Wellington - The Pacific nation of Vanuatu has announced plans to ban disposable diapers in a move it says will significantly reduce pollution.

Wellington - A large New Zealand wildfire is expected to burn for weeks longer but has moved away from some inhabited areas, allowing residents of an evacuated village to return home soon, firefighters said Monday.

Wellington - Acclaimed "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson announced Thursday he is working on a documentary detailing the making of The Beatles' classic album "Let It Be" 50 years ago.

Wellington - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Pacific charm offensive went off course on Friday when he was forced to defend Fiji's accusations of inaction over climate change.

Wellington - New Zealand warned Google to "take responsibility" for its news content Wednesday, after the internet giant broke a court order suppressing the name of a man charged with murdering a British backpacker.

Wellington - New Zealand will hold a referendum on legalising recreational marijuana when the South Pacific nation votes in its next general election in 2020, the government announced Tuesday.

Wellington - A body, believed to be that of murdered British backpacker Grace Millane, was found Sunday on the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand police said.

Wellington - A British solo around-the-world sailor whose yacht was crippled in a ferocious storm as she crossed the Pacific has stabilised her battered vessel and is awaiting rescue, race organisers said Friday.

Auckland - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could still visit Seoul for the first time in the next few weeks, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday, describing the possible trip as a major boost in efforts to make the peninsula nuclear-free.

Auckland - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could still visit Seoul for the first time in the next few weeks, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday, describing the possible trip as a major boost in efforts to make the peninsula nuclear-free.

Wellington - More than 50 beached pilot whales perished in New Zealand Friday, the latest in a spate of mass strandings this week that experts have linked to rising ocean temperatures.

Wellington - New Zealand's largest telecoms carrier Spark said Wednesday that the country's intelligence agency had barred it from using equipment provided by China's Huawei in its 5G network as it posed "significant national security risks".

Wellington - Up to 145 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in a remote part of New Zealand, with authorities saying Monday they made the "heart-breaking" decision to euthanise dozens that lay stricken on the shore.

Wellington - A destructive earthquake that struck New Zealand two years ago has left its two main islands edging towards each other, and one city sinking, according to scientists.

Wellington - A New Zealand baby was plucked from the ocean as he floated past a fisherman in a rescue hailed as "miraculous" by water safety experts, who warned the accident could easily have ended in tragedy.

The best place to run a business, according to a new review, is, to the surprise if some, New Zealand. The review us based in data collated by the World Bank.

Wellington - A climber who dug herself out to safety after being buried by an avalanche in New Zealand said Wednesday she was "absolutely broken" by the deaths of two German guides in the accident.

Rotorua - Prince Harry and pregnant wife Meghan visited the New Zealand resort town of Rotorua Wednesday to wrap up a lengthy Pacific tour which has confirmed the star appeal of Britain's newest royal.

Auckland - Prince Harry and wife Meghan competed at "welly wanging" and were gifted a toy kiwi Tuesday, but narrowly missed out on the ultimate New Zealand experience when a powerful earthquake rattled parts of the country they had left just the previous day.

Wellington - A 6.1 magnitude earthquake rattled parts of central New Zealand Tuesday, where British royals Meghan and Harry are on tour, but officials said it caused no major damage.