News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

The Auckland High Court ordered six-month-old "Baby W" to be placed under partial guardianship

NZ takes custody of sick baby from anti-vax parents

A New Zealand court has taken temporary custody of a sick infant whose parents blocked life-saving heart surgery because potential blood donors may be vaccinated against Covid-19.

World • 07 Dec 22

The emergency bid is being heard at the High Court

NZ court action as parents reject 'vaccinated blood'

New Zealand authorities have launched a battle for custody of an infant whose parents are blocking life-saving surgery because blood donors may have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

World • 06 Dec 22

The discovery of the remains was made after an unsuspecting family bought a trailer of items at an auction near Auckland

Suitcase murder suspect extradited to New Zealand

A 42-year-old woman has been extradited from South Korea to New Zealand, where she is to appear in court charged with murdering two children whose remains were found in suitcases sold at auction.

World • 29 Nov 22

Jacinda Ardern talks to reporters on a farm visit to announce the government's proposals to tackle climate change earlier this month

Ardern delayed as plane breaks down in Antarctica

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has had to spend an extra night at the country's research station in Antarctica after the military aircraft she was meant to be travelling back to New Zealand on broke down.

World • 28 Oct 22

Cows being milked on a dairy farm near Cambridge in New Zealand's Waikato region

New Zealand outlines plan to tax livestock burps, farts

New Zealand has unveiled plans to tax the greenhouse gas emissions from farm animals, in a controversial proposal designed to tackle climate change.

News Lens • 11 Oct 22

Descendants place cloaks over boxes with the ancestral remains of Maori and Moriori that were returned from the Natural History Museum Vienna during a welcoming ceremony at Te Papa

Austria returns Indigenous remains to New Zealand

The remains of dozens of Indigenous Maori and Moriori people were officially received at New Zealand's national museum in Wellington, completing a repatriation process from Austria, where the bones have resided for more than 130 years.

World • 02 Oct 22

The discovery was made after an unsuspecting family bought a trailer of items - including the suitcases - at an auction near Auckland

Woman arrested over children's remains in NZ suitcase

South Korean police have arrested a woman charged with murdering what is believed to be her two children whose remains were found in suitcases in New Zealand last month.

World • 15 Sep 22

Kaikoura is a popular tourist attraction

Five dead after NZ boat reportedly collides with whale

Five people have died after a boat flipped over in waters off New Zealand's South Island, with "indications" the vessel capsized after colliding with a whale.

World • 10 Sep 22

Remains were found in suitcases sold at an auction

NZ police identify children found dead in suitcases

The identities of two children whose remains were found stuffed inside suitcases in New Zealand have been confirmed, but their names will not be made public at the request of their families, police said.

World • 26 Aug 22

The remains of the children were found by a family going through the contents of a storage locker they had purchased unseen

Woman linked to children found dead in cases 'in Korea'

A woman believed to be a family member of two children whose remains were found in suitcases in New Zealand is in South Korea, police in Seoul have said.

World • 22 Aug 22

Debris is seen on public exercise machines in Nelson after flash floods

New Zealand flood recovery may take 'years'

A New Zealand city devastated by flooding will take years to recover, its mayor said, as hundreds more homes were evacuated.

World • 19 Aug 22

Police began a murder investigation earlier this week

Children's remains found in auctioned cases - NZ police

The remains of two young children have been found in two suitcases bought at auction in New Zealand, local police have said, vowing to track down those responsible for the deaths.

World • 18 Aug 22

The cathedral was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake that devastated Christchurch and the surrounding area

People return to quake-hit Christchurch cathedral

Christchurch's earthquake-damaged cathedral has reached a major milestone with the first people officially allowed to enter the building in more than a decade following the 2011 natural disaster.

World • 17 Aug 22

Police are investigating after human remains were discovered in a suitcase

Human remains 'found in suitcases' sold at NZ auction

New Zealand police have begun a murder investigation after human remains were allegedly found in suitcases that were bought at an auction in the country's largest city Auckland.

World • 16 Aug 22

Cyberattack believed to be behind the disruption

Suspected cyberattack hits New Zealand schools

At least a dozen schools across New Zealand received bomb threats, causing widespread disruption in what is believed to have been an overseas cyberattack.

World • 28 Jul 22

Most economists expect the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to raise rates by 50 basis points next

New Zealand's inflation rate hits 7.3%

New Zealand's consumer prices rose at their fastest pace in three decades, beating forecasts and raising the prospect of an unprecedented 75 basis point interest rate hike at the central bank's policy meeting next month.

Business • 18 Jul 22

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand raised the official cash rate by 50 basis points to 2.5% - a level not seen since March 2016

Reserve Bank of New Zealand raises rates again

New Zealand's central bank delivered its sixth interest rate rise in a row today and signaled it remained comfortable with its planned aggressive tightening path to restrain runaway inflation.

Business • 13 Jul 22

5 things to know about China's moves in the Pacific

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Pacific island nations not to be "too anxious" about his country's intentions in the region.

World • 02 Jun 22

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has raised the official cash rate by 50 basis points to 2%, a level not seen since November 2016

New Zealand raises rates and signals a lot more to come

New Zealand's central bank delivered its fifth interest rate hike in a row today and signalled a much more aggressive tightening path as authorities seek to reduce the second-round effects of runaway inflation.

Business • 25 May 22

Almost 50 people were on White Island when the volcano erupted

NZ emergency agency cleared over volcano eruption

A New Zealand judge has cleared the nation's emergency management agency of safety breaches related to the 2019 White Island volcano eruption, which claimed 22 lives.

World • 04 May 22

Families and friends were reunited at the airport

Hugs and tears as NZ welcomes Australian visitors

New Zealand welcomed hundreds of travellers from Australia with emotional scenes as it opened its borders to its trans-Tasmanian neighbour for the first time since mid-2021.

Coronavirus • 13 Apr 22

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has raised its official cash rate to 1.50% - a level not seen since June 2019.

New Zealand sees biggest rate hike in over 20 years

New Zealand's central bank raised interest rates by a hefty 50 basis points today, the biggest hike in over two decades, extending a global shift towards tighter policy as authorities seek to reduce second-round effects from runaway inflation.

Business • 13 Apr 22

Jacinda Ardern speaks at a press conference to announce changes to New Zealand's Covid rules

New Zealand to ease domestic virus restrictions

New Zealand will relax its strict Covid-19 rules this week because case numbers have peaked and the population has high levels of immunity, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said.

Coronavirus • 23 Mar 22

Wellington Airport will welcome Irish arrivals from 1 May

New Zealand to open borders earlier than expected

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday said New Zealand will reopen its borders much earlier than expected, with Australians allowed to travel there from 12 April.

World • 15 Mar 22

A man throws a desk onto a fire as the protest camp was set alight

New Zealand protesters burn camp after police move in

New Zealand anti-vaccination demonstrators set alight their own protest camp outside parliament after riot police moved to end their weeks-long occupation of the legislative precinct.

Coronavirus • 02 Mar 22