Maori King Tuheitia, has hosted a reported 10,000 people for a specially called “unity meeting” to discuss how to respond to policies by the new government of New Zealand seen by many Indigenous groups as undermining their rights and status. Critics say these vows are the most significant step backwards for Maori rights in decades, and some have taken legal action. The government of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says its plans address voters’ concerns, and are aimed at giving all New Zealanders equal rights. Maori King Tuheitia at the gathering on Saturday. Credit: StuffUp to 10,000 Maori and non-Maori descended on the Waikato town of Ngaruawahia for the talks on Saturday, according NZ media outlet Stuff quoting local tribe leaders, after the Maori King issued a royal proclamation – the first in a decade – for the event.

Waimakiriri Mayor Dan Gordon says his heart goes out to people affected by two big fires in Canterbury. Two homes and a church were destroyed in the North Canterbury fires yesterday and dozens of properties evacuated. Two homes and a church were destroyed in North Canterbury yesterday. Photo: NZ HeraldResident Elizabeth du Plessis, who lost her property to the fire, told The New Zealand Herald she is devastated. Another resident, George Gooderham, told the Herald he was painting inside his property when he smelled smoke and went outside to see his whole hedge on fire.

This post is an excerpt from a much more detailedreport that I published over at Carbon Brief today. I thought it would be useful to have a more focused discussion here on why 2023 was so exceptionallyThis is a re-post from the Climate Brink ...

BYD Seal UA Seal U has arrived in New Zealand for evaluation, appearing in December registration statistics. Upon closer inspection of the data, the model that has landed is registered as a petrol plug-in vehicle. BYD Seal U interiorThe Seal U is predominantly driven by its electric motors, with the petrol unit only being used to generate or provide drive at higher speeds. It was not developed from the ground up as an electric vehicle; BYD developed it at the request of the European market. The Sea Lion closely approximates the Tesla Model Y in size, being 20mm longer but 10mm narrower.

A leaked Ministry of Justice document that unveils plans to rewrite the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi will “radically change” the tone of tomorrow’s hui at Tūrangawaewae, says Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The bill seeks to redefine three Treaty principles. As the leaked document reveals, the current wording for the three proposed principles closely resembles what Act campaigned on last year. (Photo: Charlotte Muru-Lanning)While the leaked Ministry of Justice document outlines these rewritten Treaty principles, it is not without its criticisms of Act’s “Treaty Principles Bill”. “The coalition agreement is clear that the government will support a bill on Treaty principles to first reading.

Tokyo has overtaken Shanghai as Asia’s biggest equity market, while India’s valuation premium over China has hit a record. Japan's December CPI inflation rate came in at 2.6%, down from 2.8% in November. 2.3% is a 17 month low even if over all of 2023 inflation was at a 41 year high in Japan. They [rightly] point out that inflation and inflation expectations are still far too high there. Wall Street has opened on Friday with the S&P500 up +1.1% so far and heading for a more modest +0.9% weekly rise but racing to a new all-time high.

Bloomberg Television published this video item, entitled “Effron: Kids Should Learn Judgment, Not Coding” – below is their description. Centerview Partners co-founder Blair Effron is changing the way he thinks about skills needed from new talent entering Wall Street. Follow Bloomberg for business news & analysis, up-to-the-minute market data, features, profiles and more: http://www.bloomberg.com Connect with us on… Twitter: https://twitter.com/business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloombergbusiness/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake/?hl=en Bloomberg Television YouTube ChannelGot a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.

In This Story: AucklandAuckland, based around 2 large harbours, is a major city in the north of New Zealand’s North Island. In the centre, the iconic Sky Tower has views of Viaduct Harbour, which is full of superyachts and lined with bars and cafes. Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park, is based around an extinct volcano and home to the formal Wintergardens. Near Downtown, Mission Bay Beach has a seaside promenade. Population: 1.657 million (2017)5 Recent Items: Auckland

Inspired by a new start in Ireland, he led the team to two European Cups and provided the beating core of the national team. Recently retired Ireland captain Johnny Sexton recalled his role in persuading Schmidt to take up Ireland’s call in journalist Tom English’s book No Borders: Playing Rugby for Ireland. “When Deccie (Kidney) went, there was only one guy I wanted to replace him: Joe Schmidt. Schmidt led Ireland to unprecedented success as coach Credit: AP Speaking to the media, Ireland team manager Mick Kearney spoke about the differences between Schmidt and Farrell’s approaches to the team environment. Schmidt has justifiably earned a lofty reputation for his successes in Ireland, with Leinster and the national team.

Population growth form migration surged to a record high of 127,209 in the 12 months to November last year, according to provisional figures* from Statistics NZ. The previous record for that time period was a net gain of 67,725 in the 12 months to November 2019, which suggests migration levels have been running at almost double what they were pre-Covid. The net gain of 127,409 people came from a net loss 44,464 NZ citizens who left the country long term, and a net gain of 171,873 citizens of other countries arriving long term. The departures included 71,559 NZ citizens who left the country long term plus 50,535 citizens of other countries. The table below shows the net annual gain for both NZ citizens and non-citizens and their combined total.

Branding agency Onfire Design has won multiple awards at the World Brand Design Society Awards in the UK. The World Brand Design Society Awards is an independent and prestigious awards scheme that celebrates the significance of commercial design and its role within society and global economics. Onfire was recognised across a variety of categories for their work from FMCG through to boutique retail. As an agile studio in New Zealand, they take great pride when their work gets recognised by industry peers on a global stage. At this year’s World Brand Society Awards, Onfire were listed in the Top 10 design agencies from around the globe.

This post is an excerpt from a much more detailedreport that I published over at Carbon Brief today. I thought it would be useful to have a more focused discussion here on why 2023 was so exceptionallyThis is a re-post from the Climate Brink ...

Third allegation of shoplifting against Green MP Golriz GhahramanEmbattled Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is now being linked to a third alleged incident of shoplifting. The alleged incident took place at Cre8iveworx, a store in Wellington. Video / NZ Herald

Video / NZ HeraldA highly trusted assistant manager who stole $88,000 worth of cash and cigarettes from an Invercargill bar has avoided prison and won’t have to repay what she took. Sandra Maree Waddick, 58, was sentenced to 12 months’ home detention in the Invercargill District Court this morning after she pleaded guilty to two charges of theft in a special relationship. In June last year, the Invercargill Licensing Trust (ILT) investigated discrepancies in the cigarette stock levels at Waddick’s workplace. She said it started when she would take a packet of cigarettes and pay for them on pay day. That escalated to stealing two or three packets a week and ultimately she took $48,637 worth of cigarettes since 2014.

Golriz Ghahraman resigns from Parliament after allegations of shopliftingGolriz Ghahraman has resigned after allegations of shoplifting. The Green MP said that her mental health had been “badly affected” by the stress of her work as an MP. Video / Supplied / NZ Herald