More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand have been safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets.

On Thursday, Publix celebrated the opening of its latest remodeled grocery store, and it’s offering a few interesting features for customers.

A ban on New Zealanders wearing or displaying symbols of gang affiliation in public has taken effect, with police officers arresting a man for breaking the law three minutes later.

Police say tens of thousands of people have arrived at New Zealand's Parliament in protest of a proposed law that would redefine the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected Thursday amid debate over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

Survivors have attended a formal apology from New Zealand's leaders at Parliament for the abuse of thousands of children and vulnerable adults in state, foster and faith-based care.

Perched on two fingers on the roof of an art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, the giant sculpture of a hand has loomed over the city for five years.

Travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to keep their emotional farewells brief after a new three-minute time limit was imposed on goodbye hugs in the airport’s drop-off area in order to prevent lingering cuddles from causing traffic jams.

Tony Brazzale expected Hurricane Milton would be a “nonevent” for his family.

Samoa’s deputy prime minister says there's no evidence of a major fuel spill on a Samoan reef after a New Zealand navy ship sank.

Samoa's acting prime minister says a fuel spill is “highly probable” after a New Zealand navy ship grounded, caught fire and sank off the coast of the Pacific island nation.

Google says it will stop linking to New Zealand news content and will reverse its support of local media outlets if the government passes a law forcing tech companies to pay for articles displayed on their platforms.

Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. says Beijing weaponizes tourism to the Pacific Island archipelago in an effort to force it to sever ties with Taiwan.

A man has died after an unauthorized helicopter flight in Queensland, Australia ended in a crash on a hotel roof, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people from the building as flames engulfed the aircraft.

New Zealand's prime minister is defending the removal of basic Māori phrases meaning “hello” and “New Zealand” from a lunar new year invitation to an Australian official.

Public employees in Australia's most populous state have been told to end remote working in a directive from the premier of New South Wales as he seeks to reverse work-from-home habits established during the pandemic.

New Zealand is the latest country to confront cruel, systemic and commonplace abuse of children and vulnerable adults in state and faith-based care institutions.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has met with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Wellington, where the two leaders played up the ability of “good friends” to respectfully disagree — while publicly diverging on little.

An Orlando man booked in Brevard County is accused of stealing some $118,413.45 in merchandise from Best Buy stores across the state in a crime spree lasting the better part of a year, according to investigators.

New Zealand says hackers linked to the Chinese government targeted its Parliament in 2021.

New Zealand says it will ban disposable e-cigarettes, or vapes, and raise financial penalties for those who sell such products to minors.

Thousands of protesters have rallied against the New Zealand government’s Indigenous policies as the Parliament convened for the first time since October elections.

New Zealand’s new prime minister plans to ban cellphone use in schools and repeal tobacco controls in the agenda for his first three months in office.

Christopher Luxon has been sworn in as New Zealand’s prime minister and says his priority is to improve the economy.

The tiny Pacific island nation of Niue has come up with a novel plan to protect its vast and pristine territorial waters — it will get sponsors to pay.

New Zealand has removed the last of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, marking the end of a government response to the pandemic that was watched closely around the world.

New Zealand’s domestic intelligence agency says that China, Iran and Russia are engaged in foreign interference in New Zealand.

Salma Paralluelo has scored deep in extra time to give Spain a 2-1 win over the Netherlands and send the sixth-ranked nation into the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup for the first time.

Fans of the United States women’s soccer team remained faithful viewers no matter what hour the game was on.

The Women's World Cup suddenly seems wide open with the elimination of many of the top teams in the world.

Italy’s players dropped to their knees, buried their faces and tearfully wondered how their tournament had suddenly ended following a shocking upset to South Africa in the Women’s World Cup.

The United States’ 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in the Women’s World Cup drew 7.93 million viewers, making it the largest combined English- and Spanish-language audience for a group stage match involving the American women.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Tonga, New Zealand and Australia next week as the Biden administration shifts its Indo-Pacific strategy into overdrive in part to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

New Zealand’s government says that from Saturday, it will be the first nation in the world to ban the thin plastic bags that supermarket customers use to collect their fruit and vegetables.

A drug syndicate that tried to smuggle tons of methamphetamine from Canada to Australia and New Zealand by hiding it in shipments of maple syrup and canola oil has had its ruse busted, authorities say.

New Zealand police have arrested a man and charged him with two counts of arson in connection with the fire at a Wellington hostel that killed at least six people.

Months before an election, New Zealand’s government is offering some modest financial relief to many people by making most prescription medicines free and increasing subsidies for childcare and public transportation.

New Zealand police say they plan to start removing bodies from the Wellington hostel where at least six people were killed in a fire.

A fire ripped through a hostel in New Zealand’s capital overnight, killing at least six people and forcing others to flee in their pajamas in what a fire chief called his “worst nightmare.”.

New Zealand’s central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate by a half-point to 4.75% as it continues trying to wrestle down inflation.

New Zealand’s new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says he is axing or delaying many of his government’s more contentious policy plans as he looks to refocus on priorities like the rising cost of living.

The United States has opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands in its latest move to counter China’s push into the Pacific.

New Zealand’s Northland region has lifted a state of emergency declaration after an overnight storm didn’t turn out as bad as feared.

Chris Hipkins has been sworn in as New Zealand’s prime minister, following the unexpected resignation last week of Jacinda Ardern.

New Zealand had its hottest year on record in 2022, beating a mark set just a year earlier thanks to a combination of natural weather cycles and manmade global warming, according to the agency that monitors temperatures.

Finland’s leader says it must give more weapons and support to Ukraine to ensure it wins its war against Russia.

A lobby group seeking to lower New Zealand’s voting age from 18 to 16 has won its appeal to the Supreme Court, which says the current law amounts to age discrimination.

For the first time in New Zealand’s history, a majority of lawmakers are women.

The Solomon Islands foreign minister says his nation agreed to sign an accord between the United States and more than a dozen Pacific nations only after indirect references to China were removed.

New Zealand has commemorated Queen Elizabeth II with a public holiday, a moment of silence and an official memorial service.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her government will not be pursuing any moves toward changing New Zealand to a republic following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Australia says its navy ships have been given clearance to resume visits to the Solomon Islands, which had last week announced a temporary block on all military vessels during a review of its approval processes.

About 2,000 protesters upset with the government’s pandemic response converged on New Zealand’s Parliament — but it appeared there would be no repeat of the action six months ago in which protesters camped out on Parliament grounds for more than three weeks.

New Zealand has welcomed the first cruise ship to return since the coronavirus pandemic began, signaling a long-sought return to normalcy for the nation’s tourism industry.

New Zealand’s government has released its first-ever climate adaptation plan, which includes the possibility of moving some communities to higher ground.

New Zealand’s government has declared American far-right groups the Proud Boys and The Base are terrorist organizations, making it illegal in New Zealand to fund, recruit or participate in them.

Australia and China are continuing their tit-for-tat diplomatic rivalry in the Pacific as the foreign ministers from each country pay separate visits to island nations.

Seven people on two small boats that drifted for days in the Pacific have been rescued after a New Zealand plane spotted them near the remote island nation of Kiribati.

New Zealand will help pay for lower-income families to scrap their old gas guzzlers and replace them with cleaner hybrid or electric cars as part of a sweeping plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Using a helicopter to catch a falling rocket is such a complex task that Peter Beck likens it to a “supersonic ballet.”.

New Zealand has begun welcoming back tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years after dropping most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions.

Seeking to counter fears over its new security alliance with China, the Solomon Islands says it won’t allow China to build a military base there.

New Zealand will remove many of its COVID-19 pandemic mandates over the next two weeks as an omicron outbreak begins to wane.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approved $800 million in the state’s budget to increase teacher pay.

Samoa has reported scores of new COVID-19 cases daily since detecting its first case of community transmission last week.

New Zealand police say they will review hours of cellphone footage taken by themselves, the media and the public to identify lawbreakers.

The number of cars and trucks blocking the streets outside New Zealand’s Parliament was thinning Friday, but more protesters were expected to arrive for the weekend, including some by boat.

Police in New Zealand's capital say a protester drove a car toward a police line, narrowly avoiding officers, and other protesters sprayed officers with a stinging substance.

New Zealand’s prime minister says protesters who oppose coronavirus mandates are using “intimidation and harassment,” as the convoy of demonstrators continues to disrupt the capital of Wellington.

Police arrested dozens of protesters camping on the grounds of New Zealand's Parliament on the third day of a protest against coronavirus mandates.

Hundreds of people protesting vaccine and mask mandates drove in convoy to New Zealand’s capital and converged outside Parliament as lawmakers reconvened after a summer break.

New Zealand’s government will end its quarantine requirements for incoming travelers and reopen its borders.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she is self-isolating after coming into close contact with a person infected with the coronavirus.

Kiribati and several other small Pacific nations were among the last on the planet to have avoided any virus outbreaks, thanks to their remote locations and strict border controls.

Dozens of former guests from New Zealand, Australia, the U.S. and elsewhere are raising money to help the owners of the Ha’atafu Beach Resort in Tonga after it was destroyed by a tsunami.

Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings” series has forged a name for itself.

The eruption of the undersea volcano near Tonga over the weekend was incredibly explosive but also relatively brief.

Keri Hulme, the New Zealander whose 1984 debut novel The Bone People won the Man Booker Prize, has died.

New Zealand will reopen its borders to the world over the coming months, allowing for the return of displaced residents from January and tourists from April.

Bars, restaurants and gyms can reopen in Auckland from early December but customers will be required to show proof they’ve been fully vaccinated.

Young people living in Pacific Rim countries want to see more ambition from their leaders when it comes to tackling climate change and to see money devoted to a shared fund to prepare for future pandemics.

The lockdown of New Zealand’s largest city is likely to end later this month, with some coronavirus restrictions being eased Tuesday.

Authorities say at least 98 people are dead and 30 others critically wounded after an oil tanker truck exploded near Sierra Leone's capital.

A New Zealand couple have unearthed a huge potato that is quite possibly the largest on record.

The first person to fly across New Zealand’s Cook Strait in an electric plane says he did so with plenty of battery power to spare.

New Zealand’s government has set an ambitious target of fully vaccinating 90% of all eligible people to end coronavirus lockdowns.

New Zealand counted its most new coronavirus cases of the pandemic as an outbreak in its largest city grew and officials urged vaccinations as a way out of Auckland’s two-month lockdown.

New Zealand’s government has acknowledged what most other countries did long ago: It can no longer completely get rid of the coronavirus.

The southern winter that just ended in New Zealand was the warmest ever recorded, and scientists say climate change is driving temperatures ever higher.

The Islamic State-inspired extremist who attacked shoppers in a New Zealand supermarket had been fighting deportation for immigration fraud, leaving the nation’s leader expressing frustration at the process.

New Zealand’s government says it's extending a strict nationwide lockdown until at least Friday as it tries to extinguish a growing coronavirus outbreak.

New Zealand has detected its first community transmission of the coronavirus in months, triggering urgent meetings among top lawmakers.

New Zealand has long been associated with “The Lord of the Rings” but with the filming of a major new television series suddenly snatched away, the nation has become more like Mordor than the Shire for hundreds of workers.

New Zealand plans to begin a cautious reopening of its borders to international travelers early next year.

Only 26 people in New Zealand have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic began, after the nation of 5 million managed to completely stamp out its spread.

A lockdown of Australia’s third-largest city Brisbane was extended until Sunday because of a growing COVID-19 outbreak.

New Zealand has suspended its quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia for at least eight weeks due to a growing COVID-19 cluster in Sydney.

A New Zealand academic says Twitter temporarily restricted her account after she mocked Chinese President Xi Jinping.

New Zealand has recorded its warmest June since recordkeeping began, as ski fields struggle to open and experts predict shorter southern winters in the future.

New Zealand’s government is formally apologizing for an immigration crackdown nearly 50 years ago in which Pacific people were targeted for deportation, often after early-morning home raids.