New Zealand

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Shark's Orange 'Hat' Leaves Researchers Stunned

It was actually an octopus, making this a 'sharktopus' sighting

(Newser) - "One of the best things about being a marine scientist is that you never know what you might see next in the sea," writes Rochelle Constantine of the University of Auckland, who did not expect to come across an octopus riding a shark. That's exactly what researchers...

World's Ugliest Animal Gets Its Most 'Glorious Moment'

Blobfish, aka 'Mr. Blobby,' has been named New Zealand's fish of the year

(Newser) - Psychrolutes marcidus—you've come a long way, baby. The blobfish, a slow-moving, slimy-looking sea creature once deemed the ugliest animal in the world, has just experienced the ultimate redemption arc, ascending the species ladder to be voted New Zealand's favorite fish, reports NBC News . "Mr. Blobby,"...

New Search Launched for Dad on the Run With 3 Kids

Tom Phillips of New Zealand's North Island wanted for bank robbery, other crimes

(Newser) - New Zealand police have launched a new search for a fugitive father believed to be hiding in the wilderness with his three children, of whom he doesn't have custody. Tom Phillips disappeared with Jayda, 11, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9, more than three years ago. Last October, witnesses spotted...

Archaeologists: This Is 'Holy Grail Stuff'
Archaeologists: Canoe
Find Is 'Holy Grail Stuff'
in case you missed it
Mar 8, 2025 11:30 AM CST

Archaeologists: Canoe Find Is 'Holy Grail Stuff'

Traditional 'waka' on Chatham Island could be 'one of the most important finds of all time in Polynesia'

(Newser) - A father-son duo on Chatham Island, 500 miles east of New Zealand, stumbled upon a find so rare, archaeologists describe it as "holy grail stuff." Vincent Dix and his son Nikau initially planned to build a coffee table from planks of wood found flowing out of a washed-out...

Question About Trump Gets Top Diplomat Fired

New Zealand's Phil Goff wondered about president's grasp on history at London event

(Newser) - New Zealand's top diplomat in the UK is being sent home after publicly criticizing President Trump's grasp on history. At a think-tank event in London on Tuesday, High Commissioner Phil Goff referred to the 1938 Munich Agreement, which gave Adolf Hitler the green light to annex part of...

Cruise Ship Sends Passengers Scrambling: 'I Had to Hang On!'

Crown Princess hits rough seas off New Zealand; 16 injured, though not seriously

(Newser) - A two-week roundtrip cruise out of Sydney got a little messy last week, leaving at least 16 injured in the aftermath. 9News Australia reports that on Tuesday, Princess Cruises' Crown Princess hit rough seas as it was shifting course near Milford Sound, off of New Zealand, sending crew and passengers...

The World Has a Burgeoning New Drug Highway
The World Has a Burgeoning
New Drug Highway
longform
Mar 2, 2025 6:30 AM CST

The World Has a Burgeoning New Drug Highway

New Lines reports on how Mexican cartels and New Zealand gangs are using the vast Pacific

(Newser) - Not that long ago, Pacific island nations such as Fiji, Tonga, and Somoa rarely had drugs more potent than marijuana. Today, "they are mired in addiction crises" of cocaine and meth, reports New Lines . The reason is that Mexican cartels have joined with New Zealand gangs to create what...

Owners of Volcano That Killed 22: Safety Isn't Our Thing
Owners of Volcano
That Killed 22 Absolved
UPDATED
Feb 28, 2025 12:55 AM CST

Owners of Volcano That Killed 22 Absolved

Whakaari Management won appeal of its conviction in 2019 tragedy

(Newser) - The owners of a New Zealand island volcano that erupted and killed 22 people in 2019 are no longer being held responsible for the tragedy. A judge on Friday threw out the conviction against Whakaari Management Limited, the company run by three brothers who own the volcano, ruling that the...

NZ's Use of Word 'Go' in Tourism Campaign Riles Locals

Kiwis mock their nation's own ad blitz targeted toward Aussies

(Newser) - Every once in a while, a destination's tourism campaign raises eyebrows or otherwise falls flat—and it's now New Zealand's turn for an ad blitz aimed at neighboring Australia, its biggest tourism market. On the surface, the nearly $300,000 "Everyone must go!" campaign, launched...

This Mountain Is Legally a Person
This Mountain Is
Legally a Person
Jan 30, 2025 9:07 AM CST

This Mountain Is Legally a Person

Designation in New Zealand puts a 'very Maori Indigenous concept into western law'

(Newser) - A forest, a river, and a mountain in New Zealand have something unusual in common—they're all legally people. Taranaki Maunga, the second-highest mountain in New Zealand, was granted legal personhood in a unanimous vote in the country's parliament Thursday, RNZ reports. Mount Egmont, the name Captain Cook...

Finally, a Reality Show That Won't Destroy Our Souls

Livestream runs 24 hours, captures low-drama lives of 2 albatrosses on New Zealand's South Island

(Newser) - It's a reality show about a loving couple waiting to welcome their new arrival, watched by thousands. The 24-hour livestream of the northern royal albatrosses' breeding season at Taiaroa Head—a rugged headland on New Zealand's South Island—was established to raise awareness of the vulnerable species, numbers...

New Year's Eve Kicks Off Across the Globe
World's First Nations
Usher in 2025
Dec 31, 2024 6:39 AM CST

World's First Nations Usher in 2025

New Year's Eve celebrations have started on the other side of the globe

(Newser) - If you simply can't wait to do the countdown to midnight, start celebrating New Year's Eve vicariously with places around the world already deep into their festivities. Per CNN , the island of Kiritimati in the South Pacific became the first to welcome in 2025, at 5am ET, while...

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...

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