Category Archives: New Zealand

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Global risk sentiment continues to recover and this is aiding the New Zealand Dollar, say analysts.

Those bellwethers of global investor sentiment, the S&P500 and Nasdaq equity indices, registered strong gains overnight rising by 1.6% and 2.6% respectively.

"The Australian and New Zealand dollars are benefitting from the ongoing rebound in global equity markets that extended further overnight," says Lee Hardman, Currency Analyst at MUFG.

The New Zealand Dollar is a pro-cyclical and 'risk on' currency that tends to advance when investor optimism is improving and global equity markets are rising.

This is particularly the case when there is a Chinese element to the drivers behind that improved sentiment, given New Zealand and Australia's close ties to the world second largest economy.

That China's bellicose response to Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit has culminated in 'war games' around Taiwan is offering some relief, with investors fretting earlier in the week that the response could have been more severe.

"The top performing G10 currencies have been the high beta commodity currencies of the Australian and New Zealand dollars as they continue to reverse losses from earlier in the week that were driven by the flare up in geopolitical tensions between the US and China over Taiwan," says Hardman.

Above: GBP/NZD (top) and USD/NZD (bottom) at daily intervals.

The New Zealand Dollar rose two-thirds of a percent against the U.S. Dollar Thursday, taking NZD/USD to 0.63 at the time of writing.

The Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate (GBP/NZD) fell 0.45% Wednesday and is lower a further 0.15% Thursday at 1.9316. This takes rates on bank accounts to ~1.8770 for Kiwi payments and ~1.9253 at independent payment specialists.

Further improvements in investor sentiment came from U.S. data that confirmed the U.S. economy is growing, despite a wall of worries that include rising local interest rates.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services PMI confounded market expectations by rising for the month of July in contrast to the alternative barometer compiled by S&P Global.

The headline rose from 55.3 to 56.7, aided by sharp increases in new orders and overall business activity within the U.S. economy's largest and most important sector.

"The tentative improvement in global investor risk sentiment was supported by the release yesterday of the ISM services survey for July," says Hardman.

Looking ahead, should investor sentiment continue its modest improvement the New Zealand Dollar and its Australian cousin would also be expected to see further gains.

The outlook remains challenging however, not least because the U.S. Federal Reserve is showing little inclination to end its interest rate hiking cycle.

The Fed will continue to force a slowdown in the U.S. economy until it is convinced it has turned the tide on inflation.

The reduction in global liquidity resulting from higher interest rates would in turn be expected to weigh on global economic activity.

Therefore bouts of weakness in markets and downturns in sentiment remain possible, which could pressure the high beta New Zealand Dollar.

Domestically, economists remain concerned the New Zealand economy could slowdown sharply over coming months.

"A dismal growth outlook as hard landing risks rise adds to the challenging external backdrop facing New Zealand," says HSBC, the international investment bank and lender.

The latest assessment of the outlook for the New Zealand economy leads HSBC's foreign exchange research team to lower their New Zealand Dollar forecasts and maintain a cautious stance on the currency.

"We have been bearish on the NZD for some time as persistent geopolitical tensions, global supply disruptions, a slowing Chinese economy, and a hawkish Fed painted a challenging backdrop for the risk sensitive currency," says Paul Mackel, Head of FX Research at HSBC.

In a mid-year currency market assessment Mackel adds "Domestic growth concerns are now becoming more prevalent at a time when the RBNZ is hiking further and faster to re-anchor inflation expectations."

Further interest rate hikes are meanwhile expected from the RBNZ as HSBC economists say inflation is still yet to show any signs of easing and inflation expectations continuing to climb higher.

However, this dynamic is no longer anticipated by HSBC's currency analysts to provide outright support for the NZ Dollar.

"Further RBNZ hikes will struggle to lift the NZD given how much is already priced in and the dominance of risk over relative rates".

HSBC remains bearish on the NZ Dollar and lower their NZD/USD forecasts to 0.58 by the end of the fourth quarter of 2022 and 0.57 by the end of the second quarter of 2023.

HSBC's forecasts for the GBP/USD exchange rate for these points are 1.17 and 1.16, this implies a Pound to New Zealand Dollar forecast of 2.0172 and 2.030.

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New Zealand Dollar and Aussie Outperform on Improved Sentiment - Pound Sterling Live

Brook Sabin/Stuff

The reaction after my form shut down and I had to follow the two-step process to get back in.

Brook Sabin is a travel reporter for Stuff.

OPINION: "Please allow 40 minutes to complete this form." I'm sitting in Australia trying to get permission to enter my own country through a process that feels like formageddon.

Before boarding a flight to Aotearoa, you must have a New Zealand Traveller Pass which is obtained through filling in a multi-step Covid form known as the New Zealand Traveller Declaration.

I'm warned at the start that I need to provide accurate information or I could be unable to board.

Many countries introduced such measures as borders first opened up, primarily to keep track of pre-departure tests and vaccination status.

READ MORE:* The new rules for travel to Australia: What Kiwis can expect * Travelling to New Zealand? Here's what you need to do before you arrive* Overseas travel: How to visit popular destinations open to Kiwi travellers

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As international travel is back on the cards for many, Kiwi travellers are reporting different pre-departure test experiences.

However, you no longer require a pre-departure test to enter New Zealand. And Kiwis can enter their own country without needing a vaccination pass. So, requiring New Zealanders to fill out this form is bureaucratic nonsense.

After making a couple of trips to Australia, everyone I spoke to seemed annoyed by the process. Even the check-in agent said, "I'm surprised they make you do this to get into your own country." The most significant problem people raised, aside from it being a waste of time, was the elderly who struggle with things like connecting their phone to wi-fi, let alone filling out online declarations.

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The New Zealand Traveller Declaration must be filled in by everyone entering New Zealand by air.

The first time I filled out the form, it took about 25 minutes because I skim-read everything. The second time I skipped all the text, and it took 14. But for someone reading it all, and collecting all the documents, I can see why they warn about 40 minutes.

I twice managed to accidentally exit my form, only to be told that I had a seven-digit reference number waiting for me in my emails to help me get back in. Once I'd entered that, another email was sent to me with a temporary code.

Some older people struggle with phones and apps. I can only imagine the difficulty of copying codes in the email app, and then heading back to the internet browser to put them in.

The form requires passport details, "proof of vaccination, if required", a 14-day travel history, flight details, emergency contact details, your contact details, and an email address.

But, hang on. New Zealanders dont need a vaccine certificate or pre-departure test to enter, so the only helpful information is a 14-day travel history.

However, the three-page customs form you fill out on the plane collects precisely that. In fact, it asks for a 30-day travel history.

The form is arguably justified for overseas tourists if we want to continue asking them to provide a vaccine certificate to enter the country. (Or perhaps, like Australia, we should lift all Covid entry restrictions.)

After arriving in New Zealand, you must take a RAT test on day zero and day five or six. If any of these are positive, you then need to get a PCR test. Surely, if the point of the form is to track new variants of Covid, this is the time we collect all the information at the point of being positive.

When Aucklanders were finally released from their Delta lockdown of late 2021, they didn't need a form to travel to the South Island. Of course not; they're Kiwis.

But, we're making Kiwis fill one out to get home. It's time we followed Australia, and much of the world, and put that in the Covid-19 bin.

It was so liberating flying to Australia without Covid bureaucracy. I cant say the same for coming home.

Read the original post:

Is it time to ditch the New Zealand Traveller Declaration? - Stuff

The moon makes the tide go in and out at every beach in New Zealand, bar one. But to understand Oteranga Bay, you have to understand the rest of the tides too. Chris Hyde reports.

Fun fact: On a stretch of the southwest coast of Norway there are no tides. The locals build properties right down to the shoreline, and even over it, because the sea doesn't move in and out. It's what's known as an amphidromic point.

A second fun fact for the day: Some say there is another amphidromic point on the other side of the globe. That point is known as New Zealand.

I was confused as well because I was pretty certain we have tides so I asked around. Few knew what I was going on about.

READ MORE:* Cruise liner mishap may boost marine farming* Charting tides and their celestial influences is a dance that never seems to tire* Cook Strait cable lifting in fierce currents - heftier ones needed* Earthquake: there's no evidence the moon causes quakes

But those who did were able to help connect the puzzle pieces of what is surely one of nature's most intriguing pieces of water the moana around Aotearoa.

In te ao Mori, the incoming and outgoing tides are the inhale and exhale of a taniwha by the name of Te Parata.

The taniwha, who was encountered in Moana-nui--Kiwa by some of the first voyagers from Hawaiki, is not to be angered, for obvious reasons.

Bill Kearns/Stuff

A high tide at Haumoana in Hawkes Bay in 2006.

Te Parata's powers represent the gravitational pull of the moon, which plays a huge part in our tides and all tides. So too, to a lesser extent, does the pull of the sun and the curvature of the Earth.

But our oceans are far more complicated than just a bunch of liquid being pulled one way or another by the gravity fields of rocks and balls of gas in the sky.

You can thank the coriolis effect that drives our weather for the extra confusion.

Think of the oceans not as if they're giant ponds of water in the traditional sense, but instead as a collection of really deep glasses of water.

These glasses of water aren't sitting on the surface of the earth like it's a table.

Uncredited/AP

The coriolis effect, which causes hurricanes and tropical cyclones to swirl, also makes our oceans slowly turn and creates amphidromic points with no tides, the equivalent of a hurricanes eye.

Because of the coriolis effect - read more on that here if you like - it's as if the glasses are being swirled and sloshed around like giant calm hurricanes, or a tropical cyclone if you're in the Southern Hemisphere.

At the edge of these glasses the water level changes from high, and then back low, as it's spun around.

These are places with large tides.

But in the middle of the glasses, the water level stays stable, even as other all points around it rise and fall. These are amphidromic points, where there are no tides.

Simon Williams/Unsplash

In parts of the southwestern coast of Norway, builders know the tide won't come in much, if at all.

I'm guessing that before you clicked on this article you hadn't heard of many places that had no tides, right? So amphidromic points must be rare too?

Not really.

They exist in every ocean on the planet, and it's possible to have several in a single ocean. Roughly five exist in the Pacific alone.

But to have one that actually intersects with land is rarer.

And one of those landforms, like Norway, that keeps getting name-dropped in science books, in reports, and even in viral Tik Toks about places with no tide, is little ol' New Zealand.

Clearly Aotearoa does have tides, and some rather large ones on a world scale, especially on its western coastlines.

Unlike Norway, the exact middle of New Zealand's amphidromic point, if it even was a true one, would be somewhere inland, not right on the shoreline.

So instead of our beaches being in the middle of the glass of water, theyre actually sitting somewhere between the middle and the edge of the glass, hence, tides.

Which leaves the question of where on land the amphidromic point would be located. The answer is that it is impossible to pinpoint. It would change.

That's because, as Niwa tidal scientist Glen Reeve notes, despite the literature that keeps including us in the amphidromic point conversation, we're not actually one in the truest sense of the science.

R Ray/NASA

A map of the world's amphidromic points. They are shown as the points where the white lines meet. Most are surrounded by dark blue, indicating low or no tides.

Its a shame, but you cannot say for certain that either Ashburton or Levin is the metaphorical plughole of New Zealand.

What is true though is that our tidal pattern makes us look like an amphidromic point because it propagates or swirls around the country very close to every 12 hours.

Bizarrely it does so anticlockwise, completely contradicting the coriolis effect. That's right, our tides are as weird as a tropical cyclone hitting New Orleans.

It's actually offshore amphidromic points that are to blame for this. There's two of them around us in the Pacific Ocean, one to the northwest of us and one to the southeast, that pull the sea in such a way that it has no choice but to go against its natural instincts and travel anticlockwise around us.

When you combine that with a country that's far from immune to being shaken and stirred by severe weather, it's no wonder we get some strange happenings out there in the blue.

As well as being head-scratchingly fun science, our odd tides translate into some fascinating real-world effects.

Auckland is one example. Manukau Harbour and Waitemat Harbour are no more than three or four kilometres apart in some places, yet have tides that are almost 180 degree opposites.

Abigail Dougherty/Stuff

When its high tide in Waitemata Harbour, its low tide in Manukau.

The tide literally has to travel from Auckland around Cape Reinga to reach Manukau Harbour a journey that takes it hours.

Travel further south and there's an even more dramatic tidal effect in the gap between the North and South Islands.

In the infamous Cook Strait, when one side of it is at high tide, the other is at low tide.

It means there's a bunch of water in the middle that needs to rush to fill a void that is up to 2 metres lower on one side.

This happens every time things change a smidgeon, and if there's one thing tides are always doing, it's changing.

It's why the currents in the strait are so strong and so complex.

Just ask anyone who's tried to swim it one minute they're speeding towards the shore, the next the tide has changed, and they're moving backwards.

These currents are then amplified further in parts of the Marlborough Sounds.

The channel separating D'Urbanville Island from the South Island, known as Te Aumiti/French Pass is the finest example.

It's the strongest tidal current in New Zealand, water moving an astonishing four metres per second at its fastest point.

Lloyd Homer/GNS Science

The tide at French Pass is the strongest in New Zealand.

Craig Aston, who's lived beside it and fished it his whole life, says the tidal currents are so strong because of the narrow width of it, and the shallow and uneven depth of the pass.

When the tide changes, the power of it can effectively kill a fish.

Aston says their death is a ruthless one that the tides themselves don't carry out, but do facilitate by rendering fish unable to swim.

What happens is fish get caught in one of the updrafts and their air bladders blow, Aston said.

That's a point of no return for them because they'll sit at the top of the tidal updraft, and they can't get down again because their bladder's blown. Then the seagulls come and peck their eyes out.

Aston says it's a particularly common demise for John Dory, and their carcasses commonly wash up on the surrounding coast.

With the massive tidal power comes powerful eddies, fatal to a group of divers just over 20 years ago.

Aston found out their true power first-hand several years ago when he tied a rope to a bloated cow carcass that had washed up on the beach, aiming to drag it in his boat to a more palatable place to dispose it.

"A whirlpool just grabbed hold of it and pulled it under, snapped the rope, and that was the last of that."

ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff

Kaikura has smaller tides because the sun only barely has an effect on it.

The reality is that there is no dream beach that will always have its sand uncovered waiting for you to sunbathe on it.

But there are parts of New Zealand that are degenerated or virtual amphidromes because they don't experience certain types of tides.

Near the Chatham Islands, there is a solar amphidrome - a place where the sun's gravitational pull has no effect on the tide.

This then impacts entire east coast of New Zealand - and probably in a good way too given the potential worries ahead with climate change - reducing neap or spring tides and making the east's overall tidal changes generally lower than the west.

Kaikura's the best example of this on the mainland. Its spring tides are an almost non-existent two to three centimetres.

Tides influenced by the moon are what affect New Zealands coast the most.

But at Oteranga Bay, on the southwest coast of Wellington facing Cook Strait, Niwa has measured the lunar tide as zero.

Reeve says Oteranga Bay is a "degenerated" or "virtual" lunar amphidrome that is unique to Aotearoa, generated by the collision course that is Cook Strait rather than the swirling coriolis effect of most amphidromes.

Because lunar tides are so influential, this is also the place in New Zealand that has been measured as having the smallest overall tide in the country.

But if you take a trip out to the isolated spot, which entirely coincidentally is the landing point of the Cook Strait cable, you will still find yourself at a beach where the tide goes in and out.

The other tides take over.

Transpower general manager of grid delivery Mark Ryall says crews in charge of maintaining the cable still have to take the tides into consideration when deciding the best time to send a boat out.

Though it can be sheltered on a good day, it's a place far removed from the calm and tideless fjords of Norway.

Perhaps the main lesson of all of this is actually really simple: Don't go chasing amphidromes.

Link:

Explained: The New Zealand beach where the moon doesn't move the sea - Stuff

Cats in jackets going for a walk with their owners on Taranaki Maunga is one of New Zealand's biggest biodiversity chuckles in two decades.

But the Department of Conservation (DOC) is not amused, and rightly so. It's using the threat of a fine for the Auckland tourists as a way to educate people about the dangers of bringing pets into our protected reserves and our 13 treasured national parks.

Aotearoa has more than 10,000 protected areas, covering more than 8.6 million hectares (about 32% of our total land area).

As soon as you enter one of those areas your pet is no longer a pet it's a pest. But what else can't you take in? Here's what you need to know before you make your next trip.

READ MORE:* Shooting threat alleged after dog's entry refusal in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park cafe* Signs and big fines no deterrent to dog owners in national park* Warning issued after overseas visitors filmed patting seal pup* Woman horrified to find man turned Department of Conservation hut into a 'brewery'

No, you can't take your cat. No, you can't take your dog. No, you can't take your pig. And no, you can't take your goldfish.

Leave them at home or leave them in a kennel. Otherwise, you could face a fine of up to $100,000.

Tom Lee/Stuff

New Zealands national parks are fragile ecosystems.

DOC spokesman Herb Christophers said threatened species can be wiped out by the arrival of just one pet that gets loose.

Cats and dogs, the most common companion animals, are natural predators even in their domesticated form, no matter how well trained they may be.

Christophers said dogs were invaluable for DOC in species management roles, but its specially trained dogs were muzzled when they were on the job in national parks.

"The Department of Conservation is continually dealing with feral cats and wild dogs not just in national parks but in many areas of high natural value."

One of the most flagrant breaches in Christophers' memory came in 2002. The owners of five ferrets took them on a yacht ride and then a leashed walk on environmentally sensitive Great Barrier Island.

Because of its isolation, Great Barrier is free of major introduced predators and DOC's Great Barrier area manager, Dale Tawa, said at the time he'd rushed to the beach after the report with his "heart in [his] mouth".

Those on the boat had been planning to stay for a week, and Tawa said he was horrified to think of the damage one ferret could do to wildlife if it escaped.

"They eat anything and everything," he said. Ferrets were banned as pets in New Zealand later that year.

Introduced animals are a problem, and so too are plants. Wilding pines continue to be a major issue in many national parks, particularly in Mackenzie Country and the central North Island.

Then there's heather in Tongariro National Park. Christophers says it was planted by a Scottish DOC ranger 100 years ago to provide a habitat for grouse and a taste of home.

Although the birds were never introduced, the plant flourished and was soon widespread through the parks red tussocklands.

"It's become the biggest weed this side of the black stump, the absolute bane of our lives," Christophers says.

While the introduction of seedlings is a far less common occurrence than a family pet being brought in, it's worth noting that you should never do it.

Take only photographs, leave only footprints. We all know this one. You can face big fines (once again up to $100,000) for littering or abandoning things like cars or planes in national parks.

Often it's not rubbish when you bring it in, but it is by the time you leave. If there's no bin around, or if it won't fit in the bin, just take it home with you.

Te Papakura o Taranaki (formerly Egmont National Park) is a hot spot for whiteware and weed clippings, and roughly two years ago, DOC uncovered a pile that really sucked 100 abandoned vacuum cleaners in Southland.

Mike Watson/Stuff

The Pouakai Circuit track in Te Papakura o Taranaki.

While DOC doesn't have much else that it can prosecute you for bringing into a national park, it goes without saying that you can't just bring anything.

National parks and conservation sites are often, understandably, sacred sites for local iwi.

In 2011, a group of 25 young climbers took a barbecue to the summit of the mountain but were later condemned for their actions, which were labelled a tapu offence.

Then in 2013, a group took a trampoline to the Pouakai Range, which also raised eyebrows.

Christophers said DOC has increased searching powers at national parks. That means rangers can stop and search your vehicle at any time if they believe you're breaching the National Parks Act you'd struggle to get away with bringing in something weird and threatening like a barrel of oil.

Weapons are another thing to leave at home.

"You probably can't park your nuclear submarines out at Abel Tasman. And putting intercontinental ballistic missiles on the top of Ruapehu that'd get people involved, I'd say."

Last but not least, Christophers, like so many of us, likes the quiet of the backcountry.

Mytchall Bransgrove/Stuff

Aoraki/Mt Cook. The quiet of the backcountry is one of its great allures.

Our national parks are one of the few places where it remains, though helicopter tours have eroded parts of it in recent years.

While it's not illegal to bring and play your portable sound systems, have a really long think about whether that's going to be the right thing to do.

Once youve done that, leave it at home.

Here is the original post:

A guide to what you can't bring into New Zealand's national parks - Stuff

Thursday, 4 August 2022, 10:52 amPress Release: Athletics New Zealand

On an historic night for New Zealand athletics at theBirmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Hamish Kerr celebrated abrilliant gold medal in the mens high jump, Maddi Weschesnared bronze in the womens shot put and Zoe Hobbsfinished sixth up against a world-class field in thewomens 100m final.

In the mens high jump,Hamish Kerr proved a class apart to dethrone defendingchampion Brandon Starc of Australia with a best clearance of2.25m to become the first Kiwi gold medallist (or medallistof any colour) in the mens high jump at a CommonwealthGames.

The history-defining athlete, who earlier thisyear became the first New Zealander to win a global highjump medal with bronze at the World Indoor Championships inMarch, once again achieved another huge milestone momentwith a dominant display.

Hamish, the New Zealandrecord-holder with a best of 2.31m, looked in total controlclearing his opening height of 2.15m at the first time ofasking and maintained his flawless record with first timeclearances at 2.19m, 2.22m and 2.25m to pile the pressure onhis opposition. Looking relaxed throughout he spent largechunks of the competition chatting amiably to his fellowcompetitors.

Starc was the only athlete in the 13-manfield who could respond also soaring above 2.25m with hisfirst attempt, however as the Australian sustained someearly misses the amiable Auckland-raised but nowChristchurch-based athlete knew he was in control of thecompetition on countback.

As the bar was raised to2.28m the greater pressure was thrust upon the Australianjumper, who knew to dislodge the New Zealand champion fromgold he would have to make a successful clearance.

Thetruth Starc never came close, and although Hamish spoiledhis otherwise flawless record as he too missed out on thatheight with his three attempts, it did not matter one bit asthe Kiwi was crowned Commonwealth champion oncountback.

Tejaswin Shankar of India claimed bronzewith a best of 2.22m.

An elated Hamish said: Thisis unreal. I knew I came in with some pretty good form butat the same time to get it done tit is amazing. The stadiumis awesome, and I fed off that energy. Im inshock.

I was confident, but I knew there were someguys in that field who can jump pretty high, adds Hamish.I knew I couldnt take my foot off the accelerator, soI was looking towards the next jump. As the other guys thenstarted to falter, I could see that I was in a pretty goodposition.

I back myself (to perform well in bigcompetitions) and I think I am a real competitor. I love thesport, I love jumping and I love jumping in front of a crowdso tonight definitely got me going.

It has been along year for me, and Ive been away from New Zealandsince May, which is the longest stint Ive ever had awayfrom home. That has created its challenges. My coachwasnt able to come with me for a quite a while because hehad Covid, so Ive been chasing form a little bit but toget it done is a massive relief.

Maddi Weschemaintained New Zealands incredible shot put tradition bywinning a bronze medal in a drama-filled climax to thecompetition inside a packed and buzzing AlexandraStadium.

The 23-year-old Aucklander, who last monthset a PB of 19.50m to place seventh in the WorldChampionships, took early control of the competition with animpressive opener of 18.84m.

The former World U20champion could not extend on that in round two, hurling themetal ball out to 18.54m but she maintained her position inprovisional gold as some of her main rivals struggled tofind their rhythm.

However, an 18.98m put by defendingchampion Danniel Thomas-Dodd elevated the Jamaican into topspot in round three as the Kiwi produced a best of17.86m.

Maddi unleashed what looked a huge throw inround four but lost her balance out of the circle andunfortunately registered a foul, and with no change to theoverall picture she remained in provisionalsilver.

The medal positions picture remained static inround five as Maddi registered a further foul, althoughWorld Championship fourth place finisher Sarah Mitton ofCanada, who had up until that point endured a below-parcompetition, was showing signs of finding her rhythmpowering the shot out to 18.29m in round five.

And itwas Mitton who turned the competition upside down in thefinal stanza, as the 20m plus thrower uncorked a 19.03meffort to move into gold relegating Maddi intobronze.

Neither the Kiwi - with a final effort of18.48m - nor Thomas-Dodd could respond to the challenge, butMaddi had the huge consolation of picking up her maideninternational senior medal.

It was also New Zealand12th ever medal in a womens shot put adding to the sevengold medals and four silver medals won at previous editionsof the Commonwealth Games.

It was a really goodopener (of 18.84m) I thought I would climb from there butIm not going to complain with a bronze medal

Thecrowd was crazy. I dont think Ive ever competed in acrowd like it, you just have to thrive off it. Id comeback to this atmosphere any day. I have at least a couplemore years to grow as an athlete, but I Im gettingthere.

Zoe Hobbs enjoyed another thunderous nightof sprinting as the New Zealander speedster finished sixthin a world-class final of the womens 100m.

TheKiwi, who last month reached the semi-finals at the WorldChampionships and recorded an Oceania record of 11.08, hadearlier impressed in her semi-final finishing second in11.15 - just 0.10 behind Olympic champion ElaineThompson-Herah - to become the first Kiwi since Briar Toopto reach a womens Commonwealth 100m final for 32years.

Zoe, who time and time again over the past sixmonths or so has been the master of the seeminglyimpossible, looked calm and composed ahead of the finalwhich featured six sub-11 second performers.

Blitzingout of the blocks and making an impressive start the firsthalf of the race the Taranaki-raised athlete was in medalcontention until the stellar field started to pile on thepressure in the latter stages.

Retaining her cool theKiwi maintained her form to cross the line in sixth in 11.19behind Thompson-Herah who proved too good for the restrecording 10.95 (+0.4m/s) 0.06 clear of silver medallistJulien Alfred of St Lucia. Englands Daryll Neita wonbronze in 11.07.

I am ecstatic, said Zoepost-race. Just to make the final was incredible. Thefield out there was amazing and to run against the Olympicchampion at a Commonwealth Games was unreal. To finishsixth, I was so stoked.

My starts have been goingreally well, and I just want to compose myself in the last50m which is where Ive been losing it. The idea was toget that start and relax through the second half of therace. I think it paid off as it allowed me to not tightenup.

Zoe, who admits she has had to contend with arecent bout of Covid after travelling back from the WorldChampionships a couple of weeks ago, added of featuring inher first major international final: It is quiteoverwhelming and a new experience, but I loved theatmosphere it was so cool to be a part of.

TwoKiwis are in action in tonights session (NZtime)

10.05pm Keeley OHagan Womens HighJump qualification Pool B

10.34pm Sam Tanner Mens 1500m heat two

For full results go here

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Hamish Flies High To Achieve New Zealand First | Scoop News - Scoop

Astronauts on the International Space Station have shared a birds eye view of Aotearoa without (mostly) its long white cloud.

The station took about three minutes to track from the west side of the lower South Island to the east of the North Island on Monday, passing over the West Coast, Wellington and Hawkes Bay on its way.

Video tweeted by ISS Above a device that streams live views of the earth showed the view from the station as it flew over above the country.

The snow-capped Southern Alps can be clearly seen, and eventually the lower and eastern edges of the North Island are also in shot.

READ MORE:* 'Kia ora' from space: ISS has bird's-eye view of Northland, Auckland and Gisborne* Stunning video of South Island captured by International Space Station* Beautiful clear video of North Island from International Space Station

ISS Above

The International Space Station travelled over the country on Monday, enjoying a birds-eye view of the North and South islands.

According to MetService, a west to southwest low brought clear skies across the country on Monday, making it possible for the country to be seen so clearly from space.

Fresh snow had also recently fallen across much of both islands, which is visible in the video.

The ISS Above Twitter account said that the three-minute video shows one of the longest passes the space station can get across the country when passing from the west coast to the east coast, the trip can be as short as 30 seconds.

See the original post:

International Space Station captures stunning views of New Zealand - Stuff

New Zealand go into this years Rugby Championship as the reigning champions, but, potentially for the first time since the Rugby Championship began in 2012, they are not favourites.

They won last years tournament with a game to spare but, after losing to South Africa in the final round, New Zealand have had a disappointing 12 months. Last months home series defeat to Ireland, who had previously never won in New Zealand, means that the All Blacks go into the Rugby Championship having lost four of their last five matches. Head coach Ian Foster probably needs a good tournament to stay in the job.

He has to navigate a difficult start though, with two away matches against world champions South Africa. While the Springboks did not have the best of competitions last year as they finished third, and were not at their best in the home series win against Wales in July, New Zealands poor form and both matches against the All Blacks being at home gives South Africa the edge.

Australia impressed in the Rugby Championship last year, beating South Africa twice. With both their games against the Boks at home they could pose a problem again, but like New Zealand the Wallabies have not had the best year, having only won one game since.

Argentina did not win a single game in last years Rugby Championship. Coming off a home series win against Scotland last month, Michael Cheikas Pumas will hope for an improvement this year.

(All times BST)

There are four changes for New Zealand from the third test against Ireland. Lock Brodie Retallick is unavailable due to a fractured cheekbone, so Scott Barrett takes his place. Winger Sevu Reece, hooker Codie Taylor, and prop Angus Ta'avao all started in Wellington, but drop from the match-day 23 entirely.

New Zealand: Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, David Havili, Caleb Clarke, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith, Ardie Savea, Sam Cane, Akira Ioane, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Angus Ta'avao, Samisoni Taukei'aho, George Bower.

Replacements: Dane Coles, Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax, Tupou Vaa'i, Shannon Frizell, Finlay Christie, Richie Mo'unga, Quinn Tupaea.

South Africa have made three changes from their third test against Wales. Kurt-Lee Arendse replaces Cheslin Kolbe on the wing, who is recovering from a broken jaw. Faf de Klerk comes in at scrum half for Jaden Hendrikse, and Malcolm Marx starts at hooker over Bongi Mbonambi.

South Africa: Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk, Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Trevor Nyakane.

Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Salmaan Moerat, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, Jaden Hendrikse, Willie le Roux.

Australia have suffered a massive blow as Samu Kerevi has been ruled out for the entire Championship, after the centre sustained a knee injury while playing sevens at the Commonwealth Games. Hooker Dave Porecki will miss the first match against Argentina after being ruled out with a concussion, while props Angus Bell and Scott Sio will also be unavailable due to injury. However, fly-half Quade Cooper and winger Jordan Petaia have recovered from their respective calf and concussion injuries, while lock Darcy Swain is available following his suspension.

Argentina can recall experienced fly-half Nicols Sanchez, who got injured in the first test against Scotland, and scrum-half Toms Cubelli to a team that is getting to grips with new former Australia coach Chiekas style.

The final round is on Saturday 24 September. New Zealand host Australia in Auckland, while Argentina travel to Durban to face South Africa.

Last year New Zealand had already wrapped up the Rugby Championship before the final round, after beating South Africa 19-17 in the penultimate round. However, the Springboks would beat the All Blacks 31-29 a week later to end their campaign on a high.

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Rugby Championship 2022: Fixtures, team news and how to watch on TV - The Telegraph

Juniper is a drama with black comic edges about a fragmented family, and the unexpectedly life-affirming influence of its particularly tetchy matriarch. In the lead role is Charlotte Rampling, an actor blessed with an epically scornful side eye capable of withering a vase of flowers from across a room.

The film relies in no small degree on Rampling's ability to deliver intensity from small gestures, because for most of the time she's nearly immobile, rendered almost inert by a broken leg and a mysterious underlying health condition, while her temper is inflamed by copious amounts of gin served to her in large glass jugs.

The first feature from New Zealand writer-director Matthew JSaville (not to be confused with the Australian filmmaker Matt Saville), Juniper plays on the conventions of movies about families thrust together in trying circumstances, who learn to get over their differences only after some excruciating trial and error.

In particular, it's about a cross-generational connection between Ruth and her grandson Sam (George Ferrier), a suicidal teen who attends a nearby private school and has never recovered from the death of his mother.

Sam's athletic good looks and crown of golden hair give off the aura of a confident private-school jock, but this is a film where appearances deceive, and Sam is troubled in his privilege while Ruth, in turn, is the unlikely figure to pull him out of his malaise.

Set in the 90s, the film unfolds in a grand, if unkempt house somewhere green and leafy in New Zealand. This family is wealthy, clearly, and when Ruth arrives from her home in England after a considerable absence and in failing health, it initially appears like she might be the direct link to a moneyed bloodline in the Old Country.

Ruth has an unconventional past, as a war correspondent who once travelled the globe witnessing some of the best and worst of humanity. The experience scarred her, we will learn, but it also earned her valuable wisdom.

Her drinking, as well as her bullying, seem to be a manifestation of some sort of PTSD, long left simmering and unaddressed. Her grandson, who is left to help look after her while his father (an excellent but mostly off-screen Marton Csokas) is called away to England, becomes the chief target of her rancour.

The two are destined to become unlikely friends, but it takes time. As often occurs in scripts about grumpy old people and their influence on teenagers with their lives ahead of them, Ruth's abrasiveness serves a purpose, even if it's not initially clear.

Hal Ashby's 1971 absurdist black comedy Harold and Maude dealt with some of these cross-generational currents including teen depression with a little more imagination and less predictability. It would have been nice if Saville's film didn't conform quite so obediently to the redemptive notes of its final act.

But Rampling makes it worth watching, even if you sense where it's all heading. The role recalls her performance in another predominantly housebound film, Francois Ozon's 2003 mystery Swimming Pool, where she played an irritable British author trying to write her next novel, clashing with the young, feisty daughter of her French publisher.

Saville doesn't opt for any of that film's dreamy Hitchcockian intrigue, but he does exploit the house's rambling grandness, with its shadowy rooms and thresholds that offer views onto the verdant, slightly Gothic New Zealand countryside.

Downbeat indie rock and subtle zoom lenses help build an atmosphere of melancholy and cloistered tension, which extends to glimpses of Sam's posh high school with its dark hallways and neurotic orderliness.

Saville succeeds in creating an emotional authenticity to Ruth and Sam's difficult relationship, too, although it's a pity he doesn't linger in their mutually distrustful stage for longer.

As Rampling guides the film into its eventual emotional thaw, along the way she displays a range that occasionally surprises in one especially poignant scene dragging herself ungracefully across the floor to get to a jug of booze.

Rampling is one of the great actors of her generation who remains a vital presence in anything she does. Quintessentially English but inexorably linked to European cinema (she's lived and worked in France for decades) she possesses a sharpness and nuance that have never deserted her through the various stages of her career.

After starting out as a model, she had her first roles in English movies during the swinging 60s before moving to the continent, becoming synonymous with the 70s peak of European auteur cinema in films such as Visconti's The Damned and Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter.

Her work ethic and versatility have underwritten a prolific career since, and despite her professional Eurocentrism, she gained an Academy Award nomination for the 2015 drama 45 Years, and is continuing her role in the Hollywood behemoth Dune (part two releases next year), where she brings a welcome gravitas.

At the centre of this modest, likeable New Zealand drama, she emanates a rich, layered sense of character. If you consider that Saville barely gives the audience much more than a few mocked up photos from Ruth's past, and just a couple of backstory anecdotes, it's a tribute to Rampling's subtly embodied acting that the character emerges so fully formed.

As shadows of regret and anger in her performance give way to warmer accents of love and kindness, not to mention a rascally appetite for fun, she makes the film's slightly worn conceit believable, and even inspires a lingering fondness.

Juniper is in cinemas now.

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Juniper benefits from Charlotte Rampling's layered performance as a grandmother grappling with mortality - ABC News

A general view of a cricket ball

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Follow live coverage of Netherlands vs New Zealand from the New Zealand in Netherlands 2022 today.

The ICC Test Championship sees nine teams compete across a two-year cycle of matches before a two-team final decides the winner. The inaugural competition was won by New Zealand after a thrilling victory over India in June 2021.

The 50-over World Cup is far older and has been competed for since back in 1975. Australia are the record winners having run out victorious on five occasions (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015). England took the 2019 crown after a dramatic Ben Stokes-inspired super-over win over New Zealand at Lord's.

The shortest form of the game sees teams compete in Twenty20. The newest format has been an instant global hit with a number of hugely-lucrative competitions massively popular all over the world. Australia are reigning world champions having taken victory in the 2021 tournament.

Follow all the latest live coverage of today's match in the live blog below:

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Netherlands vs New Zealand LIVE: Cricket score and updates from New Zealand in Netherlands 2022 - The Independent

Stats NZ review today released its review into a Ministry of Health population dataset widely criticised for under-counting vaccination coverage among Mori and Pacific people. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

New Zealand's Covid-19 vaccination coverage rates are about to drop yet that's something being welcomed by experts who've long called for finally-announced data improvements.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed it's changing the way it reports on vaccination rates, following a new Stats NZ review into a population dataset widely criticised for under-counting coverage among Mori and Pacific people.

That dataset was called Health Service Utilisation 2020, or HSU 2020, which captured all people who'd used the health system in 2020 with an age cut-off at June 30 that year.

Because it had been known to undercount Mori in particular a group that used health services less frequently, and sometimes misclassified under other identities experts have questioned whether ministry reporting accurately reflected actual coverage rates among Mori.

That was a major worry - given Mori and Pasifika people were more than twice as likely to be hospitalised with Covid-19 and one singled out in a critical December finding by the Waitangi Tribunal.

In May, the Herald's data team revealed similar issues with the HSU data, finding the ministry's total of "fully vaccinated" people over the age of 12 95.2 per cent to be higher than the figure produced using Stats NZ's December 2021 population estimates, which came to 91.8 per cent.

Today, Public Health Agency's deputy director-general Dr Andrew Old announced the ministry was making several improvements to its dataset which itself was to be replaced next week with an updated set for 2021.

This would add 233,000 people to the pool, resulting in the two-dose coverage of the eligible population aged over 12 falling from 95 to 90 per cent.

Among Mori, coverage rates will drop from 88 per cent to 83 per cent, and for Pacific peoples, from 97 per cent to 89 per cent.

But Old pointed out this didn't mean the total number of vaccinations had dropped.

"Put simply, it's the same number of people vaccinated, but we're now dividing that by a bigger number."

Along with being refreshed every six months, there'd be two other key changes to the ministry's vaccination dataset.

Someone who'd had two doses would now no longer be considered "fully vaccinated", but had received their primary course while the reporting would also reflect peoples' current ages, rather than that at the time of their last vaccination, which would give more information about booster eligibility.

With one exception, Old said the ministry had either implemented the improvements suggested in Stats NZ's review, or was in the process of doing so.

That report, which investigated the methodology behind the ministry's wider HSU dataset, confirmed issues with ethnicity differences in the HSU.

"Careful examination" was needed to see whether the lower representation of Mori was down to systemic issues or "genuine reporting choices" by people using services.

It also flagged issues with age-based counting in the 2020 HSU, although noted these would be addressed in the updated set.

While the review acknowledged HSU came with limitations, it also noted its advantages.

One was a "consistency of reporting" of Mori and other ethnic groups in the numerator compared with the population denominator including in vaccination rates.

"This use is consistent with Stats NZ's advice that customers should validate the consistency of the numerator with the denominator when undertaking calculations by ethnicity."

Mori health researcher Dr Rawiri Taonui said the review and the ministry's new changes didn't address all of his concerns namely with how Mori deaths and hospitalisations were being presented but he was nonetheless happy to see progress.

"It's good to see this update because, at the end of the day, the HSU is two years out of date and it should have been updated annually."

Covid-19 modeller Dr Dion O'Neale similarly welcomed today's announcements particularly that there'd be six-monthly updates.

But he questioned why this hadn't been done earlier and why those 233,000 extra people hadn't been gradually added to the vaccination coverage dataset as they were discovered, rather than all at once.

"There were some easy wins that could have been made along the way that didn't require revising the entire HSU, which would have meant our numbers were up to date at the time."

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Covid-19: Why a coming drop in NZ's vax rates is good news - New Zealand Herald