Ardern: NZ just doing the right thing
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is not budging when it comes to her stance on the Manus Island refugees, saying it is more important to do what’s right than what’s popular.
Tensions have risen in the trans-Tasman relationship after Ardern put continuous, public pressure on Australia to accept New Zealand’s offer to take 150 refugees from the Australian-run asylum seeker processing centre in Papua New Guinea.
Australia’s ‘‘turn back the boats’’ policy means asylum seekers are barred from entering Australia, and are processed at the Papua New Guinea centre, and one on Nauru, before being resettled elsewhere if their refugee claim is found to be legitimate.
Ardern has reconfirmed the previous government’s offer to take up to 150 refugees, but Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has turned it down, saying he is giving priority to a potential deal with the United States.
When it came to New Zealand’s position over the Manus Island refugees, Ardern said it was ‘‘as simple as just doing the right thing.
‘‘Sometimes when we take a view, it might not be always looked upon or welcomed necessarily by those we’re interacting with. But again, we’ve got to just simply do what we believe to be right.’’ Ardern said the transTasman relationship was deeper and stronger than the political issue of any given day. She did not expect this issue to cause longterm damage to that partnership.
She saw the Manus situation as an opportunity to assist Australia, and for New Zealand to meet its international obligations when it came to helping refugees.
From time to time there would be pushback on an issue, she told TVNZ.
‘‘But I still believe we’ve done the right thing.’’
Ardern said New Zealand was restoring a role it had played in the past. ‘‘When there is an occasion for New Zealand to use its voice on
Taxi driver shot
A taxi driver was shot in the shoulder in his car in a Wellington suburb about 9.10pm on Saturday. He had taken a man and a woman from the central city to Miramar where a dispute over the fare ‘‘escalated into a staggering level of violence’’, Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch said. ‘‘This type of crime is unusual for Wellington and we want to reassure the community that police are focused on finding those responsible and recovering the weapon.’’ The driver got help at a nearby service station and is expected to make a full recovery. Leitch said police were still establishing what type of firearm was used and taxi-camera footage had been handed over.
Storm claims two yachts
A yachtie stranded off the coast of Northland was expected to be rescued by 5pm on Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, strong winds and rough seas severely damaged the Norwegian man’s boat, the Ilanga. The bad weather had delayed the rescue mission of merchant ship MV Southern Lily, according to Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand spokesperson Vince Cholewa. The yachtsman suffered minor injuries while being thrown around his boat in the rough seas, Cholewa said, and he activated his distress beacon about 4pm on Saturday. The Ilanga also had a fire in its electrical panel and the winds damaged its sails and rigging. The rough conditions in the Pacific also claimed the yacht of New Zealander Phil van der Mespel 166km off the coast of Norfolk Island on Saturday morning. Van der Mespel was rescued by a commercial vessel after a RNZAF Hercules spotted him in a liferaft. Van der Mespel was sailing solo from Vanuatu to Marsden Point on his 10-metre sloop, Waimanu.
Two die on roads
A 42-year-old man has died on State Highway 2, south of Auckland, where police say it appears he was struck by a vehicle at Mangatawhiri, near Pokeno, just after 2am on Sunday. And one person died when a car crashed into a drain at Fernhill near Hastings about 11.30am on Sunday.
League fans in strife
A female police officer was knocked an important issues, we have. unconscious in the Auckland suburb
‘‘I think it’s incumbent ¯ ofO on us to ta¯huhu following Tonga’s Rugby use the international stage, to parLeague World Cup win 24-22 over ticularly be advocates on behalf of Lebanon in Christchurch on Saturday our region. night. Inspector Rod Honan said the
‘‘I’ve certainly given thought to officer was taken to hospital with a what responsibility we have as head and arm injury ‘‘after being members of an international comknocked unconscious by an munity; where we use our voice unknown man from behind’’ about and why. And we’ll use it in a way 10pm near the fan zone. And a that’s constructive.’’ person suffered a suspected broken
Ardern also addressed issues ankle after trying to storm the field around defence and security. during the Rugby League World Cup
When asked whether the Govquarterfinal in Wellington. All up, nine ernment would pull New Zealand people were evicted from Westpac training troops out of Iraq, she Stadium on Saturday night as Fiji beat said she wanted to take more time New Zealand 4-2 to knock the Kiwis to consider New Zealand’s role. out of the tournament. The man is
A decision would be made by now facing a charge of pitch invasion the time the mandate came up for along with another person following renewal next year. a separate incident during the game.