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New Zealand

The latest news, analysis and opinion on New Zealand. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Wellington

Head of State

King Charles III

Head of Government

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

India

India, New Zealand sign ‘once-in-a-generation’ free-trade deal

The deal will cut or remove tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand’s exports to India, with all Indian exports to New Zealand duty free.

6 hours agovideocam

Britain

UK agrees ban on cigarette sales for people born after 2008

22 Apr 2026 - 11:18AM

Pacific nations

Pacific Islanders skip food, medicine amid global fuel shortage from Iran war

22 Apr 2026 - 9:37AM

India

New Zealand minister under fire for ‘butter chicken tsunami’ remarks

A free-trade agreement, to be signed next week, could see more than 20,000 Indian migrants entering New Zealand, officials say.

22 Apr 2026 - 8:33AM

NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones speaks to the media in Wellington on March 27. Photo: AFP

China's military weapons

PLA’s new Type 076 ‘drone carrier’ set for South China Sea training drills

China’s next-level amphibious warship, the Sichuan, in same waters where US, Japan and the Philippines are conducting joint military exercises.

22 Apr 2026 - 8:44AMvideocam

Extreme weather

New Zealand tells Wellington residents to evacuate as rain threat worsens

Wellington had received 77mm of rain ‌in less than an hour, its heaviest rainfall on record.

20 Apr 2026 - 12:26PM

Hong Kong sports

Hong Kong Sevens a treat for fans but local restaurants hungry for more trade

Over three action-packed days of rugby, a record 113,000 fans pass through the turnstiles.

20 Apr 2026 - 12:50AM

Fans are in high spirits in a packed South Stand. Photo: Elson Li

Aviation

Air New Zealand economy passengers can join world’s first mile-high sleep club

Socks are mandatory and crumbs, strong perfumes and bed-sharing are forbidden as fliers get cosy with their fellow passengers.

18 Apr 2026 - 10:23AM

China-New Zealand relations

China complains of ‘harassment’ from New Zealand aerial patrols near coastline

Beijing said the plane had been operating over the Yellow and East China Seas and urged Wellington not to put civilian aircraft in danger.

17 Apr 2026 - 7:58PMvideocam

My Life

Former Hong Kong rugby team captain reflects on the first Sevens tournament in 1976

The former England international rugby player tells Annemarie Evans about his turn as captain of the Hong Kong team at the inaugural Sevens tournament here in 1976.

16 Apr 2026 - 8:00AM

Bob Lloyd poses for a portrait at the Hong Kong Football Club, Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Lloyd served as the captain of Hong Kong team during the first Hong Kong Sevens in 1976. Photo: Alexander Mak

The Philippines

Why Southeast Asian nations are skipping major US-Philippine Balikatan drills

Given the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, joining the annual military exercise may risk being seen as picking the US, analysts say.

17 Apr 2026 - 1:11PM

Philippine Navy Colonel Dennis Hernandez (left) looks on as United States Marines Colonel Robert Bunn speaks during a Balikatan briefing on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Asia travel

Lack of fuel reserves forces Southeast Asian flight cuts amid Hormuz crisis

Airlines are cutting flights, as dependence on Middle Eastern fuel hits operators from Pakistan to New Zealand.

14 Apr 2026 - 12:10PMvideocam

Science

Open Questions | What an ancient Chinese map reveals about global history: Sheng-Wei Wang

Kunyu Wanguo Quantu and maritime artefacts prove China explored the world earlier than Eurocentric accounts suggest, scholar argues.

13 Apr 2026 - 8:15AMvideocam

Taiwan

Takeaways from Cheng Li-wun’s press conference about meeting with Xi Jinping

KMT chairwoman says that with talks in Beijing, her party has taken the first step to defuse tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

10 Apr 2026 - 4:28PM

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan’s biggest opposition party, says “Taiwan can shake hands without sacrificing anything”. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

New Zealand doctor invoices US embassy for rising fuel costs

Shane Dunphy asked the embassy to reimburse him for the US$1,600 spent on petrol vouchers for his staff so that they could travel to work.

3 Apr 2026 - 6:25PM

A petrol station in the village of Pauatahanui, in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 27. A surge in oil prices since the start of the Middle East war has sent fuel costs spiralling. Photo: AFP

Animals

Dog lost for a week in New Zealand bush found after strangers fund search

Molly the border collie went missing after her owner fell while hiking on the South Island and had to be rescued without her.

1 Apr 2026 - 3:14PM

My Take

My Take | Verdict finds what any parent knows: social media is designed to be addictive

Jurors also decided Meta and YouTube either knew or should have known their products posed a danger to children and did not do enough to warn of the risks.

28 Mar 2026 - 10:49PM

Hong Kong Sevens

On This Day | First Hong Kong Sevens rugby tourney held in 1976 – SCMP archive

50 years ago today, the city hosted its first international rugby sevens tournament at the Hong Kong Football Club.

28 Mar 2026 - 10:30AM

Hong Kong players run out on to the pitch at the first sevens in 1976. Photo: HKRFU

Robotics

Why China’s humanoid robots are still waiting for their ‘ChatGPT moment’

Limited training data and unresolved hardware challenges continue to hold back humanoid robots from mass adoption, say experts.

26 Mar 2026 - 9:15AM

Singapore

Man extradited from Singapore to New Zealand faces rape, home invasion charges

Zhang Xuesong is accused of raping and strangling the victim and reportedly fled to China, and later Singapore, following the break-in.

25 Mar 2026 - 4:40PM

Hong Kong courts

Editorial | Rule changes will help Hong Kong better combat national security threats

The amendments, such as the one related to providing passwords for electronic devices, bring the city in line with other parts of the world that have such requirements.

25 Mar 2026 - 7:15AM

Police officers outside court in West Kowloon on February 23, on the day the Court of Appeal delivered a verdict on a case involving conspiracy to commit subversion. Photo: Dickson Lee

The Philippines

Philippines scores poorly on work-life balance. Filipinos are not surprised

Low wages, poor workplace culture and heavy traffic are among the factors hampering Filipinos from enjoying a good work-life balance.

24 Mar 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Heavy traffic on the streets of Manila. Photo: Shutterstock

Japan

Deep snow can’t hide inflation, foreign ‘takeover’ fears in Japan ski hub

An influx of foreign workers, inflated property prices and living costs are testing the patience of Niseko’s residents.

29 Mar 2026 - 2:50PMvideocam

Wellness

World’s ‘happiest’ places revealed as social media weighs on us

Heavy social media use is undermining youth well-being in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report.

19 Mar 2026 - 2:11PMvideocam

China exports

Chinese firms should focus on stable regions when going global: entrepreneur

Escalating Middle East conflict, currency fluctuations make destinations like Southeast Asia, Australia attractive, top business leader says.

13 Mar 2026 - 1:02AMvideocam

Liu Yonghao, founder and chairman of New Hope Group, speaks at an event in Beijing in 2018. Photo: Simon Song

Scams and swindles

150,000 Meta accounts shut down in Southeast Asian scam centre crackdown

Meta has also launched protective tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp alerts for suspicious friend requests and activities.

12 Mar 2026 - 8:17PMvideocam

Workstations used by scam operators are seen after a police raid in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Canada

Canada’s PM wants Andrew removed from UK line of succession over Epstein ties

The prime minister called the former prince’s association with the paedophile financier ‘deplorable’.

7 Mar 2026 - 1:00PMvideocam

Australia

Opinion | Australia needs to make its stance on the Iran attacks known

By refusing to condemn these legally baseless strikes, the Albanese government risks choosing ‘might is right’ over the UN Charter.

7 Mar 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

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