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☆ New Zealand confident about IAEA advice on Fukushima water release plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta told the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog on Monday that her government has full confidence in the IAEA's advice on the proposed Fukushima treated water release. Following the release of the report, Grossi visited South Korea. He is currently in New Zealand before travelling to the Cook Islands where he will meet with Pacific Islands Forum chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown. The Pacific Islands Forum, a regional bloc of 17 island nations, has raised significant concerns about the release of the water fearing among other things the impact on fisheries. Mahuta said New Zealand acutely understands the effects nuclear testing has had on its Pacific neighbours in the past, and the government would continue to call for the release of the water to be dealt with through transparency and meaningful dialogue.

Persons: Nanaia Mahuta, Rafael Grossi, Japan's, Grossi, Mark Brown, Mahuta, Lucy Craymer, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: WELLINGTON, Zealand Foreign, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Pacific Islands Forum, Cook Islands, Thomson Locations: South Korea, New Zealand, Cook, Zealand, Lincoln

☆ New Zealand, EU ink trade deal that likely goes into effect in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - New Zealand and the European Union signed a free trade agreement overnight Sunday after negotiations were completed in 2022, with expectations it will come into force in the first half of 2024. New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor said the trade deal will cut costs and support exporters to grow and diversify their trade. The agreement was signed in Brussels by O’Connor and the EU Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. The statement added it is anticipated that the NZ-EU FTA will enter into force in the first half of 2024, once both parties complete the final required legal steps. ($1 = 1.6108 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Damien O’Connor, Cyclone Gabrielle, ”, Valdis Dombrovskis, Lucy Craymer, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: WELLINGTON, European Union, New, Trade, Export, O’Connor, EU, NZ, Zealand, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Brussels

TOKYO, July 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine has submitted a formal request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to New Zealand, Japanese and New Zealand authorities said on Friday. New Zealand, which performs the legal depositary functions for the partnership, had received a formal accession request from Ukraine on May 5, a New Zealand foreign ministry spokesperson said. The CPTPP includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, with Britain becoming the 12th member state. China, Taiwan, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Uruguay all also have requests pending to join. Japan's economy minister, Shigeyuki Goto, told a regular press conference that Japan, as a CPTPP member, "must carefully assess whether Ukraine fully meets the high level of the agreement" in terms of market access and rules.

Persons: Shigeyuki Goto, Kantaro Komiya, Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel Organizations: Trans, Pacific, ., Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Ukraine, New Zealand, Zealand, Auckland, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Britain, China, Taiwan, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Uruguay

☆ New Zealand, in recession and heading to polls, goes pragmatic on China trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WELLINGTON, July 3 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins trod a careful line on his first trip to China last week as leader, focusing on trade and economic opportunities but avoiding contentious issues such as human rights abuses in Xinjiang or security concerns. New Zealand has long been seen as the most conciliatory towards China among the Five Eyes security grouping, which includes Australia, the U.S., Britain and Canada. “(Hipkins's) visit certainly gave China a tick in the international legitimacy box and Beijing has gained at least as much from Hipkins' visit as New Zealand exporters,” Victoria University's Ayson said. New Zealand exporters were prominent in the visit with a delegation of 29 businesses travelling with the prime minister to China. The most recent polls from late May put a coalition of opposition parties National and Act ahead of a Labour-Green party coalition.

Persons: Chris Hipkins trod, Hipkins, Jacinda Ardern, ”, Robert Ayson, “ Hipkins, Nanaia Mahuta, Xi Jinping, University's Ayson, David Capie, Derek J, Grossman, Biden, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: WELLINGTON, Zealand, Labour, Victoria University, Labour Party, Centre, Strategic Studies, National, Green, RAND Corp, Wellington, “, Thomson Locations: China, Xinjiang, Zealand, Australia, U.S, Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, Pacific, Taiwan Strait, Beijing, Hipkins, New Zealand, Auckland, United States, India, Russia, Washington

☆ For New Zealand exporters, China both a target and a risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Wellington has historically taken a more conciliatory approach towards China than Australia or its other Five Eyes security partners. “Building of North Asia (markets) and the building of Southeast Asia (markets) is really, really crucial because it's de-risks that dependency,” Talbot said. CALLS FOR DIVERSIFICATIONThere is no expectation that New Zealand will stop selling to China. China needs the food and fibre that New Zealand produces and is prepared to pay for it. “China is going to be a really, really fundamental trading partner for this country for the foreseeable future,” Pete Chrisp, chief executive of government funded international business development agency New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

Persons: Chris Hipkins, Jacinda Ardern, Xi Jinping, ”, Mathew Talbot, it's, ” Talbot, New Zealand Wang Xiaolong, “, ” Hipkins, Hipkins, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Xi, It's, Pete Chrisp, Lucy Craymer, Martin Quin Pollard, Lincoln Organizations: New Zealand, New, Alliance, National People’s, New Zealand Trade, Enterprise, Thomson Locations: China, Australia, New Zealand, Wellington, Asia, Southeast Asia, Zealand, North America, Beijing

☆ Man with axe attacks Chinese restaurants in New Zealand, injuring four
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - A man wielding an axe entered three Chinese restaurants on Monday night in New Zealand’s largest city Auckland, sending four people to hospital, authorities and local media reported. One victim was discharged and three remain in stable condition, North Shore and Auckland hospital spokespeople said on Tuesday. Local media reported that the man went into three Chinese restaurants — Zhangliang Malatang, Yues Dumpling Kitchen and Maya Hotpot — and started randomly attacking people with an axe around 9 p.m. on Monday night. A witness told local news organisation Radio New Zealand that she was eating at Maya Hotpot with a friend when a man came at her friend with the axe. New Zealand Police said they had arrested a 24-year-old man and he was due to appear in court on Tuesday on a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Persons: spokespeople, Hotpot —, Hotpot, Lucy Craymer, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Local, Radio New Zealand, New Zealand Police, Police, Thomson Locations: New Zealand’s, Auckland, North Shore

☆ New Zealand slips into recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

With two quarters of negative growth, the country is now in a technical recession. Annual growth slowed to 2.2%, Statistics New Zealand data showed. The weakness in the economy will not be seen as a negative by the central bank, which has said it needs economic growth to slow to dampen inflation and inflation expectations. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has undertaken its most aggressive policy tightening since 1999, when the official cash rate was introduced, lifting it by 525 basis points since October 2021 to 5.50%. Before the first-quarter GDP figures were released, the central bank had forecast the country would enter a recession in the second quarter of 2023, while Treasury's updated forecasts in May expected the country to avoid recession.

Persons: Gabrielle, Jason Attewell, Lucy Craymer, Sonali Paul Organizations: Statistics, Cyclones, Statistics New Zealand, Reserve Bank of New, Thomson Locations: Statistics New Zealand, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

☆ NZ must free up land, expand housing supply to ease home affordability - IMF
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - New Zealand needs to keep increasing the supply of houses to address housing affordability, which is still a concern, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, adding that land should be freed up to promote investment. “The cyclical downturn in (house) prices does not imply that the structural housing shortage has been addressed. The IMF report said while prices have fallen, financial stability risks appear contained. It added that achieving long-term affordability depends critically on freeing up land supply and improving planning and zoning, and fostering infrastructure investment to enable fast track housing developments and reduce construction costs and delays. “Risks to the outlook stem from the external environment and a potential need for stronger tightening of monetary and financial condition,” it said.

Persons: Lucy Craymer, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Zealand

☆ New Zealand national broadcaster launches review after stories altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The broadcaster, which first revealed the issues last Friday, said its board decided an independent review was necessary. The panel would review editorial processes and "examine factors and warning signs, which led to international wire stories being subedited with inappropriate content," it said in a statement. Reuters supplied 21 of the altered stories and one came from Britain's BBC, RNZ's list of stories that have been corrected shows. The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on RNZ's move to review its internal processes. The panel includes New Zealand media law expert Willy Akel, public law expert and former journalist Linda Clark and former director of editorial standards at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Alan Sunderland.

Persons: RNZ, Ukraine impartially, Jim Mather, Willy Akel, Linda Clark, Alan Sunderland, Clark, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: Radio New Zealand, BBC, Reuters, Thomson, RNZ, New, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sunderland Locations: Ukraine, China, Taiwan, RNZ

☆ New Zealand's economy likely in recession as rate hikes take hold
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - The New Zealand central bank’s aggressive hiking of the cash rate likely pushed the country into a technical recession in the first quarter, a Reuters poll found, giving traction to the idea the cash rate may have peaked. This would mean the country moved into a technical recession - two consecutive quarters of negative growth - after the economy contracted by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. New Zealand's central bank last month signalled it was done tightening after raising rates by 25 basis points to the highest in more than 14-years at 5.5%, ending its most aggressive hiking cycle since 1999. Yet a handful of economists think the boost to the economy from historically high migration and the return of tourism might force the central bank to do more. He said he expects the next cash rate move to be a cut.

Persons: ”, Jarrod Kerr, Cyclone Gabrielle, Brad Olsen, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: Gross, Reserve Bank of New, “, Treasury, Reserve Bank, Zealand, Thomson Locations: Zealand, Auckland

☆ New Zealand's national broadcaster probes 'inappropriate' editing of Ukraine war stories
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The corrections RNZ added to the stories indicated the editing had changed the original stories to present pro-Russian interpretations of some events in Ukraine as fact. The broadcaster said Friday that it had become aware of the issue without providing further specifics and started an "immediate investigation". The story was edited on RNZ's website to read that in 2014 "a pro-Russian elected government was toppled during Ukraine's violent Maidan colour revolution". The piece then inaccurately claimed that "Russia annexed Crimea after a referendum, as the new pro-Western government suppressed ethnic Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine". Reporting by Lucy Craymer Editing by Rachel Armstrong and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: RNZ, Willie Jackson, Paul Thompson, Viktor Yanukovich, ”, Lucy Craymer, Rachel Armstrong, Frances Kerry Organizations: Radio New Zealand, Reuters, BBC, New, European Union, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Moscow, Ukraine’s, Russian

☆ New Zealand highlights importance of partners in tense region
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - New Zealand, long known for its staunch independence in foreign policy, sees like-minded partners as key to helping it navigate a more strategically challenging environment in the Asia Pacific region, its foreign minister said on Thursday. The comments came as tensions mount between the United States and China and the two powers step up efforts to influence countries in the Pacific region where New Zealand sits. Mahuta said New Zealand must have a clear-eyed assessment of the nation's interests and values and determine which tools are right for different circumstances. "An independent foreign policy does not mean isolation, neutrality, or a fixed predetermined view of how we will act on a particular issue," she said. "As the world evolves, so must our foreign policy," Mahuta said, adding the country would invest in a range of partnerships - bilateral, regional and multilateral.

Persons: Nanaia Mahuta, Mahuta, Lucy Craymer, Sonali Paul Organizations: New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Asia, United States, China, Pacific, Auckland . New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Canada

☆ New Zealand and Fiji finalising defence agreement - Fiji PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins hold a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Lucy CraymerWELLINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - New Zealand and Fiji are finalising a defence agreement that will increase engagement between the two countries militaries and help build capacity and skills in the Fiji Defence Force, the Fijian prime minister said on Wednesday. Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told media in Wellington, where he is meeting senior New Zealand government officials including the prime minister and opposition leader, that the agreement would be finalised next week. “The agreement will allow defence officials to undertake engagement in different areas including capacity building and upskilling and exposure to new technologies interoperability and technical support among other,” he said. In May, the U.S and Papua New Guinea signed a defence cooperation agreement and a maritime surveillance deal.

Persons: Sitiveni Rabuka, Chris Hipkins, Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, ”, Rabuka, “, ” Hipkins, Lucy Craymer, Michael Perry Organizations: Fiji Prime, Zealand, REUTERS, Fiji Defence Force, Fiji’s, New Zealand, New, U.S, NZ, Thomson Locations: Wellington , New Zealand, New Zealand, Fiji, Wellington, Australia, China, Solomon Islands, U.S, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu

☆ 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

STOCKHOLM, June 1 (Reuters) - IKEA stores owner Ingka group has announced the official start of work on its delayed first store in New Zealand, which it predicts will be followed by other outlets as the Asia-Pacific region recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and macro-economic shocks. Head of Retail at Ingka group Tolga Oncu told Reuters preliminary opening dates were often subject to change. Asked about possible stores in other parts of New Zealand, Oncu said he did not expect the one in Auckland to be enough. "So one can expect that IKEA in the long term is going to continue to look for opportunities to expand in New Zealand," he said. Globally, there are more than 450 IKEA stores, most of which are owned by the Ingka group.

Persons: Oncu, Ingka, Marie, Lucy Craymer, Barbara Lewis Organizations: IKEA, Reuters, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, New Zealand, Asia, Pacific, Auckland , New, Auckland, Europe, Australia, Stockholm, Wellington

☆ New Zealand working to update surrogacy laws to make process easier
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - The New Zealand government will update the country's surrogacy law to make the process easier and less discriminatory, New Zealand's Justice Minister Kiri Allan said late on Tuesday. "Surrogacy has become an established method of forming a family for people unable to carry a child themselves. However, the laws that apply to surrogacy are outdated and need to change," Allan said in a statement. The committee is considering introducing a new process to determine legal parents rather than adoption, establishing a surrogacy birth register, clarifying payments relating to surrogacy and accommodating international surrogacy arrangements, the statement said. "It will make it easier for people to build the family they have always dreamed of while honouring the tremendous gift that surrogacy is," Copeland said.

Persons: Kiri Allan, Allan, Tāmati Coffey, Juanita Copeland, Copeland, Lucy Craymer, Richard Chang Organizations: WELLINGTON, New, Zealand's, Parliamentary, Labour, Fertility, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Zealand

☆ NZ central bank to hike by 25 bps, risk grows of higher peak for rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yet, while back in February the RBNZ forecast the cash rate would peak at 5.5%, a growing minority of economists expect a further tightening is possible in July. Four economists in a Reuters poll of 21 economists now expect the cash rate to reach 5.75 or higher. Fourteen expect rates to hold at 5.50% next quarter. After the April surprise, markets remain wary of another outsized 50-basis-point rate hike this week. The money market is now pricing 39 basis points of hikes, up from 20 basis points last week.

☆ Fifth body found in burnt out NZ hostel, man appears in court on arson charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - A 48-year-old homeless man appeared in New Zealand court on Friday on two charges of arson as police found a fifth body in the burnt out remains of a hostel in the capital Wellington. “Until we have fully examined all parts of the building we remain reluctant to confirm the specific number of deceased,” Bennett said at press conference on Friday. A 48-year-old man, who has his name suppressed until at least his next court appearance, appeared in Wellington District Court briefly on Friday afternoon. He appeared agitated in the docks, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt over his head and dancing and making hand gestures to the media. “The scene examination will continue over the weekend and we hope to recover the fifth person as quickly as we can,” Bennett said.

☆ Six Pacific countries at high risk of debt distress - World Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

To match Feature PACIFIC-JUSTICE/ REUTERS/Lincoln FeastWELLINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - Six Pacific countries are at a high risk of debt distress in part due to government spending to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, the World Bank said in a report on Thursday. Among other countries in the region, Vanuatu is rated at medium risk, while Palau and Nauru’s debt is sustainable, the report noted. The World Bank last month said that Fiji must also take urgent action to reduce its debt burden. Stephen Ndegwa, World Bank Country Director for Papua New Guinea & the Pacific Islands, said reducing debt, strengthening revenue and improving the quality of government spending are critical areas for Pacific countries to address. It also said that Pacific countries should allocate more to social assistance and protection measures.

☆ NZ sees bigger deficit as economy sputters, spending boost to fan inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

FILE PHOTO: New Zealand's finance minister, Grant Robertson, speaks about the "wellbeing" budget in Wellington, New Zealand, May 30, 2019. That has heaped pressure on New Zealand’s finances, as the government has had to navigate many challenges including three-decade high inflation, sharply rising borrowing costs, a stuttering economy and falling tax revenue. However, Treasury sees inflation slowing to 3.3% by mid-2024, from the current blistering 6.7% pace, levels not seen since the early 1990s. Much of the worsening in the accounts is due to falling tax revenue as the economy slows. S&P Global Ratings retained New Zealand’s AAA ratings, but warned of pressure ahead.

☆ New Zealand announces worse-than-expected deficit as economy stutters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand on Thursday announced a worse-than-forecast budget deficit as a lower tax take, higher inflation and a slowing economy hit its coffers, forcing the ruling Labour government to keep new spending at a minimum and raising its bond programme. FILE PHOTO: New Zealand's finance minister, Grant Robertson, speaks about the "wellbeing" budget in Wellington, New Zealand, May 30, 2019. The country is projected to record a NZ$6.96 billion deficit for the year to June 2023 versus previous expectations for a deficit of NZ$3.63 billion, and will not return to surplus until 2025-26, a year later than previously forecast. The government announced a NZ$6 billion infrastructure fund, which would help with rebuild costs and fund new more resilient infrastructure over the longer term. “There is not a lot of discretionary spending in this budget,” Robertson added.

☆ New Zealand police to start removing bodies after hostel fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The exterior of a hostel, after a fire ripped through the building, resulting in a number of deaths, in Wellington, New Zealand May, 16, 2023. AAP Image/Ben McKay via REUTERSWELLINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - New Zealand police expect to start removing bodies from the hostel in Wellington where at least six people died in a fire earlier this week, authorities said on Thursday. Police have said they suspect the fire was arson and have opened a homicide inquiry. "The scene examination is expected to take several days," Bennett said, adding that police did not know how many people died in the fire. Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden's Papua New Guinea no-show deals blow to US credibility in Pacific - analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"For Papua New Guinea this was a very big deal and they will be disappointed," said Mihai Sora, a Pacific islands analyst with the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney. The cancellation was also a "blow to U.S. credibility in the region as a consistent partner", he added. "Up until now Pacific islands leaders have been giving the U.S. the benefit of the doubt over its ability to re-engage." Biden had also been scheduled to meet 18 Pacific island leaders in the three-hour visit to the PNG capital Port Moresby. The Pacific islands span 40 million square km of ocean, where vital sea lanes and submarine cables link the United States to its allies Australia and Japan.

☆ New Zealand set to reveal bigger deficit in 'no frills' 2023-24 budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - New Zealand Labour government is set to reveal a worse budget bottom line and economic outlook on Thursday as it delivers what it calls a “no frills” 2023-24 budget to avoid fuelling inflation. Since coming into power, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has cut costly programmes and reiterated the government’s plans to return to “bread and butter issues”. They’ll see that’s what we’ve done in the budget,” Hipkins said at his weekly Monday press conference. The country was hit by two significant weather events at the start of the year that caused an estimated NZ$9 billion and NZ$14.5 billion in damage. “The Budget packages will likely be more targeted, appearing more fiscally responsible and prudent,” Smith added.

☆ New Zealand police to begin probe into suspicious hostel fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Fire and emergency crews work at the scene of a fire at the Loafers Lodge, in Wellington, New Zealand May 16, 2023. REUTERS/Lucy CraymerWELLINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - New Zealand police said they would begin on Wednesday a thorough investigation of a burned-out hostel in the capital, Wellington, where at least six people died and up to 11 were unaccounted for, and confirmed they were treating the fire as suspicious. A blaze broke out on the top floor of the Loafers Lodge in the suburb of Newtown in the early hours of Tuesday, causing major structural damage that is hampering recovery efforts. The hostel provided accommodation for construction workers, hospital staff and those serving sentences in the community for minor crimes, among other people. Earlier on Wednesday, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) deemed it safe for police to enter the building.

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