NZ First leader Winston Peters, in Parliament this week, rejected the use of “Aotearoa”, slamming what he called a sham name change never approved by the people.
The clash came during Question Time when Green list MP Teanau Tuiono asked about marine commitments made at the UN Ocean Conference in France.
Peters, who attended as foreign minister, replied bluntly, “No such country turned up.”
In a country that exports 98 percent of its dairy, New Zealanders are paying $8.60 for a 500g block of butter. That’s nearly double the price just 14 months ago, and three times what it cost in 2015.
Economists say the price hike is due to surging global demand and shrinking supply.
The government has withdrawn national guidelines that supported transgender inclusion in community sport, arguing they undermined fairness and safety for female athletes.
“The state has no place in people’s bedrooms, and biological males have no place in women’s sports,” said senior minister Winston Peters, confirming the decision to abolish the 2022 Sport NZ guidance.
General insurer Tower is scrapping its multi-policy discounts, citing unacceptable risk of miscalculating the benefit and running afoul of regulatory rules.
Chief executive Paul Johnston said the company had tried to fix its systems but couldn’t guarantee accuracy. “That’s not good enough,” he said in a statement to the NZX.
New Zealand’s Health Ministry has conceded that 2023 vaping regulations introduced by the former Labour government were based on “limited evidence,” prompting the current coalition to scrap the rules amid a court case.
The reversal lifts a controversial requirement for all vape devices to have removable batteries, a rule that effectively banned many products and triggered legal action from vape retailer Shosha.
In a sweeping unanimous opinion, the International Court of Justice has declared that governments may be committing internationally wrongful acts by failing to prevent climate change.
It also found that fossil fuel subsidies and emissions could violate basic human rights.
The court stopped short of naming specific nations but left the door open for future lawsuits, including over historical emissions.
