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NZ Plans To Invest In More Recycling Plants As It Deals With China Waste Ban

NZ Plans To Invest In More Recycling Plants As It Deals With China Waste Ban

“New Zealand is planning to invest more in recycling plants and set up government-led taskforce to work out how to grapple with the fallout from China’s ban on waste…

Barnet Mayor Reuben Thompstone Sworn in

Barnet Mayor Reuben Thompstone Sworn in

New Zealand-born Councillor Reuben Thompstone, a 42-year-old who represents the Golders Green ward, has become the 54th, and youngest-ever, mayor of Barnet, North London.

Thompstone has a background in education…

Sheryl Sandberg Deems Ardern a Political Prodigy

Sheryl Sandberg Deems Ardern a Political Prodigy

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gives her opinion on New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has been named in Time magazine’s list of 100 ‘Most Influential People’, alongside other…

New Zealand Women Footballers Get Same Pay As Men

New Zealand Women Footballers Get Same Pay As Men

“New Zealand’s football body announced a new deal May 8 that gives the national women’s team the same pay and conditions as the men’s side, becoming one of the…

New Zealand Makes Biggest Leap in A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index

New Zealand Makes Biggest Leap in A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index

New Zealand has made the biggest leap of any country – up seven spots to 16th – in this year’s A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence

New Zealand Looks To Bridge Talent Gap

New Zealand Looks To Bridge Talent Gap

“New Zealand may be experiencing economic growth fuelled by both emerging home-grown innovations and FDI that represented 38% of that nation’s GDP in 2016 and totalled NZ$101bn ($72bn) in…

Ardern Joins Khan, Trudeau and Young Fans in London

Ardern Joins Khan, Trudeau and Young Fans in London

In this Guardian ‘photo highlight’ of the day, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau takes a selfie with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern,…

New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration

New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration

“The New Zealand government will grant no new offshore oil exploration permits in a move that is being hailed by conservation and environmental groups as a historic victory in…

New Zealand Clears Historical Gay Sex Convictions

New Zealand Clears Historical Gay Sex Convictions

The New Zealand parliament has unanimously passed a bill that is expected to allow about 1000 men to apply to have past convictions for homosexual activity removed from their…

Britain’s Sunday Times Interviews Jacinda Ardern

Britain’s Sunday Times Interviews Jacinda Ardern

This week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to arrive in the UK for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, and will see both Theresa May and…

Jacinda Ardern on Life as a Leader

Jacinda Ardern on Life as a Leader

In a Guardian interview, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reveals how her life has changed and her ambition for a can-do country.

This time last year Ardern was known…

Jacinda Ardern’s Social Laboratory for the World

Jacinda Ardern’s Social Laboratory for the World

“Jacinda Ardern has a list of promises for improving the lives of lower-income people.” While this is pretty standard for a fresh centre-left government”, “one of her approaches for…

Former PM Bill English Quits Politics

Former PM Bill English Quits Politics

Former New Zealand prime minister Bill English, 56, has resigned as leader of the National Party, quitting politics after a 27-year career.

“Now is the right time for me to step aside…

Politicians Must Earn Back Trust Says Ardern

Politicians Must Earn Back Trust Says Ardern

Jacinda Ardern is not your average prime minister, Times political journalist Alice Thomson quickly learns. The second prime minister after Benazir Bhutto, in 1990, to be pregnant while running…

PM Talks about Her Particularly Public Surprise

PM Talks about Her Particularly Public Surprise

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks to Guardian contributor and Spinoff editor Toby Manhire about her surprise pregnancy and why she won’t stay quiet on sexism.

“I did think…

British and US Migrants Flock to New Zealand

British and US Migrants Flock to New Zealand

The number of American and British residents choosing to live in far-flung New Zealand has risen sharply since the election of Donald Trump and the UK’s Brexit vote, according…

New Zealand Fourth Best Democracy in The World

New Zealand Fourth Best Democracy in The World

New Zealand has been named the country with the fourth best democracy in the world in a new report ranking countries by how functional their political systems are. According…

PM Jacinda Ardern Plays down Her Pregnancy News

PM Jacinda Ardern Plays down Her Pregnancy News

Jacinda Ardern, who became New Zealand’s prime minister in October, attracted international attention when she denounced television interviewers who had asked whether she planned to have children if elected….

Craft Beer Makes Inflation Gauge as Tastes Change

Craft Beer Makes Inflation Gauge as Tastes Change

New Zealand has added craft beer to the basket of goods it monitors to measure inflation, reflecting changing tastes and consumer spending in the country, Bloomberg reports.

“New Zealand used…

NZ’s Film Industry Worth a Billion to Economy

NZ’s Film Industry Worth a Billion to Economy

The International New Zealand Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) is a key contributor to the nation’s economy according to a new economic study released by the New Zealand Film Commission…

More Women Needed in Politics Says Ardern

More Women Needed in Politics Says Ardern

This has been a year dominated by women speaking out and fighting back. The Financial Times spotlight those who have made waves this year, from prime ministers (including New…

Benefits of Foreign Owned Property Debated

Benefits of Foreign Owned Property Debated

New Zealand, famous for the mountains that formed the dramatic backdrop to the film The Lord of the Rings, is now known for something else among the super rich:…

Climate Refugees to Be Welcomed in New Zealand

Climate Refugees to Be Welcomed in New Zealand

New Zealand has announced it will create a special refugee visa for Pacific Islanders displaced by rising seas. The country says it is preparing for the possibility of a…

Tax Reform New Zealand Style

Tax Reform New Zealand Style

“With tax-law revision now before the US Congress, matters of revenue, efficiency and fairness again occupy American minds. But as one of that country’s most celebrated political writers, T.R….

Helen Clark Appointed To Global Commission On Drug Policy

Helen Clark Appointed To Global Commission On Drug Policy

Helen Clark has been appointed to the prestigious Global Commission on Drug Policy” – “one of the world’s leading think tanks on reducing drug harm on society,” reports the…

Jacinda Ardern One of World’s Most Powerful Women

Jacinda Ardern One of World’s Most Powerful Women

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made the Forbes 2017 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, coming in at No 38.

The 2017 list identifies a new generation of icons, game-changers…

Interview with Mole Valley MP Sir Paul Beresford

Interview with Mole Valley MP Sir Paul Beresford

New Zealander Sir Paul Beresford, MP for Mole Valley in Surrey, UK, was born in Levin. He came to Britain in the “very early seventies” and worked in East…

New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern Gets Set to Govern

New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern Gets Set to Govern

Describing herself as “relentlessly optimistic,” New Zealand’s newly sworn in prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, 37, will face a National opposition of 56 members clamouring at the gates – smarting from…

Why Golriz Ghahraman Entered NZ Politics

Why Golriz Ghahraman Entered NZ Politics

New member of parliament Golriz Ghahraman is having her Twitter feed documented by the national archive as a testimony of New Zealand’s 2017 election.

“It will be interesting for others…

Jacinda Ardern, 37, Will Be NZ’s Youngest Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern, 37, Will Be NZ’s Youngest Prime Minister

“A minor party holding the balance of power in New Zealand threw its support behind 37-year-old Jacinda Ardern’s bid to become prime minister on Thursday, ending the center-right National…

High Commissioner Mark Ramsden Says Fiji Farewell

High Commissioner Mark Ramsden Says Fiji Farewell

The outgoing New Zealand High Commissioner Mark Ramsden says Fiji has gone through a lot of positive changes during the time he worked in the country.

“The Fiji New Zealand…

Lessons from New Zealand on Fiscal Discipline

Lessons from New Zealand on Fiscal Discipline

“New Zealand and the UK are both regarded as pioneers in the use of a more modern system of accounting – accrual accounting, a method that records revenues and…

New Zealand’s Tech Industry Boots Up

New Zealand’s Tech Industry Boots Up

Majestic scenery, adventure tourism and agricultural products may be central to New Zealand’s international image, but technology and digital exports are growing fast, prompting industry calls for greater recognition,…

The New Politics Of NZ – National Wins 46%

The New Politics Of NZ – National Wins 46%

“New Zealand politics seldom grabs international attention. That changed six weeks ago when Jacinda Ardern, the 37-year-old female deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, was gifted the party…

New Zealand’s Election No Longer Predictable

New Zealand’s Election No Longer Predictable

No one had expected New Zealand’s 23 September election to be much of a contest. The conservatives were expected to win, again. But that was before Jacinda Ardern and…

Crawford Falconer UK’s Top Trade Negotiator

Crawford Falconer UK’s Top Trade Negotiator

The New Zealander in charge of negotiating the UK’s trade deals once Brexit is finalised, has begun his tenure. Crawford Falconer has taken up the post of chief trade…

Jacinda Ardern Shames TV Dinosaurs

Jacinda Ardern Shames TV Dinosaurs

Hours after taking office, Labour leader Jacinda Ardern, 37, faced down pundits asking if she planned on starting a family, a question rarely asked of men in politics. The…

Darren Hughes UK’s New Electoral Reform Society CE

Darren Hughes UK’s New Electoral Reform Society CE

New Zealander Darren Hughes, who has just been named chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society (ERS), the UK’s leading democratic reform group, discusses his new role in a…

Politician Jacinda Ardern Enjoys Rapid Rise

Politician Jacinda Ardern Enjoys Rapid Rise

Jacinda Ardern took over as New Zealand’s opposition leader just last week, but already she has prompted a flood of donations, taken a stance for women in the workplace…

John Key Awarded Order of Australia

John Key Awarded Order of Australia

“Former New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has been awarded Australia’s highest honour in a ceremony in Canberra.” “Sir John, who led his country between 2008 and 2016, was…

UN Chief Appoints Jan Beagle Of New Zealand As Under-Secretary-General For Management

UN Chief Appoints Jan Beagle Of New Zealand As Under-Secretary-General For Management

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Jan Beagle of New Zealand as the new Under-Secretary-General for Management. She was sworn in on July 13.

She “brings to the position…

NZ Lawmakers Apologise for 100s of Gay Convictions

NZ Lawmakers Apologise for 100s of Gay Convictions

New Zealand lawmakers have unanimously apologised for the “tremendous hurt and suffering” of hundreds of men who were convicted of homosexuality during the years it was treated as a…

Helen Clark Hit Her First Glass Ceiling at the UN

Helen Clark Hit Her First Glass Ceiling at the UN

Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark says the rejection of her bid to become the next UN secretary general was a blow for women, but the security council…

Kingi Snelgar on Spending Time at Standing Rock

Kingi Snelgar on Spending Time at Standing Rock

Lawyer Kingi Snelgar, 29, who has worked as a crown prosecutor in New Zealand and overseas as a human rights observer, joined the Standing Rock movement in South Dakota…

Mayoral Candidate Chlöe Swarbrick Talks to VICE

Mayoral Candidate Chlöe Swarbrick Talks to VICE

Auckland’s youngest mayoral candidate, independent Chlöe Swarbrick, 22, came third in a field of 19, but even this was an achievement, according to VICE who interviewed the politician for…

White House Open to Chris Liddell’s Ideas

White House Open to Chris Liddell’s Ideas

Nearly 300 executives have visited the White House this year, according to a New York Times tabulation, an open-door policy that is a sharp break with the Obama administration…

NZ and UK Talk Meat Deals Post-Brexit

NZ and UK Talk Meat Deals Post-Brexit

New Zealand’s powerful meat promotional body Beef and Lamb New Zealand (BLNZ) has begun discussions with UK producer groups about the possibility of collaborating on post-Brexit lamb deals to…

Populism Is The New Black – Chris Gilson

Populism Is The New Black – Chris Gilson

Last year was not a great one for mainstream politics, according to Chris Gilson, Managing Editor of the London School of Economics’ daily blog on US politics…

“The Road Starts Here” New Zealand Comes Aboard China’s OBOR Initiative

“The Road Starts Here” New Zealand Comes Aboard China’s OBOR Initiative

“To many in New Zealand, the country looks like an isolated outpost on a map girdled by economic powerhouses a hemisphere away. It’s the end of a trail that…

China Honours the Spirit of Rewi Alley

China Honours the Spirit of Rewi Alley

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s just-concluded visit to New Zealand has charted the future of the two countries’ “special” relations, with the spirit of New Zealander Rewi Alley their guide…

UBI Has Benefits Argues Scholar Max Harris

UBI Has Benefits Argues Scholar Max Harris

Aucklander Max Harris wants you to change your mind, according to Impolitikal co-founder Sarah Illingworth. Currently based in Oxford, United Kingdom, Harris is completing a PhD in Law at…

More Americans than Ever Moving to NZ

More Americans than Ever Moving to NZ

Forget Canada. In the wake of the election, the Associated Press reports, Americans are applying in droves for citizenship in New Zealand, a country as far away as physically…

New Zealand’s Neoliberal Drift

New Zealand’s Neoliberal Drift

“The image of New Zealand as a kind-hearted social democracy, a Scandinavia of the South Pacific, is deeply engrained in its culture,” Auckland journalist Branko Marcetic writes…

Trevor Loudon’s Enemies Within Screens in US

Trevor Loudon’s Enemies Within Screens in US

Christchurch political activist Trevor Loudon’s documentary Enemies Within screened recently in northern Virginia. Loudon spoke about the film for the first time at the National Press Club in Washington,…

Robert Muldoon Our Own Feisty Protectionist

Robert Muldoon Our Own Feisty Protectionist

“What would you think of a Western democratic leader who was populist, obsessed with the balance of trade, especially effective on television, feisty and combative with the press, and…

Coping with Changing Trade Patterns

Coping with Changing Trade Patterns

“The future of British trade after Brexit is shrouded in uncertainty. It is an unprecedented process, so it is hard to know where to look for clues as to…