Huge crowds marched in cities all across New Zealand on Thursday. They were angry at the government for taking away rights from the Māori people, who are the indigenous population of the country.  The demonstrations, known as hikoi, happened on the same day the new government announced its first budget. The budget included tax cuts and less spending on housing, …

ASEAN – Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom stated today that their 51-year-old Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) treaty was robust, current, and critical to managing increasing regional tensions. Following their discussion on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue, the officials told a press conference that the member states’ relationship was friendly, and that they were focused …

Malaysia – Malaysia’s new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will lead the Malaysian delegation at the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) scheduled at 7pm today. Set to be chaired by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, all 21 Apec Economic Leaders are expected to participate in the meeting. Themed “Join, Work, Grow, Together”, the Apec Economic Leaders are …

New Zealand authorities are investigating the possibility that freight may have transported the first Covid-19 cases in more than three months, as the nation plummeted back into lockdown. The detection in Auckland of four infected family members prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to rapidly reimpose tight controls on movement in New Zealand’s largest city and travel restrictions around the country. …

New Zealand announced that it is shutting down its largest city, Auckland, after four new cases of Covid-19 have been discovered in the city, the first evidence of domestic transmission after 102 days without coronavirus. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Auckland would move as a “precautionary approach” from noon on Wednesday to level 3 restriction, which would mean people should …