Auckland will remain in alert level 3, as restrictions stand, for at least one more week. Waikato and Northland will stay in alert level 3 until 11.59pm on Thursday 14 October. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Waikato shows that the tried and true method of stamping out the virus is working. "One final point on the Waikato," Ardern says, "thank you for getting vaccinated. We've seen the largest increase in vaccinations of any region in New Zealand last week". "New Zealand is at one of the trickiest and most challenging moments in the Covid-19 pandemic so far," Ardern says. "However, there is a clear ... (full story)

Auckland will stay at its current version of Level 3 for another week. Cabinet will review restrictions next Monday. Schools in Auckland will not re-open after the holidays on October 18, although distanced learning will resume. Waikato and Northland will remain at Level 3 until 11:59pm on Thursday. These settings will be reviewed on Wednesday. All the cases in Waikato are linked. The problem in Northland is that a person who travelled through parts of the region with a confirmed case is still in the community and hasn’t been located by authorities. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government’s goal remains the ... (full story)