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News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
PM wraps up visit to New Zealand dominated by global turmoil
Anthony Albanese has wrapped a 'successful visit' to New Zealand by joining Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon on a helicopter jaunt over the country's Southern Alps. The prime ministers were all hugs and smiles as they held their annual talks. But even in the chilly tranquillity of New Zealand's snow-capped peaks neither leader could escape the shadow of wars raging on multiple continents and conflict looming closer to home. It was against this backdrop that Mr Albanese on Sunday stressed that Canberra and Wellington were in lock-step. 'When Australians think of New Zealand, we think of the Anzacs and we think of the sacrifice that we've made together in defence of our freedom,' he told reporters in Arrowtown, a historic mining town northwest of Queenstown. 'Australia and New Zealand are great friends – we think alike and we act alike on the international stage. 'And this visit here has been one of warmth, of engagement, of practical moves forward, including the meeting that we had yesterday afternoon with leaders in the business community of both Australia and New Zealand, talking about how we can expand that seamless economy, making sure that we can boost productivity to the benefit of both of our economies. 'So, it's been a very successful visit.' A day earlier, he and Mr Luxon released a statement outlining 41 shared commitments. They ranged from deeper trans-Tasman economic ties amid 'global economic uncertainty' to mutual defence aimed at 'protecting and advancing our shared interests in our region' – a not-so-subtle side-eye to China. Unlike Australia, New Zealand failed to escape Donald Trump's baseline tariff hike. With the US almost single-handedly driving up New Zealand's beef exports last year, cattle farmers stand to be hit the hardest. Meanwhile, Australia has managed to keep US tariffs down at 10 per cent, with exceptions for certain sectors. The Albanese government was also rattled again this week by the US President threatening levies of up to 250 per cent on pharmaceuticals. China has keenly pounced on both Australia and New Zealand, with Beijing positioning itself as a more reliable partner than Washington. But the chains attached to deeper engagement with China come with a suite of strategic concerns. For generations, Australia and New Zealand have stood side by side in the cause of peace. The ANZAC legend reminds us of the New Zealanders who have served alongside our own brave men and women. Today, Prime Minister Luxon and I laid a wreath in their memory. Lest we forget. — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) August 9, 2025 On the regional threat from China, Mr Luxon said on Saturday New Zealand's role was 'to be a force multiplier'. 'We want to be a one … Anzac force essentially, operating within our region,' he told reporters in a press conference with Mr Albanese. 'And it covers all the gambit of helping the Pacific when there's emergencies and disasters.' He went on to say 'China is a massive, significant player in the world, and it's a permanent feature of global affairs as well'. Echoing Mr Albanese's own mantra, he said his government has 'an approach which is about co-operating where we can'. 'As I said to (Chinese President Xi Jinping), we co-operate where we can, we disagree where we must,' he said. In that same press conference, Mr Albanese was asked about deportations of New Zealand citizens under Section 501 of the Migration Act. Oftentimes, deportees have spent most of their lives in Australia and have, as Mr Luxon said, 'very little connection to New Zealand'. More Australians flock to Queenstown than anywhere else in New Zealand â€' boosting the economy in this stunning part of the world. We added two more Aussies to the list this weekend. — Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) August 10, 2025 It has been a long-running issue in the otherwise cosiest of cosy foreign relationships that has caused Mr Luxon and his predecessors grief at home. But both leaders downplayed it, instead championing their unity on international affairs. The list of shared positions on major foreign policy issues was the longest list in their joint statement. 'Prime Ministers underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues through dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion and confirmed their shared opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo,' the statement said in another thinly veiled shot at China. Further afield was joint condemnation of 'Russia's illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine' and 'deepening Russia-North Korea military co-operation'. They called the authoritarian alliance, specifically the deployment of North Korean troops to Ukraine, a 'dangerous expansion of Russia's war, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security'. The prime ministers also issued a joint call on Israel 'to immediately comply with its obligations under international law' and let the UN and aid agencies 'carry out their lifesaving work safely and unhindered' in Gaza, where civilian deaths from starvation are climbing after 22 months of war. 'Any attempt by Israel to escalate hostilities, including by taking control of Gaza City, would be wrong, risk violating international law, and exacerbate the human catastrophe already unfolding inside the Gaza Strip,' they said. 'We urge the Israeli Government to reconsider before it is too late.' It came after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to fully occupy Gaza with the stated goal of annihilating Hamas and handing the war-ravaged Palestinian territory to Arab forces – of which country or countries remains unknown.
RNZ News
12-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Late-night earthquake jolt for Central Otago
The earthquake was centred west of Lake Wakatipu, on the other side of the lake from Queenstown, a GeoNet map showed. Photo: People in and near Central Otago have had a late jolt from an earthquake, centred about 30km west of Queenstown. GeoNet said the quake just before 9pm Saturday was measured at magnitude 4.2 and was about 5km deep. An RNZ reporter in the area said it "felt like a small sharp jolt!" More than 2200 people filled out Felt Reports for the quake on the GeoNet site by 9.10pm, with most in Queenstown and Arrowtown. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
‘Let's focus on Saturday first'
Arrowtown's Malcolm Sutherland brushes off Wakatipu Prems' Logan Beggs during last Saturday's bruising Battle of the Basin. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A White Horse Cup challenge against Upper Clutha next Saturday, then a likely home semifinal the following Saturday. Mouth-watering prospects, indeed, but the Wakatipu Premiers rugby coach just wants his team to focus first on this Saturday's home game against Cromwell. "We treat each game as if it's our last, that's the mindset we came into at the start of the year," Jordan Manihera says. His side beat Arrowtown 29-5 at Jack Reid Park last weekend, but had to defend their line for 30 to 35 minutes before scoring back-to-back tries. "It was good to see the attitude and the connection on defence working ... afterwards we said to them, 'that's the standard they have now set', it's up to them to be consistent with that, if not better. "The result was awesome, getting max [bonus] points, but the fact we left quite a few opportunities out there just goes to show we're almost ticking. "We're just pushing that last pass, and sort of once that lands I'm pretty excited to see where we head." Thanks to Maniototo upsetting Alexandra, Wakatipu have jumped to second on the table and look likely to host a semi. Manihera: "You can get pretty deep in the rabbit hole with sorting out who goes where and who plays who, but, you know, you sort of lose focus [on your next game] if you're worrying about that too much." Meanwhile, Arrowtown, who lie second last on the points table, one point behind Cromwell, have a bye this weekend. They close out their season with a home game against Maniototo next Saturday.
Otago Daily Times
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Arrowtown's timely return to form
Wakatipu Premiers hooker Thomas Hulsman, pictured in action against Matakanui Combined recently, is among a group of young players the team's successfully blooded this season. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Following a convincing away win over Cromwell last weekend, the Arrowtown rugby side's fizzing for this Saturday's home-ground 'Battle of the Basin' game against Wakatipu. Arrowtown beat Cromwell 29-7 to clinch just their second win of the year after their season-opening thrashing of Matakanui Combined in March. It also came after the teams had drawn their first-round fixture. "The boys showed a bit of grit on Saturday," says captain Ryan Egerton, who didn't play due to a "buggered" knee. "She was one of the better 23-man performances I've seen from the Arrowtown Bulls. "Everyone that came on from the bench played a good role and, yeah, we scored some pretty good meat pies, to be fair." Coming after a deflating loss to Alexandra, "it's definitely given the boys a bit of confidence," Egerton adds. "We definitely needed it for morale, because, yeah, the boys were hurting after loss after loss." He was also expecting the prospect of a Battle of the Basin game to provide "a bit of fizz" at training this week. "I'm sure we'll be up for it, and hopefully we can get a heap of people down at the Jack Reid and put on a good show." Wakatipu Premiers coach Jordan Manihera, whose team touched up Arrowtown 48-19 in the first round, says he's pleased to hear of Arrowtown's good result "through the gorge", and certainly won't be taking them for granted despite their 7-2 win-loss record this season. "It's a great rivalry to have, and how the comp's been this year, anything can happen if one team turns up and plays better than their opposite number on the day. "So we're treating this game, as we do every week, with some good preparation. "We're back to a full contingent, so back to getting the old migraine with selections, but, you know, it's a good problem to have, so we're really looking forward to ripping into it." Manihera's also hoping for good ground conditions after playing on a heavy track at the Queenstown Rec Ground these past two Saturdays — Waka last weekend beat Maniototo 29-13, but only after upping their intensity over the final 20 minutes. They're deliberately bringing some experienced players like Don Lolo and Paulie Tuala off the bench, the coach says. "We've kind of found we were staying in the fight for a good 50 to 60 minutes every game, but then we're just sort of losing a bit of composure and experience towards the end." With Wakatipu third on the table, one point behind Alexandra, and with just two rounds to go after this weekend, expect them to be chasing a bonus point win this Saturday to try to nail down a home semifinal.
Otago Daily Times
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
East scores four as Upper Clutha win comfortably
An intriguing mix of try-scorers provided many of the highlights of Saturday's action in the Central Otago premier club competition. For example, "unknown" Jack East scored four tries for competition leaders Upper Clutha in their 43-17 victory over battlers Matakanui Combined in Wanaka. East, a successful athlete who excelled as a sprinter, moved back to Wanaka from Dunedin this year but injury concerns prevented him from turning out before Saturday. East's performance was pretty much matched by Matakanui Combined's standout individual Dean Sinnamon, who scored a hat-trick of tries himself, matching the three he scored in Central's Topp Cup victory two weeks ago. Sinnamon has now drawn level with Alexandra flanker Sam Chapman on 10 tries for the season, a remarkable achievement for a lock/No8 in a team that has won just one game. One behind Sinnamon and Chapman, with nine tries, is Upper Clutha's other winger Ulysse Martineau, who dotted down once on Saturday, having scored six tries in his previous three outings. It was a team effort more than individual contributions that got Wakatipu home 29-13 against Maniototo at Queenstown. Thirteen minutes into the second half, Maniototo went ahead 13-12 after first five Ben Maxwell banged over a massive penalty goal from halfway, and an upset seemed possible. But Wakatipu upped their intensity and dominated the final quarter, finishing with four tries, all of them scored by the forwards. The bonus point pushed them to within one point of second-placed Alexandra, making for a thrilling sprint to the finish. Starring for Wakatipu was halfback Xavier Sadler, who chalked up his 50th appearance back in April. Wakatipu coach Jordan Manihera says Sadler does not have the word "no" in his vocabulary. He has played halfback, midfield and winger for Wakatipu but has been mostly at halfback this year with James Valentine unavailable for much of the season. It was Sadler's exceptional speed that set up replacement Paula Tuala's late try to clinch the bonus point. Other major contributors for Wakatipu were veteran flanker Bradley Cross, hooker Thomas Huisman, first five Logan Beggs and captain/second five Rube Peina. Arrowtown made a welcome return to the winner's circle, outgunning Cromwell 29-7 at Anderson Park, four tries to one, having drawn with Cromwell 26-26 in the first round. Second five Fiachra Bagnall bagged a pair of tries as Arrowtown romped away to a 26-7 lead by halftime. Arrowtown's return to form will add spice to this coming Saturday's local derby clash with Wakatipu at Jack Reid Park. — Bob Howitt
