New Zealand

A Chinese naval cruiser fired live rounds Saturday during a task force drill in the sea between Australia and New Zealand, government officials said, prompting an alert to commercial air traffic.

China warned Friday it intends to hold naval “live-fire” naval drills in the waters off Australia’s east coast as commercial flights were told to steer clear of the area.

A driver ran down two New Zealand police officers down as they patrolled on foot in the early hours of New Year’s Day, killing one and seriously injuring the other, the country’s police chief said.

Mistakes by members of the crew caused a New Zealand navy ship to plow into a reef off the coast of Samoa a military Court of Inquiry finds.

Thousands marched on New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington on Friday to protest a bill that would reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi, an 1840 agreement between the British Empire and Maori chiefs that governs policy matters related to indigenous people to this day.

So much for fond farewells and lingering goodbyes. Dunedin Airport in New Zealand has introduced a strict rule for their passenger departure drop-off zone — capping “hug time” at three minutes with those seeking more time told to move along so as not to obstruct traffic.

Google has issued a stern warning, threatening to remove links to New Zealand news content and terminate current agreements with local publishers if the proposed Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill becomes law.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China conducted an unusual ICBM test launch into the Pacific Ocean for the first time since 1980.

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been released from captivity by rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region and is in good health despite the 19-month ordeal, Indonesian and New Zealand authorities said Saturday.

Reports from the U.S. and New Zealand warn that China is waging complex campaigns to interfere with foreign politics online.

NZ spy service branded China a “complex intelligence concern” Tuesday and warned the Pacific nation was vulnerable to foreign interference.

Police say they recovered 29 meth tablets disguised as pineapple sweets that were mistakenly handed out to the public in charity packs.

Two members of the Canadian Olympic team were dismissed and “sent home immediately” on Wednesday after they were caught using a drone to “record the New Zealand women’s football [soccer] team during practice.”

Livestock farmers in Denmark have been warned the farts and burps from their cows, sheep, and pigs will be measured and taxed from 2030, the first country in the world to do so as it targets methane emissions.

New Zealand rugby superstar Connor Garden-Bachop died on Monday after suffering what is described as a “medical event.” He was only 25 years old.

New Zealand is scrapping a scheme to price gas emissions from livestock — squelching a so-called burp and fart tax initiated under the previous left-wing government led by now departed authoritarian Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Grammy-winning rapper Macklemore has expressed solidarity with anti-Israel protesters and condemned Israel’s military campaign against Hamas terrorists, choosing a sellout crowd in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, to deliver his pro-Palestinian views.

New Zealand’s conservative government announced Sunday it has tightened work visa rules as “unsustainable” migration levels soar to near-record highs.

NZ ready to sign new cooperation deal with NATO, as country rethinks security in face of regional tensions and growing Chinese military might.

New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) revealed on Monday that Chinese state-sponsored hackers attacked two computer systems used by the New Zealand Parliament in 2021.

Fifty passengers were hurt Monday when a flight from Australia to New Zealand made a sudden movement in mid-air.

New Zealand classified the entirety of the Islamist Hamas organization — both the military and political wings — as a “terrorist group,” arguing that the unprecedented October 7 massacre blurred the lines between Hamas’s military and political factions.

New Zealand said it will contemplate sharing military technology amid worries over an increasingly assertive China.

Golriz Ghahraman, a former Green Party lawmaker, was charged with two counts of shoplifting at a store in a trendy neighborhood.

A 61-year-old fisherman is extremely glad to be alive after a recent harrowing ordeal off the coast of New Zealand.

“We are going to ban phones across New Zealand in schools. We want our kids to learn and we want our teachers to teach,” he said.

Smoke ’em if you got ’em. That’s the message from New Zealand’s incoming conservative coalition government which has vowed to scrap the nation’s smoking ban to fund tax cuts across the broader community and stem any possibility of starting a black market.

An endless playlist of Celine Dion songs is being blasted out by drivers in a New Zealand city to torture residents through the night as rival gangs compete in “siren battles.”

Popular New Zealand fitness influencer Raechelle Chase died suddenly from unreported causes at only 44 years of age.

Incoming prime minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon said it was a “tremendous privilege” as looks to form a new coalition government.

New Zealanders resoundingly elected a new conservative government Saturday, ending the Labour Party’s six years in power.

The allegedly “Conservative” government of Rishi Sunak is reportedly looking to impose an effective ban on cigarettes for the next generations of Britons.

A couple from New Zealand recently had an unpleasant travel experience on Singapore Airlines in June because of a furry passenger.

Green politician Annalena Baerbock’s VIP jet is broken, and after the second attempt to fly to Australia the diplomat cancelled the visit.

German foreign minister failed to arrive in Australia for a planned tour after her VIP jet developed a fault, stranding her in Abu Dhabi.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said NZ would be welcome to engage in the landmark pact counterbalancing China’s rise in the Pacific.