- Title: Country profile of New Zealand ahead of general election
- Date: 9th October 2020
- Summary: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (FILE - DECEMBER 15, 1997) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY***48. VARIOUS OF SHIPLEY TALKING TO JOURNALIST New Zealand hosted the 1999 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, where the Asia-Pacific leaders pledged full support for an international peacekeeping effort to end the bloodshed in East Timor. The first New Zealand soldiers left for East Timor at the end of September, 1999. More than 5,000 NZ military personnel served in Timor between 1999 and 2002. AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND (FILE - SEPTEMBER 13, 1999) (REUTERS) ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION BANNER OVER STREET APEC BANNER AND NEW ZEALAND FLAG CAR WITH AMERICAN FLAG DRIVING DOWN STREET The world's first ever feature film in Maori premiered in Hamilton, New Zealand in 2002. The film of the Merchant of Venice (Te Tangata Rawa o Weniti) is the culmination of a 60-year battle to gain recognition of the Maori language. The Merchant of Venice was translated to Maori in 1945, at a time when any student caught speaking Maori was liable to be caned. Speaking Maori was also frowned on in public. HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND (FILE - FEBRUARY 17, 2002) (REUTERS) ACTRESS WHARETATAO KING SINGING TRADITIONAL MAORI WELCOME AT PREMIERE ACTORS WALKING UP STAIRS INTO WORLD PREMIERE VARIOUS OF MAORI QUEEN, DAME TE ATAIRANGIKAAHU, SITTING IN CINEMA Helen Clark, New Zealand's second woman prime minister, of the Labour Party, was elected in 1999, and stayed in power until 2008. Her government oversaw the deployment of New Zealand troops to Afghanistan and to East Timor during the East Timorese crisis in 2006. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - JULY 25, 2003) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER HELEN CLARK SIGNING GUESTBOOK/ SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT ROH MOO-HYUN STANDING CLARK AND ROH STANDING AND POSING FOR PHOTO New Zealand troops were dispatched to Afghanistan in 2001, following the September 11 attacks. New Zealand troops remain in Afghanistan, with the NZ government vowing to consider their involvement at the end of 2020. New Zealand formally took over the command of the military-led Bamiyan Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) from the United States during a ceremony on September 23, 2003. BAMIYAN, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - SEPTEMBER 23, 2003) (REUTERS) NEW ZEALAND TROOPS UNFURLING NEW ZEALAND FLAG NEW ZEALAND FLAG BEING RAISED UP FLAG POLE TROOPS PERFORMING HAKA Kiwi director Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was shot in New Zealand and amassed billions of dollars at the box office, giving a kick-start to the local film industry which has since contributed heavily to the films "King Kong" and "Avatar." The fantasy film trilogy is also accredited with further boosting New Zealand as a preferred tourism destination.
- Embargoed: 23rd October 2020 01:48
- Keywords: Jacinda Ardern Judith Collins New Zealand election
- Location: SEE SCRIPT BODY FOR LOCATIONS
- City: SEE SCRIPT BODY FOR LOCATIONS
- Country: New Zealand
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA003CZFS7K7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: New Zealanders will head to the polling booths on October 17 to elect the 53rd New Zealand parliament.
The election was initially due to be held on September 19, however a re-emergence of COVID-19 in the community caused a delay in the dissolution of parliament, resulting in a month's delay of the election.
Prime Minister and Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern will be running against National Party leader Judith Collins for the position of prime minister.
The National Party's decade in power ended in 2017, when Ardern became the country's youngest leader in more than 150 years.
(Production: Cordelia Hsu) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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