Wellington, Nov 3 : A halloween pizza ad depicting Sir Edmund Hillary dancing in a graveyard has been criticized by his family and friends, who claim it to be in ‘bad taste’.

The animated Hell Pizza ad shows a mostly skeletal Sir Ed, along with actor Heath Ledger and the Queen Mother, emerging from graves to dance to Michael Jackson''s song Thriller.

It was posted on the Internet two days before Halloween, and has been dubbed ‘grotesque’ by Sir Ed''s son, Peter Hillary.

"I think it''s a bit disturbing ... a little grotesque. I don''t think it''s funny and I''m not very impressed," Stuff. co. nz quoted Mr Hillary, as saying.

Wellington - A Halloween pizza promotion depicting Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary dancing in a graveyard has upset his family, news reports said Monday.

The animated commercial, by the New Zealand company Hell Pizza, shows a skeletal Sir Ed, flanked by Australian actor Heath Ledger and Britain's Queen Mother, emerging from graves to dance to Michael Jackson's song Thriller.

Sir Ed and Heath Ledger died in January and the Queen Mother in 2002.

Wellington  - New Zealand veterans of the 1944 Normandy landings, which were a turning point in World War II, vowed Sunday to keep going despite their international organization closing down because too many members have died.

Thirty representatives of veterans from Britain, France, Canada, the United States and New Zealand who took part in the assault on France's northern coast - which remains the largest amphibious military operation ever attempted - held a commemorative service Sunday in Wellington.

The international Normandy Veterans Association (NVA) has decided its membership is falling too fast to continue past the 65th anniversary of the landings in June, said David Christison, president of the New Zealand branch.

Wellington - The New Zealand government will guarantee wholesale deposits by foreign finance institutions to local banks, Finance Minister Michael Cullen announced Saturday.

Cullen said the move would help facilitate improved access to international funding markets for New Zealand banks.

"While the New Zealand banking system is very sound, we are in an environment where international investors remain risk-averse and where many other governments have guaranteed their banks," he said.

Wellington - New Zealanders were warned Saturday against travelling to parts of Indonesia where three Islamic militants involved in the Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mainly tourists, in 2002, are expected to be executed any day.

Indonesian police said they had found bombs suspected to have been prepared for a retaliatory attack after the bombers, Mukhlas, his brother Amrozi, and Imam Samudra, go before a firing squad.

Wellington - The first nest of eggs laid by tuatara reptiles - living fossils who are descendants of the dinosaurs - has been found on the New Zealand mainland in more than 200 years, the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary reported on Saturday.

Staff found four ping-pong-ball-sized leathery white eggs while doing routine maintenance work near the 8.6 kilometre predator-proof fence around the 225-hectare sanctuary in suburban Wellington, manager Raewyn Empson said.