New Zealand’s Justice Minister Kiri Allan has resigned after she was charged with reckless driving and resisting arrest. Ms. Allan was involved in a car crash in the nation’s capital, Wellington, shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday evening. Her breath test revealed she had driven while over the legal limit, but police have not pressed…

New Zealand’s leader said that while his country has “sizable economic interests” in China, it also sees “high-value markets” through free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United Kingdom, European Union, and an Asia-Pacific trade group. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins made the remarks at the China Business Summit in Auckland on July 17, in which he…

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins revealed that he struck down a wealth tax and capital gains tax (CGT) that the Labour Party had been working on for the 2023 budget. “I’m confirming today that under a government I lead there will be no wealth or capital gains tax after the election. End of story,”…

New Zealand’s leader said Friday that his country will need to engage in “tough conversations” with China on areas where their views and national interests clash in order to maintain their bilateral relationship. During his speech at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said relations with communist China are “the…

Commentary It seems that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is particularly sensitive to being described as a “dictator.” When U.S. President Joe Biden used the description, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was outraged, with its mouthpiece, the Global Times calling it a vicious attack. If Biden had said that Xi was the “leader of a dictatorship,”…

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday evening as he tries to bring the message that New Zealand is “open for business” during his five-day China trip. Hipkins said they covered various topics during their approximately 30-minute meeting, including economic, social, and cultural connections. The prime minister…

Ahead of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’s near week-long China visit, a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) touted New Zealand as an “example” for other Western nations. Hipkins arrived in Beijing in the early hours on June 26, leading a 29-person trade delegation in the hopes of reigniting China-New Zealand trade opportunities, including in…

Ahead of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’s near week-long China visit, a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) touted New Zealand as an “example” for other Western nations. Hipkins arrived in Beijing in the early hours on June 26, leading a 29-person trade delegation in the hopes of reigniting China-New Zealand trade opportunities, including in…

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has indicated that he believes Chinese leader Xi Jinping is not a “dictator.” Ahead of his first trip to China as prime minister, Hipkins was asked if he agreed with Biden’s comments referring to Xi as a dictator. “No,” Hipkins said in reply to the question, adding that the…

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will lead a delegation of 29 people to China next week to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other high-ranking Chinese officials. “Since becoming Prime Minister, I’ve prioritised working in partnership with business to boost export growth in order to grow our economy,” Hipkins said. “China represents nearly a…