, also described by Ardern as the PM (Prime Moggy), died in an accident on Tuesday. “To anyone who has ever lost a pet, you’ll know how sad we feel,” the […]
More than 500 Maori people, indigenous people of New Zealand attend #AidforHumanity in Auckland
(Eagle News) — Some 500 Maori people, the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, were among those who came to the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s Aid for Humanity or Lingap sa Mamamayan in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday, October 29. INC volunteers held a program where the guests were not only entertained but were also given bags of goods and other food items. The event was held at the David Lange Park in Mangere, Auckland, […]
Tennis: Serena shakes off rust for comeback win
AUCKLAND, NewZealand (AFP) — Serena Williams was troubled by windy conditions and some early rust before beating 69th-ranked Pauline Parmentier 6-3, 6-4 to launch her comeback from a four-month lay-off at the Auckland Classic on Tuesday. In her first outing since she was shocked by Karolina Pliskova in the US Open semi-finals in September, the world number two made a sluggish start to a season in which she is seeking a record 23rd Grand Slam […]
Boxing: Parker to face Ruiz for WBO heavyweight belt in Auckland
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealander Joseph Parker will fight Mexican-American Andy Ruiz in Auckland next month for the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight title vacated by Tyson Fury, Parker’s promoter said Tuesday. After weeks of negotiation, Parker’s Duco Events said the fighters will meet at the city’s Vector Arena on December 10. On the line is the WBO heavyweight belt, one of the two titles Fury vacated last month in order to seek […]
