Page 2 - New Zealand

Statistics need to be presented with perspective: Rohit slams broadcaster

An annoyed Rohit Sharma slammed the broadcaster for missing "perspective" when it chose to highlight that his century in the third ODI against New Zealand was his first in three years, pointing out that he hardly played 50-over matches during that period. As Rohit pulled away to deep square to get to his 30th ODI century in the third game against New Zealand on Tuesday, the broadcaster flashed the statistic that it was the Indian skipper's first ton since January 2020. While the statistic is true, Rohit felt it did not convey the correct picture. "Regarding the first hundred in three years, I've played only 12 (17) ODIs in three years. Three years sounds a lot," Rohit told reporters after India whitewashed New Zealand 3-0 in the series following team's 90-run win in the final ODI. "You guys should know what's happening. I know that it was shown on broadcast but kabhi kabhi woh cheez bhi dhyan dena chahiye, broadcaster ko bhi sahi cheez dikhana chahiye (the broadcasters should give

Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand PM, succeeds Jacinda Ardern

Hipkins will reshuffle the cabinet next week. Besides the top leadership role, Hipkins himself will be the minister of national security and intelligence

Jacinda makes final appearance as New Zealand leader, says 'joy of job'

Jacinda Ardern made her final public appearance as New Zealand's prime minister Tuesday, saying the thing she would miss most was the people, because they had been the joy of the job. Ardern, who has been a global icon of the left, shocked the nation Thursday when she said she was resigning as leader after more than five years because she had nothing left in the tank. Labour Party lawmakers voted unanimously Sunday for Chris Hipkins to take over as prime minister, and he will be sworn in Wednesday. Ardern's final act as leader was to join Hipkins and other lawmakers attending celebrations at the Ratana meeting grounds, the home of an Indigenous Maori religious movement. Ardern told reporters she'd been friends with Hipkins for nearly 20 years and spent two hours with him on the drive to the meeting grounds. She said the only real advice she could offer was, You do you." This is for him now. It's for him to carve out his own space to be his own kind of leader, Ardern said. Actually,

Chris Hipkins to succeed Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand prime minister

The Labour caucus must still endorse Hipkins at a meeting tomorrow, the party said in a statement Saturday in Wellington

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern resigns, says won't seek re-election

Ardern doesn't have the energy or inspiration to seek re-election later this year, she told reporters Thursday in Napier where her Labour Party is holding a caucus meeting

Indian politics needs more like her: Jairam Ramesh on New Zealand PM Ardern

Ardern told reporters in Napier that February 7 will be her last day in office

5.1-magnitude quake hits Waikato district of New Zealand's North Island

There are no reports of significant damages or calls for assistance so far

More than $100,000 raised for slain Indian dairy worker in NZ's Auckland

More than $100,000 has been raised for the family of an Indian dairy shop worker who was stabbed to death in New Zealand's Auckland last month

Karachi to host entire New Zealand series: Pakistan Cricket Board

New Zealand will play all their matches in the upcoming tour of Pakistan in Karachi after the PCB was forced to reschedule the fixtures due to adverse weather conditions in the Punjab province. The decision was taken after a mutual agreement between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The PCB said it came to the decision considering the fact that foggy weather conditions have already disrupted flight operations from Multan and may also result in loss of playing hours. The first Test was scheduled in Karachi while the second Test was to be hosted by Multan. The PCB has also scheduled the three-match one-day series after the two-Test series in Karachi. Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the opening Test beginning on December 26. Pakistan had lost their three-match home Test series against England 3-0. Besides, it has also been agreed between the two boards that the second Test and the three ODIs will now be brought forward by a day, meaning the second

Williamson steps down as NZ Test skipper, Southee named as replacement

New Zealand great Kane Williamson, who led the country to the World Test Championship triumph in its inaugural edition, stepped down as the captain from the longest format, the country's cricket board announced on Thursday. Tim Southee has been named the replacement in their WTC title defence. Williamson will continue to lead the side in the white-ball format with focus on the ODI World Cup in 2023 and T20 World Cup in 2024. Tom Latham has been appointed their vice-captain. "Captaining the Black Caps in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour," said Williamson, who took over the role in 2016 from Brendon McCullum. "For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I've enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format." Statistically, Williamson is the best Test captain in New Zealand's history, winning 22 of 40 matches at the helm, as well as eight draws and just 10 defeats. Under his leadership, New Zealand reached the top of the Test rankings before emergin

In a first, New Zealand imposes lifetime ban on youth buying cigarettes

New Zealand on Tuesday passed into law a unique plan to phase out tobacco smoking by imposing a lifetime ban on young people buying cigarettes. The law states that tobacco can't ever be sold to anybody born on or after Jan 1, 2009. It means the minimum age for buying cigarettes will keep going up and up. In theory, somebody trying to buy a pack of cigarettes 50 years from now would need ID to show they were at least 63 years old. But health authorities hope smoking will fade away well before then. They have a stated goal of making New Zealand smoke-free by 2025. The new law also reduces the number of retailers allowed to sell tobacco from about 6,000 to 600 and decreases the amount of nicotine allowed in tobacco that is smoked. There is no good reason to allow a product to be sold that kills half the people that use it, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall told lawmakers in Parliament. And I can tell you that we will end this in the future, as we pass this legislation.

Nearly 74 MT of microplastics rained in New Zealand during 2020: Study

The peer-reviewed study is the first to calculate the total mass of microplastics in a city's air, and it suggests researchers may be dramatically undercounting the global airborne microplastics count

New Zealand PM Ardern says China has become 'more assertive' in region

Reflecting on her five years as New Zealand's leader, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said China has undoubtedly become more assertive in the region over that time, but cautioned that building relationships with small Pacific nations shouldn't become a game of one-upmanship. In a joint interview Thursday with The Associated Press and the Australian Associated Press, Ardern said China has changed in recent years under President Xi Jinping. I think if I stand back and look at the region as a whole and some of the changes that we've seen within our region, you do see a more assertive China, Ardern said. And look, there'll be a whole host of reasons for that. Their integration into the regional economy, the growth of China, the growth of its middle class, a whole range of reasons, she said. But you have also seen a more assertive approach on a number of different issues and relationships. So that undoubtedly has changed over my time in office. China this year made some bold geopolitical

International tourists bring over $630 mn into New Zealand economy in Q3

International tourists spent 200 mn NZ dollars more than international visitors coming to see friends or relatives, despite making up a similar volume of arrivals, statistics show

New Zealand's rising import prices drive increase in trade deficit

New Zealand's total trade deficit increased in the September 2022 quarter to NZ$7.5 billion ($4 billion), driven by increases in import prices, the country's statistics department said on Friday

1960 Olympic 5,000-meter champion Murray Halberg passes away at 89

Murray Halberg, who overcame serious injury to win the 5,000-meter gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and later devoted his life to charity work, has died. He was 89. His death was confirmed by Athletics New Zealand which did not specify a cause. Athletics New Zealand described Halberg as one of the most iconic names in New Zealand sport. Halberg also won gold medals in the three-mile race at the 1958 and 1962 Commonwealth Games and was the first New Zealanders to run a sub-four minute mile. He achieved all of those successes though his left arm had withered after he was injured playing rugby as a teenager. He later became best known in New Zealand for his work with the Halberg Trust which helped disabled children play sport. The organization is now known as the Halberg Disability Sports Foundation. The Halberg Award is presented annually to New Zealand's Sportsperson of the Year and the Halberg Games are staged over three days each year for athletes aged eight to 21 with a phys

Indian-origin businessman's store attacked in New Zealand by armed robbers

A store owned by an Indian-origin businessman was attacked by a group of young armed robbers in New Zealand and they held a knife to a worker's neck during the horrifying incident, a media report said, days after a shopkeeper of Indian descent was killed during an alleged robbery. The owner of the vape store, Sidhu Naresh, said that his store in Hamilton, North Island was targeted on Friday by four young offenders, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported on Monday. My staff was made to kneel and a knife was put to his neck, it quoted Naresh as saying. They came and smashed everything, every single one of the cabinets, and they walked away with the till, he said. Naresh was told by his staff that the robbers couldn't have been more than 16 years old, according to the report. He said a courier who tried to stop the offenders was injured during the raid, and at least 4,000 New Zealand dollars in cash was stolen. The police informed Naresh that the offenders were believed to be the

Indian-origin worker stabbed to death in New Zealand; two arrested

Of the two men, a 34-year-old has been charged with murder and aggravated robbery, while a 42-year-old has been charged with robbery

Falling rupee, rising costs, job insecurity dampen study-abroad sentiment

Mass layoffs by tech biggies add to concern, but demand from non-metros robust

New Zealand hikes interest rate to the highest since 2009 to curb inflation

New Zealand's central bank hiked interest rates on Wednesday by a record amount as it tries to get inflation under control. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand increased its benchmark rate by three-quarters of a point to 4.25 per cent. It's the first time the bank has raised rates by more than a half-point since introducing the Official Cash Rate in 1999. The new rate is the highest in New Zealand since early 2009. New Zealand's inflation rate is currently 7.2 per cent, well above the bank's target of 1 per cent to 3 per cent. The nation's unemployment rate is 3.3 per cent. The bank also sharply revised upwards its projected peak for its benchmark rate, which it now expects it to reach 5.5 per cent next year before it decreases. It predicted a sharp rise in unemployment next year and for the economy to dip briefly into a shallow recession. The New Zealand dollar rose on the news and was trading at around 62 US cents. The US Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world hav