New Zealand

Youth with a Mission Ships Aotearoa sails to remote Fijian islands to provide free healthcare, but Koha is currently at a standstill because of a broken tailshaft bearing.

Managing director Marty Emmett told Morning Report the vessel was specially equipped with two on-board dental clinics and other medical equipment.

He said more than 5000 people living in isolated islands in Fiji had benefited from the ship in the past two years.

The airline said in a statement it has been operating all regular international schedules since Saturday, after a replacement mechanical part for the Boeing 737 was sourced.

Final mechanical work would take place later this month to replace the loan auxiliary power unit that was currently fitted. This work would be conducted overnight, so it was not expected to affect any flights.

The airline said the backlog of stranded customers had been resolved through recovery flights and assistance from other airlines, including Solomon Airlines, Nauru Airlines and Fiji Airways.

It has been almost eight years since 195 countries signed the Paris Agreement and promised to cut their emissions.

The United Nations measured their progress in its latest report, part of an overall 'global stocktake' that will form the basis of the COP28 summit later this year.

University of Canterbury political science professor Bronwyn Hayward said the results were mixed.

"This is telling us how the world is progressing, which is not well," she said.

"Not as absolutely terrible as it could be, but we're still heading for a 2.5C warmer world."

ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys confirmed to The Australian newspaper that New Zealand was “absolutely a consideration’’ for a State of Origin fixture between Queensland and New South Wales.

“At the moment, the Origin scheduling has already been locked in for the next three years, but we are ecstatic at the success of rugby league in New Zealand,’’ V’landys said.

“The Warriors have been outstanding this season and naturally we want to keep that momentum going.

“A historic State of Origin match in New Zealand is definitely something we will consider.”

A report commissioned by the New Zealand China Council has found 11.6 percent of all New Zealand research in 2022 was co-authored with Chinese researchers, an increase from 2017's 7.7 percent figure.

Council chair John McKinnon said the report pointed to China as a leading research partners across multiple disciplines, behind Australia (20 percent), the United States (17.5 percent) and the United Kingdom (14.2 percent).

New Zealand-owned charter cargo airline Texel Air began operations in the small Middle-Eastern nation of Bahrain, but has expanded to New Zealand to address what it saw as a gap in the market.

Texel Air works with companies in the freight and airline industries, and governments, rather than selling directly to customers.

The airline said it was launching with New Zealand Post and Parceline Express (owned by Freightways) as its foundation customers.

The actor took a dive into the shadows with a wicked grin, captivating audiences with nuances of playful supervillains.

At the recent red carpet premiere, Momoa’s presence was met with overwhelming excitement and support from fans and fellow New Zealand celebrities.

Tagata Pasifika reports Momoa revealed that playing the villain was a refreshing and enjoyable experience, when asked about immersing himself in the character,

“It was fun. I wanted to make him approachable,” he says.

More well known for his role as Aquaman in the DC Universe, Momoa takes on the role of ruthless villain ‘Dante’ who is a sassy, sophisticated bad guy out to destroy Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) in the 10th film of the Fast and Furious franchise.

Tagata Pasifika reports fans swarmed the red carpet to interact with the superstar who was accompanied by New Zealand celebrities Taika Waititi, Cliff Curtis and Temuera Morrison.

Despite not being with the rest of the film’s cast in Italy, Momoa was more than happy to share this moment with his New Zealand fans.

The police's wastewater testing programme analyses daily wastewater at 10 sample sites across New Zealand.

Newshub reports on average, the programme analyses samples one week of each month for traces of methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. The latest results cover October to December last year (Q4). 

Firefighters have found six bodies inside the building, but police would not have a confirmed number of fatalities until investigators had been able to search all of the damaged building.

Loafers Lodge hosts short- and long-term boarders on a budget, and could house more than 90 people at capacity.