Organised crime is a longstanding problem around the world, and it is doubtful a formal inquiry will reveal anything that the government does not already know

North Korea's talk of withdrawing from the Six Party Talks on nuclear disarmament is misconceived and should be rethought

New Zealand is lifting the limit on the number of young Germans who can work while holidaying here

The ceasefire declared after the summit between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is a significant step towards finding peace in the Middle East

Justice Minister Phil Goff wants to increase the penalty for possessing child pornography to five years' jail

The United Nations Security Council must act swiftly on the findings of the United Nations International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, says Foreign Minister Phil Goff

New Zealand is ready to respond to any request for assistance from the Cook Islands in the wake of Cyclone Meena

Speaker of the House Jonathan Hunt was officially confirmed today as New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador to Ireland

Foreign Minister Phil Goff welcomes the Iraq election, and says the good turnout should give legitimacy to the new transitional government

New Zealand is funding a major new initiative to build child literacy in Vanuatu

A helicopter funded by New Zealand's aid agency NZAID has begun delivering supplies from the United Nations World Food Programme to areas of Aceh still isolated after the tsunami

The government will contribute a third of a million dollars to New Zealand Cricket's tsunami fundraising efforts for Sri Lanka

Member states of the United Nations must make the prevention of genocide the organisation's highest priority in the years ahead

Increased crime resolution rates and longer sentences will see the prison population increase by 1000, or 15 per cent, over the next five years

Reform of preventive detention under the Sentencing Act 2002 has resulted in a dramatic increase in its use

New Zealand regulations implementing United Nations arms sanctions against militia groups in Darfur, Sudan, became law today

The government is to support New Zealand Cricket's tsunami fundraising efforts by sponsoring runs scored during the Black Caps' three-match series against a World XI

Convicted sex offender Lloyd McIntosh remains under 24-hour, seven-day supervision with Corrections investing more than a quarter of a million dollars a year to minimise the risk of his reoffending

New Zealand has already paid in full the $3 million it has so far pledged to the United Nations tsunami relief aid fund

The government's Vehicle Crime Reduction Programme will include the introduction of universal fitting of immobilisers and use of Whole of Vehicle Marking on newly imported cars and light vehicles

The government is to provide Thai authorities with a New Zealand-developed victim identification software package to help identify tsunami victims

The successful completion of the Palestinian Authority's Presidential election is welcomed, but it is only one step towards a lasting resolution of the Arab-Israel conflict

New Zealand has this weekend deployed three more groups of personnel to assist in the tsunami disaster relief effort