New Zealand police have ordered people to evacuate buildings as hazmat teams are responding to an ammonia leak at a property in Mount Maunganui. “Police are currently responding to an ammonia leak at a property on Mark Road, Mt Manganui,” police announced. “We ask that people please follow the instructions of police in the area and evacuate immediately.” Hull Road, through to Tukorako Drive... 

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake centred north of Christchurch has jolted New Zealand and triggered a tsunami, possibly three to five metres high. So far only 2 people are known to have been killed in the earthquake. The severe quake, located 15 km north-east of Culverden on South Island, struck just after midnight on Sunday and was felt throughout the country, along with several powerful aftershocks. The... 

“Oh, I love New Zealand. It’s one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It’s…what? What did you say?…No, that’s impossible. That couldn’t be happening. They’re doing what??” The strategy of the New Zealand government is simple. A series of local movements is successful. So kill them off by claiming decision-making must occur at a “higher level.” Take power out of the hands of... 

New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, didn’t like the current flag of New Zealand, so he made people vote on whether to keep it or pick a new one. The votes have been cast, and 56.6% of voters voted to keep the current flag. Only 43.2% wanted the newly-suggested design without the British Union flag on it. “The way we see ourselves in the world and the way others see us, has changed dramatically... 

Mass protests over the TPP in New Zealand did not pass by without humor and tomfoolery; a day after thousands took to the streets of Auckland, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce was hit in the face with a sex toy thrown by a woman, while speaking at Waitangi. Joyce was an easy target, giving an interview to the press, following the February 4 signing of the TPP agreement, hailed as “the... 

New Zealand has released a final selection of four flag designs, picked from thousands of creative drawings presented over the past few months. Three “ferns” and one “hypnoflag” featuring a koru will now compete to potentially become the new national symbol. A government-appointed panel has selected the four designs from a long list of 40, itself from an initial pool of more than 10,000. Ferns... 

New Zealand is bracing for Cyclone Pam, with flooding and power outages already underway. Some areas declared a state of emergency and locals are being evacuated. Strong winds are reported, as devastation in Vanuatu is fresh on everyone’s minds. One of the first areas to declare a state of emergency was the Chatham Islands, southeast of the two main islands of New Zealand. Over 40 people have already... 

A view of New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). Latest documents leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden have revealed that New Zealand is conducting mass electronic surveillance on its South Pacific neighbors, and then passing the information on to a US-led intelligence alliance. The material shows that the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) intercepts... 

New Zealand is set to dispatch non-combat forces to Iraq to train Iraqi military units to better fight the Takfiri ISIL terrorists operating in the war-torn country, New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key says. Some 140 troops will initiate a “behind the wire” mission in May to train Iraqi security forces, Key told parliament on Tuesday, stressing that the soldiers will not be involved in combat... 

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, has won an emphatic victory in the country’s general elections, securing a third term in office. “This is a great night. This is a victory for those who kept the faith,” the leader of the center-right National Party told a cheering crowd in Auckland on Saturday. “This is a victory for those who refused to be distracted and who knew that a vote for... 

A coalition of anti-establishment politicians and internet freedom advocates led by entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, who promised to shake up New Zealand politics, suffered a humiliating defeat at the country’s parliamentary elections. The Internet-Mana party gained just 26,500 votes, 1.3 percent of the total, and short of the five percent needed to cross the parliament threshold. With half the parliament... 

Prime Minister John Key said Edward Snowden ‘may well be right’ in his claims that the NSA has access to communications from New Zealand. The politician, however, said he ‘did not believe’ mass surveillance was taking place. Key was interviewed in the aftermath of Edward Snowden’s revelations on Monday published by The Intercept, in which he claimed he “routinely came across the communications... 

Edward Snowden has dismissed as “false” the New Zealand PM’s claims of no mass surveillance in the country. The whistleblower says he regularly “came across communications of New Zealanders,” when he worked as an NSA analyst. New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) has performed mass spying, despite denials by the nation’s prime minister, John Key, the former NSA... 

The Internet Mana campaign has kicked off in New Zealand, with the new political party founded by the Megaupload owner promising 100,000 new jobs, free higher education, and 100 percent renewable energy by 2015. Kim Dotcom was named the nation’s “newest super hero” and he expressed high hopes for the party. “I can tell you right now we will get over 5 percent in this election,”... 

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says the island country is set to hold a vote within the next three years on changing the design of the national flag. In a speech at Victoria University in the capital Wellington on Tuesday, Key announced plans to hold the referendum by 2017 on replacing the current flag with a new design. The New Zealand ensign features the Union...