Wellington - New Zealand peacefully celebrated 169 years of partnership between its indigenous Maori people and white settlers from Britain Friday with Prime Minister John Key shrugging off a physical attack on him by two Maori dissidents the previous day as an isolated incident.
Wellington - New Zealand celebrates 169 years of partnership between its indigenous Maori people and European settlers Friday with relations between the races in a better state than they have been for years.
The development comes despite an attack Thursday on Prime Minister John Key by two dissidents waving a Maori sovereignty flag as he arrived at a meeting house at historic Waitangi in the Bay of Islands for celebrations on the eve of the country's national day.
The protestors claimed that the government was not doing enough for the near-600,000 Maoris, who comprise about 15 per cent of the population, but Key dubbed them "glory seekers" and said, "They were out of step with what the majority of people think."
Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key was attacked Thursday by two men as he arrived at a Maori meeting house for a ceremonial greeting on the eve of the country's national day celebrations.
One man grabbed the prime minister around the chest and neck and another shouted "Don't believe you are coming on here, mate," as he got out of his car at the Te Tii Marae meeting house grounds in Waitangi, the Bay of Islands, news reports said.
Wellington - As the economy fell into recession, the number of jobless New Zealanders rose nearly 37 per cent last year, topping 100,000 for the first time since 2002, according to official figures released Thursday.
With 105,000 workers idle, the unemployment rate rose steadily throughout the year to reach 4.6 per cent, Statistics New Zealand said, reporting its quarterly household labour force survey.
Wellington - A record 35,304 New Zealand citizens migrated to Australia as the economic recession began to bite in their homeland last year, according to official figures released on Wednesday.
This was up from 28,557 the previous year. The figures released by Statistics New Zealand showed the number leaving the country every year for a new start in neighbouring Australia has more than doubled since 2004.
Four out of every 10 migrants were aged 15 to 29, with children under 14 and the 30-44 age group each accounting for 23 per cent of the outflow.
The figures showed that 8,200 New Zealand citizens returned home from long-term stays in Australia while 4,900 Australians moved residence across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand.
Wellington - Two brothers convicted of murdering a 3-year-old girl who was kicked to death after months of abuse, including being hung and spun on a rotary clothesline and put into a tumble dryer, were sent to prison for a minimum of 17 and a half years Wednesday, news reports said.
Wiremu Curtis, 19, and Michael Curtis, 22, were found guilty late last year of the murder of Nia Glassie, who died from severe brain damage in August 2007, 12 days after being taken to hospital.
Wellington - New Zealand peacefully celebrated 169 years of partnership between its indigenous Maori people and white settlers from Britain Friday with Prime Minister John Key shrugging off a physical attack on him by two Maori dissidents the previous day as an isolated incident.
Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key was attacked Thursday by two men as he arrived at a Maori meeting house for a ceremonial greeting on the eve of the country's national day celebrations.
Wellington - As the economy fell into recession, the number of jobless New Zealanders rose nearly 37 per cent last year, topping 100,000 for the first time since 2002, according to official figures released Thursday.
Wellington - Two brothers convicted of murdering a 3-year-old girl who was kicked to death after months of abuse, including being hung and spun on a rotary clothesline and put into a tumble dryer, were sent to prison for a minimum of 17 and a half years Wednesday, news reports said.
