Updated 8 August, 9am NZ time: There was a brief eruption from Mt Tongariro in the central North Island just before midnight on 6 August, New Zealand time.

As of Monday 24 October, the New Zealand Embassy in Mexico City will no longer process any visa applications.  From this date, applications from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela will be processed by the New Zealand Embassy in Washington.  Applications from Cuba will be processed by the New Zealand High Commission in Ottawa.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred near the city of Christchurch in Canterbury, New Zealand, on 22 February 2011.

Updates on the earthquake are available on the Canterbury Earthquake website (http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/).

More information can be found on the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management website (www.civildefence.govt.nz).

The New Zealand Embassy in Mexico will be closed for the Christmas holidays from Saturday 25 December to Sunday 2 January, reopening on Monday 3 January. Due to this closure and the high number of visa applications during this period, please remember to apply for your visa with plenty of time.

Visitor and transit visas:
For processing by Friday 24 December, applications for visitor and transit visas must be received by this Friday 10 December. Applications received after this date will not be processed until after the Embassy reopens in January 2011.

Student and work visas:
Processing for these visas before the Christmas period has now closed. Applications received between now and Christmas will not be processed until January 2011. Processing times of 15 working days for student visas and 20 working days for work visas apply.