New Zealand News

New Zealand Police Say Hostel Fire that Killed 6 Was Arson

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – New Zealand police said Wednesday they believe a fire that killed at least six people in a Wellington hostel was arson and launched a homicide investigation. Police Inspector Dion Bennett said they haven’t yet arrested …

Emergency Declared, Student Missing in New Zealand Floods

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Authorities in Auckland declared a state of emergency Tuesday as flooding again hit New Zealand’s largest city. Further north in the city of Whangarei, a high school student was missing after a school group that …

Cyclone Lashes Pacific’s Vanuatu as Residents Hunker Down

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Residents of Vanuatu were hunkering down Wednesday as a cyclone barreled through the Pacific island nation. Authorities said that there were power outages in some areas and many fallen trees and branches, but it was …

New Zealand Fears More Fatalities after Cyclone Kills 4

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A cyclone that left a devastating wake of extensive flooding and landslides in New Zealand has claimed at least four lives and police have “grave concerns” for other residents who remain unaccounted for, the prime …

New Zealand Cancels Flights as Deluge from Cyclone Looms

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s national carrier canceled dozens of flights Sunday as Aucklanders braced for a deluge from Cyclone Gabrielle, two weeks after a record-breaking storm swamped the nation’s largest city and killed four people. Air New …

Emergency Lifted After New Zealand Storm Less than Feared

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s Northland region lifted a state of emergency declaration Wednesday after an overnight storm didn’t turn out as bad as feared. A heavy rain warning for Auckland was also lifted, although a state of …

Rain Pounds Northern New Zealand; Further Flooding Expected

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Auckland prepared for another round of flooding as rain battered northern New Zealand’s Northland region, which declared an emergency Tuesday afternoon in anticipation of the deluge. A state of emergency was already in place for …

New Zealand City to Get More Dangerous Rainfall After Flood

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A dangerous amount of rain is forecast Tuesday for New Zealand’s most populous city four days after Auckland had its wettest day on record in a storm that claimed four lives. A state of emergency …

New Zealand Climate Plan Includes Relocating Some Homes

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government on Wednesday released its first-ever climate adaptation plan, which includes the possibility of moving some communities to higher ground. But the six-year plan, which runs nearly 200 pages, comes up short on …

Fishing Boat Sinks in New Zealand Storm, 4 Dead, 1 Missing

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Rescuers on Monday were continuing to search for one person still missing a day after a chartered fishing boat carrying 10 people sank in a storm off the New Zealand coast. A helicopter rescued five …