government purchases a 76.5% share in the company New Zealand contributes Troops to Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan 2002 Kiwibank is formed 30 June: The population of Canterbury reaches half a million. 27 July: 2002 general election, Labour-led government returned for a second term. 2003 Population of New Zealand exceeds 4 million. Prostitution Reform Act 2003 passed in parliament Appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council abolished; Supreme Court of New Zealand established, and begins work in early 2004. 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act passed. Civil Union Act passed Māori Party formed. Maori TV begins broadcasting 2005 17 September: 2005 general election, Labour-led government returned for a third term. 2006 Labour enacts its election promise to remove interest on loans to students living in New Zealand. Five cent coins are dropped from circulation and existing 10-cent, 20-cent and 50-cent coins are replaced with smaller coins. The government announces a NZ$11.5 billion surplus, the largest in the country's history and second only to Denmark in the Western World. South Island population reaches 1 million 2007 David Bain's final Privy Council appeal results in the quashing of his convictions for the murder of his family. A re-trial is ordered by the Solicitor-General of New Zealand. 2 May: Freeview is launched, providing free-to-air digital television. 1 July: KiwiSaver retirement savings scheme introduced. 2 July Willie Apiata receives the first Victoria Cross for New Zealand, the first New Zealander awarded a VC since World War II. 18 December:Electoral Finance Act enacted. 2008 11 January: mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary dies. 8 November: General election: The National Party gains the largest share ending 9 years of Labour-led government. 27 November: (28 November NZ Time.) XL Airways Germany A320 Flight 888T, an aeroplane owned by Air New Zealand crashes in the Mediterranean Sea off the south coast of France, killing all seven on board, 5 of whom are New Zealanders. Helen Clark is named Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), ranking third in the UN office National reintroduces titular honours 8 years after Labour removed them from the New Zealand Honours System in 2000. 2009 Knighthoods, Abolished by the previous government, are restored. 6 March: David Bain retrial begins, resulting in not guilty verdicts on all five murder charges on 5 June. 28 April: First confirmed New Zealand case in the 2009 swine flu pandemic. 2010s 2010