New Zealand

The 30-year-old Highlanders player had several overseas offers, but re-signing with New Zealand Rugby meant he would be available for the 2019 World Cup in Tokyo.

As part of his contract, Smith also an option of an extended breaks from the game and also had an early termination clause after the World Cup.

"It's been an interesting few months as we have worked through what was best for my family and career over the next few years. In the end we are happy with our decision to stay in New Zealand," Smith said.

New Zealand outclassed South Africa from start to finish in the match, shooter Bailey Mes made 28 of her 30 attempts while Tutaia slotted 27 from 34.

Tutaia proved the difference in the match; she only missed one shot in the opening 15 minutes of the match, almost matching South Africa's attempts in the first quarter alone.

The Silver Ferns built on their lead in the second quarter, continuing to impress on attack where centre Shannon Francois reveled in the space provided with an influential performance.

Announcing the date this afternoon, Mr English said National will take nothing for granted in its campaign and that the economy was always the central election issue.

The PM was not ruling out working with NZ First after the 2017 election, but said it was "unlikely".

He said his preference was to continue working with current partners - Act, United Future and the Māori Party.

"Together our parties have provided a stable and successful government at a time of great uncertainty in many parts of the world," said Mr English.

The country welcomed a total of 146,473 visitors last year.

The leading market for tourists, New Zealand, was up 18 percent while the strongest growth was in visitors from Japan at 76 percent.

A study last year showed the need for the sector to change its approach and focus on having people staying longer and spending more.

Photo: 123rf A Cook Islands beach. 

The Suva Sevens has a nice ring to it.

Former New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens, now in charge of the Samoan sevens team, has suggested taking the Wellington Sevens to the islands following their dire crowd numbers this past weekend.

He told 1News that a country like Samoa or Fiji would love to host a tournament on the World Rugby Sevens Series.

Just 18,000 out of a possible 70,000 are believed to have attended the annual Wellington event.

The US-led 12-nation agreement was set to cover 40% of the world's economic output.

Pulling out of the TPP was one of Mr Trump's first executive orders and fulfils a long-held campaign promise.

Australia has already devised a name for a possible new agreement: TPP 12 Minus One.

The country's trade minister Steve Ciobo said Australia would not abandon the TPP just because it would require "a little bit of elbow grease" to keep it alive.

This trend comes despite the assumption that the digital age would eventually do away with analogue.

Professor Fernandez and her fellow researcher Professor Michael Beverland from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology decided to investigate the trend by focussing on the allure of vinyl records.

They conducted in-depth interviews with collectors from New Zealand, the UK and the US.

Most were men, mainly in their 20s and 30s. One put in his wedding vows that his wife would never make him stop collecting, another had 7000 records stored in his mother's garage.

Visiting the country again after 15 years, Kerowaii says the experience has been humbling for him.

"I got to see the difference between where I reside and home, the struggle of my people here for their day-to-day living while I live an easy life.

"It has been an eye-opener for me and I am truly humbled by this experience," he says.

The hip-hop artist, based in New Zealand, arrived in Port Moresby on December 29 for his first-ever one night performance in Lamana, Gold Club, on January 7.

He says despite a few hiccups, the whole show went perfectly.

The Met Service has issued a severe weather warning from Southland to central Hawke's Bay.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said waves reaching 1 to 3 metres above the tide level were possible in coastal areas of Papua New Guinea for the next several hours.

Waves of less than 0.3m above the tide level were forecast for some other areas of the Pacific, including Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Nauru and Vanuatu.

Civil Defence said there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands.

An advisory to stay out of the water and away from beaches was issued after the earthquake but later cancelled, based on the analysis of additional data.