New Zealand

Woman arrested after child bodies found in suitcases

A woman sits on a car as she leaves Ulsan Jungbu police station in Ulsan, South Korea on Sept. 15, 2022, for the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. (Bae Byung-soo/Newsis via AP)

Top New Zealand Headlines

Remains of 2 kids found inside auctioned suitcases

New Zealand police kill ‘terrorist’ who stabbed 6 people …

A police officer stands outside an Auckland supermarket, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. (Alex Burton/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Single case of COVID prompts nationwide lockdown in New …

New Zealand's government took drastic action Tuesday by putting the entire nation into a strict lockdown for at least three days after finding a single case of coronavirus infection in the community. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern invoked some of the stirring rhetoric she used early in the pandemic by urging the “team of 5 million” — New Zealand's population — to go hard and early in trying to eliminate the latest outbreak. "We have seen what happens elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it," Ardern said. “We only get one chance.” She said Auckland, where the infected man lives, and Coromandel, where he had visited, would go into a full lockdown for seven days and the remainder of the country for three days while health experts tried to find the source of his infection. The developments prompted people to line up outside supermarkets to stock up on essential items and sparked a sharp drop in the value of the New Zealand dollar. New Zealand had managed to stamp out the virus, and the last outbreak was in February. But Ardern had been warning that the contagiousness of the delta variant would likely require more drastic action than previous outbreaks. New Zealand has also been slower than other developed nations to inoculate its population, leaving it vulnerable to outbreaks. Only 32% of people have had at least one shot and 18% are fully vaccinated. And officials have been viewing a growing outbreak in nearby Sydney with alarm, saying they don't want to make the same mistakes by waiting too long to impose strict measures. Health officials said genome testing would not verify until Wednesday whether the infected 58-year-old man had the delta variant, although they were working under the assumption he does. Officials said they could not immediately find a connection between the man and the handful of people who have tested positive while isolating in quarantine after arriving from abroad. The border is seen as the most likely source of any outbreaks. The move into the strictest lockdown underscored the vastly different approach New Zealand has taken to the virus than most other nations, which are attempting to suppress its spread rather than eliminate it entirely. New Zealand has reported just 26 virus deaths since the pandemic began. The lockdown takes effect from just before midnight Tuesday. It requires people to remain at home and avoid others. Most people can leave only to buy groceries or exercise. The nation's vaccination program had been accelerating but has been suspended for two days due to the outbreak.

Indie rock band offers free car washes in L.A. area in …

Emperors Night, an indie rock band from New Zealand, has been offering free car washes in the Los Angeles area in exchange for patrons to follow them on Instagram. (KTLA)

Long Beach-based Rocket Lab’s satellite launch from New …

The Rocket Lab Mission Control room during the opening of the new Rocket Lab factory on October 12, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

‘It overshadowed the sadness:’ Colorful coffins lighten …

This photo provided by Ross Hall, shows a cream doughnut shaped coffin for the funeral of Phil McLean outside a church in Tauranga, New Zealand on Feb 17, 2021. (Ross Hall via AP)

More New Zealand

8.1 earthquake among 3 powerful temblors to strike …

People watch for signs of a tsunami from a hill above Papamoa Beach, New Zealand, as a tsunami warning is issued on March 5, 2021. (George Novak / New Zealand Herald via Associated Press)

3 unexplained coronavirus cases prompt first lockdown …

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks to media in Wellington, New Zealand Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)

World leaders react to the storming of the U.S. Capitol

In this Nov.11, 2018 file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Donald Trump attend a commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of the First World War at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. (Benoit Tessier/Pool Photo via AP)

After eliminating COVID-19, New Zealand PM says flattening …

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivers a briefing on New Zealand’s COVID-19 response at Parliament in Wellington on April 15, 2020. (Mark Mitchell / Getty Images)

New Zealand appoints first indigenous female foreign …

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta speaks during an interview in her office Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Nick Perry/AP Photo)

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern offers coronavirus …

In this photo provided by New Zealand Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on phone at her office in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. (New Zealand Prime Minister's Office via AP)

In election landslide, New Zealand Prime Minister …

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at the Labour Election Day party after the Labour Party won New Zealand's general election in Auckland on Oct. 16, 2020. (MICHAEL BRADLEY / AFP via Getty Images)