New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully will lead a cultural, trade and development delegation to four Pacific island countries next week.
The 2011 Pacific Mission to Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue would comprise Members of Parliament, business people, non- governmental organizations, officials and media, said McCully.
"The annual Pacific Mission provides an opportunity for a wide range of New Zealand representatives to meet with their Pacific counterparts on issues such as trade and investment, development assistance, and cultural and sporting ties," McCully said.
"It reinforces the importance New Zealand places on the region, its continued growth and development, and the close ties between our people at all levels."
The mission carried greater significance with New Zealand hosting the 40th anniversary of the Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland in September, said McCully.
"The government wants to ensure the forum delivers meaningful outcomes for the people of the region, and we will use this trip to hear first hand the priorities for Pacific nations," he said.
"The Pacific Mission will also highlight the opportunities arising from the 2011 Rugby World Cup for Pacific businesses and will acknowledge the strong support we received from the Pacific in our bid to host the cup," said McCully.
All Blacks rugby legend Jonah Lomu and New Zealand's Rugby World Cup organization chief executive Martin Snedden would be part of the delegation to help promote the World Cup, and the game of rugby to young Pacific people, he said.
The delegation departs July 12 and returns to New Zealand on July 16.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-07-08 08:53:16 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 8 (Xinhua)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
New Zealand PM to hold talks with President Obama in Washington
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Friday announced he would hold talks with U.S. President Barack Obama during a visit to the United States later this month.
Key will be in the U.S. from July 18 to 22, spending two days in Washington DC as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The meeting with President Obama in Washington was scheduled for July 22 local time.
"The bilateral relationship with the United States is one of New Zealand's most important. The relationship has improved over recent years, and I hope the visit will further strengthen ties," said Key.
"Issues that I anticipate will be canvassed in Washington DC include the global and U.S. economic outlook, the bilateral relationship, trade, and other Asia-Pacific regional issues," said Key.
The visit to Washington DC would include a range of other meetings with U.S. Government agencies, a speech to the United States Chamber of Commerce, and other events.
The full schedules for the Washington and the west coast legs of the visit were still being finalized, said a statement from Key 's office.
Key first met Obama officially in New York during the United Nations General Assembly meeting of 2009. Obama invited Key to attend the nuclear security summit in the United States in April last year.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-07-08 06:25:53 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 8 (Xinhua)
Key will be in the U.S. from July 18 to 22, spending two days in Washington DC as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The meeting with President Obama in Washington was scheduled for July 22 local time.
"The bilateral relationship with the United States is one of New Zealand's most important. The relationship has improved over recent years, and I hope the visit will further strengthen ties," said Key.
"Issues that I anticipate will be canvassed in Washington DC include the global and U.S. economic outlook, the bilateral relationship, trade, and other Asia-Pacific regional issues," said Key.
The visit to Washington DC would include a range of other meetings with U.S. Government agencies, a speech to the United States Chamber of Commerce, and other events.
The full schedules for the Washington and the west coast legs of the visit were still being finalized, said a statement from Key 's office.
Key first met Obama officially in New York during the United Nations General Assembly meeting of 2009. Obama invited Key to attend the nuclear security summit in the United States in April last year.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-07-08 06:25:53 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 8 (Xinhua)
5.3-magnitude quake hits Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale jolted Kermadec Islands, New Zealand at 13:07 GMT on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The epicenter, with a depth of 24.40 km, was initially determined to be at 29.0648 degrees south latitude and 177.1236 degrees west longitude.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-07-07 21:44:15 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 7 (Xinhua)
The epicenter, with a depth of 24.40 km, was initially determined to be at 29.0648 degrees south latitude and 177.1236 degrees west longitude.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-07-07 21:44:15 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 7 (Xinhua)
6.0 magnitude earthquake off New Zealand's Kermadec Islands
An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck the remote Kermadec Islands, north of New Zealand North Island on Thursday , the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake hit the New Zealand territory, 116 km east of Raoul Island at 09:10 p.m. New Zealand local time (09:10 GMT) at a depth of 19.9 km.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake also hit Kermadec Islands on Thursday morning. A tsunami warning was issued fro New Zealand, Kermadec Islands, Tonga by the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The warning was lifted later.
No damages were reported.
So far, more than eight aftershocks measuring over 5.0 magnitude have struck Kermadec Islands since the 7.6 magnitude quake.
The Kermadec Islands, which are often rocked by severe quakes, have no permanent population. Only a small New Zealand Department of Conservation team live on Raoul island.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-07-07 18:46:59 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 7 (Xinhua)
The quake hit the New Zealand territory, 116 km east of Raoul Island at 09:10 p.m. New Zealand local time (09:10 GMT) at a depth of 19.9 km.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake also hit Kermadec Islands on Thursday morning. A tsunami warning was issued fro New Zealand, Kermadec Islands, Tonga by the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The warning was lifted later.
No damages were reported.
So far, more than eight aftershocks measuring over 5.0 magnitude have struck Kermadec Islands since the 7.6 magnitude quake.
The Kermadec Islands, which are often rocked by severe quakes, have no permanent population. Only a small New Zealand Department of Conservation team live on Raoul island.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-07-07 18:46:59 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 7 (Xinhua)
New Zealand gov't offers mental health service for quake-affected people
Residents of New Zealand's second city of Christchurch are being offered more mental health and counseling services after being shaken by thousands of earthquakes and aftershocks over the last 10 months.
The government on Thursday announced it would spend an extra 1.5 million NZ dollars (1.24 million U.S. dollars) on mental health services in the Canterbury region, including a new specialist earthquake response team to help the more vulnerable.
Associate Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman said the funding would also support extended general practitioner consultations and increased counseling support to help people cope with the on-going effects of earthquakes and aftershocks in the region.
"Many people in Canterbury are feeling exhausted and drained by the ongoing stress," Coleman said Thursday.
"More people are seeking help and we are monitoring the situation to ensure the Canterbury DHB (district health board) and mental health providers can continue to meet the demand."
Primary health-care providers were reporting increasing demand for mental health services, said Coleman.
GPs would provide extended consultations and brief mental health interventions, while the earthquake response team, which would liaise with GPs on mental health issues, would provide individual and group therapy for older people, children and their families.
Coleman said alcohol and drug services in Canterbury were ensuring people seeking help are being assessed quickly and provided with the appropriate support.
"We know how resilient Cantabrians are, but they've been through an incredibly tough time and help is there if they need it. "
Last week the government announced it was pledging a special payment of up to 16 million NZ dollars to the Canterbury District Health Board for earthquake-related costs in the 2010-2011 financial year.
Many homes have been uninhabitable since a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck on Sept. 4 last year and the city had been rocked by more than 7,350 tremors as of June 23, including 28 ones of magnitude 5 or greater.
A major quake on Feb. 22 killed at least 181 people, and the two most recent major jolts occurred on June 13.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-07-07 15:45:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 7 (Xinhua)
The government on Thursday announced it would spend an extra 1.5 million NZ dollars (1.24 million U.S. dollars) on mental health services in the Canterbury region, including a new specialist earthquake response team to help the more vulnerable.
Associate Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman said the funding would also support extended general practitioner consultations and increased counseling support to help people cope with the on-going effects of earthquakes and aftershocks in the region.
"Many people in Canterbury are feeling exhausted and drained by the ongoing stress," Coleman said Thursday.
"More people are seeking help and we are monitoring the situation to ensure the Canterbury DHB (district health board) and mental health providers can continue to meet the demand."
Primary health-care providers were reporting increasing demand for mental health services, said Coleman.
GPs would provide extended consultations and brief mental health interventions, while the earthquake response team, which would liaise with GPs on mental health issues, would provide individual and group therapy for older people, children and their families.
Coleman said alcohol and drug services in Canterbury were ensuring people seeking help are being assessed quickly and provided with the appropriate support.
"We know how resilient Cantabrians are, but they've been through an incredibly tough time and help is there if they need it. "
Last week the government announced it was pledging a special payment of up to 16 million NZ dollars to the Canterbury District Health Board for earthquake-related costs in the 2010-2011 financial year.
Many homes have been uninhabitable since a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck on Sept. 4 last year and the city had been rocked by more than 7,350 tremors as of June 23, including 28 ones of magnitude 5 or greater.
A major quake on Feb. 22 killed at least 181 people, and the two most recent major jolts occurred on June 13.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-07-07 15:45:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 7 (Xinhua)
New Zealand jobless rates still falling: minister
The number of New Zealanders receiving unemployment benefits has fallen for a fifth consecutive month, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said Thursday.
"I'm delighted to see nearly 800 fewer people on unemployment benefits since May and 94 percent of that reduction is of young people," said Bennett.
It was the first time the unemployment benefit rate had decreased in the month of June for four years, she said.
The number of people collecting the unemployment benefit was down to 56,264 from a high of 68,369 in January last year, said Bennett.
"Predictions had unemployment benefits rising to about 100,000 post-recession, but we never reached those levels and in fact it has decreased by more than 9,000 in the last nine months," she said.
Young people aged 18 to 24 accounted for almost half of the decrease over the last year.
"Last month 7,800 people went off welfare into work and it's particularly positive that more than 2,700 young people canceled benefits for jobs," Bennett added.
Last month 327,817 New Zealanders were receiving some kind of government benefit.
In the Canterbury region, which has been shaken be a series of earthquakes since September last year, 6,342 people were on unemployment benefits, 962 more than the week before the Feb. 22 quake that killed at least 181 people.
However, since the February quake, total benefit numbers in Canterbury had fallen by 670, she said.
Editor: Mo Hong'e
English.news.cn 2011-07-07 12:49:14 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 7 (Xinhua)
"I'm delighted to see nearly 800 fewer people on unemployment benefits since May and 94 percent of that reduction is of young people," said Bennett.
It was the first time the unemployment benefit rate had decreased in the month of June for four years, she said.
The number of people collecting the unemployment benefit was down to 56,264 from a high of 68,369 in January last year, said Bennett.
"Predictions had unemployment benefits rising to about 100,000 post-recession, but we never reached those levels and in fact it has decreased by more than 9,000 in the last nine months," she said.
Young people aged 18 to 24 accounted for almost half of the decrease over the last year.
"Last month 7,800 people went off welfare into work and it's particularly positive that more than 2,700 young people canceled benefits for jobs," Bennett added.
Last month 327,817 New Zealanders were receiving some kind of government benefit.
In the Canterbury region, which has been shaken be a series of earthquakes since September last year, 6,342 people were on unemployment benefits, 962 more than the week before the Feb. 22 quake that killed at least 181 people.
However, since the February quake, total benefit numbers in Canterbury had fallen by 670, she said.
Editor: Mo Hong'e
English.news.cn 2011-07-07 12:49:14 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, July 7 (Xinhua)
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