NZ

Some 22 people died when the country's most active volcano suddenly erupted last December with tourists on it.

Ten parties now face charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act, which carries a maximum fine of NZ$1.5m ($1.06m; £0.79m).

A further three have been charged as directors or individuals.

These individuals, who have been accused of neglecting health and safety obligations, will face a maximum fine of NZ$300,000.

It is being described in the Vanuatu Daily Post as a "breakthrough for root crop exports".

The consignment will also include 20 kilogrammes of coconut milk.

Vanuatu's Director General of Trade, Roy Mickey Joy, said the export was a milestone after years of struggle to breakthrough export barriers.

It has become possible because New Zealand relaxed its export rules.

At a launch for the exports, Vanuatu's Prime Minister Bob Loughman, told farmers throughout the country to plant more root crops.

None of the passengers on the flight from Auckland to Sydney will be required to quarantine in Australia.

However they will have to pay for their own quarantine in a hotel when they return to New Zealand.

At the moment, the bubble is one-sided, with Australians not allowed to enter New Zealand.

Australia and New Zealand are among the first countries in the Asia-Pacific region to loosen restrictions on international travel since Covid-19 travel bans came into effect earlier this year.

It's Fijian Language Week and nearly 20,000 of the islanders in New Zealand are expected to celebrate Fiji's 50th independence on Saturday.

Auckland-based Fijian Nacanieli Yalimaiwai is also a director of Pacific charity trust The Fono.

Yalimaiwai is calling for more participation of his people to ensure their language and culture is preserved for future generations.

"About seven percent of NZ-born Fijians speak the Fijian language. That's very low and should be worrying for our people," Nacanieli Yalimaiwai said.

The newly-appointed Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said he expects quarantine-free travel with New Zealand to be in place by December.

New Zealand's Prime Minister said she expects her country will soon be in a position to open up to the Cook Islands.

Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said his country is committed to making the 'Bula Bubble' work with its major partners in the region.

It means the second Bledisloe Cup test will be played at Eden Park next Sunday, as fans will be allowed to attend.

The test would have been moved to Dunedin if Auckland remained at Alert Level 2.

NZR general manager professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum says it's great news.

"Auckland fans missed out on both the North v South match last month and the Blues v Crusaders match so this is positive news that they will be able to enjoy Test match rugby,' Lendrum said.

On August 28, the Ministry of Health confirmed seven imported cases of COVID-19; three men in their 30s, a woman in her 60s, a woman in her 20s, and two children.  

They arrived in New Zealand on the flight in question - an Air India flight from Delhi, on August 23. 

The first shipment in an export trial of Vanuatu's Tahitian limes arrived in New Zealand in February.

Biosecurity New Zealand said Vanuatu officials had agreed to stop issuing export certificates for the limes until the issues were resolved.

Without identifying the issues, the agency said it was "working closely with local officials to identify and address any gaps in Vanuatu's certification system".

Vanuatu Plant Biosecurity Officer Touasi Tiwok told the Daily Post the temporary stop was an opportunity to discuss "risks" to New Zealand.

Terrorist and mass murderer Brenton Tarrant will spend the rest of his life behind bars, after he was sentenced yesterday for killing 51 people and injuring 40 at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques last year.

Court documents which were suppressed until the end of the sentencing show Tarrant applied to appear at his sentencing by way of audio-visual link.

His counsel said it would provide cost-saving and avoid the need for secure transfer from Auckland to Christchurch.

Pacific people make up close to 75 percent of the cases in the Auckland cluster.

Commenting on whether he was concerned about the susceptibility of Pacific Islanders to Covid-19, Kris Faafoi said things like the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the community were concerning.

But he said Pacific people were no more susceptible now than they were during the first wave of Covid-19 and he reiterated that everyone was at risk.