Samoa Celebrates New Year A Day Ahead, No Friday This Week

By SAMOAN Citizen Journalist
December 31, 2011

SAMOA NEW YEAR - Today is New Year in Samoa. The Pacific island nation lost Friday off this week's calendar in a historic leap across the dateline. For years its trading partners New Zealand and Australia were a day ahead. Now the nation is in line with midnight switch from December 29 (Thursday) to December 31 (Saturday).

Samoans celebrated the New Year at Thursday midnight in the streets with songs, prayers and ringing of bells. People crowded to be photographed near the town clock in the capital Apia on the stroke of midnight. People clapped, cheered and car horns blared as the bells chimed midnight to mark this historic event.

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said this alignment with trade partners New Zealand and Australia could only benefit Samoa to have five days a week trade with the regional powerhouses.

The date line dance was implemented in this tiny South Pacific island nation 119 years ago in 1892 when the U.S. traders persuaded local Samoans of aligning the time with nearby U.S.-controlled American Samoa.

Samoa, along with neighboring Tokelau lie near to the date line crossing through the Pacific Ocean.

In 2009 Tuilaepa introduced changes enacting a law that meant cars switched to left-hand side of the road driving bringing the nation in line with New Zealand and Australia.

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December 31, 2011 | 1 comments

Air New Zealand launches cheaper domestic fares

By STAFF Writer
December 05, 2011

Air New Zealand launches low-cost seats slashing domestic arifares by up to $10. The newly introduced low-cost seats are only for carry-on luggage for travellers.

The airlines said the low-cost seats suit style fares and it would be less by 6 percent in average.

The flexible fare structure was earlier introduced by the national carrier on Tasman and Pacific Island flights about fourteen months ago. The outstanding success of it is the result of new low-cost seats for the domestic destinations.

Air New Zealand also announced today the launching of $59 stand-by fares nationwide until June 30, 2011. These stand-by fares are applicable on many of the domestic destinations out of 27 or in any non-stop off peak flights.

The longest distances are Aucland-Queenstown and Auckland-Dunedin. The fare of this route one way is $79.

Just for $10 extra per person in one way journey the standby fares are made available, including a bag.

Air New Zealand group general manager Australasia airline Bruce Parton said there will be thousands of last minute bargain seats option for travellers every week on regional and main trunk routes.

Jetstar is to launch flights on December 22 from capital to Queenstown at $79 one way, and this would give tough competition to Air New Zealand.

Presently Air New Zealand has a monopoly on the route and its direct flight to Queensland was $266.

Air New Zealand

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December 05, 2011 | 0 comments

NZ To Experience Full Lunar Eclipse On Dec. 11

By STAFF Writer
November 28, 2011

LUNAR ECLIPSE NEWS - A rare total lunar eclipse to be seen on December 11th in New Zealand. The eclipse will be visible just after 12:30am.

Stardome Astronomy Educator David Britten said the lunar eclipse can be seen from all the places of New Zealand if the skies are clear.

The full eclipse will not even last for one hour, added Britten. It will be between 3am and 4am.

The Moon will appear copper colored during the eclipse due to the scattering of sunlight which will then pass through thin ring of Earth's atmosphere. This phenomenon will remove the blue light and mainly pass the red light which will weakly illuminate the Moon.

Last total lunar eclipse was in June in the country but it was cut short due to setting moon. In 2012 there will be no full lunar eclipse in New Zealand, but on November 14 there will be a solar eclipse. On June 6 transit of Venus can also be seen across the face of the Sun.

The December 11 full lunar eclipse can be seen with naked eye. It will start from 12:33am and will end at 5:18am (local time). At 12:33am part shadow can be seen that starts creeping across the Moon. The full shadow will begin at 1:46am and total eclipse can be experienced at 3:06am. At 3:32 it will be mid-eclise and the total eclipse will end at 3:57am. At 5:18am the full light will begin to cross Moon once again.

Full Lunar Eclipse

Partial Lunar Eclipse

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November 28, 2011 | 0 comments

National Party To Govern New Zealand Another Term After Record Result

By STAFF Writer
November 27, 2011

NEW ZEALAND ELECTION NEWS - After overwhelming results in the New Zealand polls, Prime Minister John Key and the National Party is set to run the country for another term.

After the final counting of votes rolled out last night, the Natioanl Party holds sixty seats in 121-seat Parliament. Under MMP system of the country, 60 seats for one party is unprecedented.

Labour Party only won 34 seats, The Green Party got its best-ever twelve seats, NZ First won from 8 place, three went for Maori Party, and one seat each for Mana, ACT and UnitedFuture.

In his victory speech John Key revealed he already had started talks with leaders of ACT, UnitedFuture and Maori Party last night about forming the next Government. He mentioned would meet the leaders again in next few days.

Key told to reporters of not in need to keep Maori Party on board, but it would enable his government to reach wider range of New Zealanders while serving his term once again.

Meanwhile, the bleak result for the Labour Party was a shock and Goff vowed the fight of the party would continue.




Poll Result

PARTY                                   VOTES%               SEATS                    CHANGE

ACT New Zealand                  1.1                          1                              -4

Green Party                             10.6                        13                           4

Labour Party                           27.1                        34                           -9

Mana                                      1                              1                              0

Maori Party                            1.4                          3                              -

National Party                         48                           60                           2

New Zealand First                  6.8                          8                              8

United Future                          0.6                          1                              0

Alliance                                  0.1                          0                              -

Aotearoa Legalise                   0.5                          0                              -

Libertarlanz                            0.1                          0                              -

Democrats for Social              0.1                          0                              -

Conservative Party                 2.8                          0                              -

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November 27, 2011 | 0 comments

Black Friday & Solar Eclipse Conjoined

By STAFF Writer
November 26, 2011

SOLAR ECLIPSE NEWS - People in U.S. didn't see the Moon taking a bite of the Sun yesterday on November 25th. When they were passing through the busiest shopping day of the year, Sun was quietly passing through the south of Africa, Tasmania, southernmost New Zealand and most of the Antarctica. Penguins may have had a reason to rejoice on this Black Friday.

At 6:10 UT the mid-eclipse occurred and Antarctica experienced about 40 to 90 percent sun covered by moon event from 75 percent areas of the South Pole. Southernmost New Zealand and Tasmania got just a peek before the sunset.

The weather at the McMurdo Antarctica Station wasn't cooperative wrote astronomer Chris Walker. He said the temperature was around 15°F and it was windy and snowy. South Pole is having summer now.

Wellington resident got a very brief glimpse of the eclipse. It was visible over some areas of the South Islands and also at the lower half of the North Island.

This eclipse was the fourth and last of the year. The previous three eclipses occurred on January 4th, June 1st and July 1st. Some years also do have five solar eclipses. The next solar eclipse will occur on May 20, 2012 and to be visible from Japan, China and also parts of United States.

Solar eclipse is one of the most dramatic celestial event of nature and occurs when the Moon comes in between the Sun and Earth on the same plane.

Solar eclipse seen from Owhiro Bay, Wellington (Nov. 25, 2011)

Solar eclipse seen from Invercargill, New Zealand (Nov. 25, 2011)

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November 26, 2011 | 0 comments

Solar Eclipse Over New Zealand & Antarctic Peninsula On Friday

Solar eclipse in Antarctic

By STAFF Reporter
November 22, 2011

New Zealand will get a slight glimpse of Solar Eclipse on Friday, November 25th. According to report by space agency NASA, the partial solar eclipse will be seen in Wellington just before the sunset at 7.30pm.

Nasa further says the solar eclipse can be viewed from the entire South Island along with the lower half of the North Island. The line of eclipse will be from Napier through to New Plymouth.

The news also reveals only New Zealand will be the populated landmass where the solar eclipse can be viewed.

The weather department of New Zealand forecasts clear sky on Friday in Wellington, though it may be little windy.

Bellingshausen Sea's Antarctic Peninsula western side will get the maximum eclipse viewing.

Friday's solar eclipse will be the fourth eclipse of 2011. Some years experience five solar eclipses.

Solar eclipse viewed from space

Sunset at North Pole. Moon at the closet point

Solar eclipse on the peak of Malu Mountain, Liuzhou (China) on July 22, 2009

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November 22, 2011 | 0 comments

ANZ: New Global Bank Rules Could Have Choking Effects On Economy

By STAFF Writer
October 28, 2011

NEW ZEALAND NEWS - ANZ slams the new Basel III rules for banks worldwide to increase capital adequacy and liquidity within the banks to withstand global financial shocks. Its chief executive Michael Smith told recently to the Commonwealth Business Forum in Perth that the new rules could have a 'chocking effect' on the economic recovery across the world.

Mr. Smith noted the rules were moving way far ahead of big uncertainty. He told to the delegates, "Far from increasing access to finance and improving economic resilience, I am concerned that in the current environment, there is a real possibility overly conservative rules with an aggressive implementation timetable are likely to have a choking effect on global recovery."

He also pointed to last week's International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning, which said the forces were again at work now that caused 1930s Great Depression, as businesses, governments and households simultaneously have started cutting back spending and de-leveraging balance sheets.

Mr. Smith added, leading economies' banks need to raise capital of $US1.3 trillion for complete transition to the new regulatory requirements.

He said, as per the IMF the economic cost of new regulations could raise lending of global banks by 3.5 per cent points in next five years. The regulations also include Basel III.

He also said that Basel III had been moderated earlier, but there was nothing. It is broken in Australia which needs fixing.

Global financial crisis of 2008

Global financial crisis of 2008 forced travel cuts

Malaysia economy clock during global financial crisis

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October 28, 2011 | 0 comments

Rugby World Cup 2011 Match Schedule

By STAFF Writer
September 06, 2011

Pool A

New Zealand, Tonga, France, Japan, Canada

Favourites: New Zealand
To look: Upset from Tonga

Pool B

Argentina, England, Scotland, Georgia, Romania

Favourites: England
To look: Upset from Scotland

Pool C

Ireland, Australia, Italy, Russia, United States

Favourites: Australia
To look: Upset from Italy or Ireland

Pool D

Wales, South Africa, Samoa, Namibia, Fiji

Favourites: South Africa
To look: Upset from Fiji or Samoa

Rugby World Cup 2011 Match Schedule

Auckland

Match times are set to local time

Pool A

09/09 - 14:00

New Zealand

 - 

Tonga

Auckland

10/09 - 11:30

France

 - 

Japan

Auckland

14/09 - 10:30

Tonga

 - 

Canada

Whangarei

16/09 - 13:30

New Zealand

 - 

Japan

Hamilton

18/09 - 14:00

France

 - 

Canada

Napier

21/09 - 13:00

Tonga

 - 

Japan

Whangarei

24/09 - 13:00

New Zealand

 - 

France

Auckland

27/09 - 09:30

Canada

 - 

Japan

Napier

01/10 - 10:30

France

 - 

Tonga

Wellington

02/10 - 08:00

New Zealand

 - 

Canada

Wellington

Pool B

10/09 - 06:30

Scotland

 - 

Romania

Invercargill

10/09 - 14:00

Argentina

 - 

England

Dunedin

14/09 - 13:00

Scotland

 - 

Georgia

Invercargill

17/09 - 09:00

Argentina

 - 

Romania

Invercargill

18/09 - 11:30

England

 - 

Georgia

Dunedin

24/09 - 11:30

England

 - 

Romania

Dunedin

25/09 - 13:00

Argentina

 - 

Scotland

Wellington

28/09 - 12:00

Georgia

 - 

Romania

Palmerston North

01/10 - 13:00

England

 - 

Scotland

Auckland

02/10 - 05:30

Argentina

 - 

Georgia

Palmerston North

Pool C

11/09 - 09:00

Australia

 - 

Italy

Auckland

11/09 - 11:30

Ireland

 - 

USA

New Plymouth

15/09 - 13:00

Russia

 - 

USA

New Plymouth

17/09 - 14:00

Australia

 - 

Ireland

Auckland

20/09 - 13:00

Italy

 - 

Russia

Nelson

23/09 - 14:00

Australia

 - 

USA

Wellington

25/09 - 10:30

Ireland

 - 

Russia

Rotorua

27/09 - 12:00

Italy

 - 

USA

Nelson

01/10 - 08:00

Australia

 - 

Russia

Nelson

02/10 - 13:00

Ireland

 - 

Italy

Dunedin

Pool D

10/09 - 09:00

Fiji

 - 

Namibia

Rotorua

11/09 - 14:00

South Africa

 - 

Wales

Wellington

14/09 - 08:00

Samoa

 - 

Namibia

Rotorua

17/09 - 11:30

South Africa

 - 

Fiji

Wellington

18/09 - 09:00

Wales

 - 

Samoa

Hamilton

22/09 - 13:30

South Africa

 - 

Namibia

Auckland

25/09 - 08:00

Fiji

 - 

Samoa

Auckland

26/09 - 12:00

Wales

 - 

Namibia

New Plymouth

30/09 - 13:00

South Africa

 - 

Samoa

Auckland

02/10 - 10:30

Wales

 - 

Fiji

Hamilton

Rugby World Cup 2011 Fever

Fans of Welsh Rugby Team At Wellington Airport

Eden Park, Auckland

Rugby 2011 Stamp

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August 23, 2011 | 0 comments