CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY

New Zealand and South Pacific reporter

Graham-McLay is an Associated Press reporter covering regional and national stories about New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands by putting them in a global context. She is based in Wellington.

Driver runs down two New Zealand police officers, killing one

A New Zealand police officer died in hospital on Wednesday and another was seriously hurt after a driver ran them down as they patrolled on foot in the early hours of New Year’s Day, the country’s police chief said.

The world welcomes 2025 with light shows, embraces and ice plunges

From Sydney to Mumbai to Nairobi, communities around the world are welcoming 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges.

What to know about Vanuatu, the Pacific island nation struggling to recover from a massive quake

Efforts to recover bodies of people trapped in collapsed buildings continues in the earthquake-hit Pacific nation of Vanuatu.

Number of dead and missing still unclear as first aid arrives in quake-hit Pacific nation of Vanuatu

The number of people killed and missing remains unclear two days after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.

Rescuers dig for survivors of Vanuatu earthquake with no water and unclear death toll

Vanuatu’s capital is without water after reservoirs were destroyed by a violent magnitude 7.3 earthquake that wrought havoc on the South Pacific island nation.

14 dead and hundreds injured in magnitude 7.3 quake in Vanuatu. Some people are trapped in rubble

At least 14 people are dead and hundreds more are injured after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Vanuatu, causing widespread damage across the South Pacific island nation.

A Memphis man is guilty of murdering his wife during their honeymoon, a Fiji court decides

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A man from Memphis, Tennessee has been found guilty by a judge in Fiji of murdering his wife during their honeymoon in 2022, the prosecutor’s office said Monday.

7 foreign tourists hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar

Health and tourism officials in Fiji say seven foreign tourists have been hospitalized after drinking cocktails at a resort bar.

2 Vietnamese police officials sexually attacked young women on visit to New Zealand, authorities say

New Zealand officials say they have “no doubt” that two Vietnamese officials visiting the country sexually attacked two young female servers at a restaurant, but are unable to charge the men because they have already returned to Vietnam.

New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens

New Zealand’s Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk has overturned a visa refusal for the U.S. conservative commentator Candace Owens, citing “the importance of free speech.”

A New Zealander studied for a year to win the Spanish world Scrabble title. He doesn’t speak Spanish

A New Zealand man playing his first-ever competitive Scrabble game in Spanish, a language he doesn’t speak, has won the board game’s Spanish-language world title.

Greyhound racing is increasingly rare worldwide. New Zealand now plans to outlaw the practice

New Zealand’s racing minister says the country will outlaw greyhound racing, citing the injury rates for racing dogs.

Tonga’s prime minister quits moments ahead of no-confidence motion in parliament

Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has abruptly quit his post in parliament ahead of a planned confidence vote in his leadership, capping a period of fraught relations between his government and Tonga’s king.

3 climbers from the US and Canada are believed to have died in a fall on New Zealand’s highest peak

Three mountain climbers — two from the U.S. and one from Canada — missing on Aoraki, New Zealand’s tallest peak, are believed to have died in a fall.

Weather hampers a search for 3 American and Canadian climbers missing on New Zealand’s highest peak

New Zealand authorities have “grave concerns” for three mountain climbers from the U.S. and Canada who are missing after a planned ascent of the country’s highest peak, Aoraki.

Three climbers from the US and Canada are missing on New Zealand’s highest peak

Three mountain climbers from the U.S. and Canada are missing after they failed to return from a planned ascent of New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki.

This whale species is so rare it’s never been seen alive. A dissection may decode its mysteries

Scientists and culture experts in New Zealand have begun the first-ever dissection of a spade-toothed whale, the world’s rarest whale species.

Australian police arrest 13 people and seize a record 2.3 tons of cocaine from a fishing boat

Australian police say they have seized a record 2.3 tons of cocaine from a fishing boat off the coast of Queensland.

Crew mistakes caused the sinking of a New Zealand navy ship off Samoan coast, inquiry finds

A military investigation has found mistakes by members of the crew caused a New Zealand navy ship to plow into a Samoan reef and sink in October.

Conservative US influencer Candace Owens is barred from New Zealand weeks after a ban from Australia

Immigration officials say U.S. conservative political commentor Candace Owens has been refused a visa to enter New Zealand for a speaking engagement because she has been banned from another country.

One person is dead and 13 are hurt after a bus carrying foreign tourists crashed in New Zealand

One person is dead and 13 others were rushed to New Zealand hospitals after a bus carrying international tourists collided with two other vehicles on a rural highway on Wednesday, emergency services said.

Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom has suffered a serious stroke, a post on his X account says

The X account for internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom says he has suffered a “serious stroke.” He has been fighting deportation from New Zealand to the United States on charges relating to his file-sharing website Megaupload for 12 years.

New Zealanders save more than 30 stranded whales by lifting them on sheets

More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand have been safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets.

New Zealand police begin arrests for gang symbol ban as new law takes effect

A ban on New Zealanders wearing or displaying symbols of gang affiliation in public has taken effect, with police officers arresting a man for breaking the law three minutes later.

Māori march: Tens of thousands stream through New Zealand’s capital

As tens of thousands of marchers thronged the streets in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, the column of people, flags aloft, had the air of a festival or a parade rather than a protest.

New Zealand’s founding treaty is at a flashpoint. Why are thousands protesting for Māori rights?

Police say tens of thousands of people have arrived at New Zealand’s Parliament in protest of a proposed law that would redefine the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

Lawmakers stage Māori protest in New Zealand’s parliament during fraught race relations debate

A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected Thursday amid debate over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

‘A hollow and limited apology.’ New Zealand survivors of abuse in care speak in their own words

Survivors have attended a formal apology from New Zealand’s leaders at Parliament for the abuse of thousands of children and vulnerable adults in state, foster and faith-based care.

New Zealand’s leader formally apologizes to survivors of abuse in state and church care

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has made a “formal and unreserved” apology in Parliament for the abuse, torture and neglect of an estimated 200,000 children and vulnerable adults in care.

Runway fire breaks out at Sydney Airport after emergency landing

An engine failure on a passenger plane taking off from Sydney, Australia on Friday prompted the aircraft to circle before a safe emergency landing, the airline Qantas said.