This Month
NZ Reserve Bank governor resigns as nation tries to shake off recession
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand was unable to explain why Adrian Orr abruptly quit on Wednesday in Wellington with three years still to run in his second five-year term.
February
Trump’s assault on aid costs lives and ‘opens the door to China’
The US president’s attack on foreign aid has already led to deaths and is an invitation to Beijing to win hearts and minds in the Pacific and across our region.
The doomsday cult taking over Fiji and building ‘paradise’
The story of how a fringe South Korean church convinced Fijians to embrace its business empire – and ignore its dark side – is one with security implications for Australia.
New Zealand ‘blindsided’ by Cook Islands-China deal
New Zealand, along with Australia and the United States, have become increasingly concerned about China’s growing presence in the Pacific region.
New Zealand changes ‘golden visa’ to lure wealthy migrants
The government has come up with two options to encourage high net worth individuals to live and invest in the country.
December 2024
Qantas, Virgin to resume flights to Vanuatu after earthquake
The two Australian airlines are both operating Port Vila-Brisbane services on Sunday and Jetstar is running a flight on the same route on Monday.
Australian rescue teams race to Vanuatu after huge earthquake
The Red Cross said at least 14 people had been killed, and hundreds injured. Social media videos showed rescue efforts through the night for people trapped in buildings.
September 2024
New Zealand nearly triples fees for foreign tourists
Like many popular travel destinations, the shaky isles have struggled with the impact of visitors on the natural environment and local infrastructure.
August 2024
New Zealand to push through law to reverse ban on oil and gas exploration
The law would end the ban, in place since 2018, on exploration as the right-of-centre government plans to lure investment to the country’s oil and gas sector.
New Zealand cuts rates in a rapid change of tune
The RBNZ’s pivot to easing is a dramatic shift after it said in May it considered raising rates and wouldn’t cut them until the second half of 2025.
July 2024
New Zealand inflation slows to three-year low
Three of the country’s main banks brought forward forecasts for RBNZ rate cuts after the inflation report.
June 2024
Assange ‘won’t be silenced’ after guilty plea deal
Julian Assange is officially a free man, with the WikiLeaks founder now a convicted felon after pleading guilty in a remote US Pacific island courthouse.
New Zealand shakes off recession but no relief yet
Gross domestic product gained 0.2 per cent from the previous quarter, when it declined 0.1 per cent, Statistics New Zealand said on Thursday.
Agriculture wins carbon price reprieve in New Zealand
Farmers had protested against previous proposals to impose a regulated price on methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions from late 2025.
May 2024
NZ government cuts taxes even as deficit widens
The tax cuts are almost identical to the pledge Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s National Party campaigned on ahead of the October election.
Fears of second PNG landslide and disease outbreak
The blanket of debris has become more unstable after rain and streams trapped between the rubble.
Papua New Guinea landslide toll revised up to 2000
The unstable terrain, remote location and nearby tribal warfare are hampering relief efforts in PNG.
PNG landslide death toll estimates raised to 670
Crews have given up hope of finding survivors buried deep under the soil and rubble after a landslide slammed into a village on the Pacific island.
Macron urges calm in high-stakes New Caledonia visit
The French president has met political and business leaders in an attempt to ease tensions following days of deadly unrest over electoral reforms.
What’s really behind the riots in New Caledonia?
New Caledonia, one of five island territories spanning the Indo-Pacific held by France, is central to Macron’s plan to increase French influence in the Pacific.
Why a small Pacific island territory is upending nickel prices
New Caledonia possesses an estimated 25 per cent of the world’s nickel resources and accounts for 6 per cent of global production of the metal.
First Aussies home from riot-hit New Caledonia after RAAF rescue
French authorities have given permission for evacuation flights to take off and land in Noumea.
Airforce on standby to evacuate Australians as French police pour into New Caledonia
Roads were blocked and the airport remained shut, stranding 3200 people, including 300 Australians, in the Pacific nation after a week of riots.
Penny Wong must speak up on New Caledonia
It’s time for Australia’s foreign minister to act as the honest friend and tell France that they are mishandling their Pacific territory.
‘Massive’ French police force arrives in riot-hit New Caledonia
Deadly violence has raged across the French Pacific territory this week over electoral reforms pushed in Paris, forcing France to impose a state of emergency.