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☆ Why New Zealand spent a small fortune to kill one stoat
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Introduced predators kill about 25 million native birds in New Zealand annually, with about 4,000 native species threatened or at risk of extinction, according to the DOC. Under the program, the government plans to eradicate rats, possums (a marsupial native to the Americas), weasels, ferrets — and the pesky stoat. Chalky Island and the neighboring Passage Islands have been predator-free since 1999 following the first ever stoat eradication campaign, according to the DOC. And for Fleming, the recent stoat incursion only underscores the importance of the Predator Free 2050 plan. “If we eradicate stoats from Aotearoa (New Zealand) completely we remove the costs of incursions, and our wildlife can thrive alongside us,” he said.

Persons: Rebecca Teele, ”, Aaron Fleming, Liu Yang, RNZ, —, pesky, Carolyn M, King, hitlist, Stephan Morris, stoats, stoats ”, Fleming Organizations: CNN, country’s Department of Conservation, New, Zealand, New Zealand Taxpayers ’ Union, Southern, New Zealand, University of Waikato Locations: New Zealand, Fiordland, Eurasia, North America, “, New, Americas, Aotearoa

☆ CNN took an 11-day cruise through some of the most-contested waters on Earth. Here’s what we learned
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

China claims almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. In daylight hours in the South China Sea, from Ottawa’s flight deck or outdoor bridge wings, Chinese warships are often visible to the naked eye. Aviator Gregory Cole/Canadian Armed Forces PhotoOn October 29, things take a potentially dangerous turn, one that could have cost lives and ratcheted up tensions in the South China Sea to new levels. Radar operators scan their instruments in a Canadian antisubmarine warfare helicopter over the East China Sea. Hammerhead targets drones await their fate on the deck of the frigate HMCS Ottawa in the South China Sea.

Persons: Sam Patchell, Jacob Broderick ,, Ben Hughes, Gregory Cole, he’s, “, King Neptune, Xi Jinping, Brad Lendon, Rafael Peralta, Collin Koh, ” Patchell, Patchell, Aviator Gregory Cole, ”, haven’t, Xi, Rob Millen, they’d, Long, Peralta, It’s, Qinetiq, Noble, That’s, Cmdr, Sean Milley, Christine Hurov, Wally Shirra, it’s, Wally Schirra, Loverboy’s, Australia’s, doesn’t, We’ll Organizations: HMCS, HMCS Ottawa CNN, Royal Canadian Navy, Canada, United, Naval Warfare Officers, Canadian Armed Forces, US Navy, Ottawa, CNN, Canada’s Defense Ministry, Chinese Communist Party, Coast Guard, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, People’s Liberation Army Navy, PLA Navy, United Nations, Ottawa's, Cyclone, Canadian, Royal Canadian Air Force, Chinese Defense Ministry, Pentagon, troika, Peralta, Brisbane, CNN Radio, New, New Zealand Navy’s, Cmdr, HMNZS Aotearoa, Australian, Southern Hemisphere, One Locations: HMCS Ottawa, Taiwan, Ottawa, China, United States, Canadian, South China, Gaza, Ukraine, East, Washington, Singapore, Beijing, Spratly, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Chinese, South, East China, CNN Beijing, Canada, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Australian, Brisbane, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Okinawa, replenishments, Aotearoa, American, Ottawa’s

☆ New Zealand’s new government scraps world-leading smoking ban to fund tax cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A year after passing a world-leading smoking ban designed to save thousands of lives and prevent new generations of young adults from smoking, New Zealand has announced a u-turn to help pay for tax cuts, infuriating public health officials and anti-tobacco groups. Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s initial smoking ban was hailed by public health officials around the world. Months after New Zealand’s announcement, Britain also unveiled plans to phase out smoking for new generations. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the British government remained committed to phasing out smoking, even after New Zealand’s reversal. The anti-smoking group Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) expressed disappointment at the new coalition’s plans to repeal the smoking ban.

Persons: Chris Luxon, Luxon, Christopher Luxon, Marty Melville, Rishi Sunak, ”, Nicola Willis, Saturday, Mario Tama, Ayeshea Verrall, “ What’s, ” Verrall Organizations: CNN, National Party, New Zealand First, ACT New, Radio New Zealand, Government House, Getty, British, World Health, Radio New, Health Coalition Aotearoa, New Zealanders Locations: New Zealand, ACT New Zealand, Wellington, AFP, Britain, Los Angeles , California, Radio New Zealand, New

☆ Health Experts Decry New Zealand's Scrapping of World-First Tobacco Ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Health and tobacco campaigners said on Monday that New Zealand's plan to repeal laws that would ban tobacco sales for future generations threatened lives and put international efforts to curb smoking at risk. A ban on smoking for future generations was subsequently proposed in the United Kingdom, with other countries also considering similar rules. "This is major loss for public health, and a huge win for the tobacco industry – whose profits will be boosted at the expense of Kiwi lives," said Boyd Swinburn, co-chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa in New Zealand. Incoming Finance Minister Nicola Willis told New Zealand's Newshub Nation that the former government's measures would have significantly reduced tax revenues. Deborah Arnott, chief executive of UK health charity ASH, said that smoking costs public finances nearly double tobacco tax revenues.

Persons: Jan, Boyd Swinburn, Sarah Jackson, Nicola Willis, Deborah Arnott, ASH, Emma Rumney, Ed Osmond Organizations: Labour, Health Coalition Aotearoa, New Zealand's Department, University College London Tobacco and Alcohol Research, Incoming, New Locations: United Kingdom, New Zealand, England

Two of Australia’s largest grassroots Indigenous football bodies – Indigenous Football Australia (IFA) and the Australian Indigenous Football Council (AIFC) – say there’s no funding for Indigenous football in Legacy ’23, the 357 million Australian dollar ($228 million) post-tournament fund dedicated to growing soccer in Australia. By contrast, the AIFC oversees state and territory Indigenous football councils and organizes the First Nations Indigenous Football Championships and teams who play as the Indigenous Roos and Koalas. The AIFC recently signed a “Football Treaty” with New Zealand equivalent, Māori Football Aotearoa, and Gilbert wants to create a World Indigenous Football Council and Indigenous World Cup, independently of FIFA. Pickering-Parker seems more hopeful that the World Cup will bring more funding to his small team of volunteers: “Right now. If hosting a Women’s World Cup isn’t going to do it, I don’t know what else is,” she said.

Persons: “, that’s, it’s, ”, Ros Moriarty, James Johnson, Karen Menzies, John Maynard, “ I’ll, I’m, I’ll, Maynard, –, who’ve, Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, Moriarty Football, John’s, Moriarty, ” Lawrence Gilbert, Gilbert, ” John Moriarty, John Moriarty, Johnson, We’ve, It’s, Jennifer Pickering, Tai Tokerau, “ You’re, ” Pickering, Claudia Bunge, Michaela Foster, Mathias Bergeld, Phillip Pickering, Parker, Pickering, Kyah Simon, who’s, Lydia Williams, Williams, ” Williams, Matt King, Australia’s, That’s, crowdfunding, NIAG, we’ve, Menzies, we’re, … Organizations: Sydney CNN —, Indigenous Football Australia, IFA, Australian Indigenous Football Council, Indigenous, Moriarty Foundation, Football Australia, CNN Sport, FIFA, Indigenous Advisory, CNN, Aboriginal Soccer Tribe, UNICEF Australia First Nations, Aboriginal, Torres Strait, Elders, Commonwealth, First, First Nations, Reuters, Australian, soccer team, ” John Moriarty Football, New South, Nations Indigenous Football, Indigenous Roos, Treaty, Māori Football Aotearoa, Indigenous Football Council, Nations Australian, Nations, . New Zealand, ”, New Zealand Football, AFL, Australian Football League, Sydney Football Stadium Locations: Australia, New Zealand, Brisbane, New South Wales, Koalas, Tai, New, ., Norway, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Perth, “

☆ How New Zealand's plan for English and te reo Māori road signs took an unexpected turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

But plans to introduce bilingual road signs featuring both the English and te reo Maori languages have sparked a divisive, racially charged debate ahead of the country’s looming general election. Slightly less than a quarter of New Zealand’s 892,200 Maori speak te reo Maori as one of their first languages, according to the latest government data. Part of the reason that te reo Maori is not so widely spoken is that back in New Zealand’s colonial era there were active efforts to stamp it out. The Native Schools Act 1867 required schools to teach in English where possible and children were often physically punished for speaking te reo Maori. “The primary objective of these standards is to guarantee that all road signs are unambiguous, uniform, and legible to all,” he said.

Persons: Simeon Brown, Chris Hipkins, “ I’m, ”, Marty Melville, Awanui Te, Tania Ka’ai, “, ” Ka’ai, –, Kasem Choocharukul, Kasem, Huw Fairclough, James Griffiths ,, Puakea Nogelmeier, Nogelmeier Organizations: CNN, reo, Zealand, Waka, NZ Transport Agency, New, National, Labour Party government, National Party, Labour, Getty, Native, Victoria University of Wellington, Zealanders, The International, Language, Auckland University of Technology, Chulalongkorn University, Research, University of Leeds, Wales –, New Zealand, Welsh, Welsh Language Society, Gaelic, Constitutional Convention, Hawaiian, University of Hawaii, Hawaii’s Department of Transportation, Wales Locations: Aotearoa, Wellington , New Zealand, AFP, New, New Zealand, Zealanders, Wales, United Kingdom, Thailand, Tredegar , Wales, Republic of Ireland, Hawaii, Olelo Hawai’i, Llanfair, Anglesey, Europe, Hawke’s

☆ Spain women's team apologise for haka video
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 17 (Reuters) - Spain captain Ivana Andres apologised on Monday after a video of her team mates laughing as they attempted a haka drew ire in New Zealand ahead of the Women's World Cup. The players were accused of being disrespectful to Maori culture over the video, which has since been deleted, and Andres asked for forgiveness from the local Rangitane tribe at a traditional ceremony to welcome guests. The Real Madrid centre back asked for "forgiveness for our mistakes" and to be "better each day", and presented the tribe with a Spain jersey. "Their words came from the heart and there was an acknowledgement that they understood the haka is very precious, not only to Maori, but to all of Aotearoa." Spain play their Group C matches in New Zealand, opening their campaign on Friday when they face Costa Rica in Wellington before taking on Zambia and Japan.

Persons: Ivana Andres, Andres, there's, Rohith Nair, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Real, Thomson Locations: Spain, New Zealand, Aotearoa New Zealand, Real Madrid, Aotearoa, Costa Rica, Wellington, Zambia, Japan, Bengaluru

☆ Spanish women’s national team apologizes for haka video
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ivana Andrés, the captain of the Spanish women’s national team, has apologized after the country’s football federation (RFEF) posted a now-deleted video on social media of four players appearing to mock New Zealand’s traditional haka. The haka is a ceremonial Maori war dance, with many of the country’s national teams across a variety of sports performing their own version before matches. Ahead of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the Spanish players and the federation were accused of being disrespectful towards the dance and Maori culture. “We’ve only been here a few days in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and there’s still much to learn about this culture,” Andrés said at a traditional welcome ceremony, according to Reuters. James Foy/FIFA/Getty ImagesAt the ceremony, Andrés gave the tribe a Spain jersey bearing the name Papaioea, the Maori name for the city of Palmerston North, where the ceremony was held.

Persons: CNN — Ivana Andrés, “, ” Andrés, Andrés, Alexia Putellas, James Foy, ” Organizations: CNN, Spanish women’s national, Reuters, FIFA, Costa Locations: Australia, New Zealand, Spanish, Aotearoa , New Zealand, Palmerston North , New Zealand, Spain, Palmerston, Aotearoa, Costa Rica

☆ Climate activist faces 10 years in jail for a fake letter ‘canceling’ an oil industry conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A climate activist in New Zealand faces 10 years in jail after a court found her guilty of forgery for sending a fake letter to the speakers at an oil industry conference, telling them it had been postponed due to the climate crisis. She had been protesting outside oil conferences for years, but the 2019 PEPANZ conference was taking place in quite a small town and she was concerned few activists would be able to attend, she told CNN. Five days before the conference, she sent the letter by email, purporting to be from oil industry organizers canceling the event until further notice. PEPANZ organizers told speakers that the letter was fake and the conference went ahead. Three years later, after a trial in the Dunedin District Court, Penwarden was found guilty on Wednesday of two charges of creating and using a forged document.

Persons: Rosemary Penwarden, “, ”, Penwarden, ” Penwarden, “ I’m, Niamh O’Flynn, Rosemary, ” O’Flynn Organizations: CNN, Petroleum Exploration, Production Association of New, Greenpeace, Energy Resources Aotearoa Locations: New Zealand, Dunedin, Production Association of New Zealand, Court

☆ Mummified heads of Māori ancestors returned to New Zealand from Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Germany has returned six mummified Māori heads to New Zealand, together with the remains of almost 100 Māori and Moriori ancestors. German institute/Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaIn Māori culture, the head was considered the most important part of the body. Back in 2016, the Smithsonian Institution returned the remains of 54 indigenous people, including four mummified Māori heads, to Te Papa. The latest repatriation involved the skeletal remains of 95 ancestors of both peoples, together with six mummified tattooed Māori heads. A team carry 20 mummified Māori heads, repatriated from France, during a ceremony at Te Papa on January 27, 2012.

Persons: Hinemoana Baker, Te, Arikirangi Mamaku, Ironside, Reiss Engelhorn, Georg August, Roemer, Te Papa Tongarewa, Marty Melville, —, Arapata, Papa’s Māori, Te Herekiekie, “, Reiss, James Cook, moko, Craig Hawke, ‘, hora, marino, kia whakapapa, tere, ” Organizations: CNN, New Zealand, Smithsonian, New, Smithsonian Institution, Grassi Museum, Linden Museum, Stuttgart State Museum of, Georg August University, Pelizaeus, Museum, Getty, Aotearoa New Locations: Germany, New Zealand, Papa, New, Aotearoa, Chatham, Te Papa, Vienna, Leipzig, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Göttingen, Hildesheim, Museum Wiesbaden, Te, France, AFP, When, Te Papa’s, Aotearoa New Zealand, Engelhorn, Europe, Wellington, Te_Papa

☆ NZ electoral review recommends widespread changes including lowering voting age
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - New Zealand’s electoral system needs significant changes such as a lower voting age of 16 to ensure democracy is more accessible, according to a draft report release on Tuesday. The report is part of an independent review commissioned by the New Zealand government in 2021 to ensure parliamentary rules remain fit for purpose. It suggested wide-ranging changes that include modifying financing rules, lengthening the parliamentary term and lowering the threshold for political parties to get into parliament. "While many parts of Aotearoa New Zealand’s electoral system work well, we think it can be better," said Deborah Hart, chair of the Electoral Review Panel. A party must currently gain at least 5% of the party vote, or win an electorate seat, to gain representation in parliament but the review suggests this threshold should be lowered to 3.5%.

Persons: Deborah Hart, ACT Party David Seymour, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: New, Aotearoa New, New Zealand, ACT Party, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Aotearoa

☆ New Zealand's Ardern bids emotional farewell on last day as prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday bid an emotional farewell on her last day as prime minister, speaking of the kindness and empathy New Zealanders have shown her, but said she was ready to be a sister and a mother. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the greatest privilege of my life," Ardern told the gathering in a speech. The speeches and accompanying songs and dances that followed saw elders speak with humour and warmth about Ardern. "Thanks so much for teaching us to love quickly," one elder told Ardern. Ardern responded, saying she that hadn't planned to speak but that those there refused to give her an out.

Wellington, the pint-size capital of New Zealand, easily invites comparisons. You might think of San Francisco when you see its vertiginous streets and colorful clapboard homes; the city’s obsession with coffee, craft beer and sustainable living has obvious parallels with Seattle; and its blustery weather (it is the world’s windiest city) makes it deserving of Chicago’s nickname. As locals often remind one another, you can’t beat Wellington on a good day, when the water sparkles, the sky is impossibly blue and the coasts, forests and hills are at their most enjoyable. Go between December and March to maximize your chances of a beautiful day in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the city’s name in the Indigenous Maori language (New Zealand is known as Aotearoa).

☆ 'Rings of Power' series reveals another underdiscussed aspect of representation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Polynesian scholars are pointing out “Lord of the Rings” productions have traditionally been filmed on their land, but with Pacific Islander actors relegated to the background. The new prequel on Amazon Prime did slightly better with representation, but experts stopped short of declaring it true progress. Na'puti pointed out that the Māori community experienced significant land loss, now holding just roughly 5% of all land there. McCartney also said that indigenous, Polynesian representation means incorporating the culture into the writing, given the Māori displacement in the country. And so if you’re on it, you have a responsibility.”Ultimately, Young questioned the necessity to continuously adapt the work of Tolkien, who wrote the “Lord of The Rings” series in the early 1900s.

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