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☆ New Zealand's North Island hit by heavy rain, student missing in caves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - A high school student is missing in Northland, New Zealand after getting into difficulty on a school trip to caves on Tuesday, according to police, as heavy rain and thunderstorms cause flash flooding and landslides across the upper North Island. Local newspaper the Northern Advocate said the student was missing inside one of the caves, which is described as having a canyon-like feel. Police rescue teams are in the area, which has been hit by heavy rain this morning with further rain expected this afternoon. "Auckland is experiencing widespread flooding and torrential rain. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast to drench the region into the evening and potentially through to midnight.

☆ RBNZ proposes collecting more financial entity data on cyber incidents
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is proposing collecting financial entity data on cyber incidents to better understand cyber risks and resilience in the financial sector, it said in a statement on Monday. The central bank said it is proposing introducing mandatory reporting of material cyber incidents with 72 hours of detection, reporting of all cyber incidents periodically even if they are not material, and a regular survey on cyber resilience. The central bank is currently seeking feedback on the proposal before deciding whether to implement the new rules. RBNZ Director of Prudential Policy Kate Le Quesne said collection of this information will improve the bank's understanding of cyber resilience in the financial sector. Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ New Zealand defence spending set to increase by around $472 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The New Zealand Defence Force will get an additional NZ$748 million ($472.14 million) over four years, as the government tries to stop the loss of military personnel and ensure the country’s military can operate alongside allies and partners. Andrew Little said in a statement that the government would invest a further NZ$419 million in defence force salaries and NZ$328 million to upgrade assets and infrastructure over four years. Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short said in an email that the new funding was the most meaningful funding allocation the military had received in many years, and was great news. In the last two years, the Regular Force - full-time military personnel - has lost 29.8% of its personnel, excluding those who have served less than two years. That number is expected to hit 32.6% by June 30 if nothing is done as the defence force has struggled to match private-sector wages.

[1/3] King Charles receives Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart, Chris Hipkins, have travelled to London where they are due to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday. King Charles is head of state in Australia, New Zealand and 12 other Commonwealth realms outside the United Kingdom, although the role is largely ceremonial. I want to see an Australian as Australia's head of state," Albanese said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC on Friday. Albanese said would take the oath of allegiance to King Charles at the ceremony.

☆ New Zealand committed to cutting spending, PM Hipkins says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - The New Zealand government is committed to reducing spending even though severe weather events earlier this year caused asset damage of roughly NZ$9 billion ($5.51 billion) to NZ$14.5 billion, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Thursday. “For our part, the government is committed to reducing our proportion of spending to dampen demand in the economy,” Hipkins said in a speech to the Employers and Manufacturers Association. New Zealand is already dealing with historically high inflation and the central bank has previously raised concerns that any boost in government spending could add to the inflation problem. Hipkins said his aim is to get government spending down to around the low thirties as a percentage of GDP. ($1 = 1.6343 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Lucy Craymer Editing by Alasdair PalOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Former NZ PM Jacinda Ardern accepts Harvard fellowships
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday that she was taking up three fellowships at Harvard University later in 2023. Ardern stepped down as prime minister in January saying she had "no more in the tank" to lead the country and would also not seek re-election to parliament. Harvard University said in a statement she had been appointed to dual fellowships at Harvard Kennedy School and to a concurrent fellowship at the Berkman Klein Center. “I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow - not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn," Ardern said in the statement. Ardern has previously said she will continue to help tackle violent extremism online as an unpaid special envoy for the Christchurch Call.

☆ New Zealand ships its last livestock as ban takes effect
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand's last exports of livestock by sea have been completed and live exports have ceased, its agriculture minister said on Friday, as it fully implemented a ban on export shipments of animals on the grounds of their welfare. Live exports by sea have contributed about 0.32% of New Zealand’s primary sector export revenue, which includes farming and mining, since 2015. The total value of live animal exports in 2022 was NZ$524 million ($322.78 million). New Zealand said in 2020 it was reviewing live exports when it introduced interim measures following the capsizing of a ship bound for China that killed nearly 6,000 cows and 41 of the 43 crew members. ($1 = 1.6234 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Britain's Cleverly leaves New Zealand early to focus on Sudan response
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] People look for water during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin AbdallahWELLINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - British Foreign Minister James Cleverly will leave New Zealand Friday and cut his Pacific tour short, his office said, as he focuses on coordinating Britain's response to the Sudan crisis. Cleverly had been scheduled to meet with Samoan officials and New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta in Samoa on Friday before undertaking a bilateral meeting and press briefing Saturday in New Zealand. "It’s with real regret that due to the ongoing situation in Sudan I’ve had to cut the visit short. The Foreign Office said on Thursday that Cleverly was skipping his Samoa stop and heading straight to New Zealand where he could better coordinate London's response to events in Africa.

☆ RBNZ stuns market with bigger rate rise, more tightening seen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The central bank's hawkish stance saw a number of economists revise their expectations, predicting it would increase the official cash rate (NZINTR=ECI) (OCR) to a peak of 5.5%. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said the committee needed to increase the cash rate if it is to return inflation to its target of 1%-3%. Wednesday's decision comes in sharp contrast with the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision to hold the cash rate steady. Two-year swaps jumped 15 bps to 5.11%, still well below the March peak of 5.53%, while the 90-day bank bill rate implied the official cash rate would peak at 5.5%. Kiwibank along with ANZ, Bank of New Zealand, ASB Bank and Capital Economics now expect the cash rate to peak at 5.5%.

☆ New Zealand central bank unexpectedly hikes rates 50 basis points, kiwi rallies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Twenty-two of 24 economists in a Reuters poll had forecast the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) would raise rates by just 25 basis points. This is the eleventh straight hike since the central bank started raising rates in October 2021. It now expects the cash rate to peak at 5.5%. The RBNZ's move was in contrast to Australia's central bank, which kept rates on hold at its review on Tuesday. The central bank noted that while the level of economic activity over the fourth quarter was lower than anticipated and there were emerging signs of capacity pressures easing, demand continues to significantly outpace supply capacity.

☆ New Zealand central bank surprises with 50 basis point hike, kiwi soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - New Zealand's central bank unexpectedly raised its cash rate by 50 basis points to a more than 14-year high of 5.25% on Wednesday, reiterating that inflation was still too high and persistent. Twenty-two of 24 economists in a Reuters poll had forecast the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) would raise rates by just 25 basis points. This is the eleventh straight hike since the central bank started raising rates in October 2021. At the RBNZ's review in February, when it raised rates by 50 bps, it had signalled a 50 bp hike for April but with the outlook turning darker, economists had forecast a smaller increase. The central bank noted that while the level of economic activity over the fourth quarter was lower than anticipated and there were emerging signs of capacity pressures easing, demand continues to significantly outpace supply capacity.

☆ New Zealand intelligence service says foreign interference attempts 'persistent'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - Attempts by some countries to interfere with New Zealand's democracy, economy and civil society "are persistent", according to New Zealand Security Intelligence Service's (NZSIS) annual report. The report said it had identified increasingly aggressive activity from individuals seen as conducting intelligence and associated with a "small number of foreign states" that it did not name. "These individuals pose an enduring threat to New Zealand's national security," the agency added in the report released this week, which covers the year ended June 2022. "For some states, these activities are enduring and persistent," it said, though it added greater awareness of the issue had made it more challenging for countries to conduct interference activity. The NZSIS report said New Zealand also cannot take regional Pacific security for granted, because it had become an important theatre of geopolitical competition.

☆ One New Zealand to use SpaceX satellites to improve coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - One New Zealand, formerly Vodafone NZ, said on Monday it had signed an agreement with billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX to use the U.S. company's Starlink satellites to provide cell coverage to 100% of New Zealand from late 2024. The technology would initially be for text and multimedia messaging services but would later extend to voice and data services in areas of New Zealand not currently connected, One New Zealand added in a statement. One New Zealand's mobile network covers 98% of places New Zealanders live and work but currently covers only 50% of the country’s landmass. "When the service goes live, there will be coverage across the country whether you’re out on your boat, climbing a mountain, fixing a remote road or on your farm,” One New Zealand Chief Executive Jason Paris said. Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ New Zealand defence minister says military needs more resources amid growing challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - New Zealand's military will require big investment as it faces new challenges and greater expectations from regional allies, the country’s new defence minister, Andrew Little, said Thursday. The United States is "certainly keen to have New Zealand engaged but it’s not a decision I get to take alone,” he said. Little said that whatever New Zealand decided in terms of engaging with AUKUS, it was important that the defence force was equipped to work with its Australian counterparts. New Zealand, which spends roughly 1.5% its of GDP on its military, is undertaking a defence policy review as the country grapples with regional geopolitics and climate change. The Defence Force has been struggling with record attrition in part because of low pay, which has forced the navy to idle three of its ships and to retire its P-3 Orion fleet early.

☆ NZ Foreign Minister says encouraged China to support Pacific regional institutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - New Zealand's foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Tuesday she had encouraged China to support and strengthen Pacific regional institutions and uphold a 22-year old agreement that sees Pacific countries look after their own security needs. After returning from Beijing, Mahuta told reporters she had encouraged China to support regional Pacific architecture such as the Pacific Islands Forum, the Forum Fisheries Agency and the Biketawa agreement. New Zealand has consistently expressed concerns about the potential militarisation of the Pacific with China's military buildup in the South China Sea. Mahuta met with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, after he returned from a visit to Russia with President Xi Jinping. "Most of the emphasis from the Chinese side was on their efforts to encourage the peace plan that President Xi had put to President Putin," she said.

☆ New Zealand security chiefs increasingly concerned about foreign interference
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - New Zealand intelligence agencies are growing more concerned about both foreign interference and malicious cyber activity ahead of elections in October, the country’s intelligence chiefs said on Monday. “It's fair to say that concern about foreign interference as well as malicious cyber activity is growing,” Andrew Hampton, director general of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), told media after testifying at parliament. Security services are working with the election authority to improve cybersecurity and procedures and will also brief political parties on security and foreign interference threats. Both the GCSB and Security Intelligence Service chiefs were speaking before the intelligence committee that includes the country’s Prime Minister as part of their annual review. “Foreign interference should not be tolerated,” McKee said.

☆ New Zealand to ban TikTok on devices linked to parliament, cites security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - New Zealand said it will ban TikTok on devices with access to the country's parliamentary network due to cybersecurity concerns, becoming the latest nation to limit the use of the video-sharing app on government-related devices. Concerns have mounted globally about the potential for the Chinese government to access users' location and contact data through ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company. The depth of those concerns was underscored this week when the Biden administration demanded that TikTok's Chinese owners divest their stakes or the app could face a U.S. ban. read moreIn New Zealand, TikTok will be banned on all devices with access to parliament's network by the end of March. "Based on this information the Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment,” he said.

☆ New Zealand police still seeking 23 people after Cyclone Gabrielle
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The number of people still "uncontactable" in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle that lashed New Zealand two weeks ago has dropped to 23, New Zealand police said on Friday. Police have been working to reach people that friends or family had registered as uncontactable. The number of people uncontactable topped 6,000 following the cyclone as communications were cut off to many areas. Gabrielle hit New Zealand nearly two weeks ago causing widespread havoc across the country's North Island, leaving at least 11 people dead and displacing thousands. The wild weather also triggered flash floods and evacuation warnings in and around Auckland, also on the North Island and home to a third of the country's population.

☆ Explainer: What is Australia's Indigenous 'Voice to Parliament' campaign?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Praveen Menon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here's what you need to know about Australia's 'Voice to Parliament' campaign:WHO ARE AUSTRALIA'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLE? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Indigenous people of Australia. Australia's Indigenous population shrank after the British colonisation in 1788 as they were dispossessed of their land, exposed to new diseases, forced to work in slave-like conditions, and killed by colonisers. New Zealand created Maori seats in parliament, allowing the indigenous population to choose to vote for candidates for these seats or participate in the general election. HOW DID THE VOICE REFERENDUM COME ABOUT?

☆ NZ cenbank hikes 50bps, flags more to come as inflation 'too high'; kiwi gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The RBNZ continues to expect the cash rate to peak at 5.5% in 2023, according to the monetary policy statement (MPS) accompanying the rate decision. That would mark the most aggressive policy tightening streak since the official cash rate was introduced in 1999. "While there are early signs of price pressure easing, core consumer price inflation remains too high, employment is still beyond its maximum sustainable level, and near-term inflation expectations remain elevated," the central bank said in a statement. The New Zealand dollar rose as high as $0.6246 after the decision, reflecting the hawkish tone of the statement, having traded as low as $0.6206 earlier. New Zealand's annual inflation is currently running near three-decade highs of 7.2%, well above the central bank's medium term target of 1%-3%.

☆ New Zealand cyclone missing now in single digits in Hawke's Bay, search and rescue officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A general view of a damaged bridge after a small creek bursts its bank causing houses to flood in Havelock North, New Zealand. New Zealand Defence Force/Handout via REUTERSWELLINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The number of people missing in New Zealand's Hawke's Bay following Cyclone Gabrielle is now in single figures, search and rescue officials said on Thursday, 10 days after the worst storm to hit the country in decades tore through the region. Gabrielle killed at least 11 people and caused widespread damage across the North Island, hitting the farming, wine- and fruit-growing Hawke's Bay on the east coast particularly hard. Hawke's Bay Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team leader Ken Cooper told TVNZ's Breakfast show that search and rescue conditions were arduous. As of Thursday morning, "we are down to single figures" in terms of the numbers of people still unaccounted for in Hawke's Bay, he added.

☆ Disasters lower outlook for New Zealand interest rate rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Then on Feb. 12 to 15 a cyclone hit the North Island, which includes Auckland. When Cyclone Gabrielle hit, picking had just begun on pip-fruit farms, whose production is worth about NZ$1 billion a year. That would normally be a reason for a central bank to lift interest rates further, but some economists expect the RBNZ to look past the sudden rise as being temporary. Still, Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr said the central bank should pause hikes until the effect of the cyclone can be understood. After the Christchurch earthquake, the central bank cut its policy rate due to concerns about the economy.

☆ New Zealand police reach more people previously not contactable after Cyclone Gabrielle
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] HMNZS Te Mana crew members help with a clean up after a small creek bursts its bank causing houses to flood in Havelock North, New Zealand, February 18, 2023. New Zealand Defence Force/Handout via REUTERSWELLINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - As New Zealand starts its long road to recovery following the devastation from Cyclone Gabrielle, the number of people still not reachable has fallen as communications in hard hit areas improve, the country's police commissioner said on Monday. The cyclone hit the North Island's northernmost region on Feb. 12 and tracked down the east coast, inflicting widespread destruction. Police have confirmed 11 deaths in circumstances related to the cyclone, most of those have been in Hawke’s Bay. Recovery efforts are continuing with search and rescue teams still working in cyclone damaged areas, while power and telecommunications remain down for some homes.

☆ Cyclone in New Zealand leaves 7 dead, toll expected to rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We do need to brace ourselves for the fact that there are likely be more fatalities from this across the country. And the true extent of that, we won't know for awhile," New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said. On Thursday, more than 3000 people were registered with the police as not yet having had contact with friends or family since the cyclone hit. The weather has started to improve, with sunshine now forecast for much of the North Island on Friday. Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Sandra Maler and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Cyclone Gabrielle death toll rises to five as recovery starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - New Zealand stepped up recovery efforts on Thursday after Cyclone Gabrielle left at least five people dead and displaced 9,000 in the country's most damaging storm in decades. Gabrielle, which hit New Zealand on Sunday before making its way down the east coast of the North Island, cut off entire towns, washed away farms, bridges and livestock, and inundated homes, stranding people on rooftops. Parts of New Zealand's North Island, where about 75% of the country's 5 million residents live, are enduring their second major storm in as many weeks. Meteorological service MetService said Cyclone Gabrielle is now east of the country and continuing to track away from the North Island. The region was hardest hit during Cyclone Bola in 1988, which caused millions of dollars in damage and left seven people dead.

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