Thousands of New Zealanders marched peacefully to mark their respects for George Floyd, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed shock at the way he died.
"I think I stand with everyone else in being horrified in what we've seen," Ardern told state broadcaster TVNZ.
"I don't want to stop peaceful protests... but rules are there to protect people," she added, urging people to follow social distancing rules.
Meanwhile, the country is gearing to remove all lockdown restrictions by next week after recording no new coronavirus infections in the last 10 days.
"We are exceeding our expectations in terms of our progress, which is a fantastic position to be in," she added.
Trump, Xi begin Beijing talks with trade truce, Iran war at stake
Russian drone attack strikes Ukrainian capital
GCC interior ministers hold emergency meeting in Riyadh
Gunshots fired in standoff at Philippine Senate over ICC suspect
Trump lands in China for Xi summit
Israeli airstrikes kill eight people on highway south of Beirut
Philippines' Senator says arrest imminent, urges public to block ICC transfer
UK's Starmer faces biggest challenge yet as resignation threat overshadows King's Speech
