New Zealand's foreign minister returned to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a familiar stage for a politician who has represented the country there across several decades.
Logan Church: Welcome back to the UN, Mr Peters
New Zealand's foreign minister returned to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a familiar stage for a politician who has represented the country there across several decades.
The visit came at a tense moment for multilateral diplomacy, with conflicts, aid pressures and questions about the credibility of the international system dominating the agenda.
For small states, the General Assembly remains one of the few venues where their arguments on climate, oceans and trade rules can be made directly to the largest powers.
New Zealand's message continued to emphasise the rules-based order and Pacific priorities, delivered in the plainer style that has long marked the minister's approach.
Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced a national service dog ID card, saying the standardised card should reduce confusion when certified disability assistance dog teams access public places, businesses and public transport.
Funding will create safe backup populations for Hamilton's frog and the white-bellied skink, two native species found nowhere else in the world and now at serious risk of extinction.
Education Minister Erica Stanford says the School Onsite Training Programme will expand to 704 places a year from 2028, part of a $21.7 million five-year investment aimed at producing more classroom-ready teachers.