JAKARTA: A separatist group in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua has agreed to free New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens from more than a year in captivity since kidnapping him, according to an audio message issued by a spokesperson on Saturday (Aug 3). An armed faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), led by Egianus...
WELLINGTON: A Jetstar Airways aircraft had steering issues while landing at Christchurch Airport on Friday (May 31) morning, the airline said in a statement, with local media reporting it left the runway. Jetstar, which is owned by Qantas Airways, said it had veered on the runway but had not yet been able to confirm it had...
New Zealand’s central bank has started exploration into launching a central bank digital currency, with ongoing investigation projected until approximately 2030. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is now exploring the introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) also known as “digital cash,” as innovations in money and payments are “challenging New Zealand’s monetary sovereignty,” according to...
PETALING JAYA: A 30-year-old Malaysia man has been sentenced to five years and nine months in jail In New Zealand after he was found guilty of raping his sleeping partner and kidnapping her during a later road trip. The man, whose name has been withheld to protect the victim's rights, arrived in New Zealand in March...
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The New Zealand government on Friday withdrew a bill that would have allowed sixteen year olds to vote in local government elections if it had passed. New Zealand's highest court ruled in late 2022 that the country's current voting age of 18 was discriminatory, forcing parliament to discuss whether it should be lowered. The...
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon will not attend APEC in San Francisco and instead the country's caretaker trade minister will represent the country, the political parties confirmed on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the caretaker government said Damien O'Connor, who remains the country's trade minister until a new government is sworn in, will...
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley has been ordered by the country’s highest court to pay NZ$6.6 million ($3.9 million) plus interest as compensation for her role in the collapse of a construction company, a judgement released Friday said. Shipley was New Zealand’s first female prime minister holding the role from 1997...
BUTTERWORTH: Pakatan Harapan's Sungai Puyu candidate Phee Syn Tze says that she has a permanent residency (PR) to study and work in New Zealand and not a citizenship. Responding to queries on social media about her citizenship, Syn Tze said she went to study in New Zealand in 1997 and subsequently found work there, so applying...
AUCKLAND (Reuters) -At least two people and an armed attacker were killed and five others wounded in a shooting in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland on Thursday, hours ahead of the opening match of the Women's soccer World Cup in the city. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the soccer tournament would proceed as planned, adding...
New Zealand scrapped mask wearing rules and vaccine mandates on Monday (Sept 12), bringing an end to some of the toughest Covid-19 pandemic rules in the world about two years after they were put in place. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a weekly news conference that it was time to safely turn the page on...
