Oceania

Climate

Fijian utopia rejects calls to relocate due to climate threats

Residents of Fiji's tiny Serua Island have rejected calls to relocate, instead opting to renovate flimsy coastal homes.

30 October 2026

Travel News

First international flight arrives at the new Western Sydney airport

Sydney’s new 24-hour airport has welcomed its first international passengers with the opening described as a ‘milestone that has been decades in the making’.

26 October 2026

Australia

Flash floods lash southeast Queensland in record October rainfall

A television reporter abandoned his shoes and glasses and dived into rising floodwaters to save a driver whose car was sinking fast in Morayfield, Queensland.

23 October 2026

No Comment

Australia: Bystanders dive into floodwaters to save trapped driver

Two men plunged into raging floodwaters in Queensland, Australia, to save a driver from a sinking four-wheel-drive on Thursday. The dramatic rescue ended in an emotional embrace.

22 October 2026

Australia

Australian model Sahara Ray dies aged 34

Her family said she passed away in hospital surrounded by loved ones, just months after she welcomed her first child, daughter Snow.

20 October 2026

Australia

Australia police say man charged after lawmaker hit by car

Haines was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser outside her office in the town of Wangaratta, just over 200 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, at around 0635 CET on Monday.

20 October 2026

Australia

Australian lawmaker 'critically' hurt in car attack, officials say

The 43-year-old male driver was detained by civilians, Mason said, and then arrested by police, who found a knife in his car.

19 October 2026

No Comment

Seals and sea lions undergo hearing tests in Australian research

Australia's scientists have trained seals and sea lions to take hearing tests at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, hoping to better understand how human-made noise affects marine mammals.

9 October 2026

Tech News

Australia's PM says OpenAI hacked government health website

OpenAI did not raise the alarm with the Australian government until September, when it sent a message to a generic email inbox that is only checked once each day.

24 September 2026

Travel News

Non-stop flights between Sydney and New York to launch in 2028

Passengers will spend 18 hours in the air on the specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft.

23 September 2026

Earth News

New Zealanders pick endangered black robin as Bird of the Year

Despite only 350 remaining, the bird received 26,000 votes, with a record one in every 50 New Zealanders taking part in this year’s competition.

22 September 2026

Earth News

This waste scientist helps start-ups turn trash into cash

Thermal conversion technology is being used to turn rubbish into products including vinegar, biochar and oil.

17 September 2026

Health news

New Zealand approves party-drug MDMA for treating patients with PTSD

Two psychiatrists in New Zealand can now prescribe MDMA in controlled clinical settings, built on trial results that have been challenged in the US.

4 September 2026

Sport

Nick Kyrgios handed one-month ban following positive cocaine test

Kyrgios has entered a treatment programme and will forfeit his €6,570 prize money and ranking points from the ATP Tour event in Mallorca where he tested positive for the drug.

4 September 2026

New Zealand

New Zealand introduces legislation to ban social media for under-16s

Under the proposed law, firms like Meta could be fined up to 10% of their global revenue if they fail to comply.

24 August 2026

Australia

Australia charges man for informing Russia about Ukraine's military

The crime of intentional foreign interference carries a penalty of 20 years' imprisonment in Australia.

21 August 2026

Australia

Australia mushroom killer's lawyers point to jury flaws at appeal

Patterson was found guilty last year of murdering her husband's parents and an elderly aunt in 2023 by serving them a beef Wellington lunch laced with lethal death cap mushrooms.

19 August 2026

Sport

New Zealand withdraws support for FIFA chief Gianni Infantino

The Oceania Football Confederation issued its own statement on Friday, welcoming FIFA's decision to ditch the FFE investment proposal and signalling its support for Infantino.

14 August 2026

Australia

Australian PM under fire for 'melons' gag about Japanese leader

Asked whether he would say sorry for his "disrespectful behaviour" in parliament on Tuesday, the Australian leader said: "I reject the assertion in the question."

11 August 2026

New Zealand

American flown to New Zealand hospital in rare winter Antarctic rescue

The sun last set at the geographic South Pole on 23 March and will not rise until 21 September.

7 August 2026

Australia

Two Iranian women’s football players granted Australian citizenship

The Refugee Council of Australia, a nonprofit umbrella organisation representing asylum-seekers, said refugees usually must live in Australia on a valid visa for four years before they can apply for citizenship.

7 August 2026

Australia

Australia politician admits texting 'my job is boring' during meeting

After initially denying the complaint in full as a "smear", he told journalists on Thursday that he did send the text but denied that it was to a sex worker.

6 August 2026

New Zealand

China complains to New Zealand over ‘go back to your own country’ jibe

China's ambassador made a rare intervention after New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters refused to back down over remarks he made in parliament to Chinese-born MP Lawrence Xu-Nan.

30 July 2026

Culture news

Shakespeare Down Under: Australia to house the Bard's First Folio

Australia's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) has opened its highly anticipated new library, featuring 30,000 items, including Shakespeare's First Folio. The collection ranges from children's books and artworks to rare books and historic maps.

18 July 2026

Fiji

Australia and Fiji seal defence pact in push to counter China

The signing of the defence treaty comes on the same day that Chinese state media reported a submarine had test-launched a long-range ballistic missile in the South Pacific, a move criticised by Australia.

6 July 2026

Australia

Thai national arrested in Australia on suspicion of importing heroin

The 26-year-old woman was on duty on board an international flight when she arrived at Melbourne Airport on Thursday.

29 June 2026