Zealand

Overview: Asbestos contamination in children's play sand forces school checks Authorities in New Zealand and Australia are investigating decorative play sand found to contain asbestos, prompting dozens of school and daycare closures as officials trace affected batches. The disruption has focused attention on imported classroom materials and the potential health risk to children and staff. Forty schools and daycare centres in New Zealand closed temporarily while decorative sand was located and removed. More than 70 schools…

Wild spring heat and gale-force winds spark fires and chaos across Australia and New Zealand Immediate impact Wild, hot winds sweeping from Australia's interior into the southeast fanned dozens of bushfires and pushed spring temperatures to record highs in parts of Sydney, authorities said, as New Zealand faced rare "red" wind warnings and fires of its own across the Tasman. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said a powerful plume of hot air that built over the outback on Monday was moving across the southeast, producing a…

Guilty verdict in Auckland filicide forces hard questions about mental illness, accountability and community care The Auckland High Court delivered a short, stark verdict last week: Hakyung Lee, a New Zealand citizen born in South Korea, was found guilty of murdering her two young children and hiding their bodies in suitcases. The image of the remains — Yuna Jo, 8, and Minu Jo, 6 — discovered in a storage unit in south Auckland after years missing, jolted a country and prompted painful public debate about how societies…

In a groundbreaking moment for New Zealand, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has issued a heartfelt apology to individuals who suffered abuse while under state care. This acknowledgment of the "unimaginable pain" experienced in child welfare homes and psychiatric facilities marks a significant step towards reckoning with a dark chapter in the nation’s history. The recent public inquiry revealed that approximately 200,000 vulnerable New Zealanders faced abuse throughout various decades of state care, labeling these findings…