Regional
Polynesians opt out of same-sex blessing
Thursday 10 May 2018 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – The Anglican Church in New Zealand has paved the way for the blessing of same-sex relationships – but Anglican churches in Polynesia will all opt out – the Anglican Synod said in a statement this week.
Peters boosts aid to the Pacific
Thursday 10 May 2018 | Published in Regional
PACIFIC – New Zealand is set to hike foreign aid by more than $700 million over the next four years, as part of its signalled Pacific Reset strategy.
Seabed investor pulls out
Wednesday 9 May 2018 | Published in Regional
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A multinational mining company has withdrawn its financial support of the Solwara 1 seabed mining project in Papua New Guinea.
Peters announces Pacific aid budget
Wednesday 9 May 2018 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – It will soon be revealed whether the New Zealand government is putting its money where its mouth is when it talks about a “Pacific reset”, with Foreign Minister Winston Peters unveiling his ministry’s funding plan last night.
Island haven now unrecognizable
Wednesday 9 May 2018 | Published in Regional
Hawai‘i – The latest eruptions of Kilauea, the most active volcano on Hawai‘i’s Big Island, have rendered parts of a once-serene neighbourhood on the island unrecognisable.
More homes destroyed by lava flows
Tuesday 8 May 2018 | Published in Regional
Hawai‘i – Emergency authorities battling lava flows and gas erupting from Hawai‘i’s Kilauea volcano are warning some residents to “go now” as a new fissure has opened.
Tourists told only Big Island affected
Tuesday 8 May 2018 | Published in Regional
Hawai‘i – Officials in Hawai‘i have sought to reassure residents of other islands and tourists that the eruption is concentrated in a small region of the island and that most areas remain safe.
Tribal violence blocking quake relief
Monday 7 May 2018 | Published in Regional
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – An ongoing security crisis in Papua New Guinea’s Hela province is preventing many earthquake-affected communities receiving relief.
Pasifika children at higher risk of diabetes
Monday 7 May 2018 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – Pasifika children in Auckland have an 18 times greater chance of developing type-2 diabetes than their European peers.
Missile deployments worry Australia
Monday 7 May 2018 | Published in Regional
AUSTRALIA – Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has warned Beijing against militarising the South China Sea following reports that China has installed missile systems in the Spratly Islands for the first time.
Lava flows destroy homes in Hawai'i
Monday 7 May 2018 | Published in Regional
Hawai‘i – More homes on the Big Island of Hawai‘i have been destroyed as eruptions linked to the Kilauea volcano increased, with lava spewing into residential areas and forcing nearly 2000 people to flee, officials said.
Navy to flex muscles in Pacific
Saturday 5 May 2018 | Written by Jaimie Keay | Published in Regional
PACIFIC – American marines will soon embed on Australia’s largest warship for a tour of Pacific island nations, as concerns grow among western allies over Beijing’s rising influence in the region.
Hawai'i eruption forces evacuations
Saturday 5 May 2018 | Published in Regional
Hawai‘i – Hawai‘i’s Kilauea volcano has erupted, forcing nearly 1800 residents to evacuate from their volcano-side homes as molten lava makes its way through forest land and bubbles up on paved streets.
New Zealand often left off maps of the world
Friday 4 May 2018 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – New Zealand is aiming to crack the mystery of why it is often left off world maps, as part of a new tourism campaign featuring prime minister Jacinda Ardern.
Prison conditions could spark riot
Friday 4 May 2018 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – If conditions don’t improve at Waikeria Prison there could a riot, People Against Prisons Aotearoa says.
Rare heron snared by plastic ring
Friday 4 May 2018 | Published in Regional
NEW ZEALAND – A rare white heron has been found in Christchurch with a plastic ring around its neck from rubbish that has wound up in waterways.
Student defends meth research
Friday 4 May 2018 | Published in Regional
A student who received a methamphetamine information booklet says it was appropriate for high school students.
Petrol reseller market 'broken'
Friday 4 May 2018 | Published in Regional
Energy Minister Megan Woods says she believes the petrol market is “broken” after a meeting with BP executives to discuss its pricing tactics.
Set fire to confisacted house
Friday 4 May 2018 | Published in Regional
A judge says he hopes a cannabis grower who burned down a house about to be confiscated from him has put his criminal ways behind him.