New Zealand

Senator Seselja is from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and has a strong interest in labour mobility so he is expected to reveal how this can help the Pacific's economic recovery post-Covid 19.

Aupito and Senator Seselja's get-together follows their foreign ministers' Nanaia Mahuta and Marise Payne meeting today.

The discussions had centred around the issue of 501 deportees and the Five Eyes matters.

The meetings are the first face-to-face ministerial talks betwen the two countries since the Covid-19 pandemic shut the borders.

In a statement, the ministry said the usual protocol of isolating the case, interviewing them and tracing their contacts and movements was under way.

There are no new cases of Covid-19 in the community today.

The ministry said more information would be provided later today and the case would be included in tomorrow's totals.

The historical case was a recent returnee from Somalia via UAE who was tested on day 12 of their stay, but was considered recovered, the ministry said.

The long-awaited initiative removes the need for visitors to quarantine.

Both countries have contained Covid outbreaks and kept infection rates low, in large part due to hard borders.

Excited passengers crowded Australian airports ahead of reunions with family and friends.

Thousands of people are expected to travel on Monday with some rising before dawn to get ready to board.

"I didn't realise how emotional I was going to be today," passenger Dawn Tratt told the BBC at Sydney airport.

The hoisting of flags at dawn by Maori and Pacific community leaders was especially poignant as it marks the return of the iconic Maori and Pacific schools festival after two years.

The 45-year-old festival was cancelled over the last two years due to the Christchurch shooting in 2019 and last year’s COVID 19 lockdown.

ASB Polyfest Trustee Mama Tupou Manapouri says it is just so important for our students to return to the stage and celebrate who they are.

“After the lengthy COVID 19 lockdowns we all needed to get back to some kind of normalcy and mental wellbeing.”

The recipients will pursue studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Law and Architecture

Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio said more Pasifika are embracing STEM opportunities, paving a pathway to educational success.

Now in its sixth year, the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) Toloa Programme is achieving its goal of helping Pacific Aotearoa to thrive.

A police spokesperson said the car was seen speeding the wrong way down Karamu Road in Hastings and failed to stop for police just after 12.30am, fleeing down Kenilworth Road.

It hit gravel at the base of railway lines, become airborne and went over a fence, crashing into the fruit bins and ending about 10 metres above the ground.

Fire and Emergency spokesperson Mike Wanoa said rescuers used ladders to reach the man in the vehicle, then cut him free.

He was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Australia and New Zealand will jointly host the 32 team tournament with 12 cities from both countries having bid to host games.

The 64 games will be split between the two countries with the tournament opener and a semi-final to be played here while Sydney has already been confirmed as the host city for the final.

Football's world govenring body FIFA has carried out an eight month survey of each of the 12 candidate host cities which include, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and Wellington.

Fiji's government said it has proven itself as a safe destination for travellers during the pandemic with no cases reported for more than 320 days.

Fiji said it was ready to open its border to Australia and New Zealand and urged both countries to join Fiji's so-called Bula Bubble scheme.

But its major regional partners say the Fijians are not on the priority list for a seat on the trans-Tasman travel bubble, just yet.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday several concerns needed to be resolved before a trans-Tasman bubble could go ahead.

Janeiro Tapusoa, 28, pleaded guilty to murder one month before the three-week jury trial last year. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 13 years and one month.

Leroy Tinei, 27, was found guilty of murder at trial, and has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 11 years and four months.

Samiuela Tupou’s family attended Wednesday’s sentencing, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Hundreds of new confirmed Covid cases in the past few days have taken PNG's total number of cases to nearly 2,500.

Despite limited testing, the picture of high community transmission is becoming glaringly clear, particularly in the capital Port Moresby and other urban areas.

A proliferation of cases among health workers has only exacerbated the shortcomings of PNG's ailing health system in this time of crisis.