Neogene period and Miocene era. Mammals of New Zealand Miocene of New Zealand mammals

New hypothesis The personality of a person - his consciousness, including his memory, the ability to think and experience emotions - is a certain volume of the world ether, in which the ether is structured by encoded information entered into it, forming both memory files and

Ash Trap

Dozens of tourists died when a volcano erupted in New Zealand

Text: Maxim Makarychev

A volcanic eruption on White Island in New Zealand took several dozen tourists by surprise. As a result, according to local rescue services as of Tuesday morning, at least five people were killed and dozens of tourists were declared missing. There have been no reports of missing Russian citizens.

At least 20 people were injured, some in critical condition, local media reported. While a huge column of ash and smoke rose into the sky, they were evacuated by boat from the pier on the shore of the island. On Tuesday evening it became known that at least 50 people were on the island. Taking into account the dead and those saved, there were about three dozen people left whose fate remained unknown. After flying over the island by helicopter, the local police reported that “there were no survivors on the island and people were buried under a layer of ash.” They, as specified in the local branch of the Red Cross, were tourists from the USA, New Zealand, Australia, India and a number of European countries. These people were on a pleasure tour on at least five boats and went ashore on the island after the ships moored. New Zealand Deputy Police Commissioner John Tims explained that sending rescuers to the island was still "too dangerous due to the fact that it is covered in ash and volcanic material." In addition, experts do not rule out a new and more powerful volcanic eruption.

The fire-breathing hill on White Island is considered one of the most visited active volcanoes in the world. One-day walking tours to the island are popular among foreigners, where they are brought on boats and shown the top of the crater. The video footage, which was distributed on social networks by one of the users, captured the ascent to the crater of the volcano about an hour before its eruption. A live broadcast broadcast by one of the tourists at the head of the crater shows a group of smiling travelers. Suddenly the images darkened and the recording was interrupted. According to eyewitnesses who managed to leave the island in time and watched the eruption from boats, the volcano, located about 40 kilometers from the shore of the Bay of Plenty, threw a huge amount of ash into the air, which soon covered a large area of ​​the island. White smoke emanating from the crater, according to seismologists, rose to a height of approximately 12 kilometers. A Brazilian tourist who was on White Island minutes before the eruption said many tourists suffered "extensive burns." Allessandro Kaufmann wrote on Instagram: "There were two volcano tours. Ours was the first. Another tour followed right after ours. We left the island. Less than five minutes later, the volcano began to erupt. People from the other tour, which arrived after, could not leave the island on time." According to him, the island "was covered with a large layer of volcanic ash."

Meanwhile, according to the BBC, as early as December 3, GeoNet, a website that specializes in geohazard monitoring, warned that "the volcano may be entering an eruption phase that is more likely than normal." In turn, Ian Lindsay, associate professor at the University of Auckland, said the eruption alert level had recently been raised from one to two and tour organizers had been informed about this. According to him, White Island is a private island with big amount private tour operators and is not under government control.

New Zealand > Oil, gas, coal. Transport > energyland.info, November 25, 2019 >

Activists block a ship off the coast of New Zealand to protest oil production

Ten activists in the port of Timaru in New Zealand remain on board the support vessel Skandi Atlantic, which is supposed to serve the production platform of the Austrian oil giant OMV.

They locked themselves in rooms in different parts of the ship. Eight more people were detained by police.

At dawn on November 24, 30 people, including climbers, boarded the Skandi Atlantic to prevent it from leaving port to protest oil drilling off the coast of New Zealand.

Various environmental groups are involved in the action: Extinction Rebellion, Oil Free Otago and 350 Aotearoa. In addition to the activists camped on the deck of the Skandi Atlantic and those locked indoors, a team of four climbers, including Austrian Greenpeace activist Magdalena Bischof, scaled their mast.

Flag auxiliary vessel Bahamas was preparing to leave the port of Timaru and head north to service a 34,000 tonne oil rig commissioned by OMV that is now off the coast of Taranaki.

OMV is set to start drilling three oil wells there, followed by another off the Otago coast in the Great South Basin (the predominantly offshore area south of New Zealand's South Island). OMV intends to lead the most dangerous look drilling oil wells at extreme depths.

Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Amanda Larsson says campaigners represent a broad cross-section of New Zealand society. "The OMV oil rig is almost 50 nautical miles off the Taranaki coast and it is virtually impossible for ordinary New Zealanders to take peaceful action to confront directly."

“By occupying the OMV support vessel, we want to delay the installation of a monster that is going to drill for oil in the face of the climate crisis,” Amanda added. “We are protesting here to stop this platform from quietly destroying the climate away from the public eye.”

OMV is one of 100 companies responsible for more than 70% of the world's emissions. Larsson says OMV can expect continued resistance from people across the country: “People are protesting against companies being allowed to find new oil and burn it in a climate crisis that threatens the lives of millions of people. Let OMV be ready: we will be everywhere.”

This is not the first time there have been protests against OMV's plans. Last month, protests took place outside OMV's headquarters in Austria, where Maori climate activist Mike Smith (Ngāti Kahu Ngāpuhi) said he had filed a case against OMV CEO Rainer Seele at the International Criminal Court. Anti-OMV protests have taken place in Dunedin, Wellington and New Plymouth in the past few days.

New Zealand. Russia > Media, IT. Ecology > inopressa.ru, November 12, 2019 >

Unrest in New Zealand amid allegations of Russian interference in bird of the year elections

Charlotte Graham-McLay | The Guardian

"(...) This election has sparked meme wars, full-sized billboards, back-and-forth bickering between rival campaigns, and now accusations of Russian voter fraud. Organizers of New Zealand's Bird of the Year contest, an innocuous poll that raises public awareness of the state of native bird species, rejected allegations that the 2019 results were skewed by foul play after it was discovered that a large number of votes came from other countries,” The Guardian newspaper reported.

"People are making all sorts of theories about Russian involvement in the New Zealand election," said Megan Hubscher, a spokeswoman for Forest and Bird, an independent conservation group that conducts the annual vote. "But we can assure everyone that this time it appears to be fair."

"Throughout the contest's 14-year history, organizers have improved election security in response to hacking attempts, and the 2019 poll was the most secure yet. In 2018, online voting in favor of Cormorant saw 300 fraudulent votes cast by Australians attempting to influence on the course of the competition (...),” the article reports.

"(...) The poll results, released on Monday, included votes from 92 countries, says Hubscher. The largest number of overseas votes came from Australia (684), followed by the UK (682), the US (563) and Russia (335). )," reports The Guardian.

However, Hubscher said a new polling feature that required voters to confirm their choice by entering a 4-digit code appeared to have thwarted hacking attempts. And while Twitter users in New Zealand were quick to come up with conspiracy theories, Hubscher added that everyone "The voices from Russian postal addresses appeared legitimate," the publication said, "she suggested that Russian ornithologists pursuing harmless interests may be responsible for the voices."

“New Zealand actually shares birds with Russia,” Hubscher said. “The Godwit lives here and flies back and forth every year.”

"The winner of the 2019 survey (..) was not the godwit, but the hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin, a beautiful but antisocial bird that communicates by calling. It is the rarest penguin species on earth." (...)

New Zealand > Ecology > ria.ru, November 7, 2019 >

The New Zealand Parliament has passed its final reading of a bill to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to zero by 2050.

"This afternoon the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Bill passed its third and final reading, enabling New Zealand to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050," the New Zealand Parliament said in a post on its Facebook page.

According to the text of the bill, its purpose is to put in place a mechanism “through which New Zealand can develop and implement clear and sustainable climate change policies that will contribute to global efforts to limit average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.” within the framework of the Paris Agreement."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, speaking in parliament, stressed that she was proud of this decision, which would “leave a legacy.”

"I hope this means the next generation will see that we in New Zealand were on the right side of history," Arden said.

The Paris Climate Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015 in Paris and entered into force on November 4, 2016. It aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change. The document was signed by 175 countries, including Russia. For the first time in history, he united the efforts of all world powers to curb climate change.

The agreement replaced the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which was in force until then, which established greenhouse gas emission quotas for only a few developed countries, but the United States withdrew from this agreement, and a number of other countries did not comply with the agreement.

Currently, 197 countries are parties to the Paris Agreement, of which 185 have ratified it. The United States notified the UN in August 2017 of its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

> Privatization, investments > bfm.ru, October 25, 2019 >

Now the country ranks 28th, last year it was in 31st position, and eight years ago it was in 120th place. How did you manage to achieve positive dynamics again?

Russia rose three places - from 31st to 28th place - in the new ranking of the World Bank Group Doing Business. Analysts attribute the positive dynamics to tax reforms, strengthening the protection of the rights of minority shareholders, as well as simplifying the process of connecting to electricity in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The Ministry of Economic Development believes that the main task for the future is to achieve stability. However, analysts note that Russia’s progress on the list has slowed down. In May 2012 decrees, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia to enter the top 20 by 2018. According to the new instructions, Russia should be in the top twenty by 2024.

Vladimir Putin joked about the new rating. During the plenary session of the Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, the acting President of the Republic of Mauritius announced that his country had risen in the ranking to 13th place, to which the Russian leader immediately responded: “You are behaving immodestly - from 28th place.” in the Doing Business ranking moved to 13th, and Russia from 31st to 28th. We have taken your place."

The top three are New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong, followed by Denmark, Korea, the USA and Georgia. Before Russia are also all the Baltic countries.

Business FM asked Russian entrepreneurs where it is easier for them to do business. Anton Epifanov, general director of the Levenguk company, which produces optical equipment, said that it is “immeasurably simpler” in Russia. The company has offices in the USA, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria.

— In Western Europe—in Italy, Spain—it took us three to four months to open a legal entity. IN Eastern Europe a little faster, but it’s still months. Especially long in Hungary and Bulgaria. In Italy, the minimum authorized capital costs 10 thousand euros, and in Russia, for example, 10 thousand rubles. Feel the difference. In Spain - three thousand euros. For the services of a law firm that draws up all the documents, you need to allocate three to four thousand euros, plus 1.5 thousand for a notary. It takes a long time, because they are very leisurely, bureaucracy. Rent is the same everywhere: in good areas it’s more expensive, in bad areas it’s cheaper. We need to look for people. It’s difficult for me to work with them, because there is a difference in mentality, a difference in all this. If you involve some kind of recruitment agency, it will immediately cost tens of thousands of euros - a salary for six months, for example. There, in half an hour of processing, they will drain all your blood and demand triple compensation.

— What about interaction with different authorities, the tax authorities?

— In Europe, the tax system is very similar to the Russian one. I think it's comparable here. In the West, at least, I have never encountered any attempts to optimize taxation. There they pay every penny for everything they are supposed to, and they can’t imagine life any other way. In the States it is simpler in many aspects. Registering a company via the Internet is quick and inexpensive, costing about several hundred dollars. People usually have little rest there, vacations are considered something indecent, and there are few days off. But the US has a fantastically competitive market. For three dollars they will simply strangle you, they will simply physically approach you and strangle you.

Oh, what nuances there are in opening your own business in Georgia and the Czech Republic, said the owner of the Double B coffee shop chain, Anna Tsfasman.

— In Georgia, everything related to organizing a legal entity is very simple, takes literally one day, and is very cheap. Therefore, you can register almost any type of business, except licensed ones, in a couple of days and immediately open an account and start working. The difficulty in Georgia lies in the low purchasing power of the population. Any business that will be successful there must rely on tourists, and for the local population it is very difficult to work.

- And in Prague?

— In Prague, everything is different, there are, of course, more regulatory bodies, a huge number of papers need to be obtained, permits even for catering, where there is no cooking. When cooking food, you must obtain permission from both the residents and the local administration. Not only do you need to get permission, it also costs money; you need to pay for these meters, though not to the landlord, but to the municipality. But plus the people who live there, there are a large number of them, and their purchasing power is high. They are very conservative, they are not used to being in certain places, so it is quite difficult to promote a new project. But if you have already enticed them and you managed to change their path in your direction, then they will be loyal to you. But if you look at where you can develop faster, then, in my understanding, Russia offers more chances. But, of course, it hasn’t become any easier or easier to do business with us. Of course, registering a new company is a fairly simple story, but it’s been a simple story for probably ten years now; everything else has been difficult for us, as it is. With the tax office it has become much more difficult: before, they didn’t block accounts like that and didn’t shake you too much, now it’s all quite tough.

According to the head of the Carfax Education group of companies, Alexander Nikitich, in Russia the level of digitalization of relations between small businesses and the state is quite high compared to many other countries.

“How easy is it to do business in the UK? This is the absence of excessive bureaucracy and excessive formalization. But this is probably a consequence of British case law: for example, there you can simply put facsimile signatures in a PDF and send it, and this has the same legal force as what is called a “wet signature”, which, for example, is required everywhere in Dubai . Also in the UK, companies are not required to have a stamp on official documents. On the other hand, for example, our company is in Monaco. The beauty of working there is that it is a small country and it is very flexible, even in relation to small businesses: sometimes some official issues with small businesses can be discussed literally at the government level, and they meet halfway. In Singapore, a huge advantage is the speed of opening a company and some registration issues. Almost everything can be done electronically, and this is a big plus. Dubai is interesting because, firstly, there are no taxes and little regulation. In the UK, on ​​the contrary, a very big problem is the excessive regulation of almost all aspects of activity. With the exception of Monaco, it is very difficult to open bank accounts for small businesses. For example, in Hong Kong this is almost impossible. The situation is due to the fact that all banks have recently become obsessed with playing the role of police officers, as various states require this.”

The indicators in the Doing Business 2020 ranking from the World Bank are current as of May 1 of this year. The study evaluates legal norms that promote the expansion of entrepreneurial activity, as well as norms that limit it. In total there are 190 countries in the ranking.

New Zealand. Russia > Agroprom > fsvps.ru, October 24, 2019 >

The New Zealand delegation completed its familiarization with the Russian veterinary surveillance system

On October 23, Rosselkhoznadzor held negotiations with New Zealand colleagues. The meeting was dedicated to the completion of familiarization of representatives of the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) with the Russian veterinary surveillance system.

The foreign delegation at the negotiations was headed by the Chief Veterinarian of New Zealand, Anthony Zorab, and the Russian side was headed by the Deputy Head of Rosselkhoznadzor, Konstantin Savenkov.

Anthony Zorab thanked the Rosselkhoznadzor staff for organizing the visit of the New Zealand delegation to Russia. During the trip, MPI representatives visited the Federal Center for Animal Health (FSBI "ARRIAH") subordinate to the Service and got acquainted with the work of the checkpoint on the state border of the Russian Federation using the example of the Big Port of St. Petersburg. In addition, the foreign delegation visited enterprises producing products of animal origin (dairy, meat and fish products), as well as farms that supply raw materials to these companies.

MPI representatives noted that they were able to fully learn how the Russian veterinary surveillance system is structured and how traceability of products of animal origin is ensured on the territory of the Russian Federation. Foreign colleagues were convinced that in Russia these issues are given great importance. They also emphasized that, in general, the food safety system in the country has many similarities with the similar system in New Zealand.

New Zealand's chief veterinarian said that during the trip he came to the conclusion that Russia is interested in combating antibiotic resistance - the resistance of a strain of infectious agents to the action of antibacterial drugs, caused by the uncontrolled use of these substances in livestock farming. Anthony Zorab noted that the New Zealand department is ready to cooperate with Rosselkhoznadzor and exchange experience in this direction.

Konstantin Savenkov agreed that Russia is constantly working to develop product exports. In particular, Russian enterprises are interested in supplying aquatic biological resources (fish products) to New Zealand. New Zealand colleagues reported that they are ready to consider this proposal and discuss it with importing companies.

During the negotiations, the question was raised about the possibility of resuming beef supplies from New Zealand to Russia. The ban was introduced in 2017 due to the discovery of ractopamine in these products, a substance whose use in animal husbandry is prohibited in Russia. Foreign colleagues noted that they had sent materials to the Russian department regarding the inspection of enterprises from which ractopamine was detected in meat. Representatives of Rosselkhoznadzor have studied them and will soon send a response on this matter to MPI. After this, the parties will continue to discuss this issue.

The New Zealand delegation thanked Rosselkhoznadzor for the good reception and organization of the working trip.

New Zealand. Russia > Agroprom > fsvps.ru, October 16, 2019 >

A delegation from New Zealand arrived in Russia to get acquainted with the Russian veterinary surveillance system

On October 15, Rosselkhoznadzor held negotiations with a New Zealand delegation that arrived in Russia to familiarize itself with the domestic veterinary supervision system and visit enterprises producing products of animal origin.

Earlier in March, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance visited New Zealand. The working trip of New Zealand colleagues to Russia, which started on October 15, was a reciprocal one.

The visiting delegation included representatives of the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI).

In addition to employees of Rosselkhoznadzor and MPI, the negotiations were also attended by representatives of the New Zealand Embassy in Russia and institutions subordinate to the Service - FSBI "VGNKI" and FSBI "ARRIAH".

During the meeting, the program of the visit of the New Zealand delegation was announced. Representatives of MPI will visit the subordinate Service of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Federal Center for Animal Health Protection” (FGBU “ARRIAH”) and get acquainted with the work of the checkpoint on the state border of the Russian Federation using the example of the Big Port of St. Petersburg. In addition, they will become familiar with the veterinary control of Russian enterprises producing products of animal origin (dairy, meat and fish products), as well as farms that supply raw materials to these companies.

During the meeting, the structure of Rosselkhoznadzor, the main functions performed by the agency, and the information systems developed by the Service were described in detail. In particular, they talked about the FSIS “Mercury”, in which electronic veterinary accompanying documents for products of animal origin are drawn up, ensuring the traceability of such regulated goods. In addition, representatives of Rosselkhoznadzor spoke about FSIS Vesta, which was created to transmit and analyze information on laboratory testing of samples of regulated products for research in the field of diagnostics, food safety, food and feed quality, quality and safety of medicines for animals.

During the negotiations, New Zealand colleagues were interested in how Russian enterprises wishing to export products get the opportunity to make such deliveries abroad, and also asked a number of questions about the implementation of veterinary supervision in the regions of the Russian Federation.

Representatives of the delegation thanked Rosselkhoznadzor for organizing the visit to Russia and expressed confidence in the success of such a working trip.

New Zealand > Education, science. Ecology > rg.ru, October 9, 2019 >

Ticket to the future

Who will be taken on the new "Noah's Ark"

Text: Sergey Demenko

A global flood, an asteroid fall, a reversal of the poles... The catastrophic scenarios that quite serious scientists have recently been “producing” are off the charts. For example, a new report by UN experts states that by the end of the century, due to global warming, sea levels will rise by 1.1 meters. More than 700 million people will be affected, with some coastal cities and even entire countries at risk of becoming uninhabitable.

And here's a new horror story. This time from New Zealand scientists: Matt Boyd and Nick Wilson decided to find “Noah’s Ark” on the planet, where earthlings can escape in the event of... a global pandemic. Why was this particular attack chosen?

According to New Zealanders, the reason may be discoveries in the field of biotechnology, which are now being so enthusiastically pursued in the world's leading laboratories, often without worrying about what unpredictable consequences they may lead to for all of humanity. Gene manipulation, the appearance of various chimeras, can escape the control of science and enter the world, causing a pandemic of an unknown disease. There is simply no opposition to it.

This is exactly the scenario that Matt Boyd and Nick Wilson modeled. What did their computer show? Do some of the earthlings have a chance to survive if they choose the right place where they can wait out the attack and then be reborn? This salvation could be enough large island or an island state.

“Disease pathogens can easily cross land borders, so an isolated, self-sufficient island could maintain a technologically advanced population that could repopulate the Earth after a catastrophe,” the scientists say.

They considered several possible refuges that have no land borders and are not connected by bridges to other countries with a population of more than 250 thousand people.

The geographical location, the availability of natural resources, as well as the political and social characteristics of the society were taken into account. In the end, 20 favorable states were selected, which were ranked on a scale from zero (unsuitable for survival) to one (most suitable). And three were named the most attractive: Australia (score 0.71), New Zealand (0.68) and Iceland (0.64). They have everything they need to preserve humanity during a global pandemic and become the basis for building a new society.

“These are countries with high GDP, self-sufficient in food production and energy production, and also quite remote from other states,” the scientists sum up.

Behind this trio were Japan, Barbados, Cuba, Jamaica, Fiji: these island countries lack resources, including energy, as well as social capital and political stability for effective interaction between people after a disaster, Boyd and Wilson explain.

According to experts, such a rating could become an “insurance policy” in case a pandemic does break out. However, they do not say how much it will cost, how many earthlings will be able to use it, or on what basis they will select this “rescue contingent of the future.” But that's another question.

New Zealand. Russia > Agroprom > fsvps.ru, October 4, 2019 >

Rosselkhoznadzor discussed with the First Secretary of the New Zealand Embassy in Russia Rohan Murphy the upcoming visit of the New Zealand delegation to Russia

On October 4, Advisor to the Head of Rosselkhoznadzor Artem Daushev held a meeting with the First Secretary of the New Zealand Embassy in Russia Roan Murphy.

The negotiations were devoted to the upcoming visit of a delegation from the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) to Russia to get acquainted with the domestic veterinary supervision system and visit enterprises producing products of animal origin.

During the meeting, the organization of the trip and the plan of events during the visit were discussed. The New Zealand delegation will arrive in Russia on October 15 and within a week will get acquainted with the work of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Federal Center for Animal Health Protection" (FSBI "ARRIAH") subordinate to Rosselkhoznadzor and enterprises producing dairy products, black caviar and beef. It is also planned to visit the Big Port of St. Petersburg. In St. Petersburg, the delegation will be joined by the Chief Veterinarian of New Zealand, Tony Zorab.

The final meeting will take place in Rosselkhoznadzor on October 23. At it, as Roan Murphy noted, in particular, it is planned to discuss inter-laboratory cooperation between the Russian and New Zealand sides, which involves the exchange of experience between scientific institutes.

Roan Murphy thanked Rosselkhoznadzor for the opportunity to organize the visit of the New Zealand delegation to Russia and expressed hope that the upcoming working trip of foreign colleagues will be fruitful.

New Zealand > > fishnews.ru, September 20, 2019 >

New Zealand plans a breakthrough in aquaculture development

The New Zealand government plans to increase the total revenue of aquaculture farms fivefold by 2025. Such rapid growth is expected to be achieved through existing production - through innovation, an influx of investment and the reduction of administrative barriers.

The country's authorities hope to increase the figure from 600 million to 3 billion New Zealand dollars (380 million and 1.9 billion US dollars, respectively), writes the Stuff.co.nz portal. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash promised the government would try to remove as many barriers to the industry as possible while ensuring its sustainability.

As part of the announced plan, it is planned to focus on research in the field of biosafety and mariculture, as well as support the development of new technologies for reducing waste from aquafarms. Attention will also be paid to the problem of climate change, which seriously worries salmon farmers.

As a Fishnews correspondent reports, the current plans of the New Zealand government fit within the framework of already existing trends. Thus, in 2014, the Ministry of Primary Industries of this country announced a significant increase in the export of aquaculture products.

New Zealand > Metallurgy, mining > metalbulletin.ru, August 30, 2019 >

New Zealand Steel & Tube fined for fraud

New Zealand metallurgical company Steel & Tube was fined two million dollars by a local court. New Zealand media reported this.

The sanctions are based on alleged fraud in certifying the company's anti-seismic steel products to be of higher quality than in reality.

Certification was carried out both to increase sales profits and to comply with new standards adopted by the New Zealand government.

The company has now filed an appeal and the appeals court is expected to make a decision in the coming days.

> Army, police > un.org August 22, 2019 >

UN chief calls for combating rhetoric that fuels hatred of people of other faiths

Today, people are increasingly being persecuted and even killed on the basis of their faith and beliefs: extremists shoot Jews in synagogues, Muslims in mosques, and commit reprisals against Christians. As a result of cynical political manipulation, religious beliefs become the cause of division in society. Meanwhile, it is faith based on common values ​​that can and should promote mutual understanding and diversity.

This was stated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the occasion of the International Day of Remembrance for Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. It is celebrated for the first time. A decision to this effect was taken by the General Assembly.

“Over the past few months, we have seen an increase in attacks against individuals and groups because of their religion or belief. Jews were killed in synagogues, and the tombstones on their graves were desecrated with swastikas; Muslims were shot in mosques and their religious sites were destroyed; Christians were massacred during worship services, Christian churches were set on fire,” the Secretary General’s message says.

In the past few months alone, there have been attacks on a synagogue in the United States, a mosque in New Zealand, Catholic churches in Sri Lanka and a Protestant church in Burkina Faso. Across the world, conflicts from Syria to the Central African Republic have exposed entire communities to religious attacks.

“On this day, we renew our support for victims of violence based on religion or belief: we do everything possible to prevent such attacks and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” the UN chief said.

Stressing that all religions teach the value of human life and recognize that all people are created equal, the UN chief called for more active defense of the true values ​​of mutual understanding and respect and strengthening the fight against hate speech.

“We must resist and confront those who deliberately lie and manipulate religion to create misconceptions, incite divisions and sow fear and hatred. Diversity is a source of wealth and strength; it never poses a threat,” said the UN Secretary-General.

Antonio Guterres called for the eradication of anti-Semitism and hatred of Muslims, the persecution of Christians and other religious groups, and the condemnation of all forms of racism, xenophobia, discrimination and incitement to violence.

New Zealand > Army, police > ria.ru, August 12, 2019 >

The New Zealand government has bought back more than 10,000 banned semi-automatic weapons from the public in less than a month of its return scheme introduced after the March terrorist attack, the Guardian newspaper reports.

After the terrorist attack in Christchurch, which killed 50 people, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on all semi-automatic military weapons and assault rifles in the country. In April, New Zealand's parliament passed a bill banning assault-style semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and their parts. It was previously reported that the authorities plan to spend about $136 million on the purchase of such weapons.

As the newspaper notes, since the scheme began in mid-July, residents of the country have handed over 10,242 units of such weapons to the police. At the same time, another 1,269 units were returned as part of the “amnesty,” which implies that the police do not ask the owner questions about when and how he acquired the weapon.

In total, New Zealanders have, according to various estimates, from 1.2 to 1.5 million weapons. Citizens who own prohibited semi-automatic weapons are expected to surrender them by December 20, 2019.

New Zealand > Migration, visa, tourism > prian.ru, July 23, 2019 >

New Zealand investor visas bring the country $4 billion

Total for the 2018-2019 season. The country's government approved 243 applications.

Since the program's launch in 2008, the two categories of investor visas have raised $4.1 billion, Imidaily reports. In 2019, experts recorded an overall slight decrease in income from both visas compared to last year.

The main category of applicants remains Chinese citizens - they account for 65% of all approved applications. Americans in 2018-2019 received 7% of investor visas, the British - 5.3%, the Japanese - 2.6%.

New Zealand's rules for obtaining investor visas remain among the strictest in the world - the country's authorities reject about a third of all applications. Over the past 12 months, the government has rejected 22% of Tier 1 visa applications and 35% of Tier 2 visa applications, rejecting potential investment of $329.9 million.

The refusal may presumably be due to the nationality of the investors. Thus, the country's authorities refused 17% of Indonesians, residents of Singapore - 18% of refusals, 38% of Malaysians and 41% of South Africans were completely unlucky. Russians are also at the bottom of the list - just below 40% of refusals.

New Zealand > Lesprom > lesprom.com, June 28, 2019 >

In January-May 2019, New Zealand increased sawlog exports by 15.5%

In the first five months of 2019, China's share of total New Zealand sawlog exports increased by 5.35 percentage points to 80.6%, Statistics New Zealand reported.

In January-May 2019, the volume of log supplies to China increased year-on-year by 23.7% to 7.4 million m3, to South Korea - by 4.5% to 782.4 thousand m3, to India - by 33, 2% to 481.8 thousand m3.

In total, in January-May 2019, New Zealand exported 9.1 million m3 of sawn raw materials, which is 15.5% more than a year earlier.

New Zealand > Real estate, construction > prian.ru, June 22, 2019 >

Auckland property is losing foreign investors

Due to a drop in foreign interest in real estate in New Zealand, the Auckland market went into negative territory for the first time in 5 years.

Average prices fell about 2% to $902,000, the biggest year-on-year decline since 2014, 1 News Now reported. The main reason is government restrictions on foreign buyers and new rules for landlords.

In the surrounding cities, a drop in average prices was also recorded in May 2019. Parnell - by almost 15% to $1.44 million and Ponsonby, where property prices fell by 4% to $1.61 million. In Remuera, the average price fell by almost 8% to $1.96 million, while in Mission Bay the fall was almost 9% to $1.65 million.

At the same time, sales of Auckland apartments in May increased by 19% compared to the same period in 2018. Due to the surge in interest, the average price of an apartment increased 11% year on year to $680 thousand.

In Wellington, meanwhile, the average apartment price rose almost 12% year on year to $658,000, up $68,000 over the year.

The property market in the Otago region is also growing: plus 11% compared to 2018. The average asking price reached $592 thousand.

It's clear that New Zealand's property boom is over. In May, the national average asking price fell 1.5% to $664,000.

New Zealand > Army, police > ria.ru, June 20, 2019 >

New Zealand authorities will spend about $136 million to buy back banned semi-automatic weapons from the public, the New Zealand Herald reports, citing a joint statement by the country's police and finance ministers.

After the terrorist attack in Christchurch, which killed 50 people, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on all semi-automatic military weapons and assault rifles in the country. In April, New Zealand's parliament passed a bill banning assault-style semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and their parts.

New Zealand is reported to have budgeted NZ$190 million ($124.7 million) to buy back the weapons and another NZ$18 million ($11.8 million) to develop a collection scheme.

The ministerial statement noted that citizens who own semi-automatic weapons must surrender them by December 20, 2019.

In mid-March, shootings occurred at two mosques in Christchurch (South Island, New Zealand), as a result of which, according to police, 50 people were killed and another 50 were injured. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the incident a terrorist attack. One man, 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, has been charged with murder.

New Zealand > Fish. Ecology > fishnews.ru, June 19, 2019 >

The fight for New Zealand's dolphins could affect fishermen

New Zealand authorities have proposed new measures to protect the Maui and Hector dolphins. New Zealand fishermen sympathize with the dolphins, but ask the government to think about their families.

According to the New Zealand government, the populations of these dolphins continue to decline: wildlife There are only 63 individuals of Maui's dolphins and about 15 thousand individuals of Hector's dolphins left, writes the British portal Undercurrent News. These species are endemic to New Zealand.

The New Zealand Ministry of Conservation and Fisheries has proposed significantly expanding the water areas where netting and trawling are prohibited. Currently, on an area of ​​6.2 thousand square meters. km off the coast, networks cannot be installed, and on an area of ​​1.7 thousand square meters. km - catch with a trawl. According to Nature Conservation Minister Eugenia Sage, the risk of dolphin bycatch has been reduced thanks to the creation of such zones.

The government is proposing to expand the waters of two New Zealand marine mammal sanctuaries. The initiative is part of a broader plan to protect dolphins from human threats. It is also expected to combat the spread of toxoplasmosis, a disease transmitted by cats. Because of it, at least 9 dolphins have died since 2007.

According to a Fishnews correspondent, seafood industry association Seafood New Zealand said the consequences of accepting the government's proposal must be considered. The organization notes that fishermen are concerned about the protection of dolphins and are trying to minimize risks to their populations. At the same time, Seafood New Zealand is concerned about the welfare of its members and the hundreds of fishing families that could be affected by the initiative.

New Zealand. Russia. EAEU > Agroprom > fsvps.ru, June 13, 2019 >

Rosselkhoznadzor held a meeting with the New Zealand Embassy in Russia

On June 13, negotiations were held in Moscow between Advisor to the Head of Rosselkhoznadzor Artem Daushev and representatives of the New Zealand Embassy in the Russian Federation.

First Secretary of the Embassy Charles Gillard announced the completion of his diplomatic mission in Russia.

He also handed over a letter expressing gratitude for the meeting of Rosselkhoznadzor with the New Zealand delegation in May within the framework of the 87th General Session of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Charles Gillard recalled that the Chief Veterinarian of New Zealand, Tony Zorab, planned to visit Russia this year at the invitation of Rosselkhoznadzor to familiarize himself with the veterinary surveillance system in the Russian Federation. Representatives of the Embassy noted that such a visit could take place in mid-October. The parties agreed to agree on the dates of the upcoming visit in the near future.

The parties also discussed the possibility of interlaboratory cooperation between Russia and New Zealand, within the framework of which mutual visits are planned between responsible employees of laboratories subordinate to Rosselkhoznadzor and the competent New Zealand authority to exchange experience.

During the negotiations, the need to continue work on harmonizing veterinary certificates for regulated goods exported from New Zealand to the EAEU countries was also discussed.

The parties thanked each other for the fruitful work and agreed to continue discussing issues of bilateral cooperation within the framework of the above visit.

New Zealand > Finance, banks > ria.ru, May 28, 2019 >

New Zealand's Ministry of Finance, following reports of a possible leak of budget information, said that hackers may have hacked its systems, and therefore the department contacted the police.

Earlier, the leader of the opposition National Party of New Zealand, Simon Bridges, said that the party had become aware of key details of the budget, the draft of which will be published on Thursday. Bridges' statement, which is quoted on the party's website, notes that the draft budget shows that the state "has money for tanks, but no money for teachers, money for trees, but not for teeth (dentistry - ed.)."

"Following press reports this morning about a possible leak of budget information, the Treasury has gathered sufficient evidence to indicate that its systems were deliberately and systematically hacked. The Ministry of Finance contacted the police on the recommendation of the National Cyber ​​Security Center," a statement published on the New Zealand Treasury website said. .

The department emphasizes that, as planned, the draft budget will be published on Thursday.

National Party leader Bridges said on Twitter that his party had "acted entirely appropriately". According to Bridges, “when it becomes clear what happened,” Treasury Secretary Grant Robertson will be forced to leave his post.

New Zealand > Ecology > un.org May 12, 2019 >

UN Secretary General thanks New Zealand for its contribution to the fight against climate change

A visit of solidarity and gratitude. This is how UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described his trip to New Zealand, speaking at a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of this country in Auckland on Sunday. He expressed admiration for the way the government and people of New Zealand responded to the tragedy of the mosque shootings in the New Zealand town of Christchurch, and also noted New Zealand's contribution to the fight against climate change.

Countering racism and xenophobia, restricting the ownership of weapons, preventing the spread of hate speech on social networks - these and other important measures, as the Secretary General emphasized, were taken by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after the tragedy in Christchurch. The UN supports these steps.

“To mobilize efforts within the UN system, I have launched two initiatives: one aimed at combating hate speech, led by the Under Secretary-General for Genocide Prevention, and the second to provide support to countries in protecting their sacred sites. This initiative is being carried out under the leadership of the Alliance of Civilizations,” the UN chief said.

The Secretary General recalled that every year, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, he visits a Muslim country as a sign of solidarity: in 2017 it was Afghanistan, in 2018 it was Mali. This year he decided to support the Muslim community in Christchurch with his presence to pay tribute to the courage and resilience of these people.

New Zealand is meeting its commitments under the Paris Agreement

Touching on the issue of climate change, Guterres praised the actions of the New Zealand government, which, according to him, fully fulfills all commitments made under the Paris Climate Agreement. He especially thanked the Prime Minister for the bill, which includes measures to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In this context, the Secretary General recalled the devastating consequences of climate change - powerful hurricanes that lead to humanitarian crises and drought in Africa. He noted the “paradoxical situation” in which everyone sees the consequences of climate change, but at the same time political support for the Paris climate agreement, designed to protect humanity from destructive phenomena, is weakening.

He also expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister of New Zealand for her support to the Pacific island countries. During the current tour of the region, the Secretary General intends to visit Fiji, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Island nations are at the forefront of the fight against climate change as rising sea levels threaten their existence. “We must stop and reverse this serious trend,” the Secretary-General stressed.

In conclusion, António Guterres said he considers climate change, as well as solving problems arising from the rapid development of new technologies, the most important issues facing world leaders today.

The future is a green economy, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told Māori and Pacific youth in Auckland. The event with their participation was organized by New Zealand's Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw.

According to the Secretary General, the scientific world believes that by the middle of the century humanity must achieve carbon neutrality - to eliminate atmospheric pollution, which leads to climate change. He noted the special role of youth in fulfilling this task. “I am confident that young people around the world will be able to convey this message to their governments,” the Secretary General emphasized.

He called for “shifting taxes away from revenues and towards pollution”, not subsidizing fossil fuel production, and stopping the construction of new coal-fired power plants by 2020. “We must tax air pollution, not people's income,” the UN chief stressed.

“It is very important that young people around the world, civil society and the private sector understand that the future lies in the green economy,” said the Secretary General. "It is very important that you convince your governments to take action because we are facing resistance," he added. He recalled how he returned three times to Katowice, Poland, where the climate conference was held, to overcome the resistance of skeptics.

> Agroprom > oilworld.ru, May 7, 2019 >

Fonterra partners with Coca-Cola to expand its presence in South-East Asia

New Zealand co-operative Fonterra and The Coca-Cola Company have entered into a strategic alliance aimed at mutually beneficial collaboration in the growing dairy category in Southeast Asia.

Fonterra's expertise in dairy nutrition, coupled with Coca-Cola's strong sales and distribution channels, has already led to the launch of a new range of dairy products in Vietnam. The product, released under the Coca-Cola Nutriboost brand, is a mixture of milk and fruit juice.

Both companies are currently exploring opportunities to launch a product line under the Fonterra Anchor brand, as well as new products in other markets in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Judith Swales, Fonterra's chief operating officer, said the alliance aims to drive demand in the dairy drinks category in the region.

“Both Fonterra and Coca-Cola are committed to accelerating the growth of the dairy category in Southeast Asia by engaging consumers with innovative new products,” she said.

Dairy products have become one of the fastest growing beverage categories in Southeast Asia. Demand is driven by increased consumer attention to healthy eating. The category is expected to grow at an average rate of more than 5% each year through 2020.

The Coca-Cola deal is one of Fonterra's profit-boosting moves following disappointing results in its 2018 financial year. According to the cooperative's report, its losses for this period amounted to 196 million New Zealand dollars (128.5 million US dollars).

New Zealand > > offshore.su, April 24, 2019 >

New Zealand has updated its law on tax incentives for research and development companies

New Zealand has adjusted its tax rules for companies involved in research and development.

The 2016 Tax Act introduces new rules that will allow start-up companies involved in intensive research and development activities to be able to claim back their tax losses for research and development.

Under the new legislation, companies involved in research and development will be able to get paid up to 28 percent (the company's current tax rate) of their tax losses on research and development expenses in any year.

To be eligible for a tax refund, a company must be unprofitable, resident in New Zealand, and have a sufficient share of labor expenditures on research and development.

New Zealand. Japan > Foreign Economic Relations, politics > offshore.su, April 19, 2019 >

New Zealand is negotiating a free trade area with Japan

During a meeting in Beijing on April 18, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key pledged to resume negotiations on modernizing the free trade agreement between New Zealand and China.

The free trade agreement signed in 2008 "was a real success for both our countries," Key said. "China is now our second largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volumes more than doubling since the agreement took effect."

"PM Lee and I discussed our intention to modernize the FTA to reflect the growth in trade between our countries," he added.

New Zealand has been reported to have concerns about the impact of the Australia-China FTA on its dairy and beef industries, which have been implemented since December last year. The new agreement provides better conditions for the export of Australian goods.

New Zealand. Siberian Federal District > Foreign Economic Relations, politics > tpprf.ru, April 16, 2019 >

Tomsk region - New Zealand: looking for promising areas for business cooperation

A meeting was held at the Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry with Vadim Androsov, representing the Russia New Zealand Business Council.

During a live conversation, they discussed the situation on world markets, the export opportunities of Tomsk enterprises and success stories of Tomsk residents in foreign markets, the opportunities of the New Zealand economy for Russian business, and promising areas of cooperation between the Tomsk region and New Zealand.

The Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry was represented at the meeting by the Director of the Center for the Development of Foreign Economic Activity (Export Support Center) Alexander Belyaev and the Presidential Advisor for Foreign Economic Activity of the TTCI Eduard Belyaev.

New Zealand is one of the most favorable countries for business in general and start-ups. The New Zealand government is interested in business development: the country has accessible government programs for financial support for startups, incubators and accelerators operate, and exporters are actively supported.

Promising areas of business cooperation with New Zealand are IT technologies and telecommunications, bio and environmental technologies, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, high-tech manufacturing, alternative energy, small shipbuilding, tourism, agriculture using innovations, education.

Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry

New Zealand > > offshore.su, April 11, 2019 >

New Zealand introduces tourism tax

New Zealand's Green Party has put forward a proposal to introduce a tourism tax to fund infrastructure spending and environmental initiatives.

The Taonga Levy Party's proposal is to introduce a tax of between NZ$14 and NZ$18 on top of the existing foreigner tax. New Zealand residents will not have to pay tax.

Tourist numbers in New Zealand are expected to reach 4.5 million within six years. The Green Party has put forward a tax proposal to "tap tourism hotspots, manage tensions and preserve New Zealand's environment."

Revenue from the tax will be split 70:30 between conservation activities and tourism spending.

New Zealand > Army, police > ria.ru, April 10, 2019 >

The New Zealand Parliament passed a bill in its third reading that would ban semi-automatic combat-type weapons, assault rifles and their parts, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reports.

After the terrorist attack in Christchurch, which killed 50 people, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on all semi-automatic military weapons and assault rifles in the country.

The bill is expected to receive the assent of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday and come into force on Friday. According to the new amendments, possession of prohibited weapons can be punishable by up to five years in prison. It is noted that the bill provides for a narrow range of exceptions, including collectibles, heirlooms and souvenirs.

Residents of the country who previously purchased weapons or parts for them legally and have the appropriate license will be able to claim compensation. Details of the buyback system are still being discussed and will be reviewed by cabinet in May.

On March 15, shootings occurred in two mosques in Christchurch (South Island, New Zealand), as a result of which, according to the latest police data, 50 people were killed and another 50 were injured. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the incident a terrorist attack. One man, 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, has been charged with murder and the court has extended his detention until April 5.

New Zealand > Agroprom. Media, IT > agronews.ru, April 2, 2019 >

The apple-sucking robot gets to work.

The first commercial apple-sucking robot has gone into operation in New Zealand. The robot was developed by Abundant Robotics and is a small moving tractor that has a manipulator that collects apples using a pump. He navigates using lidar, and a computer vision system helps him identify ripe apples. You can read more about the development on the company’s website; a brief summary is provided by MIT Technology Review.

The development of agriculture requires an increase in the use of human resources, which is not always possible or optimal. That is why automated systems are now increasingly used. For example, there is a robot that independently finds weeds and sprays them with herbicides, and Walmart recently patented spot pollination and pesticide application using a drone.

At the same time, there are not many commercially available agricultural robots that work on real farms. The Abundant Robotics robot has been used in the apple orchards of the New Zealand company T&G Global since the beginning of March. Lidar helps him navigate independently through the rows between crops. The robot collects apples using a special pump - strong enough to pick an apple from a branch without touching it (like a vacuum cleaner). At the same time, the robot does not break branches or otherwise harm the plants.

The robot can also independently determine the ripeness of an apple: for this it is equipped with a computer vision system. At the same time, T&G Global clarifies that the use of the robot will not lead to a reduction in staff: for now, the machine will only work at night, picking apples in hard-to-reach places.

In September 2017, robots also managed to sow a hectare and then harvest it - with virtually no human help.

News source: nplus1.ru

New Zealand > Media, IT > regnum.ru, March 30, 2019 >

Rocket Lab launched an experimental satellite for the US Department of Defense

The satellite was launched from Rocket Lab's launch site in New Zealand.

The private space company Rocket Lab launched a satellite from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This was reported by the DARPA press service.

DARPA reported that on March 29, the 150-kilogram experimental Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment Demonstration (R3D2) satellite was successfully launched into low-Earth orbit.

The launch of the American military satellite was carried out using an Electron launch vehicle from the Rocket Lab spaceport on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.

The R3D2 satellite will be used to test a new type of membrane reflector antenna. The peculiarity of this antenna is that it is launched in a folded form. The deployment of the membrane is carried out already in orbit; the diameter of the antenna in the deployed state is 2.5 m.

The antenna's performance will be monitored for six months after deployment. It is expected that if the tests are successful, small satellites with new types of membrane antennas will be able to partially replace large communications satellites.

As REGNUM previously reported, in January it became known that private company Rocket Lab, based in New Zealand and the United States, will conduct several launches for the first time in 2019 for the US Department of Defense.

New Zealand > Army, police. Media, IT > ria.ru, March 30, 2019 >

Surely everyone remembers Herostratus, the madman who burned one of the wonders of the world - the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. It is unlikely that thousands of years later this name would have been preserved in history if not for the decision of the judges who forbade mentioning it. With their ban, the Ephesians immortalized Herostratus, who, in fact, sought this.

Calls not to name terrorists and mass shooters responsible for the deaths of innocents now look much the same. The “Don’t name them” movement has long demanded that any mention of the killers be abandoned. And now this more than controversial tactic in the fight against terrorism is almost reaching the official level thanks to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Speaking to members of Parliament, she solemnly, to applause, promised never to name the racist Brenton Tarrant, accused of the mass murder of Muslims in a mosque in Christchurch.

The speech of the New Zealand Prime Minister caused an incredibly wide response. Many Western media and politicians called for her to follow her example and always do exactly that. This speech was declared a lesson for all world leaders. "Ardern is right not to name the Christchurch suspect. What about the others?" - asks one of The Guardian columnists. And former British diplomat and political strategist Jonathan Powell shared his dream: how wonderful it would be if Ardern took Theresa May’s place and decided on Brexit issues. Well, it’s not hard to imagine what she would have done: most likely, she would have banned mentioning the word “Brexit” - and the problem would have resolved.

The USA Today newspaper quite seriously writes that the decision not to mention Tarrant will reduce the risks of a repetition of such mass shootings. As if the experience with Herostratus taught no one anything. As if he hadn't demonstrated that the forbidden fruit becomes sweet. If in ancient times it was not possible to consign the name of a criminal to oblivion, then in the era of the Internet such a taboo will be much more helpful in accelerating the popularity of a terrorist: “Just think, the name Tarrant is forbidden to be pronounced. Remember, never say the name Tarrant.”

The New Zealand authorities went even further. They banned the terrorist's "manifesto" under pain of severe punishment. Now any citizen who has this 74-page stream of consciousness on his computer faces ten years in prison. And if someone dares to send a document somewhere or make it public, they could get 14 years in prison.

But this does not make it easier to fight the spread of the ideas of Nazism and racism. Thus, it is easy to imply a prison sentence for, say, psychologists who are trying to understand the motives of the behavior of maniacs for the sake of early prevention of mass shootings. Political scientists who study right-wing radicalism, again to clearly identify the problem and find ways to solve it, may also be put behind bars.

By the way, neither New Zealand nor Australia, where Tarrant is from, really did anything about this. We now hear a lot of oohs and aahs in the style of “This is necessary, who would have thought that such a thing could happen in quiet New Zealand!” But the neo-Nazi group Right wing resistance, to which, in particular, the Australian neo-Nazis who participated in the war in Donbass on the side of Ukrainian right-wing radicals are directly related, was created precisely in Christchurch, New Zealand. But this phenomenon has been little studied. And if you hush up the problem, bury your head in the sand and pretend that these Nazis do not exist, more and more Breiviks, Tarrants and other insignificant “supermen” will appear.

For example, Tarrant’s connections with local right-wing radicals are now being investigated in several European countries. In Austria, there is even talk of the possibility of banning the right-wing radical group to which the terrorist allegedly donated money. But it is impossible to identify all these connections without analyzing the “manifesto” of the neo-Nazi, the history of his movements and radicalization. By the way, Tarrant openly admitted that he visited Ukraine, but there, it seems, unlike Europe, no one even initiated a check of his connections with local radicals. Well, it’s easier to ban his name and continue to repeat: “We have no fascists.”

It is necessary to fight terrorism not by banning the names of newly-minted Herostratas or their works. It is necessary to identify hateful ideas in their infancy, suppressing the organizations and online communities that spread them. And we definitely need to monitor creepy videos and live broadcasts of crimes at an early stage. Feeling guilty for the events in New Zealand, Facebook, through which Tarrant demonstrated his execution to the world, introduced a ban on the dissemination and support of the ideas of “white nationalism and white separatism.” But a logical question arises: why only “white nationalism”? Surely Zuckerberg has heard about racism of other colors and shades, and about radical Islamism, and about mass shootings in Christian churches. But for some reason now I decided to fight only certain forms of racism.

Norwegian activist Björn Hilaire, who miraculously survived Breivik’s 2011 massacre, is absolutely right. He considers Ardern's call not to name Tarrant a big mistake. In his opinion, an attempt to ban the mention of Breivik would raise him to a certain “mystical level.” “It’s as if he is presented as an evil, a monster...” writes Iler. “The fact that he is only a man saved me from a life of fear. Breivik is a man, not a nameless monster looming over our lives.” .

Vladimir Kornilov.

New Zealand. IMF > Foreign Economic Relations, politics. State budget, taxes, prices > offshore.su, March 26, 2019 >

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided New Zealand with a report on the state of the country's economy in its annual assessment of the country's economy and policies, with recommendations for tax policy.

The IMF said: “New Zealand is enjoying strong economic growth driven by record high level migration, booming construction activity and accommodative monetary policy.” Most recommendations discuss financial services policies.

On taxes, the IMF noted supply constraints in the housing market: “Better measures to remove housing supply bottlenecks will ensure attractiveness for high-skilled immigration and business.” The IMF recommended that measures include "some funding from the central government, more efficient property taxation and user charges." In particular, he said New Zealand should seek to "redirect savings incentives away from housing and towards other investments".

“A higher capital gains tax on real estate would reduce incentives for housing investment,” the IMF official said, adding that “limiting the negative impact on the property market would work in the same direction.”

New Zealand > Army, police > ria.ru, March 21, 2019 >

New Zealand authorities have introduced a ban on semi-automatic military weapons and assault rifles in the country, according to the government website.

"Cabinet agreed on the need to change legislation at a meeting on Monday, 72 hours after the horrific terrorist attack in Christchurch," Prime Minister Jacinda Arder was quoted as saying in a press release.

The ban will apply to components, as well as to magazines for high-capacity cartridges.

There will likely be some exceptions for police and security forces, according to the country's Police Minister Stuart Nash. In addition, the possibility of using such weapons in major sporting competitions will be considered.

At the same time, the requirements for licenses giving the right to own semi-automatic weapons are changing.

"We are introducing transitional measures for owners to hand over their weapons to the police, where they will be stored until the terms of their purchase are announced. In addition, the police continue to accept weapons that will be sent for destruction," Nash said.

Final amendments to the legislation will be adopted during the next parliamentary sessions.

Mosque attacks in New Zealand

Attack on mosques in New Zealand

On March 15, gunmen opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch. According to the latest data, 50 people were killed and the same number were injured.

Jacinda Ardern called the incident a terrorist attack and the worst day in the country's history.

One of the attackers, 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant, broadcast the attack on social networks. He is now in custody.

New Zealand > Army, police > inosmi.ru, March 19, 2019 >

Haber7 (Türkiye): for a terrorist, everyone in the mosque is Turkish

Taha Dağlı, Haber7, Türkiye

The terrorist attack on mosques in New Zealand contains profound messages.

Is a terrorist an Islamophobe or a Turkophobe? The answer to this question contains very interesting details. Yes, the terrorist targeted Muslims. Attacked mosques. Killed 49 believers performing prayers. But when we pay attention to his publications on social networks, we see that this terrorist is an ardent opponent of the Ottoman Empire and the Turks.

For him, hostility towards the Turks seems to be identical to hostility towards Islam. Because for this terrorist, any Muslim is a Turk. It does not attack the homes, offices or associations of Turks in New Zealand. He attacks mosques. Although there are no Turks among the people he killed.

Three of our citizens were injured. At the same time, the dead are among representatives of other nations. But for a terrorist this does not matter. Because, in his opinion, every Muslim who performs namaz is one way or another a Turk or an Ottoman.

In this regard, he does not hesitate to attack mosques. After all, everyone who is inside are Muslims, and therefore Turks. The terrorist says: “We will demolish the minarets of Hagia Sophia.” Calls Istanbul Constantinople. While attacking mosques, he always focused on the Turks.

The terrorist carved on his weapon the name of the Serb who killed Sultan Murad I. He also wrote a message containing hatred towards the Turks on his weapon. I also marked this weapon with the date of the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The Ottomans and Turks worry him a lot. Because the Ottomans and Turks are Muslims. And he looks at Muslims from other countries as Turks. After all, many of them have a history with the Ottoman Empire.

This is the terrorist's point of view. In fact, this is a situation that is not unique to the terrorist in New Zealand. We can encounter the same opinion in many places in the West. According to the West, “Muslim” and “Turkishness” are intertwined concepts. For many in the West, every Muslim is an Ottoman in one way or another.

This situation also allows us to better understand the definition given by the poet İsmet Özel to the Turks. Ismet Ozel, who recently suffered from illness, said: “A Muslim is called a Turk who is not afraid of a conflict with an unbeliever.” There is obviously no racist approach to this definition.

It actually describes what Turks and Muslims look like to the West. Another dimension of the terrorist attacks in New Zealand relates to the question of Turkey's survival. You may be asking, “What’s the connection?” But imagine: in New Zealand, terrorists attack mosques, kill Muslims, whom they consider Turks, and from New Zealand they send threat signals to Istanbul, also through Hagia Sophia.

Judging by the terrorist’s publications on social networks on the eve of the terrorist attack, it becomes obvious that he was preparing to commit it. It was as if he had officially announced and notified about it. About 17 hours later, he carried out the attacks, and even live. Why, when all this was happening, neither the police nor the security and intelligence services intervened in any way in the actions of this man? So far this question has not been answered.

Now who can prove that this terrorist is not a product of intelligence like ISIS (banned in the Russian Federation - editor's note)? Although what happened looks like an individual attack, there are also traces of an organized terrorist attack. And organized terrorism cannot but be connected with the intelligence services.

Thus, a terrorist in New Zealand attacks mosques and threatens Turkey with a signal about Hagia Sophia. No matter how far New Zealand is from Istanbul, the signal is very close. In the mind of this terrorist, like many in the West, is hostility towards the Ottoman Empire. This is something that has actually always been in their thinking, consciousness. The current situation in Turkey allows this hostility to spill out in their minds.

Consider the report written by the European Parliament in Brussels two days before the attack, which stated that “Hagia Sophia must not be turned into a mosque,” ​​and there were signals of support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Fethullah Gülen's FETÖ terrorist organization. Gulen). Let's take into account Prime Minister Netanyahu's statements about the PKK the day before the terrorist attack, as well as the threat voiced by his son mentioning Constantinople. Let's add to this the US State Department report published a few hours before the attack, which contains threats against Turkey and signals in defense of the PKK and FETÖ.

When we line it all up, a clearer picture emerges. They are trying to target Turkey for Zionist crusade attacks. Let those who sneer today about the “problem of survival” look carefully at this picture, and if they still do not see this problem or deny it, then there is nothing to say.

> Foreign Economic Relations, politics > offshore.su, March 18, 2019 >

New Zealand, China and Australia complete FTA negotiations

China is considering improving its free trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia, plans confirmed after a series of ministerial meetings.

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesman Sun Jiwen told reporters recently that a review of the Australia-China deal is planned in the near future so that bilateral negotiations can begin at the right time.

At the end of March, it was announced that New Zealand and China would begin negotiations on April 25 to strengthen the already existing free trade agreement. The announcement by New Zealand Finance Minister Bill English followed talks between the prime minister and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Wellington on 27 March.

New Zealand > Real estate, construction > prian.ru, March 16, 2019 >

The boom in New Zealand's property market is over

New Zealand's housing market is cooling rapidly, with price growth slowing to its weakest pace in seven years. During 2018, the average price of residential property in the country increased by 1.5%, to $381,850, according to the Real Estate Institute (REINZ). This is a sharp decline after rising 6.3% in 2017, 13.9% in 2016 and 11.5% in 2015.

Adjusted for inflation, home prices actually fell 0.4% in 2018 compared to the year before. And over the last quarter they fell by 0.6%, although in the third they grew by almost 4% for the year. The cooling is caused by the fact that a ban on the purchase of real estate by foreigners was recently introduced. And over the past seven years, many new offers have appeared on the market, reports Global Property Guide.

Auckland, which accounts for about 25% of total property sales in New Zealand, saw little price movement in 2018 compared to the previous year. Additionally, the smallest increases in value were recorded in Waikato (1.2%), Southland (1.4%) and Bay of Plenty (2%).

The strongest price increases were recorded on the West Coast, where housing prices increased by 18.4% during 2018. Major price increases were also observed in Nelson, Marlborough, Tasman (16.8%), Gisborne (15%), Manawatu and Whanganui (11.7%).

The average home price in Auckland is $587,780 - the highest in the country. Next come the Bay of Plenty ($415,940) and Wellington ($412,870). The cheapest properties are on the west coast ($149,330), Southland ($170,470), Manawatu and Wanganui ($218,200) and Gisborne ($230,470).

New Zealand's economy grew by more than 3% in 2018, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Over the past four years, performance has been the highest since 2007, with growth of 3% in 2017, 4.1% in 2016, 4.2% in 2015 and 3.2% in 2014. According to forecasts, in 2019 the economy will grow by another 3%, and in 2020 by 3.1%.

New Zealand > Army, police > forbes.ru, March 15, 2019 >

Dozens of people killed in terrorist attack in New Zealand

Forbes Editorial

At least 40 people were killed in attacks on mosques in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the incident a terrorist attack and "one of the darkest days" in the country's history.

At least 49 people were killed in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. This was reported on Friday, March 15, by the local newspaper New Zealand Herald.

At least two people were involved in the shootings at the Deans Avenue and Lynnwood mosques. Police detained four suspects, including one woman.

One of the shooters at the Deans Avenue mosque in Christchurch was a man wearing a helmet and glasses and carrying an automatic rifle, witnesses said. The attack took place after noon. A car drove up to the mosque, parked, a man got out, took out two automatic rifles, went inside and opened fire. Then he went out, took another weapon and returned to finish off those who survived.

About 300 people were at the mosque for lunchtime prayers, including children and members of the Bangladesh cricket team, along with an ESPN sports journalist accompanying them.

Immediately after the attack, eyewitnesses spoke of numerous victims. At the time of writing, 49 people are known to have died (41 in the Deans Aven mosque and 10 in the Linwood mosque) and 48 victims were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. According to preliminary data, there are no Russians among them.

What is known about the attacker

The shooter broadcast the attack online on a stream channel for 17 minutes. Before that, he identified himself on Twitter as a 28-year-old Australian named Brenton Tarrant and published a 73-page manifesto in which he spoke about plans to carry out a terrorist attack, The Adverticer reported. According to the New Zealand Herald newspaper, the shooter was an Australian citizen with far-right views.

Christchurch police have vowed to remove footage of the attack from social networks. Twitter has suspended Brenton Tarrant's account.

According to news.com.au, in the 73-page manifesto, the terrorist described himself as “just a white man”, born into a low-income working-class family and determined to act “to secure a future for his people” and “directly reduce immigration to European lands " He didn’t go to university (“I wasn’t interested in what they had to offer”), he earned some money by investing in Bitconnect, spent it on travel, and recently worked part-time as a kebab delivery guy.

During a trip to France in 2017, Tarrant realized that “there are occupiers in every French city.” He was prompted to action by the 2017 terrorist attack in Stockholm, which killed an 11-year-old Swedish girl.

Tarrant had been planning his attack for two years, but only three months ago chose Christchurch for this, since “an attack in New Zealand would draw attention to the truth about the attack on our civilization.”

According to TV channel 1 News, shootings also occurred at another mosque and at a Christchurch hospital on Friday. New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush later announced that four people had been detained - three men and one woman. In addition, police defused several improvised explosive devices found in cars parked near the mosque.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the mosque shootings a terrorist attack and "one of the darkest days" in the country's history.

New Zealand > Army, police > rosbalt.ru, March 15, 2019 >

What we know about mass shootings at mosques in New Zealand

Massacres occurred in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. On Friday at 13:40 local time (3:40 Moscow time), terrorists began shooting believers. 49 people died. Another 48 were injured.

People were killed in the Al Noor and Linwood Masjid mosques.

The name of one of the key participants in the terrorist attack is known: 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant. He carefully planned the crime and videotaped the murders. Before the massacre began, the criminal addressed the audience and invited them to subscribe to blogger PewDiePie, and then, accompanied by cheerful music, drove to the mosque. The footage shows how the criminal takes a rifle covered with white inscriptions from the car - while several pistols remain in the car - and slowly enters the mosque. As the media would later report, the names of people were written on the rifles in Russian, Serbian, Georgian, English and other languages. Among others, the Russian admiral Dmitry Senyavin was mentioned.

Freeze frame video

The first victims are people who leave the building. Tarrant shoots them with a rifle. One person is wounded and tries to crawl away, but the terrorist mercilessly finishes him off. Then the Australian shows how he walks through the mosque, reloads his weapon several times and shoots everyone in a row. People lie on the floor against the walls, and the terrorist shoots at them to make sure everyone is dead. Moans are heard. The killer notices someone trying to escape and opens fire again.

A few minutes later, the shooter leaves the mosque and goes to the car. Along the way, he shoots after people who ran out of the building, then changes weapons and opens fire on the street.

The terrorist enters the mosque again and finishes off the wounded. At the gate of the building, he wounds a woman, she falls on the asphalt and shouts: “Help! Help me!" Tarrant mercilessly deals with her - he shoots the victim in the head, and then runs over him with his car.

The man is breathing heavily, he can no longer remain calm. A terrorist drives a car and opens fire on people along the way. He doesn't care that the car windows are closed - bullets break through the windows. After that, he continues driving, but no longer shoots. At this point the video broadcast ends.

After some time, it became known that the shooting took place in a second mosque, approximately 5 km from the site of the first terrorist attack.

An eyewitness to the tragedy, Nur, was in the front row among those praying in one of the mosques at the time of the shooting. He told reporters that the gunman began killing those who were outside and then opened fire inside the building. Noor heard the man reload the gun three times. He shot in all directions. “I saw people in front of me drop dead. I tried to crawl away,” he said. The man managed to get to the window, which was broken by other believers, he jumped out and ran. All this time, Noor continued to hear shots.

Witnesses described the shooter as a white male, 30 to 40 years old, wearing military uniform. A clip of cartridges was tied to his legs.

Before the attack, Brenton Tarrant published a 74-page manifesto on social media, explaining that he came to New Zealand only to carry out a terrorist attack, and writes that his idol is Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Oslo. Tarrant also indicated that he had read the records of the “Charleston shooter” Dylann Roof and spoke about his hatred of migrants. The manifesto also contains a biography of Tarrant, although it is unknown how true it is. From it we learn that he was born into a low-income family, had little interest in studying as a child and did not go to university. “I worked for a short time before I made money and invested it in Bitconnect (probably referring to the token exchange Rosbalt), then used my income to travel,” he says.

Police said the shooter had three accomplices. Three suspects were detained. Judging by the video from social networks, Tarrant himself could have been caught. Police said one of the men has been charged with murder. The detainee is about 30 years old and will appear in court on March 16. Law enforcement officials, however, did not name the accused.

Police reported that after the attack they found several cars with improvised explosive devices near mosques in the city. The bombs were defused. Schools and government offices were closed in the city. Local residents were asked not to leave their homes.

On the same day, in Auckland (1000 km from Christchurch), according to media reports, two explosions occurred - near a train station and a shopping center. Also, according to the New Zealand Herald, unknown persons left two backpacks with explosive devices at the station. The bomb disposal robot defused two bombs.

Police conduct a special operation on Somerville Street in Dunedin. The law enforcement report said the location was of interest in connection with the Christchurch incident. The special operation area was cordoned off and people were evacuated.

The head of the Norwegian government, Erna Solberg, compared the incident to the terrorist attack committed by Anders Breivik. “This (today’s attack on mosques in New Zealand - Rosbalt) evokes painful associations with the events in Norway,” she emphasized. The prime minister stated that the manifestos published by both terrorists were similar—both documents contained an ultra-right message.

The same large-scale murder in New Zealand occurred only in 1943 - then guards at the Fatherston camp shot and killed 48 prisoners during riots. One New Zealand soldier was also killed.

According to New Zealand police, there were only 35 murders in the country in 2017.

New Zealand > Army, police > inosmi.ru, March 15, 2019 >

NZHerald (New Zealand): The Christchurch mosque shooting was not a matter of “if” but “when”

New Zealand was a place considered one of the safest on the planet. However, after the terrorist attack in the Christchurch mosque, the reality has changed, and therefore a security expert calls on New Zealanders to increase their vigilance and realistically assess what is happening around them, reporting to law enforcement authorities what seems suspicious.

Darren Morton, Nzherald.co.nz, New Zealand

Until about 1:40 pm today, New Zealand still seemed protected from the threats and events facing the rest of the world, but we have now tragically joined the sad reality of the world's security environment.

For many years, New Zealand was a coveted place, considered the safest on the planet. To a large extent, even despite today's events, it will retain this status as other countries face more significant threats.

What many New Zealanders forget, however, is that values ​​associated with security, lifestyle and isolation are embraced as subject to exploration of weakness and vulnerability by those who would do us harm.

Many of our compatriots are convinced that such things will never happen here. In my opinion, a compelling example of this mentality were the comments made today by one regional mayor who said: “This is unthinkable in New Zealand.”

Such comments, of course, can be heard not only from him, but also from many other people who stubbornly refuse to believe what happened. But why should we be so shocked by what happened here?

For the few of us who constantly monitor and evaluate the global security situation, such events would never come as a shock. Despite our hopes that nothing like this would affect us, it was always a matter of “when,” not “if.”

New Zealand today has come to the painful realization that our hopes for our geography, our way of life, our image as a global friend to all, and the belief that what happens in the rest of the world does not affect us, have been our greatest threats from the very beginning. .

So what position do we find ourselves in now? Of course, we must spend some time grieving and thinking about the dead, and fully understand what really happened, but our vigilance and understanding of the features of our new life must begin today.

While everything that happened is - hopefully - an isolated incident, we cannot count on it. Reality has proven that in our liberal environment it was easy to plan a devastating attack that shook our society to its core and provided the perpetrators with global coverage of their crimes.

Now we must move forward and do everything we can to preserve our freedom and way of life, because these are the things we must protect above all else.

However, our future approach to security is something we must undertake as a whole society. We must look closely at each other, notice anything unusual and report it to the relevant departments.

Here's what Albert Einstein once said: “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who passively watch and do nothing.”

The reality is that we live in this world with individual villains and their gangs, these people have no respect for life, but they can only operate in an environment that allows them to plan and carry out attacks without suspicion.

We can't change them, but we can control and limit the environment they need through increased awareness and vigilance.

Unfortunately, most people working in the security industry are not prepared to deal with these types of threats and, frankly, that's to be expected.

However, there may be companies in the security industry that will try to exploit today's fear in society and over-offer people and services.

The first step on this path can be a query in the Google search engine.

Make sure you hire security guards and accept services that are legal and provided by professional companies with experience in dealing with specific threats.

Tomorrow morning we will all wake up and continue to disbelieve, we will only be partially aware of our tragic inclusion in the real world.

The usual divisive rhetoric we hear from individuals and groups will continue, and some of the most easily influenced people will move from conviction to acts of violence.

New Zealand has changed today and events like this simply cannot happen without lasting impact at some level. We are now members of a growing global group influenced by extreme ideologies and views.

Our responsibility as citizens of New Zealand is to preserve the memory of those who died; we must all come together and take responsibility for those issues that concern the protection of our way of life.

We cannot allow the events in Christchurch to tear our community apart and change our way of life into fear.

At the same time, we must increase our vigilance and be realistic about what is happening around us every day, we must report anything that seems suspicious to us, and hope that together we can protect our unique way of life.

Darren Morton is the chief executive of security company Executive Security Group.

New Zealand > Army, police > un.org March 15, 2019 >

The UN strongly condemned the shooting of worshipers in New Zealand mosques

The UN has condemned in the strongest possible terms the shooting of worshipers at two mosques in New Zealand. The UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed their condolences to the families of the victims, as well as the government and people of New Zealand. They called for a united front against hatred against Muslims, as well as all forms of fanaticism and terror.

According to media reports, on March 15, fire was opened on worshipers in two mosques in the city of Christchurch in eastern New Zealand, as a result of which 49 people were killed and many were injured.

“I am saddened and strongly condemn the shooting of innocent people in New Zealand while they were peacefully praying in mosques. “I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” the UN chief said on Twitter. He called for joint efforts to resist anti-Muslim hatred and fight all forms of fanaticism and terror.

“The Secretary-General reminds us that mosques, like all places of worship, are sacred,” said a statement issued by his spokesman on behalf of the UN chief. Antonio Guterres called on all people to show solidarity with the grieving Islamic community.

In his statement, the UN chief reiterated his call for joint efforts to combat Islamophobia and violent extremism in all its forms.

Members of the UN Security Council reiterated that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations poses one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. They called for the perpetrators of this act of terrorism, as well as the organizers and sponsors, to be held accountable. The 15 members, in a statement by their chairman to the press, stressed that any act of terrorism is criminal and cannot be justified, regardless of the motives and who and when it was committed. The Security Council strongly recommended that all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law, actively cooperate with the New Zealand authorities in this regard.

The heads of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued the strongest condemnations of the incident. They noted that many refugees and migrants were among those killed and wounded in New Zealand.

New Zealand. China > Fish. Customs > fishnews.ru, February 19, 2019 >

New Zealand salmon's path to the Chinese market has been made more difficult

New Zealand fishermen are having difficulty clearing their products in China. The media associate this problem with bans against the Chinese giant holding company Huawei.

New Zealand's largest seafood exporter, Sanford, has reported problems with customs clearance of its products in Chinese ports, the NZ Herald writes. Sanford Customer Service Director Andre Gargiulo said the problem began in late January and had already affected several shipments of chilled salmon. He did not link the difficulties with supplies and the deterioration of relations between New Zealand and China, but noted that local authorities do not explain their actions in any way.

Meanwhile, as a Fishnews correspondent reports, a number of New Zealand and American publications have voiced the opinion that Sanford’s problems are caused by a ban on Chinese Huawei supplying 5G technology to the New Zealand telecommunications company Spark. The ban was imposed by the New Zealand government in December last year due to an alleged threat to national security.

China is the largest market for New Zealand seafood, with shipments worth about US$500 million last year.

New Zealand > Real estate, construction > prian.ru, December 29, 2018 >

House prices are rising again in New Zealand

In the third quarter of 2018, houses and apartments in the country rose in price by 3.93% year on year.

According to the Global Property Guide, in quarterly terms, however, a decline of 1.59% was recorded. The demand for real estate is actively growing. In October 2018, the number of properties sold increased by 15.5% year on year to 6791, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ). In Auckland, sales soared 15.2% over the same period.

The average cost of an apartment in Auckland is $7,200 per sq.m. Apartments with an area of ​​120 sq.m. can be purchased for approximately $412,570. They can be rented out for $1,890 per month. Thus, the yield will be 5.48% per annum.

According to the IMF, New Zealand's economy should strengthen by 3.1% this year and another 3% in 2019. By the way, the country recently recorded a new record high for the average cost of housing.

New Zealand > Metallurgy, mining > metalbulletin.ru, December 26, 2018 >

Tasman Mining revitalizes old gold mine in New Zealand

Tasman Mining said New Zealand government agency New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals has awarded it a mining license to develop the Blackwater gold deposit, located on the west coast of the South Island.

Tasman said it will now receive rights to develop plans for a mine on the site of the old Blackwater mine. Gold mining in the region ceased more than 6 decades ago.

Blackwater was previously the region's most profitable mine, producing 700,000 ounces of gold between 1908 and 1951.

In addition, the Australian miner intends to establish commercial silver mining at the mine.

The company plans to complete the licensing process and develop an annual operating and environmental management plan. Exploration drilling at the site should start in early 2020 in accordance with technical, environmental and economic prerequisites, followed by a final feasibility study for the project.

Tasman received exclusive rights to purchase Blackwater from OceanaGold in July 2018.

New Zealand > Real estate, construction > prian.ru, December 23, 2018 >

Average house prices in New Zealand hit record high

The median property price nationwide hit a record high of $575,000 in November, up 6.5% year over year.

Excluding Auckland, the national average house price was a record $485,000, up from $450,000 in November 2017, data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) shows. However, in Auckland, the average residential property price fell 1.5% to $867,000, down from $880,000 in November 2017, but rose 0.3% for the month, PropertyWire reported.

Six regions reached record prices in November 2018. In Northland, prices rose by 21.2%, to $515,000, in Waikato by 8%, to $529,000, in Hawke's Bay by 11.9% to $470,000. In Wellington, the increase was 11.5%, to $613,000, in Tasman - 19.2%, up to $645,000, in Southland - 3.8%, up to $275,000. The main reason for the jump is increasing demand, which is significantly outpacing supply, says REINZ chief executive Bindi Norvell.

She noted that prices had increased over the year in 14 of the country's 16 regions, with the exception of a 1.5% fall in Auckland and a 3.3% fall in Canterbury. Of those 14 regions, seven saw double-digit jumps.

The number of homes sold nationwide increased by 2.6% year-on-year to 7,286, with Auckland excluding the number of properties sold up 2.1% compared to November 2017. In Auckland the figure was 3.9%. Regionally, Gisborne had the biggest annual increase in sales at 39.3%, followed by the west coast (28.6%), Bay of Plenty (17.4%) and Marlborough (12%). However, transactions fell by 22.3% in Nelson, 6.9% in Canterbury and 5.3% in Southland.

All of New Zealand's current diversity of mammal species is the result of human activity. The British, and later the New Zealanders, treated the islands purely pragmatically; they viewed the new place as a farm, albeit a large one, but still a barnyard. Each species was brought deliberately, and it was assigned a certain place in the created structure; the settlers brought their way of life and habits from distant England and recreated everything in a new place. Unfortunately, the imported animals got out of control and nature put everything in its place, not as originally planned. In this article, I tried to link the importation of animals to dates and understand why this or that species was imported

New Zealand, separated for a long period from Gondwana (an ancient supercontinent of the Southern Hemisphere), had a rich endemic fauna, however, there were practically no mammals there.
Before the arrival of man in 800 AD, the archipelago was home to only three species of small bats, sea lions, fur seals, and whales.
This was the case until the current washed the fighting pies of the Maori, who later became the indigenous population of New Zealand, to the shores. Usually only Europeans are blamed for all environmental troubles, but the Maori also contributed to changing the animal world of the islands. In 1280 they brought with them the small rat, which they used as a pet and also as food. And they destroyed one of the three species of bats.
A new archipelago southeast of Australia was discovered by the Dutchman Abel Tasman. In 1642, his team landed on one of the islands, but local residents killed several sailors, which scared off the explorer and, so to speak, delayed the change in the fauna of the archipelago for more than a hundred years
The first European mammals to land on the archipelago were goats and pigs with Captain James Cook in 1773. The Englishman specially released them onto the islands during his second trip to New Zealand as a source of food for shipwrecked. Early explorers, whalers, sealers and settlers used the animals for food and for barter with the Maori
The pigs were distributed by local residents as gifts to each other. The Maori quickly appreciated the gastronomic value of the new animals, as well as their ability to utilize food scraps
With the first Europeans, unwanted guests also entered the islands; there were always a lot of rodents on the ships. The black rat, the house mouse and the gray rat (pasyuk) were the first and only mammals that were brought to the island by accident.
All the rest were introduced quite deliberately, which led to irreversible changes in the flora and fauna of the islands
The beginning of colonization of the archipelago was noted in 1814; domestic cats also appeared with the first settlers. But the cat, as you know, walks on its own, so these ones got out of control, increasing their population and causing great damage to flightless bird species, putting them at risk of extinction
In the same year, the first settlers brought cows with them (I can imagine how difficult it was, given the technology for transporting livestock at that time). On a long journey, you need to keep a huge smell of feed and, most importantly, water, so valuable at sea. But traditions are traditions, what kind of Englishman would he be without a cup of tea with milk?
Analyzing the species set of settlers that the British brought to a new place, we can divide them into several groups: pets, animals for farming and hunting
The rapid development of the textile industry in England and the rapidly growing demand for wool gave impetus to the colonization of New Zealand, the purpose of which was to provide pasture land for sheep. The first sheep appeared in 1830 and became one of the symbols of New Zealand, enclosure ended in Great Britain, the words of Thomas More thundered “sheep eat men”, so these animals were seen as a symbol of prosperity, so it is not surprising that they were one of the first to arrive on the green meadows of the new homeland. On the first sheep farms, they kept mainly Merino sheep, since wool was more in demand than meat, because it was easier to deliver it to the metropolis, and it was necessary to wait half a century before the first refrigerated ship appeared. The appearance of sheep changed the landscape of the islands - sheep are the most voracious among farm animals, they eat about 250 types of herbs, leaving the local herbivorous fauna without a food source.
Although some local species have found use for newcomers. Before the arrival of Europeans, the kea parrot (Nestor notabilis) living on the islands ate mainly fruits, insects, flower nectar, and less often carrion. But as soon as sheep were brought to the islands, parrots learned to hunt them, and in a very cunning way: the strongest and largest males choose smaller and weaker sheep from the flock, dive onto its back and, tightly clinging to the wool with their claws, tear the skin with their powerful beaks. A wounded animal simply bleeds to death or runs away in terror, falls and breaks its neck. Well, now the whole flock flocks to the meal!

Three years later, the sheep were accompanied by the Australian bristle-tailed possum, kuzu (Trichosurus vulpecula) - this was the first of the Australian species introduced by Europeans to the islands of New Zealand. Possums were brought in to develop the fur trade: the fur of these animals was in demand on the World Market and the British decided to develop a new market for their goods. The “New Zealand bear” still has some practical significance: its meat is supplied to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and the local industry processes carcasses into food for dogs and cats. However, the benefits of kuzu are limited to this.
In Australia, the possum population was controlled by dingoes, bushfires and sparse vegetation. In New Zealand they exist in favorable conditions, so they breed twice a year. The number of possums is estimated at 70 million individuals, and they account for 7 million tons of vegetation consumed per year.
Kuzu cause great harm to forestry by eating young shoots, and valuable species of endemic trees suffer; Climbing up poles, animals chew through wires, dying in the process and leaving entire villages without light. In addition, they are carriers of tuberculosis, food competitors and natural enemies of land snails and birds. Now the symbol of New Zealand - the kiwi bird (Apteryx Shaw) lives under the constant supervision of naturalists and pressure from possums. They are trying with all their might to multiply the former so that they do not have time to disappear, while they are trying to destroy the latter by hook or by crook.

In 1838, the first type of “entertainment animal,” the rabbit, was brought to the islands. The British are big fans of hunting - they are beginning to form a hunting fauna. A little more than 20 years have passed since colonization and not only working farmers, but also bored aristocrats have appeared in society. Mathematical modeling methods were not yet known, and no one knew that rabbits in the fertile conditions of New Zealand would breed much faster than hunters could shoot them. As a result, the nascent agricultural economy of young Europeanized Zealand was almost undermined - rabbits devastated the pastures intended for sheep with lightning speed
For some reason, rabbits alone were not enough for the British, and in 1851 they introduced the Western European brown hare
Further, Europeans bring animals only for their favorite hobby of hunting. Between 1851 and 1923, approximately 1,000 British farmed deer were released into the wild to provide game for hunters. But in an excellent climate and in the absence of predators, the population grew and began to threaten agriculture. Then the New Zealanders began to regulate the number by shooting, and sell the meat to European countries, where it was traditionally in demand. Over time, the flow of venison to Europe increased and people began to think about commercial production and began to organize deer farms. The first license for a deer farm was issued in 1969. By 1979, there were 800 reindeer herding farms, and the interest was so great that after only a year there were already 1,540.
The domestication of deer in New Zealand was a remarkable phenomenon.
In fact, it was the first animal in the last 5,000 years that could be domesticated, while goats, cows and others had already served humans for hundreds of centuries.
This was achieved through a unique combination of a number of factors:
a system for catching deer in nature was developed
no one, including the government, opposed the capture of deer, because they were recognized as a “harmful” animal
a large population of wild deer provided farms with ready-made livestock
temperate climate allowed year-round pasture use
In 2005, there were more than 1.7 million farmed reindeer (compared to 5 million cows, 40 million sheep). New Zealand has become a world leader in reindeer husbandry in terms of its technology and relative contribution to the national economy

According to the legend of the Maori, the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand, their homeland remained under water for a very long time until the great Maui pulled a giant fish out of the ocean depths. Actually, it was she who turned into the Northern Island of the archipelago, and from the hero’s boat, broken by the beating fish, his Southern Island and numerous smaller islands appeared. The hook that caught New Zealand, Maui threw it into the sky - this is the “tail” of our constellation Scorpio.

Inventing the legend a thousand years ago, the Maori were unlikely to know about the distant past of this land. However, many scientists believe that there is a grain of truth in it - a long time ago, when there was no trace of man, the waves of the Pacific Ocean completely hid New Zealand, burying all the living creatures there. It is estimated that this transgression (as the flood is scientifically called) occurred approximately 22-25 million years ago, at the border of the Oligocene and Miocene eras, and lasted several million years until New Zealand rose above the waves again.

This is the history of the archipelago drawn by researchers who modeled the movement of New Zealand after it broke away from the piece of Gondwana, now known to us as Antarctica. The lithospheric plates diving under each other slightly “sank” New Zealand during its flight to the north, and the melting of Antarctic ice at the beginning of the Miocene only further raised the sea level. In general, it was not possible to completely escape from Antarctica.

The great flood theory is supported by marine sediments all over the islands and a complete lack of fossils of any land life between 20 and 25 million years ago.

However, at least a small patch of New Zealand land still remained above the water all this time, say Australian and British paleontologists.

Scientists led by Mark A from University College London have unearthed a real treasure from the abandoned gold mines of New Zealand's South Island - fossils of tuatara teeth and jaws, estimated to be 16-19 million years old. Description fossils published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The tuatara, or tuatara, cannot be confused with anyone else thanks to its unique dental “lock”. In its upper jaw there are two parallel rows of teeth, between which the teeth of a single lower row appear when the jaws close. This design leaves very characteristic imprints on the teeth, which Jones and his co-authors saw.

Tuatara are the only surviving species of an entire order of ancient reptiles - Sphenodona. Their ancestors walked the Earth along with dinosaurs and outlived the latter, but their habitat gradually shrank until it shrunk to the New Zealand archipelago. On the two large islands of New Zealand, the tuatara were finally finished off by a white man - or rather, by the rats that he brought with him. Now these clumsy animals are found only on three dozen small uninhabited islands scattered around New Zealand, primarily on Stephen Island.

According to Jones and his colleagues, the fossil, which predates the ancient flood by several million years, clearly indicates that at least some part of the South Island remained dry. Tuatara have remained on the archipelago since its escape from Antarctica, and if New Zealand had completely disappeared under water 20 million years ago, these reptiles would have had to re-colonize the islands. But at that time the nearest land was already thousands and thousands of kilometers away.

Tuatara do not know how to fly, and they could not cross the ocean on an improvised raft - this happens in paleobiology - due to the characteristics of their skin. Tuatara lose moisture very rapidly and would die from dehydration within a few days while traveling through the salty ocean. In this sense, tuatara are a much more convincing argument in favor of preserving some part of the land than the fossilized skeleton of a tiny mammal from the same early Miocene, found several years ago not far from the site of the current find.

But Jones and his colleagues cannot say exactly how much land was peeking out of the water.

And although the illustration for this note is an absolute exaggeration, even 1% of the current territory of New Zealand is a thousand times more than the territory of the already mentioned Stephen Island, where more than 30 thousand relict animals now live.

As for the fate and evolution of the tuatara themselves, this research is just beginning. The Miocene jaw fossil is a real boon for scientists, because previously only known fossils of dinosaur-contemporary Sphenodon and Pleistocene tuatara remains, which could have been hunted by early humans if they had reached New Zealand. It was still not clear what happened to Sphenodon in the interval of 70 million years. It looks like something is beginning to emerge in place of this white spot.