Controversial regulation bill heads into four days of hearings
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RNZ News
12 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Nearly 300 visa applications from Israelis, Palestinians and Iranians in past month
Photo: RNZ Immigration New Zealand has received nearly 300 offshore visa applications from Israeli, Palestinian and Iranian nationals since 1 June 2025. It follows the most recent armed conflict between Israel and Iran, which started on 13 June when Israel launched an air attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders. In a statement to RNZ, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said the government agency "understands the difficult situation this crisis is causing for many and has great sympathy for those separated from their loved ones during this stressful time". INZ acting director visa Marcelle Foley said 277 offshore visa applications from Israelis , Palestinians and Iranians had been made across all visa categories since the start of last month. The vast majority were Iranian nationals. "230 visa applications were submitted from Iranian nationals," Foley said. "Of those, 93 have been approved and seven declined. The remaining applications are either still under assessment or have been withdrawn. "Forty-one applications were submitted by Israeli nationals. Twenty-four have been approved, one was declined, and the remainder are still being processed. "Six applications were submitted from Palestinian nationals, with two approved and the rest currently under assessment." INZ also revealed that since 7 October 2023, a total of 8634 New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) applications have been granted to Israeli nationals. "Israel is a visa waiver country. This means Israeli citizens visiting New Zealand temporarily do not need to apply for a visitor visa but must obtain a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA)," said Marcelle Foley, Acting Director Visa. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
1News
34 minutes ago
- 1News
Oriini Kaipara seeks TPM candidacy for Tāmaki Makaurau by-election
Former television news presenter Oriini Kaipara has launched a bid to enter Parliament, seeking selection as Te Pāti Māori's candidate for the Tāmaki Makaurau seat by-election. The seat has been vacant following the death of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp last month. Kaipara, who was most recently a presenter for Newshub, shared the announcement on social media. The announcement does not mean Kaipara is the candidate for the party. 'Kua eke te wā. It's time,' she wrote in an Instagram post. Te Pāti Māori has launched a process to select its candidate to run in the Māori electorate with expressions of interest closing on Wednesday and a selection hui held this Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT A date for a by-election to fill the vacant seat has not yet been announced. 1News understands other candidates are likely to throw their hat into the ring to become Te Pāti Māori's candidate in the by-election. Labour MP and former Tāmaki Makaurau seatholder Peeni Henare has not yet said whether he will choose to contest the seat for his party. Kemp narrowly defeated Henare after a recount of votes at the last election. Kaipara (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) worked for over two decades as a broadcaster, including for Whakaata Māori and TVNZ. She made headlines in 2019 for becoming the first person with moko kauae to present a mainstream news bulletin. Kemp had been on dialysis as she battled kidney disease. (Source: 1News) After leaving the media in 2023, she became the NZ Olympic Committee's Pouwhiringa Māori culture lead and worked as a public speaker, according to her LinkedIn profile. ADVERTISEMENT If a Te Pāti Māori candidate wins the byelection, the party keeps its total at 6 MPs. But if Henare — who is already a list MP — stands and wins the seat for Labour, then he becomes an electorate MP and therefore his party would be able to bring their next person on the list who is Georgie Dansey. Labour would go from 34 to 35 seats. If another party wins the race, there would be no change to the overall number of MPs. In all scenarios the number of MPs in Parliament remains at 123 due to the overhang.
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Changes to anti-money laundering act
David Seymour and Nicole McKee. Image: RNZ Parents should find it easier to open a bank account for their child under changes to the government's anti-money laundering policy. Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee made the announcement this afternoon with Acting Prime Minister David Seymour. Mckee said the changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act - designed to prevent serious crimes - would make opening an account for children easier, as regulations designed to prevent serious crimes "can make the process unnecessarily difficult". "A parent who wants to open an account for their eight-year-old child needs to gather and verify a long list of information including their child's address, date of birth, name, and their own authority to act on their child's behalf. "The Act also requires banks to obtain the nature and purpose of the business relationship, evaluate whether further due diligence is required, and monitoring the child's transactions on an ongoing basis." She said changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act amendment would mean banks could use a simpler process when the risk was low - for example, when a child's bank account had appropriate transaction limits. "All that could be required is a birth certificate to confirm the child's name and date of birth, and prove the relationship to the parent. They could also skip the intrusive and unnecessary questions about the 'nature and purpose' of the account, and reduce or forego ongoing monitoring of a child's banking activity, until the account's settings are changed (eg removal of transaction limits when a child turns 18)." The government had also directed the future supervisor of the Act to release clear guidance on how to apply these simple checks, she said.
