New Zealand

The Kiwis threw caution-to-the-wind for much of their opening game at the Rugby League World Cup, resulting in them making 17 errors and completing just 62 per cent of their 42 uses with the ball.

Sepuloni also picked up Minister for Disability Issues, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Associate Minister for Pacific Peoples.

Of Tongan-Samoan descent, Sepuloni says she's humbled to have been selected as a Cabinet Minister and they're ready to lead the country.

"For those of us that have run for the last three or four elections, we really do know what's involved and we've had lots of time to think about what policy we think can address the challenges that we face as a country," she says. 

Lofty centre Adams had a second straight double-double, notching 17 points and 11 rebounds, as the Thunder took their season record to 2-2 with the victory at Chesapeake Arena on Thursday (NZ time).

The 24-year-old made eight of his 13 shots and added two blocks and two steals in a typically busy all-round effort.

It was a welcome result for Oklahoma City, who started their 2017-18 campaign with a win against the New York Knicks but had since gone down to both the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Immigration New Zealand will not accept the Certificates of Identity (COIs) without the holders being able to provide other forms of identification.

New Zealand requires either a New Zealand driver’s license or an expired Tongan passport as supporting identity documents.

Groups such as Recognised Seasonal Employee visa applicants who had planned to travel to New Zealand will need to get supporting letters from the RSE office in Tonga.

New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters said he had spoken to the leaders of the National Party and the Labour Party today and, amongst other matters, advised them of that.

What you need to know

It's been 26 days since the election.

NZ is into the 10th day of negotiations.

On Tuesday night Mr Peters secretly met one-on-one with both Bill English and Jacinda Ardern.

The final round of negotiations wrapped up last night, ending five days of back-to-back meetings with National and Labour.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said he would announce which party his will form a government with by the end of next week.

But there is still no indication exactly when that will be. Mr Peters is still working on bringing together his board, which has to sign off any decision, meaning an announcement will be at the weekend at the earliest.

Mr Peters said he was very pleased to have all the policy discussion finished.

Two other Tongan MPs in parliament were Tongan speaking MP Jenny Salesa and MP Carmel Sepuloni who is of Tongan decent through her father.

Kanongata’a said it was a massive power and love of God that had given her the opportunity to join parliament. She said she prayed to the Lord to help her in her political journey.

Kaniva News reports New Zealand’s voting system known as Mixed Member Proportional or MMP meant a political party’s total number of seats in Parliament is filled with a mix of Electorate MPs and List MPs.

The thunderstorms were working their way up the coast, beginning in Fiordland at 1am.

Newshub reports at one point lightning bolts were flashing 45 times per minute.

The West Coast is also being battered with heavy rainfall, with up to 160mm over a 36-hour period in Westland and 120mm in the Canterbury and Otago headwaters, according to MetService.

MetService has issued a severe wind warning for Otago and Canterbury as well as Wellington and the Wairarapa.

It said storms would continue to barrage the entire West Coast for the rest of the day.

New Zealand will sign the Treaty on the first day it is open for signature, September 20.

“Our signing at this first opportunity is consistent with New Zealand’s long-standing commitment to international nuclear disarmament efforts”, Brownlee said.

“While no state currently in possession of nuclear weapons will be signing along with us, this Treaty nevertheless represents an important step towards a nuclear-free world.

The x-ray equipment was jointly funded by New Zealand and Tonga.  It replaces the old x-ray system that New Zealand provided in 2006 which has come to the end of its life.

Kaniva News reports New Zealand is providing NZ$11.5 million in new funding for aviation security equipment and training in the Pacific over the next five years.

This builds on New Zealand’s existing NZ$2.5 million programme to help Pacific island countries meet their international aviation regulatory obligations.