New Zealand

New Zealand market hits four year low

New Zealand market hits four year lowWellington  - The New Zealan

Fiji downs New Zealand in last World Cup qualifier

Fiji downs New Zealand in last World Cup qualifierWellington - Fiji embarrassed visiting New Zealand with a 2-0 win in Oceania's final World Cup qualifier on Wednesday night.

It was the New Zealanders' first defeat after five wins in the Oceania Nations Cup had already qualified them for the Confederations Cup in South Africa in June 2009 and a World Cup playoff against an Asian team later next year.

Both goals in Lautoka, Fiji, came in the second half after New Zealand goalkeeper Glen Moss was sent off in the 59th minute for questioning a decision of referee Lencie Fred, reducing the visitors to 10 men.

Air New Zealand cutting 200 jobs

Air New Zealand cutting 200 jobsWellington  - The state-owned Air New Zealand announced Wednesday that it was cutting 200 jobs in a new cost-saving drive as passenger numbers fall in the current international financial crisis.

Chief executive Rob Fyfe said that 100 long-haul cabin crew staff would be made redundant and up to 68 in technical, planning and management with smaller cuts in other areas.

Fyfe said the airline had reduced capacity to match customer demand over the past few months and had worked hard on initiatives to minimise redundancies.

New Zealand's new government sworn in

New Zealand's new government sworn inWellington  - New Zealand's new government was sworn in Wednesday, officially clearing the way for Prime Minister John Key to attend this week's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting in Peru.

Key, whose conservative National Party has formed a centre-right administration after signing power-sharing agreements with three other parties in Parliament, will leave Thursday for Lima.

German backpacker, 20, survives New Zealand kayak accident

German backpacker, 20, survives New Zealand kayak accident Wellington  - German tourist Julia Jahn, 20, kept telling herself she was too young to die as she struggled for five hours to keep her head above water after her kayak became trapped on a New Zealand river, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

"I was thinking I want to survive. I'm still young. I don't want to die, so I had such a big will to live," Jahn, from Bavaria, told the Dominion Post as she talked about Friday's ill-fated kayak trip in the wilderness of the North Island's Whanganui River.

Brothers guilty of murdering 3-year-old after months of assault

Wellington - Two brothers were found guilty Tuesday of murdering a three-year-old girl who was kicked to death after months of abuse, including being hung and spun on a rotary clothes line until she fell off and put in a tumble dryer that was switched on, news reports said on Tuesday.

A jury in the Rotorua High Court took nearly 11 hours to convict Wiremu Curtis, 18, and Michael Curtis, 22, of the murder of Nia Glassie, who died from severe brain damage in August 2007, 12 days after being taken to hospital.

The girl's mother, Lisa Kuka, 35, who had been in a relationship with Wiremu Curtis, was found guilty on two counts of manslaughter for failing to provide the necessities of life and not protecting the child from violence.

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