Visa processing at what used to be New Zealand’s largest immigration centre has closed. Before the pandemic, the Beijing office decided half of all temporary visas – about 10,000 a week. Withdrawing visa processing from China ends a long programme of overseas office closures, including in India, South Africa and the Philippines in March. The […]

A vaccination centre at 203 Leith Place was due to open on August 23, but days beforehand a community outbreak of the Delta variant put New Zealand into alert level 4, and the opening was postponed. The Waikato District Health Board’s Covid vaccination programme lead Maree Munro said the centre willl open once the Waikato […]

From 11.59pm on Tuesday September 7, every person in Aotearoa New Zealand over the age of 12 will be required to keep a record of their whereabouts, either by scanning QR codes or signing paper registers Mandatory record-keeping is part of an effort to strengthen contact tracing, in response to low numbers of people who […]

The creative community in Aotearoa is mourning the loss of one of New Zealand’s most influential artists. Billy Apple ONZM, 85, has died overnight. His work was associated with New York and British pop art in the 1960s, collaborating with the likes of Andy Warhol and other pop artists. Te Papa’s chief executive Courtney Johnston […]

There were 20 new community cases reported on Sunday, all in Auckland. 38 people are in Auckland hospitals with Covid-19, including six in intensive care and four on ventilators. The government will decide today whether alert levels outside Auckland will be eased. Case numbers are falling, but the deputy PM says. restrictions won’t be relaxed […]

The knif attack at Countdown at Lynn Mall left seven people injured, five of whom are in hospital. Three of the five hospitalised are in a critical condition, the remaining two are recovering at home. The terrorist behind the attack is Aathil Samsudeen. He was shot dead at the scene of the attack. Aathil Samsudeen […]

A strong shake has been felt across Hawke’s Bay this afternoon. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck 5km north of Waipukurau in Central Hawke’s Bay. The quake was described as moderate by Geonet. It occurred at 4.54pm at a depth of 36km. There were no reports of injuries or damage to the property.

The number of new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand has fallen to 20 today, but there has been one further death, the Health Ministry has revealed. New Zealand’s official Covid-19 death toll now stands at 27. The total number of cases linked to the current outbreak is now 782: 765 in Auckland and […]

On Friday night (16 July 2021), Local Government New Zealand held the 2021 LGNZ EXCELLENCE Awards in Blenheim. These awards recognise and celebrate outstanding work by local councils around the country to promote and grow the well-being of their communities. Ōpōtiki District Council’s project – The Ōpōtiki Harbour Transformation Project as Catalytic Capital for Further […]

Not-for-profit groups are being reminded they have until Tuesday to apply for funding through Whakatāne District Council’s annual grants scheme. Previously successful applicants have sought funding for things like travel costs, conference fees, overheads, wages, and building lease costs. Most community groups and voluntary organisations based in the district and providing a service to the […]