Page 7 - New Zealand

Leaders of S Korea, NZ strongly condemn expanding North Korea-Russia ties

The leaders of South Korea and New Zealand strongly condemned the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as they met Wednesday for a summit meant to strengthen bilateral ties. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arrived in Seoul, the South Korean capital, on his first trip to the Asian country since he took office last November. Luxon and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned in the strongest possible terms the expanding military ties between North Korea and Russia, including North Korea's export of ballistic missiles to Russia in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, according to a joint statement released by Luxon's office. The two leaders denounced in the most serious of terms North Korea's illegal nuclear and missile development programs. They also strongly condemned Russia's war against Ukraine and pledged to continue to support the sovereignty of Ukraine and its efforts to secure a just and lasting peace, according to the joint

New Zealand visitor visa: Why you must apply for Christmas travel by Oct 15

To avoid missing out on your planned travel dates, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has set some important deadlines

New Zealand unveils new temporary visa for seasonal workers: Details here

To apply for New Zealand Specific Purpose Work visa, workers must submit their applications by March 31, 2025

New Zealand visa fee for students doubles: From Rs 19,000 to Rs 38,190

New Zealand visa fee for students will see a steep increase, doubling from NZ$375 to NZ$750

NZ food bank distributes candy with lethal amount of methamphetamine

A charity working with homeless people in Auckland, New Zealand unknowingly distributed candies filled with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine in its food parcels after the sweets were donated by a member of the public. Auckland City Mission told reporters on Wednesday that staff had started to contact up to 400 people to track down parcels that could contain the sweets -- which were solid blocks of methamphetamine enclosed in candy wrappers. New Zealand's police have opened a criminal investigation. The amount of methamphetamine in each candy was up to 300 times the level someone would usually take and could be lethal, according to the New Zealand Drug Foundation -- a drug checking and policy organisation, which first tested the candies. Ben Birks Ang, a Foundation spokesperson, said disguising drugs as innocuous goods was a common cross-border smuggling technique and more of the candies might have been distributed throughout New Zealand. The sweets had a high street val

Want to study or holiday in New Zealand? Visa costs to double from Oct 1

Increased visa costs could deter some students from choosing New Zealand.

Prez Murmu lays wreath at Pukeahu War National Memorial Park in New Zealand

President Murmu will hold a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and will address an education conference

Prez Murmu discusses ways to boost bilateral ties with New Zealand's Dy PM

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday met New Zealand's Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters to discuss friendly bilateral ties and ways to enhance cooperation across various sectors. Murmu arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday on the second leg of her three-nation tour. She was accorded Royal Guard of Honour on her arrival in the country. "President Droupadi Murmu held a meeting with Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro of New Zealand. Both leaders hailed the warm and friendly relationship between the two countries and discussed cooperation across various sectors," the President's Office said in a post on X. Later, Peters, who is also the Foreign Minister, called on President Murmu. "Both leaders acknowledged the progress in bilateral relations and deliberated upon ways of enhancing cooperation in several areas," her office said. She also addressed the New Zealand International Education Conference in Wellington. During her address, she spoke about

President Droupadi Murmu arrives in New Zealand to boost bilateral ties

President Droupadi Murmu arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday on the second leg of her three-nation tour during which she will meet Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and other senior ministers as India seeks to give further impetus to the bilateral ties. Murmu was accorded a warm welcome by Todd McClay, Minister of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry, Hunting and Fishing and Associate Foreign Affairs, as she arrived in New Zealand, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a post on X. "A warm welcome to the Hon'ble @rashtrapatibhvn Smt. Droupadi Murmu as she arrived in New Zealand today. Warmly received by Minister @toddmcclaymp and HC Neeta Bhushan at Auckland," it said. Taking to X, McClay said it was an honour to welcome President Murmu to New Zealand. "This visit is one of many recent government engagements to deepen our relationship & boost our strong people-to-people & cultural links," he said. Murmu arrived in New Zealand after concluding .

President Murmu leaves for six-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand, Timor-Leste

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday left for a six-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste. According to officials, she will visit Fiji from August 5-7 at the invitation of its President Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere. Murmu will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji's Katonivere and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. She is also scheduled to address the Fijian Parliament and interact with its members, many of whom are of Indian origin. "President Droupadi Murmu departs for her State visits to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste. This will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to Fiji, and Timor-Leste," the Rashtrapati Bhavan wrote on 'X'. Murmu will pay a State Visit to New Zealand on August 8 and 9 at the invitation of the island nation's Governor-General Cindy Kiro, officials said. This will be the first presidential visit to New Zealand from India after eight years. Besides a bilateral meeting with the governor-general, Murmu will have a meeting with Prime Minister ..

President Murmu to embark on 6-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand, Timor-Leste

President Droupadi Murmu will undertake a six-day visit of Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste beginning August 5, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday. Murmu's first destination will be Fiji where she will hold meetings with President Katonivere and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. "This will be the first-ever visit by a Head of State from India to Fiji," the MEA said on Murmu's August 5 to 6 trip to the island nation. It said she is scheduled to address the Fijian Parliament and interact with the Indian diaspora in the country. "The visit reflects India's continued commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations with Fiji," the MEA said. "On the second leg of her visit, President Murmu will visit New Zealand on August 7 to 9 at the invitation of Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor General of New Zealand," it said. During the State visit, she will hold a bilateral meeting with Governor General Kiro and meet Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. President Murmu will

EAM Jaishankar meets New Zealand Dy PM Peters on sidelines of Asean meet

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings in Vientiane, Laos. In his post, the External Affairs minister said he "enjoyed" meeting the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand."Always enjoy meeting DPM & FM @winstonpeters of New Zealand. Discussed education, agriculture technology, Pacific Islands & cricket, " the External Affairs minister said on X.Earlier on July 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a congratulatory phone call from his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, on his victory for the third time in the general elections and the two leaders, during their interaction, reiterated their firm commitment to take bilateral cooperation to new heights in the years to come."Noting that India-New Zealand ties are anchored in shared democratic values and close people-to-people ties, both leaders reiterated their ...

PM Modi meets New Zealand counterpart, agrees to advance bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a congratulatory call from his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on his re-election as the two leaders agreed to advance their bilateral ties in sectors such as trade and economic cooperation, animal husbandry, pharmaceuticals, education and space among others. Modi's office said in a statement on Saturday that both leaders noted that India-New Zealand relationship is anchored in shared democratic values and close people-to-people ties, reiterating their firm commitment to take bilateral cooperation to new heights in the years to come. It said, "Highlighting the momentum generated by the recent high-level contacts between the two sides, they agreed to advance the mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in various areas, including trade and economic cooperation, animal husbandry, pharmaceuticals, education, space among others." Modi thanked Luxon for looking after the interests of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand and was assured of hi

World's rarest whale sighted on New Zealand beach: Scientists

The spade-toothed whales are the world's rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally caught a break. The country's conservation agency said Monday a creature that washed up on a South Island beach this month is believed to be a spade-toothed whale. The five-meter-long creature, a type of beaked whale, was identified after it washed ashore on Otago beach from its color patterns and the shape of its skull, beak and teeth We know very little, practically nothing about the creatures, Hannah Hendriks, Marine Technical Advisor for the Department of Conservation, told the Associated Press. This is going to lead to some amazing science and world-first information. If the cetacean is confirmed to be the elusive spade-toothed whale, it would be the first specimen found in a state that would permit scientists to dissect

Indian students in New Zealand can now secure work visas for partners, kids

If you are enrolled in an eligible Level 7 or 8 qualification on the Green List, your spouse can apply for a "Partner of a Student Work Visa"

New Zealand tightens visa rules for foreign workers, families; details here

New Zealand last week implemented changes to its visa regulations that will impact certain foreign workers and their families

Jaishankar meets envoys of Kuwait, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand in Delhi

Kuwaiti Ambassador Meshal Mustafa Jasim Alshemali called on Jaishankar and discussed bilateral relations

Govt allows 2,000 tonnes non-basmati white rice exports to Malawi, Zimbabwe

The government has permitted exports of 2,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to two African nations - Malawi and Zimbabwe. The export is permitted through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification. Though exports of non-basmati white rice have been banned since July 20, 2023 to boost domestic supply, exports are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to certain countries to meet their food security needs on request. Malawi is a landlocked country in south-eastern Africa, while Zimbabwe is a South African nation. According to the notification, exports of 1,000 tonnes of non-basmati rice were allowed to each of the countries. "Exports of non-basmati white rice to Malawi and Zimbabwe though NCEL is notified," the DGFT said. India has earlier also allowed such exports to countries like Nepal, Cameroon, Cote D' Ivore, Guinea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Seychelles. NCEL is a multi-sta

Children were sent to distillery by school bus: NCPCR chief on MP case

Police in the state of Madhya Pradesh launched an investigation into Som after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights last week found 39 boys and 19 girls working at the factory

T20 WC fallout: Captain Williamson steps down, declines central contract

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson on Wednesday decided to forego his national contract for the 2024-25 season and also stepped down from white-ball captaincy to extend his international career, following the Black Caps' shock early exit from the T20 World Cup. "Helping push the team forward across the formats is something I'm very passionate about and something I want to keep contributing towards," the 33-year-old said in a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) release on Wednesday. "However, pursuing an overseas opportunity during the New Zealand summer means I'm unable to accept a central contract offer." The Black Caps have very little international cricket scheduled during the January window and Williamson, who had stepped down from Test captaincy in December 2022, will be available to play all three formats outside that month. "Playing for New Zealand is something I treasure, and my desire to give back to the team remains undiminished," he said. "My life outside cricket has changed, ..