New Zealand

The actor took a dive into the shadows with a wicked grin, captivating audiences with nuances of playful supervillains.

At the recent red carpet premiere, Momoa’s presence was met with overwhelming excitement and support from fans and fellow New Zealand celebrities.

Tagata Pasifika reports Momoa revealed that playing the villain was a refreshing and enjoyable experience, when asked about immersing himself in the character,

“It was fun. I wanted to make him approachable,” he says.

In a statement from her office, Carmel Sepuloni said New Zealand shares a longstanding and deep relationship with Samoa, not only as aiga and whānau of the Pacific region, but as two countries woven together by the Treaty of Friendship, signed 61 years ago.

While in Samoa, Sepuloni will call on Samoa's Head of State, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is hosting the celebrations, and meet with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa and members of her Cabinet.

More well known for his role as Aquaman in the DC Universe, Momoa takes on the role of ruthless villain ‘Dante’ who is a sassy, sophisticated bad guy out to destroy Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) in the 10th film of the Fast and Furious franchise.

Tagata Pasifika reports fans swarmed the red carpet to interact with the superstar who was accompanied by New Zealand celebrities Taika Waititi, Cliff Curtis and Temuera Morrison.

Despite not being with the rest of the film’s cast in Italy, Momoa was more than happy to share this moment with his New Zealand fans.

The police's wastewater testing programme analyses daily wastewater at 10 sample sites across New Zealand.

Newshub reports on average, the programme analyses samples one week of each month for traces of methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. The latest results cover October to December last year (Q4). 

Firefighters have found six bodies inside the building, but police would not have a confirmed number of fatalities until investigators had been able to search all of the damaged building.

Loafers Lodge hosts short- and long-term boarders on a budget, and could house more than 90 people at capacity.

The quake was at a depth of 10 kms (6.21 miles). It was followed by a magnitude 5.4 aftershock 20 minutes later. 

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there is a tsunami threat following the initial earthquake.

New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it's assessing whether there is a tsunami risk but urged anyone near the coast who felt "a long or strong quake" to get to the nearest high ground immediately. 

During her trip, Mahuta visited the National University of Samoa.

Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa hosted a luncheon in honor of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of NZ and her delegation at RLS Museum, Vailima on Friday.

According to Fiame, Minister Mahuta's visit occurred towards the conclusion of a year-long celebration of Samoa's 60th Independence Anniversary.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Nanaia Mahuta represented the Government of Aotearoa New Zealand while the Minister of Finance, Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioo, represented the Government of Samoa at the event Thursday.

According to Mulipola, this signing ceremony marks yet another milestone in the lifelong friendship between Samoa and Aotearoa New Zealand.

"I would like to recognize Aotearoa New Zealand’s continuous support in improving the social and economic benefits for Samoa," she said.

The 10-year deal, which will see the Aotearoa contribute $NZ38.5 million to USP's core funding for the first five years, was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni in Suva on Wednesday.

The partnership is expected to support USP's long-term planning and stability as it tries to bounce back from a challenging period after the former Fijian administration cut off its financial contribution to the university.

Sepuloni, who is also the Associate Foreign Affairs Minister for the Pacific, left for Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga on Sunday.

It would be an invaluable opportunity to strengthen New Zealand’s relationships and reaffirm the commitment to working alongside Pacific whānau to respond to challenges, Sepuloni said.

The region was the government’s “foreign policy priority”, Sepuloni said.

“We proudly take a Pacific-led approach to solving the issues facing the region, not least to mention, climate change.