Thousands of visitors from the UK, Germany, Israel, and 57 other nations can visit New Zealand without a visa yet Pacific Islanders still pay hundreds of dollars just to see their family. We're calling on the Government to extend visa-waiver access for visitors from our Pacific neighbours.
Pacific families should not have to wait anxiously for a 12-month review to find out if they can afford to visit loved ones in Aotearoa. Winston Peters accepted a petition of nearly 50,000 signatures calling for visa-waiver access for Pacific visitors. This announcement falls well short.
The Government should scrap visitor visa barriers for Pacific Islanders, not just create a 12-month trial of lower fees. Today's announcement is largely a reversal of their own October 2024 decision, when they hiked the total cost from $171 to $216. Calling this a generous initiative is misleading.
Important issues in play here -- the stories told about MethaneSAT don't add up. (And they should add up to the $30M in public money that was poured into it)
And the people who won't tell us what happened play a key role in deciding what missions can launch from New Zealand soil.
MethaneSAT: Unpacking
New Zealand’s $30 Million space gamble omny.fm/shows/the-bu...
There are still unresolved questions about MethaneSAT and so support members of the science community who have asked the Auditor General to take a look at whether we have been told the full picuture about the $30M in public money that it received.
Meridian, Contact, Mercury and Genesis Energy are reporting record profits. Meanwhile, are your power bills any lower?
The price of petrol is rising. Meanwhile, the Luxon Government has cancelled the Clean Car Discount and is potentially scrapping the Clean Car Standard, two options which would reduce our need for fuel in the long term.
Moe mai rā Dilworth Karaka thanks for the music www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/03/09/f...
This is not just about the militarisation of space. It is about New Zealand launched satellites being used to support the militarisation of other parts of the world, including through satellite imaging in active war zones.
The Government has a responsibility to ensure that technologies launched from New Zealand soil are not being used to help other countries wage war.
If Rocket Lab launches from Aotearoa are supporting the illegal war on Iran then the Government must be transparent about this.
Papua Merdeka! Great to share space with these legends at the West Papua Action Aotearoa conference. Shoutout to Catherine Delahunty and the crew for organising
Keep going @nzpfu. its a dire emergency and FENZ knows it. Keep backing the fire fighters folks 🚒👨🚒🧯
Christopher Luxon returns to Parliament to ‘correct answer’ on visas during Middle East conflict, but Greens say he mucked up again
Netanyahu taking a terrible situation and making it worse www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...
Trump and Netanyahu’s attack on Iran must be condemned as an illegal and unprovoked act against the people of the region. It is the latest escalation in aggression and is a long pattern of behaviour of the US dragging the region into more wars, violence, and bloodshed.
New Zealand lawmakers have introduced legislation recognizing whales as legal persons. The move, inspired by an Indigenous declaration, would affirm whales’ rights to a healthy environment and to migrate.
The Tohorā Oranga Bill also reflects the growing global movement to recognise the rights of nature a legal philosophy that challenges anthropocentric environmental law. Pooja Sharma a director at Earth Law, says the concept is rooted in Indigenous stewardship and reciprocity
How a Groundbreaking Indigenous Treaty on Whales’ Rights Could Change National Laws
Green MP Teanau Tuiono says the Government’s plan to expand immigration officers’ powers mirrors aggressive tactics seen in New Zealand’s history and the current reality in the United States.
Peace Action Wellington is calling a peace vigil on Monday, 2 March at 5:30pm meeting at the Cenotaph on the corner of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street. All people who oppose war are welcome.
Introducing Hannah Spencer MP 💚
Green party spokesperson for oceans and fisheries Teanau Tuiono was unsurprisingly the most environmentally minded.
Tuiono believes New Zealand has failed to successfully balance conservation and economic activity.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/23/f...
The pattern is clear. This Government is secretly locking New Zealand into deeper alignment with the US without ever putting it to the public, whether it's critical minerals deals, AUKUS Pillar 2, or now handing over our biometric data.
New Zealand should be coordinating with the EU and other like-minded countries to collectively negotiate proper safeguards, not quietly capitulating.
This is not a routine border security arrangement. The EBSP would go far beyond existing information-sharing. It would enable automated, bulk matching against New Zealand databases by US agencies.
MFAT has confirmed discussions are underway only when asked directly. This is not how decisions this important should be made in a democracy.
These negotiations are occurring with no public announcement, no parliamentary oversight, and no consultation.
The public is being kept in the dark while the Government negotiates the handover of our most sensitive personal data to the Trump administration.
The Government is currently negotiating an Enhanced Border Security Partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security that would grant US agencies, including ICE, automated, direct access to New Zealanders' biometric data and identity records.
