New Zealand

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New Zealand Is Retiring Its Greyhounds
NZ's Greyhounds Catch a Break
Dec 10, 2024 8:52 AM CST

NZ's Greyhounds Catch a Break

Nation says it will outlaw racing the dogs, as injuries (and pushback) continue

(Newser) - New Zealand plans to outlaw greyhound racing because too many dogs are hurt or killed, the government said Tuesday, spelling an end to the practice in one of the few countries where it still operates. The racing of greyhounds as a betting sport was wildly popular at times last century....

2 Americans Presumed Dead on New Zealand's Highest Peak

Search for Kurt Blair, Carlos Romero, and an unnamed Canadian is over

(Newser) - Three mountain climbers—two from the US and one from Canada—missing for five days on Aoraki, New Zealand's tallest peak, are believed to have died in a fall, the authorities said Friday. The men's bodies were not found, the AP reports. But based on footprints glimpsed in...

Scientists Rejoice Over an 'Extraordinary' Whale

Near-perfectly preserved spade-toothed whale, the world's rarest, is being dissected in New Zealand

(Newser) - It's the world's rarest whale, with only seven of its kind ever spotted. Almost nothing is known about the enigmatic species. But on Monday, a small group of scientists and cultural experts in New Zealand clustered around a near-perfectly preserved spade-toothed whale hoping to decode decades of mystery....

New Zealand's Lost Ship Was Left in Autopilot

Inquiry finds multiple human errors led to HMNZS Manawanui's sinking

(Newser) - A New Zealand naval ship that struck a coral reef before catching fire and sinking last month, marking the country's first naval loss since World War II, was mistakenly left on autopilot. Crew members of the HMNZS Manawanui, one of only nine ships in New Zealand's navy, believed...

New Zealanders Save Stranded Whales With Sheets

Rescuers lift more than 30 pilot whales on sheets, refloat them

(Newser) - More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. Four of the pilot whales died, New Zealand's conservation agency said. New Zealand is a...

After Election, a Spike in Emigration Queries

Inquiries on living abroad follow Trump's victory

(Newser) - As Donald Trump starts to make plans for his next Cabinet, some Americans are potentially making other plans, including getting out of Dodge. Reuters reports that searches on Google for "move to Canada" spiked 1,270% in the day after US polls closed on Tuesday. Similar searches for moving...

University Ravaged by Suspected Food Poisoning

Outbreak leads to mass vomiting, diarrhea at New Zealand's University of Canterbury

(Newser) - It wasn't a fun weekend for scores of students at a New Zealand college, after suspected food poisoning caused "carnage" across campus. On Tuesday, the University of Canterbury confirmed that more than 100 students in two of its student residences were stricken by diarrhea and bouts of vomiting...

Highway Camera Captures a Surprise, Squawking Cameo

Irritated-looking mynah bird makes a splash on video taken over New Zealand highway

(Newser) - Angry Birds: Down Under? A tropical bird with an attitude has inadvertently become an internet sensation after photobombing a highway traffic camera in New Zealand, and the New Zealand Transport Agency is having a bit of fun with it, reports NBC News . The footage without sound taken over a stretch...

Owners of Volcano That Killed 22 Balk at Owning the Tragedy

In appeal, Whakaari Management argues tour operators took on responsibility for tourists' safety

(Newser) - The owner of New Zealand's White Island argues it wasn't responsible for mitigating health and safety risks for visitors, including the 22 who died when the island's volcano erupted in 2019, per the AP . Brothers Andrew, James, and Peter Buttle own the island, also known as Whakaari,...

Fugitive Dad, 3 Kids Spotted Years After Disappearing
Fugitive Dad, 3 Kids Spotted
Years After Disappearing
in case you missed it
Oct 13, 2024 7:06 AM CDT

Fugitive Dad, 3 Kids Spotted Years After Disappearing

New Zealand police have yet to locate Tom Phillips and the children, missing since 2021

(Newser) - The mother of three children who were taken by their father three years ago says she's "relieved" to know they're alive based on a recent sighting. The children—Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8—and their father, Tom Phillips, were spotted in the Waikato region of...

Sexist 'Armchair Admirals' Criticized After NZ Navy Sinking

Defense minister says female captain is facing online abuse

(Newser) - New Zealand's defense minister says the cause of the country's first naval loss since World War II is being investigated—but "one thing that we already know did not cause it is the gender of the ship's captain." Defense Minister Judith Collins said Thursday that...

New Zealand's Maori Once Again Have a Queen

27-year-old queen becomes 2nd female Maori monarch after her father's death

(Newser) - They came in their thousands in the freezing dawn, parking cars far away and winding down rural roads on foot, children riding on their shoulders. They arrived in mourning black with crowns of ferns and kawakawa leaves, bone carvings or wedges of deep green pounamu—New Zealand jade—resting on...

Cost of Visiting New Zealand Is About to Spike

Tourist tax to nearly triple to $62 starting next month

(Newser) - New Zealand is preparing to squeeze more out of its foreign visitors with a plan to nearly triple its tourist tax. Starting next month, the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy will climb from about $22 to $62. The move is intended to help economic growth and "ensure visitors...

New Zealand OKs Kim Dotcom Extradition

Megaupload founder slams 'obedient US colony'

(Newser) - Kim Dotcom slammed New Zealand as an "obedient US colony" after the country's justice minister signed an extradition order on Thursday. The founder of the Megaupload file-sharing site has been fighting extradition to the US since 2012, Reuters reports. "I considered all of the information carefully, and...

Canada's Soccer Win Overshadowed by Spy Scandal
Canada's
Soccer Win
Overshadowed
by Drone Scandal
the rundown
Jul 25, 2024 2:09 PM CDT

Canada's Soccer Win Overshadowed by Drone Scandal

Two women's team staffers have been sent home from France after devices flew over rival's practice

(Newser) - The Canadian women's soccer team defeated New Zealand 2-1 at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, which in and of itself isn't a huge surprise. But the game has gotten an unusual amount of attention because of a spying scandal that preceded it, reports Reuters . Earlier this week,...

Reality Show Contestant Kills, Eats Protected Bird

'What I did disrespected New Zealand, and I'm sorry,' he says

(Newser) - The New Zealand Department of Conservation describes the weka as a "large, brown flightless bird that has a famously feisty and curious personality." It is also "fully protected," the department says—meaning reality show contestants definitely shouldn't kill and eat them. An American contestant on...

Whale That Washed Up on Beach Could Be World's Rarest

Precious little is known about the spade-toothed whale

(Newser) - Spade-toothed whales are the world's rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally caught a break, reports the...

New Zealand Asks for Help Solving Mystery of Vanished Family

Dad, 3 kids disappeared in 2021

(Newser) - New Zealand authorities offered a reward and immunity from prosecution Tuesday to anyone who can help their search for three children who have been missing since their father vanished with them from a remote rural community more than two years ago. The December 2021 disappearance of Tom Phillips and his...

Man Fined for 'Shocking, Stupid' Behavior Around Orcas

'This really could have ended horribly'

(Newser) - A New Zealand man is lucky his "stupid and shocking" behavior around two orcas didn't result in an immediate lesson in why they are also known as killer whales, authorities say. The 50-year-old was fined 600 New Zealand dollars (roughly $367) over a video posted on Instagram video...

This Feather Is Worth 40 Times Its Weight in Gold

Feather from extinct huia sells for $28K, becoming most expensive feather ever sold

(Newser) - Someone just paid nearly $30,000 for ... a feather. Granted, it's a rare and pretty feather, but still one worth more than 40 times its weight in gold. The most expensive feather ever sold, it comes from the long-extinct huia, "the largest of New Zealand's wattlebird species,...

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