Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the deployment of New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) troops to support the U.S.-led military response to the attacks on commercial shipping from Houthis in Yemen that began on November 19. In announcing the contribution, Luxon played down its uniqueness, saying “choosing to support action in the Middle East is … Read more
New Zealand’s new right-wing government is making dramatic changes to foreign policy. Prime Minister Chris Luxon of the National Party has privileged the priorities of his two coalition partners: New Zealand First and ACT. A core agenda of this coalition government will be to dismantle and undermine progress on Māori rights domestically, and Indigenous rights … Read more
Over 100 world leaders are expected to attend this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which starts this Thursday. Among the VIPs confirmed for the Dubai summit are the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Brazil’s President Lula da Silva – along with King Charles and Pope Francis. U.S. … Read more
The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit is an event circled and highlighted in Indo-Pacific countries’ diplomatic calendars. However, New Zealand’s Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon has opted to cross it off the calendar, as he is preoccupied negotiating the shape and policy direction of the country’s next government. The three coalition parties – Luxon’s National … Read more
Advertisement New Zealand’s new government will need to hit the ground running on foreign affairs. Determining New Zealand’s full response to the war in Gaza and the fallout in the wider Middle East will be the first major test for whoever takes the foreign minister’s role. New Zealand has been run by a Labor caretaker … Read more
Advertisement On October 14, New Zealanders voted to boot Chris Hipkins and his Labor party colleagues out of government. The red wave surfed by Jacinda Ardern in 2020 crumbled, with Labor losing almost half their seats in Parliament as a result. New Zealand’s proportional electoral system means it is rare for one party to form … Read more
Advertisement Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory Saturday. People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. Luxon arrived to rapturous applause at an event in Auckland on Saturday. He was joined … Read more