The South Island, also officially named Te Waipounamu, is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island. At low altitude, it has an oceanic climate.
Waikouaiti is a small town in East Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits of Dunedin. The town is close to the coast and the mouth of the Waikouaiti River.
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.
More FM is a New Zealand radio network that plays hot adult contemporary music. It is operated by MediaWorks New Zealand.
The Breeze is a New Zealand radio station playing an adult contemporary music format owned by MediaWorks New Zealand, playing a variety of music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and also current hits. The Breeze network broadcasts to 21 markets throughout New Zealand, with each station presenting a mixture of local and network programming. From 2017 through to now, The Breeze had phenomenal ratings success becoming New Zealand's number one music station a rise from 5th in 2016 and in 2021 reaching its highest ever audience in excess of 671,000 listeners. The Breeze as of the latest survey results in October 2021 is NZ’s number one music station for the 10th survey in a row.
Hokonui is an Adult Contemporary radio station that first launched in Gore, New Zealand, broadcasting across Southland and now also broadcasts across South Otago and Mid Canterbury. Hokonui also from April 2015 was broadcasting in Taranaki until late in 2020 when it was disestablished by NZME and replaced by Gold AM. The name Hokonui comes from the Hokonui Hills which can clearly be seen in Gore and the Southland Plains.
Allied Press is an independent New Zealand media and publishing company based in Dunedin. The company's main asset is the Otago Daily Times, New Zealand's oldest daily newspaper. Allied Press has a number of other daily and community newspapers and commercial printing operations throughout the South Island including the Canterbury–based media company Star Media. It also operates Dunedin's regional television station, Channel 39, on Freeview HD.
Warner Bros. Discovery New Zealand is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery that operates several television channels in New Zealand. It operates six national free-to-air television channels, six pay TV channels on Sky and the Newshub multi-platform news service.
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern is a New Zealand politician who has been the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. She was first elected to the House of Representatives as a list MP in 2008, and has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Mount Albert since March 2017.
The Star is a free newspaper published weekly in Dunedin, New Zealand by Allied Press since 1979. It is the successor to The Evening Star, which was the city's daily evening newspaper from June 1863 to 1979.
MediaWorks New Zealand is a New Zealand-based radio, outdoor advertising and interactive media company jointly owned by U.S. company Oaktree Capital Management and out-of-home advertising company QMS. It operates nine national radio brands, twelve websites and one locally operated radio station.
David Scott Clark is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Dunedin. He was the Minister of Health until July 2020, when he resigned after multiple controversies related to the response to COVID-19. Previously he has been Opposition Spokesperson for Small Business and Economic Development.
Clarke Timothy Gayford is a New Zealand radio and television broadcaster, presenter of the fishing documentary show Fish of the Day. He is the fiancé of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Paddles was a ginger and white polydactyl cat, owned by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford. Paddles was a rescue cat, adopted by Ardern from a branch of the SPCA. She became a celebrity as the "First Cat" after Ardern took office, and a Twitter account was established in her name. Ardern said that she did not know who created the account. Paddles interrupted the congratulatory phone call from US President Donald Trump.
There have been several COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in New Zealand held since 2020, where people protested the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, in particular the lockdown measures in place in March–May 2020, August 2020, and August–November 2021 and the later vaccine mandates. Most politicians both within and outside of Government and the vast majority of people have condemned these protests and view them as grandstanding by the organisers, and fear they may have spread the virus.
COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand began on 20 February 2021, and will continue throughout the pandemic with the goal of vaccinating all willing New Zealanders aged 5 or older. Those aged 5 to 11 require a parent, caregiver or legal guardian accompany them to their appointment and provide consent for them to be vaccinated. As of 1 September, anyone in New Zealand, regardless of their immigration status, is eligible to be vaccinated.
Groundswell NZ is a farming advocacy group in New Zealand that was formed to oppose the New Zealand Government's National Policy Statement on Freshwater. The group has also sought to oppose or revise freshwater, indigenous biodiversity, climate change, pastoral land reform policies, and the Three Waters reform programme affecting farmers and rural communities. On 16 July 2021, Groundswell NZ staged a nationwide Howl of a Protest campaign in between 47 and 57 cities and towns throughout New Zealand to protest what they regarded as "increasing Government interference, unworkable regulations, and unjustified costs" on the rural sector. On 21 November 2021, Groundswell NZ held a second series of nationwide protests known as the Mother of All Protests.
The COVID-19 Protection Framework is a system used by the New Zealand Government during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. The three-tier traffic light system uses vaccination and community transmission rates to determine the level of restrictions needed. It came into effect at 11:59 pm on 2 December 2021, replacing the four-tier alert level system, which used lockdowns.
The Three Waters reform programme is a public infrastructure restructuring programme launched by the Sixth Labour Government to centralise the management of water supply and sanitation in New Zealand. It proposes shifting control of stormwater, drinking water and wastewater management from the country's 67 local councils to four new publicly-owned regional entities by July 2024. The Three Waters reforms were criticised by several mayors and the opposition National and ACT parties.
The Mother of All Protests was a series of nationwide protests in New Zealand on 21 November 2021, organised by the farming advocacy group Groundswell NZ to oppose the government's rural sector regulations and policies. Protests took place in 70 cities and towns across New Zealand. Due to controversy around racist signage in the previous Howl of a Protest campaign, Groundswell issued a list of approved messages for participants.
