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Wellington, New Zealand (AFP) — Saving an endangered bird and commuting via helicopter in New Zealand may sound like a dream gig, but so far a job to protect a rare flightless bird is not taking off among applicants. The Department of Conservation in the tiny town of Haast — perched on the western edge of Mount Aspiring National Park — has received just three applications so far for the role, said operations manager Wayne […]
by Ryland JAMES Agence France Presse Wellington, New Zealand (AFP) — The world’s fattest parrot can’t fly, and now it can’t run either. Voting began on Monday in New Zealand’s always-controversial Bird of the Year contest, with angry twitchers spitting feathers at a decision to ban the twice-winning kakapo. The beguiling owl parrot — which resembles a verdant feathered bowling ball — already won the contest in 2008 and 2020, and came runner up in […]
Nelson, New Zealand | AFP | by Ryland JAMES A New Zealand city devastated by flooding will take years to recover, the mayor said on Friday, as hundreds more homes were evacuated. The Pacific nation has been lashed by wild weather with the Nelson-Tasman district on the South Island bearing the brunt after 75 centimetres (29 inches) of rain reportedly fell over three days. Several streets in the city of Nelson were flooded after the […]
WELLINGTON (AFP) – China accused New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday of making “wrong and thus regrettable” statements that were unhelpful for keeping the two countries’ relationship “on the right track”. Ardern attended the NATO leaders’ summit in Spain this week, saying in a speech Wednesday that China had become “more assertive and more willing to challenge international rules and norms”. The Chinese embassy in Wellington hit back Friday that it had taken […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters pelted police with a “stinging substance” sending three to hospital with injuries Tuesday, as tensions spilled over in an angry weeks-long protest. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern decried “absolutely disgraceful” scenes after the suspected acid attack, and a startling incident that saw one protester speed a car toward police lines before coming to a quick halt just centimetres away. The brief but intense confrontations erupted near New […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand police ruled out forcibly clearing anti-vaccination protesters camped around parliament in Wellington on Friday, saying they did not want to provoke violence on the streets of the capital. Police have taken a hands-off approach after an attempt to take control of the lawns late last week resulted in violent clashes and 120 arrests. Commissioner Andrew Coster acknowledged growing frustration among Wellington residents and business owners as protest vehicles […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand Covid-19 infections reached a record high Wednesday as anti-vaccine protesters claimed victory after police failed to clear vehicles blocking the streets around parliament. Health authorities reported 1,160 new coronavirus cases, the most since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant continues to spread in a country that was largely virus-free until August. While there have only been 53 virus deaths in the nation of five million, some protesters […]
by Neil SANDS Agence France-Presse WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – A two-tonne rubber whale can take on a life of its own in the frigid shallows of a windswept New Zealand beach, particularly when a bedraggled group of would-be rescuers is trying to wrestle it into a harness. “Keep the blowhole clear… you’re too close to the tail, one swipe can do a serious injury to yourself and the whale,” an instructor yells as the […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand passed a law Thursday forcing banks to reveal the impact of their investments on climate change, describing it as a world-first move to make the financial sector’s environmental record more transparent. Climate Change Minister James Shaw said the law meant banks, insurance companies and investment firms would make mandatory disclosures about their portfolios’ global warming record from next year. Shaw, who will head to Glasgow later this month […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand pledged Monday to quadruple foreign aid spending on climate change, addressing its “woefully inadequate” response to the challenge in recent decades. As representatives from around the world prepare for a landmark UN summit on global warming, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Wellington would lift its climate aid budget to $930 million over four years. Ardern said at least half the money would go to Pacific island nations, many […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Wildfires have destroyed up to 50 homes in New Zealand, authorities announced Monday, saying it was a miracle no one was hurt as “a wall of orange” razed most of a remote South Island village. The blaze began in a mountain forest early Sunday morning and, fanned by strong winds, swept through the village of Lake Ohau, forcing residents to flee for their lives. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) […]
WELLINGTON, United States (AFP) — New Zealand’s economy suffered its biggest contraction in 29 years during the first three months of the year, official data showed Thursday, with worse expected as the coronavirus pandemic’s full impact emerges. Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 1.6 percent in the January-March quarter, the biggest fall since early 1991. The contraction exceeded market expectations of about one percent, even though the quarter only covers the early stages of the coronavirus […]
