New Zealand has taken a significant plunge in the latest soft power rankings, down five spots and out of the top 25. International consultancy firm Brand Finance annually analyses the responses of more than 100,000 people across the globe about countries’ brands, considering their familiarity, influence, reputation, and performance in different areas. New Zealand is […]

The remains of 49 Māori and Moriori people, taken by an Austrian taxidermist, have been returned to the country. The remains were brought back to New Zealand last month from the Natural History Museum, Vienna. They were taken from New Zealand and the Chatham Islands by Austrian taxidermist and grave robber Andreas Reischek, who lived […]

The New Zealand ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson visited the south-central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh on June 6. She commended the New Zealand-funded projects in the region, including healthcare projects at Binh Dinh Provincial General Hospital and an agricultural project that involves the safe production of vegetables. Doctors in Binh Dinh have been receiving […]

A New Zealand survey expedition has recently returned from studying the remnants of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga, which erupted in January this year. The expedition, led by NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) and funded by the Nippon Foundation, discovered that the volcano was still largely intact. This came as […]

Senior defense officials of South Korea and New Zealand held talks in Seoul on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the arms industry, security and other areas. During the meeting, Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min met counterpart Andrew Bridgman and discussed regional security issues, along with ways to bolster cooperation in the defense sector, the […]

The Embassy of Japan, in cooperation with the Japan Foundation, are very pleased to announce that the Japan Foundation’s Japanese Film Festival Online will be back in 2022 and accessible to people all over New Zealand for FREE. A selection of 19 different films, from Kurosawa Akira classics through to new releases from 2021 in […]

One of New Zealand’s key performances at the World Trade Expo has been unable to go ahead after members of Parris Goebel’s Royal Family Dance Crew tested positive for Covid-19. The crew are among a contingent of 401 performers, entertainers, leaders and guests granted group allocations to travel to Dubai and return via MIQ for […]

Tourism Industry Aotearoa is urging the Government to update its plans for reopening New Zealand’s borders as Omicron has changed the game. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said last week that Cabinet would be considering changes to the current border settings in the coming weeks, after the phased reopening announced in November was put on hold […]

New Zealand Post says this Christmas has been its busiest ever with 2.4 million parcels being sent across the country last week, an increase of up to 250,000 parcels on the same time last year. NZ Post chief operating officer Brendon Main said postal volumes started to increase in August when different parts of the […]

Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island welcomed more than 200 foreign tourists to its shores on Saturday, 20 November. These are the first tourists to visit the country in nearly two years due to the Covid-19 border closure. Tested upon arrival, travellers who are fully vaccinated from South Korea and return negative results can travel to the […]