Zealand

Man who absconded with his three children in 2021 shot dead after firing on police, authorities say.

A New Zealand father who absconded with his three children after a dispute with his ex-partner nearly four years ago has been killed by police, authorities have said.

Tom Phillips, who had been on the run in the New Zealand wilderness with his children since December 2021, was shot dead after he was confronted by police following a burglary in the rural town of Piopio, police said on Monday.

Phillips, who had been involved in a dispute over custody of the children, was killed after he fired “multiple shots” at the first responding officer at the scene, causing him serious injuries, police said.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said Philips, who had yet to be formally identified, was accompanied by one of his children, who was not injured in the incident.

Rogers said authorities were urgently seeking to locate his two other children.

“Following the incident, we have been in contact with Phillips’s family and we will be working to provide them with all available support,” Rogers said.

In a statement to Radio New Zealand, the children’s mother, Cat, said she was “deeply relieved” for her children.

“They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care,” she said.

Philips’s disappearance from the remote community of Marokop with his three children – now aged 12, 10 and nine – gripped New Zealand and generated global headlines.

Despite a number of sightings over the years and appeals by his family, Philips, who was facing criminal charges including aggravated robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm, managed to continually frustrate efforts by authorities to pinpoint his whereabouts.

Authorities had announced the most recent sighting of Philips less than two weeks ago, releasing security camera footage appearing to show him and one of his children breaking into a rural store.

Women’s Rugby World Cup – Pool C: Ireland v New Zealand

Venue: Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium Date: Sunday, 7 September Kick-off: 14:45 BST

Coverage: Live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 14:30, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 14:30 and BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 14:00; also live with text commentary on the BBC Sport website.

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand says he is “confident” Aoife Wafer will be ready for a World Cup quarter-final after resisting the urge to include her for Sunday’s final Pool C game against New Zealand in Brighton.

The back row is yet to feature in the competition because of pre-tournament knee surgery and although she was considered for Sunday’s game against the defending champions, the Irish camp has erred on the side of caution.

Bemand confirmed there was a temptation to introduce the Wexford woman for the meeting with the Black Ferns, but with either France or South Africa to come next week, having the Women’s Six Nations player of the tournament ready for then takes priority.

“All the way through there has been a bit of a plan around Aoife, from the very beginning to her joining up with the group a couple of days after we arrived, and everything is tracking and trending,” Bemand said.

“Aoife is back in training, she’s doing well, and she’s desperate to be involved.

“We considered picking her this week, but we’ve made a decision as her best opportunity and the team’s best opportunity, is to go hard in training again next week and we’ll see where that stands us for the following week.

“I’m really confident and if you look in her eyes you can see she is really confident as well.”

There were emotional scenes in Buenos Aries as Argentina celebrated their first home victory over New Zealand with a 29-23 triumph in front of a raucous crowd.

The Pumas avenged last weekend’s 41-24 Rugby Championship defeat in Cordoba that had seen the All Blacks return to the top of the world rankings.

Juan Martin Gonzalez and Gonzalo Garcia scored tries either side of the break as Argentina ended their 15-match run without a home win against New Zealand that stretched back to their first meeting in 1976.

There were also 13 crucial points from the boot of Santiago Carreras.

Billy Proctor, Fletcher Newell and Samisoni Taukei’aho went over for New Zealand. However, they were left to rue an ill-disciplined performance that saw three players sent to the sin-bin – including two in the space of three minutes shortly before the break.

Damian McKenzie’s last-minute penalty at least secured a losing bonus point for the visitors, who top the table with six points from two games.

Argentina remain bottom but are now level on points with South Africa, who beat Australia 30-22 earlier on Saturday, with all four teams having won one game.

Teenager Luke Littler beat defending champion Luke Humphries 8-4 to win the New Zealand Masters in Auckland and complete a World Series double after his victory in Australia last week.

The world champion saw off Mike de Decker 6-2 and Gerwyn Price 7-2 in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively on Saturday before setting up yet another showdown with Humphries.

Littler threatened to make light work of the world number one, cruising into a 3-0 lead before being pegged back to 3-2.

The 18-year-old again rattled off three legs in a row to move 6-3 in the lead before eventually wrapping up an impressive 8-4 victory.

“I felt untouchable tonight,” Littler said.

“It couldn’t have gone any better – the scoring, the doubles and then in the final I just felt untouchable.”

The Englishman recorded an average of 115.02 on his way to victory – the highest average ever in a World Series event final.

It was the fourth consecutive success for Littler against Humphries and edges him ahead in their career head-to-head with eight wins to seven.

“I was really good tonight and he [Humphries] couldn’t do much,” Littler added. I was disappointed going in 4-2 because it could have been 5-1 or 6-0.

“I just want to win everything that comes my way – the next one is Antwerp for the European tour so hopefully I can make it four titles in a row.”

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state in September, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced.

Albanese said on Monday that his government would formally announce the move when the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meets in New York.

“A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,” Albanese said at a news conference in Canberra.

Australia’s announcement comes as Canada, France and the United Kingdom are preparing to formally recognise Palestine at the meeting next month, joining the vast majority of UN member states.

It also comes about a week after hundreds of thousands of Australians marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to protest Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking a day after the protest, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that “there is a risk there will be no Palestine left to recognise.”

“In relation to recognition, I’ve said for over a year now, it’s a matter of when, not if,” Wong added.

The opposition Liberal Party criticised the move, saying it put Australia at odds with the United States, its closest ally, and reversed a bipartisan consensus that there should be no recognition while Hamas remains in control of Gaza.

“Despite his words today, the reality is Anthony Albanese has committed Australia to recognising Palestine while hostages remain in tunnels under Gaza and with Hamas still in control of the population of Gaza. Nothing he has said today changes that fact,” Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley said in a statement.

“Recognising a Palestinian state prior to a return of the hostages and defeat of Hamas, as the Government has today, risks delivering Hamas one of its strategic objectives of the horrific terrorism of October 7.”

The Australian Greens, the fourth-largest party in parliament, welcomed the move to recognise Palestine, but said the announcement did not meet the “overwhelming calls from the Australian public for the government to take material action”.

“Millions of Australians have taken to the streets, including 300,000 last weekend in Sydney alone, calling for sanctions and an end to the arms trade with Israel. The Albanese Government is still ignoring this call,” Senator David Shoebridge, the party’s spokesperson on foreign affairs, said in a statement.

The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) also criticised the announcement, describing it as a “political fig leaf, letting Israel’s genocide and apartheid continue unchallenged, and distracting from Australia’s complicity in Israeli war crimes via ongoing weapons and components trade”.

“Palestinian rights are not a gift to be granted by Western states. They are not dependent on negotiation with, or the behaviour or approval of their colonial oppressors,” APAN said in a statement.

According to Albanese, Australia’s decision to recognise Palestinians’ right to their own state will be “predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority (PA)”.

These “detailed and significant commitments” include the PA reaffirming it “recognises Israel’s right to exist in peace and security” and committing to “demilitarise and to hold general elections”, Albanese said while announcing the decision.

The PA is a governing body that has overseen parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the mid-90s.

It has not held parliamentary elections since 2006 and has been criticised by some Palestinians for helping Israel to keep tight control over residents in the West Bank.

Albanese said the commitments secured by Australia were “an opportunity to deliver self-determination for the people of Palestine in a way that isolates Hamas, disarms it and drives it out of the region once and for all”.

Hamas has been in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007, when it fought a brief war against forces loyal to PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

New Zealand to decide on recognition next month

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Monday that his country’s cabinet will make a formal decision on Palestinian statehood in September.

“Some of New Zealand’s close partners have opted to recognise a Palestinian state, and some have not,” Peters said in a statement.

“Ultimately, New Zealand has an independent foreign policy, and on this issue, we intend to weigh up the issue carefully and then act according to New Zealand’s principles, values and national interest.”

Peters said that while New Zealand has for some time considered the recognition of a Palestinian state a “matter of when, not if”, the issue is not “straightforward” or “clear-cut”.

“There are a broad range of strongly held views within our Government, Parliament and indeed New Zealand society over the question of recognition of a Palestinian state,” he said.

“It is only right that this complicated issue be approached calmly, cautiously and judiciously. Over the next month, we look forward to canvassing this broad range of views before taking a proposal to Cabinet.”

Of the UN’s 193 member states, 147 already recognise Palestinian statehood, representing some three-quarters of the world’s countries and the vast majority of its population.

Under its 1947 plan to partition Palestine, the UNGA said it would grant 45 percent of the land to an Arab state, though this never eventuated.

The announcements by Australia and New Zealand on Monday came hours after an Israeli attack killed five Al Jazeera staff members in Gaza City, and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to threaten a full-scale invasion of the city in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 61,430 people, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

Close to 200 people, including 96 children, have died from starvation under Israel’s punishing siege, according to health authorities.

Aug. 4 (UPI) — Authorities in New Zealand have arrested a 27-year-old woman after a 2-year-old girl was found stuffed into a suitcase on a bus.

The unidentified woman has been charged with ill-treatment or neglect of a child and was scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

She was arrested on Sunday after police were called at about 12:50 a.m. local time when a passenger bus arrived at a planned stop in Kaiwaka, about 60 miles north of Auckland, and the driver noticed a bag moving in the luggage compartment.

“When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the 2-year-old girl,” Detective Inspector Simon Harrison said in a statement.

“The little girl was reported to be very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed.”

The child has since been transported to a hospital where she remains, undergoing what authorities called an extensive medical assessment.

Authorities did not state the relationship between the woman and the child.

“We would like to acknowledge and commend the bus driver, who noticed something wasn’t right and took immediate action, preventing what could have been a far worse outcome,” Harrison said.

Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand’s Ministry for Children, has been notified.

July 31 (UPI) — The FBI has for the first time opened a dedicated office in New Zealand, officials announced Thursday.

FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to the country this week to open the office in Wellington, which will house a dedicated law enforcement attache office.

“While the FBI has stationed personnel in New Zealand for several years, establishing a full legal position in the country will strengthen and enhance the longstanding cooperation with a key Five Eyes partner in the southwestern Pacific region,” Patel said in a statement.

The Five Eyes partnership comprises five countries including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, all of which have a history of partnership and cooperation.

Patel added that the new office will also help the United States and New Zealand cooperate on shared security objectives in the region.

The Wellington office is the latest in a series of locations across the globe that the FBI has established to “investigate and disrupt a wide range of threats and criminal activities including terrorism, cybercrime and fraud, organized crime and money laundering, child exploitation and foreign intelligence threats,” the statement from Patel’s office continued.

The new office will oversee partnerships in New Zealand, Antarctica, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands and Tonga.

The Wellington FBI office will continue to work on issues that the agency and the New Zealand police have already been pursuing, including investigating terrorist attacks in Christchurch, organized crime and money laundering activities, child exploitation and drug smuggling cases, cybercrime and fraud.

“Tackling these challenges demands close collaboration and trust, and our existing partnerships in New Zealand have already delivered notable successes,” the statement said.

All times BST

England women v New Zealand

10 May: First ODI, Chester-le-Street, 11:00

13 May: Second ODI, Northampton, 13:00

16 May: Third ODI, Cardiff, 11:00

20 May: First T20, Derby, 18:30

23 May: Second T20, Canterbury, 14:30

25 May: Third T20, Hove, TBC

England women v India

28 May: First T20, Chelmsford, 18:30

30 May: Second T20, Bristol, TBC

2 June: Third T20, Taunton, 18:30

10 July: One-off Test, Lord’s 11:00

England women v Ireland

1 September: First ODI, Leicester, 13:00

3 September: Second ODI, Derby 13:00

6 September: Third ODI, Worcester, 11:00

England men v New Zealand

4 June: First Test, Lord’s, 11:00

17 June: Second Test, Kia Oval 11:00

25 June: Third Test, Trent Bridge, 11:00

England men v India

1 July: First T20, Chester-le-Street, 18:30

4 July: Second T20, Emirates Old Trafford, 14:30

7 July: Third T20, Nottingham, 18:30

9 July: Fourth T20, Bristol, 18:30

11 July: Fifth T20, Southampton, 18:30

14 July: First ODI, Edgbaston, 13:00

16 July: Second ODI, Cardiff, 13:00

19 July: Third ODI, Lord’s, 11:00

England men v Pakistan

19 August: First Test, Headingley, 11:00

27 August: Second Test, Lord’s, 11:00

9 September: Third Test, Edgbaston, 11:00

England men v Sri Lanka

15 September: First T20, Southampton, 18:30

17 September: Second T20, Cardiff, 18:30

19 September: Third T20, Emirates Old Trafford, TBC

22 September: First ODI, Chester-le-Street, 12:30

24 September: Second ODI, Headingley, 12:30

27 September: Third ODI, Kia Oval, 10:30

The majority of Andy Farrell’s Test squad is more or less settled, but there were some guys out there playing for big stakes.

Hugo Keenan needed a reassuring display at full-back given that Blair Kinghorn will miss the first Test in Brisbane. And he delivered. Jac Morgan was competing for the open-side jersey that’s flitted between himself, Josh van der Flier and Tom Curry. Morgan was influential.

With the news coming through about Ringrose, Huw Jones picked a good night to have a big game. His partnership with Sione Tuipulotu was convincing.

By the time Farrell entered the fray the game was over as a contest, but he looked good all the same, although there are bigger examinations to come, of course.

After so many slow starts, the Lions must have craved a fast one – and they made it happen.

Hansen was good in the air, Morgan was good on the floor and Keenan was particularly good when taking a quick line-out throw that was at the heart of the first try, the brilliant Jones giving the pass for Van der Merwe to score.

Within a blink of an eye, White had taken advantage of a giant amount of space at the side of a ruck and he ran away to the posts. Smith’s conversion made it 12-0. The high hopes some might have had for the AUNZ side started to disappear into the night sky above the Adelaide Oval at that point.

The Lions were slick and sharp, the best they’ve been on tour. Ruthless, too. Pollock might have been held up in the corner, but it didn’t really matter. Soon enough, Tuipulotu and Smith were putting Van der Merwe away for the big man’s second try of the night.

More good stuff from Jones and more reminders of what a world-class attacker he is. If the Lions get bad news on Ringrose then what a player they have in Jones, who’s been getting better and better since returning from injury.

Hosts New Zealand thumped France 43-17 to win the second Test in Wellington and clinch the series with a game to spare.

The All Blacks laboured to a 31-27 win over France in Dunedin last week but were comfortable winners on Saturday, running in six tries at Sky Stadium.

Scott Robertson’s side led 29-3 at half-time before Six Nations champions France, who travelled south without most of their first-choice players, claimed two tries in the second half.

Fly-half Beauden Barrett kicked an early penalty for the All Blacks before the first three tries came from attacking line-outs, with scrum-half Cam Roigard flashing down the blind-side to open the scoring on 14 minutes.

Barrett was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on but the hosts continued to attack and captain Ardie Savea pounced on a line-out ball to wrestle his way over for his 29th Test try, meaning he has overtaken Richie McCaw as New Zealand’s most prolific try-scoring forward.

Hooker Codie Taylor crossed on 29 minutes on the back of a more traditional rolling maul, with France’s pack short-handed after debutant lock Josh Brennan – the Toulouse-raised son of former Ireland forward Trevor Brennan – had been sin-binned for a tip tackle.

Offloads by Savea, Rieko Ioane and Netherlands-born lock Fabian Holland then set flanker Tupou Vaa’i free up the middle to score the pick of the tries and put the hosts firmly in charge at the break.

France replied with full-back Leo Barre taking advantage of an All Blacks error to score a 47th-minute try, although New Zealand full-back Will Jordan produced a similar score shortly after for his 41st try from 43 Tests.

The All Blacks extended their lead to 43-10 when winger Ioane dived over in the corner on 62 minutes before Brennan crossed for the tourists with three minutes left.

The series concludes with the third Test at Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium on 19 July.

New Zealand coach Scott Robertson has described Fabian Holland’s rise as “movie stuff” as the Dutch-born lock prepares to make his All Blacks debut against France on Saturday.

The 22-year-old is one of four uncapped players in the starting XV to face Les Bleus in the first Test at Dunedin.

Holland watched the All Blacks sevens team train in his hometown of Castricum in the Netherlands in 2014 aged 11 and moved to New Zealand five years later to pursue his dream of playing professional rugby.

“He’s pretty excited. From Zeeland to New Zealand,” Robertson said on Thursday.

“He’s come a long way. It’s a great story. Pretty single-minded from a 14-year-old to make that call to come over and represent another country in a game he loves – and he saw the All Blacks as the ultimate.

“It’s movie sort of stuff, isn’t it?”

Holland met All Blacks sevens captain DJ Forbes and Akira Ioane when they trained at Castricum Rugby Club, where he had been playing since the age of five.

“As soon as I was on the field, I was a different little boy, to be honest,” Holland said in an interview in 2021, external.

“I developed more and more passion about rugby and there are not a lot of countries like New Zealand when it comes to passion about rugby.

“I always dreamed of coming but it never felt real for me. When I was 16 I got the opportunity to come to New Zealand and I’ve been living the dream every day. I still have to pinch myself that it’s real.”

Holland initially arrived in New Zealand for a six-month spell at Christchurch Boys’ High School but his rise has been rapid.

He started on a developmental contract with the Highlanders in 2021 and signed a professional deal with the Super Rugby side the following year.

On Saturday he will line up alongside his former Otago and Highlanders team-mate Christian Lio-Willie, who is also set to make his All Blacks debut.

Robertson said it was fitting that Holland’s first cap would come at Forsyth Barr Stadium, home of the Highlanders.

“I’m sure Fabian’s Highlanders supporters, and Christian’s Otago fans, will be out in full force,” Robertson said.

Parliament voted to impose record suspensions on the trio of legislators for their protest haka.

New Zealand legislators have voted to suspend three MPs who performed a Maori haka in the House to protest against a controversial bill.

The MPs from Te Pati Maori – the Maori Party – were handed the toughest sanctions ever imposed on legislators by New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday.

Te Pati Maori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were both suspended from parliament for 21 days.

Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, New Zealand’s youngest legislator, 22, was suspended for seven days.

The length of the bans was recommended by parliament’s privileges committee, which advised the trio should be suspended for acting in “a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the House”.

It recommended Maipi-Clarke be given a shorter sanction because she had written a letter of “contrition” to the parliament.

Previously, the longest suspension imposed on an MP had been a three-day ban.

Prior to Thursday’s vote, Maipi-Clarke told legislators that the suspension was an effort to stop Maori from making themselves heard in parliament.

“Are our voices too loud for this house? Is that the reason why we are being silenced?” she said. “We will never be silenced and we will never be lost.”

The legislators had performed the haka in parliament in November. Their protest interrupted voting during the first reading of a proposed bill to legally define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, the 1840 pact between the British Crown and Indigenous Maori leaders signed during New Zealand’s colonisation.

The proposed law prompted widespread protests amid concerns it would erode Maori rights. It was later scrapped.

Maipi-Clarke had begun the protest by ripping a copy of the legislation, before she and fellow MPs approached the leader of the right-wing party that had backed the proposed law.

Their actions prompted complaints from fellow MPs to the parliament’s speaker that their protest was disorderly, and the matter was sent to parliament’s privileges committee, prompting months of debate.

A report from the privileges committee said that while both haka and Maori ceremonial dance and song are not uncommon in parliament, members were aware that permission was needed from the speaker beforehand.

Wrexham will play three pre-season fixtures against A-League opposition during a summer tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Fresh from securing a historic third successive promotion, Phil Parkinson’s side will take on Melbourne Victory at the Marvel Stadium on 11 July before facing Sydney FC at the Allianz Stadium four days later.

The north Wales side will then play Wellington Phoenix at the Sky Stadium on 19 July.

Wrexham co-chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds said: “From the very beginning, we wanted to help make Wrexham a globally recognised team, town and brand.

“We could not be more excited to bring the Red Dragons to Australia and New Zealand, and we are particularly proud that this announcement features neither a Men at Work or Hugh Jackman joke.

“The latter of which took maturity and tremendous restraint. We’re proud of Ryan. Of course, we make no promises going forward.”