News Mash-up: New Zealand

Maori in NZ ask protesters to stop using haka A Maori tribe that claims New Zealand’s most famous haka as its heritage on Nov. 15 told anti-vaccine protesters to stop using the traditional performance to promote their message. Vaccine protesters have performed the Ka Mate, a Maori haka composed around 1820 by Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngati Toa tribe, at recent rallies against vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions. Ka Mate is the most widely known haka as it has been performed by the All Blacks at international rugby matches. (Reuters) NZ to ban cigarette sales for future generations New Zealand plans to ban young people from ever buying cigarettes in their lifetime in one of the world’s toughest crackdowns on the tobacco industry, arguing that other efforts to extinguish smoking were taking too long. People aged 14 and under in 2027 will never be allowed to purchase cigarettes in the Pacific country of 5 million, part of proposals unveiled on Dec. 9 that will also curb the number of retailers authorized to sell tobacco and cut nicotine levels in all products. Currently, 11.6% of all New Zealanders aged over 15 smoke, a proportion that rises to 29% among Indigenous Maori adults, according to government figures. (Reuters) These articles were provided by The Japan Times Alpha.