New Zealand

"I leave knowing I was the best mother I could be," Ardern said in her valedictory speech to parliament

New Zealand's central bank surprised economists on Wednesday by imposing an aggressive half-point rate rise to bring its benchmark interest rate to 5.25%. It was the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's 11th straight rate hike as it tries to cool inflation, which is running at 7.2%, far above the bank's target level of around 2%. It brings the key rate to its highest level since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. New Zealand's benchmark rate is now among the highest in the developed world, and the bank's aggressive action stood in contrast to Australia's central bank, which on Tuesday decided to pause its round of rate hikes and leave its benchmark rate at 3.6%. Most economists had expected the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to impose a more modest quarter-point rise after the nation's economy contracted in the December quarter and a destructive cyclone hit in February, killing 11 people and causing billions of dollars in damage to homes and infrastructure. The currency rose on the ...

The second one-day cricket international between New Zealand and Sri Lanka was abandoned Tuesday because of rain. Heavy rain fell throughout the day and by the scheduled start of 2 p.m. local time, the covers were on and large pools of water already had formed in the outfield. Umpires made the decision to abandon the match after a ground inspection at 4:25 p.m. local time. The latest a match could start was 7:02 p.m. but it already was clear that with rain still falling a large puddles in some parts of Hagley Oval, no play would be possible. New Zealand leads the three-match series after winning the first match at Eden Park on Saturday by 198 runs. The third match is at Hamilton's Seddon Park on Friday.

Kane Williamson's double ton helped him reach the second spot in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Men's Test Player Rankings

Amid security concerns, the video-sharing social networking service, Tik Tok has been banned on the phones of New Zealand MPs, Auckland-based daily newspaper, New Zealand Herald reported on Friday

An earthquake of 7.1 magnitude strikes the Kermadec Island region in the north of New Zealand today's morning. This is the second time earthquake hitting New Zealand this year

Following the earthquake, reports in the New Zealand media suggest issuance of relevant rescue measures in the region

India on Monday qualified for the prestigious World Test Championship (WTC) final after New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by two wickets in a thrilling last-ball finish in the Christchurch game. India will play Australia in the WTC final at The Oval from June 7. This is India's second successive entry into the WTC final, with the previous one coming in the inaugural cycle in 2021, where they lost to New Zealand. With the Dimuth Karunaratne-led side's only shot at the WTC final berth hinging on a 2-0 victory against the Kiwis in the away series, the loss for the Islanders ended their hopes of securing a spot. Australia was the first team to secure a WTC final berth after humbling India by nine wickets in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series at Indore, leaving the hosts praying for a favourable result in the first Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The result in Christchurch took the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Ahmedabad out of the equation as earlier Indi

New Zealand's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a half-point Wednesday to 4.75 per cent as it continues trying to wrestle down inflation. The increase, which can raise the borrowing costs for consumers on everything from credit cards to mortgages, comes despite the economic pain that a devastating cyclone is already inflicting on many people. The bank said that over time, the cyclone rebuild will only add to inflationary pressures. Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand last week, killing 11 people and causing billions of dollars in damage to homes and infrastructure. Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr said the committee that makes interest rate decisions agreed the rate needed to increase to ensure that inflation returned to the bank's target of around 2 per cent from its current level of 7.2 per cent. Orr said that while there were some early signs price pressures are easing, core inflation remained too high and employment was at its maximum sustainable level, with the

The increase in deaths also partly reflects New Zealand's ageing population

The death toll from New Zealand's cyclone reached eight on Friday with more than 4,500 people still unaccounted for four days after the nation's most destructive weather event in decades brought widespread flooding, landslides and power outages, the prime minister said. Cyclone Gabrielle struck the country's north on Monday and the level of damage has been compared to Cyclone Bola in 1988. That storm was the most destructive on record to hit the nation of 5 million people. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said three more fatalities had been confirmed since Thursday and police held grave fears for other missing persons. Police report that there are 4,549 persons reported as uncontactable. A team of 80 people are working now to narrow down this list as quickly as possible and to prioritize contact with those who are most likely to be missing, Hipkins told reporters. Hipkins said he didn't know how far the death toll would climb. The thing is we don't know. We're not talking huge numbers

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 jolted New Zealand's North Island on Wednesday, according to New Zealand's geoscience research service provider.

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near the New Zealand capital Wellington on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage. The quake struck under the Cook Strait that separates the North and South Islands at a depth of 74 kilometers (50 miles), USGS reported. Wellington is on the southern end of the North Island, which is responding to a cyclone this week that caused widespread flooding and landslides that left four people dead.

Defence Force, rescue services and private operators have rescued hundreds of people in Hawke's Bay, where floodwaters rose up to rooftops and two people died

The New Zealand government declared a state of emergency Tuesday across the country's North Island, which has been battered by Cyclone Gabrielle. The declaration enables the government to support six regions where local emergencies had already been declared and provide additional resources, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty said. The country was lashed by intense rainfall overnight that forced evacuations and brought widespread flooding, power outages and road closures. "This is a significant disaster with a real threat to the lives of New Zealanders," McAnulty told reporters in the capital Wellington. The state of emergency applies to the country's largest city Auckland, as well as the regions of Northland, Tairawhiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Hawke's Bay. A weather station in the Hawke's Bay and Napier region had recorded three times more rain overnight than what usually falls for the entire month of February, MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said. "It's goin

According to forecast, 400 millimeters of rain and wind gusts of 130 km/hour are expected over the next 20 hours

Auckland residents hunkered down Monday as they braced for a deluge from Cyclone Gabrielle, two weeks after a record-breaking storm swamped New Zealand's largest city and killed four people. Much of Auckland ground to a halt as train services were cancelled, libraries and most schools were closed, and authorities asked people to make only essential trips. Air New Zealand cancelled all domestic flights to and from Auckland through midday Tuesday, as well as many international flights. Some international routes would continue operating, although might need to be diverted from Auckland. The carrier also cancelled domestic flights to and from the cities of Hamilton, Tauranga and Taupo. The cyclone, which was lying just to the northeast of the country and moving south, dumped more than 220 millimetres (9 inches) of rain in areas north of Auckland, cutting power to about 58,000 households and forcing many roads to close. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Northland, Auckland a

Delhi was also on the list of top ten such cities with an average price rise of 6.8 per cent in the second half of 2022

In the December 2022 quarter, the labour force participation rate remained at 71.7 per cent and the employment rate remained at 69.3 per cent

Residents in New Zealand's largest city were bracing Tuesday for another deluge and more flooding, four days after Auckland endured its wettest day on record in a storm that killed four people. A state of emergency was in place for Auckland, and officials had closed schools for the week and were asking people to work from home if possible. Heavy rain was expected from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning. This rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding, said Auckland Emergency Management Controller Rachel Kelleher. Slips and floodwaters are likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly isolating communities. Emergency officials said some 200 homes and businesses around the city were assessed after the floods as too unsafe to enter. So that gives you an idea as to the damage to buildings and across the community, said Ron Devlin, the region manager for Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown warned the