Charles III has been officially proclaimed the new King in a ceremony held on parliament steps today.

The New Zealand Proclamation of Accession ceremony was attended by the King’s representative, governor general Cindy Kiro, along with other dignitaries including prime minister Jacinda Ardern.

It follows the British Proclamation of Accession at St James’s Palace in London last night, NZ time. That ceremony was attended by King Charles, Prince William and Queen Consort Camilla, and the audience included former prime ministers Gordon Brown, Boris Johnson, David Cameron, Tony Blair and Theresa May, as well as new prime minister Liz Truss.

Meanwhile, the prime minister’s office has given a read-out of the PM’s first phone call with British prime minister Liz Truss last night.

PM Ardern congratulated PM Truss on her appointment and noted that this is a difficult time to have the “privilege of office” leading the UK through the grief at the loss of the Queen.

Ardern also expressed the great sense of loss felt in New Zealand at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The two discussed arrangements for the state funeral next Monday, and New Zealand’s participation in it.

The prime minister also invited PM Truss to visit New Zealand.

Willie Jackson has given the big tech platforms three months to come up with a deal to compensate NZ media outlets for the use of their content.

Appearing on Newshub Nation yesterday, the broadcasting and media minister did not give a specific deadline but said he’d informed Google and Meta of the time limit “a couple of weeks ago”.

“And to be fair, they’re giving it a crack and they’re making deals in the marketplace,” he said.

“But you know, they legislated over in Australia and Canada. I’m not saying we’re going to legislate, but this is something we have mooted and I want to see some fairness. I want to see all all these Kiwi news organisations looked after.”

Google has already begun cutting deals with some major New Zealand players including NZME and RNZ, both of which appear on Google’s News Showcase platform as a result.

In a recent article about the launch of the platform Spinoff publisher Duncan Greive explained that media outlets that remain outside those deals “can largely be divided into two buckets”.

“The first are organisations too small to be able to get in a room with Google and negotiate a deal. This likely includes hundreds of small newsrooms around the country, from iwi radio stations to community newspapers. The second is the NPA-led collective bargaining group, which The Spinoff has joined, which is seeking deals with Google and Meta that are on the same proportional scale as those done with our colleagues across the Tasman.”

Last month Jackson told Greive that giving platforms time to formulate a response was necessary “but I come from the background I come from, so I hear the small person. I’ve heard them. And if I hear NZME struggling to get a proper deal, RNZ struggling to get a deal, then what chance for the small player? I’ll be asking those questions.”

Update, 2pm: A NZ government spokesperson says “cabinet will consider options for a New Zealand memorial service and public holiday at its meeting tomorrow”.

Australia will observe a one-off public holiday on September 22 as a National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.

The announcement was made this morning by prime minister Anthony Albanese.

No such public holiday has yet been announced for New Zealand.

In this country, a period of national mourning started immediately after the announcement of the Queen’s death on Friday and will continue until the end of the day the New Zealand Memorial Service is held.

Details of the New Zealand Memorial Service, including its date, have not yet been made public.

A poll of 500 Christchurch residents shows Phil Mauger attracting more than twice the support of his rival David Meates.

The Kantar/TVNZ poll has Mauger, a first-term city councillor and businessman, on 58%. Meates, a former CEO of the Canterbury District Health Board, is on 26%.

Veteran Christchurch personality The Wizard attracted 5% support.

However it appears that a large number of voters are still up for grabs. A full 38% of those surveyed said they hadn’t decided who they would vote for, wouldn’t say, or wouldn’t vote at all.

Ukrainian forces are carrying out a remarkable counteroffensive in the eastern province of Kharkiv, driving Russian troops from towns and villages they had occupied since the first days of the invasion.

The Ukraine operation successfully retook Izium and the nearby town of Kupyansk, cutting off Russian supply lines and forcing a large-scale retreat by Russia.

Experts say the operation is Ukraine’s most significant success in pushing back the Russians since forcing their retreat from Kyiv, and could prove a turning point in the war.

The Kyiv Independent’s defence reporter Illia Ponomarenko said: “The Russian front line section between Kupyansk and northern Donbas is collapsing.”

He added: “An official tells me he can’t keep up. They have gone further and faster than they imagined.”

The success of the operation was in part due to a carefully laid plan to trick Russian military command,  Ukraine’s special forces have said.

The much-publicised Ukrainian southern offensive earlier this month was in fact a disinformation campaign to avoid attention on the real one being prepared in the Kharkiv region, according to reporting in The Guardian.

“[It] was a big special disinformation operation,” said Taras Berezovets, a former Ukrainian national security adviser turned military press officer.

“[Russia] thought it would be in the south and moved their equipment. Then, instead of the south, the offensive happened where they least expected, and this caused them to panic and flee.”

The text of the letter of condolence sent by the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, to King Charles III has been released. It reads:

Your Majesty

On behalf of the Government of New Zealand I wish to express my sincere condolences on the death of Her Majesty The Queen, your mother.  

As Queen of New Zealand, Her Majesty was loved for her grace, calmness, dedication, and public service. Her affection for New Zealand and its people was clear, and it was an affection that was shared. 

Her Majesty was an important part of all our lives throughout her reign – but she was first and foremost a daughter, a sister, a mother, and a grandmother. 

You have our deepest sympathies for her loss but also our gratitude for her extraordinary life of service.

I remain, Your Majesty,

Yours sincerely

Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern

PRIME MINISTER

Meanwhile the Proclamation of Accession, a ceremony that formally acknowledges that New Zealand has a new King, will take place on Parliament steps at 12.30pm today.

The immediate forecourt area is for invited guests only, but the public are welcome to gather on the grounds. The ceremony will be livestreamed on the website of the governor-general.