Category Archives: New Zealand

Coronavirus live news: Japan reports record cases ahead of Paralympics, New Zealand cluster grows

Posted on by

Critical care beds are reaching capacity in Japan while New Zealand is racing to contain a cluster in Auckland that has grown to 21

An update on the British man sentenced to six weeks in prison in Singapore for refusing to wear a mask:

Benjamin Glynn, 40, was released today and will be deported, the country’s prison department said.

This is an interesting story by Edward Helmore about an Australian psychologist living in Canada who penned a book on pandemics just before Covid-19 hit.

Stephen Taylor’s book, The Psychology of Pandemics, was rejected by his publisher because “no one’s going to want to read it”.

Related: ‘No one wanted to read’ his book on pandemic psychology – then Covid hit

Continue reading...

Ardern’s Covid lockdown finds favour as New Zealand watches Sydney’s Delta disaster

Posted on by

Asked what she would say to people who questioned the need for a level 4 lockdown, the prime minister responded with one word: ‘Australia’

To overseas eyes, going into national lockdown over a single case should have been a hard sell, even for an extraordinarily popular prime minister such as Jacinda Ardern.

But a disastrous outbreak of the Delta variant in Sydney has helped galvanise New Zealand’s “team of 5 million” – and across the country, the government’s tough strategy on Covid-19 has enjoyed widespread popular support.

Continue reading...

Growing New Zealand Covid cluster linked to Sydney Delta outbreak

Posted on by

Jacinda Ardern warns of more cases as Auckland cluster grows to seven, marking New Zealand’s first local transmissions of Delta variant

New Zealand’s coronavirus cluster has grown to seven, with genomic sequencing linking it to the Delta outbreak that began in Sydney, as the country woke up to day one of a snap lockdown stemming from just one case.

The country went into a snap level four lockdown – the highest level of restrictions – on Tuesday night, after detecting one case with no obvious links to the border. New Zealand has not had a level 4 lockdown in more than a year, and the case is the country’s first instance of Delta transmission in the community.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: weekly deaths up by a third in England and Wales; Singapore prepares to reopen for business

Posted on by

Covid mentioned in 527 deaths last week compared to 404 the week before; Singapore experts say there may be hundreds of deaths each year from endemic Covid-19

The king of Malaysia has ruled out a new general election in the country, after the resignation of the government amid mounting anger over its handling of the pandemic, because of concerns over the spread of Covid.

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation yesterday after less than 18 months in office comes as Malaysia has one of the world’s highest infection and death rates per capita, with daily cases breaching 20,000 this month despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June.

India has administered more than 8.8m doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the past 24 hours, government data showed, close to its all-time record and speeding up a campaign to inoculate all eligible adults by December.

India has undertaken one of the world’s largest Covid-19 vaccination drives and has so far administered 554m doses, giving at least one dose to about 46% of its estimated 944m adults. Only about 13% of the population have had the required two doses.

Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern announces three-day lockdown after single Covid case – video

Posted on by

New Zealand will go into a national lockdown on Tuesday night after detecting one case of Covid-19, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced on Tuesday. ‘Delta has been called a gamechanger and it is,’ Ardern said, adding that her government had ‘planned for this eventuality’.

Under level 4, all New Zealanders are asked to shelter in place in a ‘bubble’ that only includes their immediate household or dependents. They can only leave the house to buy food or medical supplies, to access medical care or for socially distanced exercise

Continue reading...

New Zealand to go into national lockdown over one Covid case

Posted on by

PM Jacinda Ardern warns this is ‘only chance’ to stop spread of suspected Delta variant

New Zealand will go into a national lockdown on Tuesday night, after detecting one case of Covid-19.

The entire country will be at alert level 4 – the highest level of lockdown – for at least three days from midnight, and the regions of Auckland and Coromandel for four to seven days.

Continue reading...

New Zealand to deploy troops to aid citizens’ evacuation from Afghanistan

Posted on by

Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand would also attempt to evacuate Afghan nationals who worked with the country

New Zealand is racing to get its remaining citizens out of Afghanistan, and will deploy troops to assist with their evacuation after the Taliban swept to power overnight.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that the country would also try to evacuate a number of Afghan nationals and their families who worked with the New Zealand deployments or in-country operations, many of whom are now in hiding and fear they will be targeted by the Taliban.

Continue reading...

Simon Bridges’ memoir reveals the candid, funny, vulnerable person behind the stiff exterior | Steve Braunias

Posted on by

After being ousted as New Zealand opposition leader, Simon Bridges has returned to himself – a likeable maverick

He walked in the door at the same time as my cat, which heightened the impression that he looked like something the cat dragged in. It was the day after Simon Bridges had been rolled as leader of the National Party. I’d sent him a friendly text and he replied that he was in my neck of the woods the next day so maybe a cup of tea might be in order. I put on the jug. The occasion deserved a whiskey or something, but neither of us are social drinkers, or even very social.

Related: Resolutions but no revolution as National ends its annual conference as divided as ever

Continue reading...

Rugby, racism and the battle for the soul of Aotearoa New Zealand | John Minto

Posted on by

The Springboks’ tour and the protests that ensued 40 years ago helped set the fight for Māori rights on a stronger path

The 1981 Springbok rugby tour of New Zealand will always have a special place in any narrative about the international fight against apartheid in South Africa.

The protests against the Springboks reverberated around the world – delivering a savage psychological blow to South Africa’s white regime while giving a resounding boost to the oppressed majority.

Continue reading...

‘A way to be heard’: the New Zealand Pasifika youth subculture devoted to emergency sirens

Posted on by

Siren kings battle their way through several carefully judged rounds to establish who has the loudest, clearest sound

On the streets of south Auckland, Pasifika youth equipped with plastic siren cones have created a new sound – one that stormed TikTok, and took over a moment in pop music. Sometimes disparaged or dismissed, they say their work with sirens is more than just a sound or a hobby. It’s also about community, creativity and respite from struggle.

These are the Siren Kings – a street subculture devoted to the volume and clarity of music, channelled through the unusual vector of emergency-evacuation sirens.

Continue reading...

Sticking to a Covid-19 elimination strategy keeps New Zealand’s options open | Michael Baker, Amanda Kvalsvig and Nick Wilson

Posted on by

The approach buys the country time to get a better understanding of the virus’ impact on people’s long-term health and on children

Aotearoa New Zealand’s new national strategy for loosening border restrictions closely follows scientific advice from an expert panel that was specifically asked to advise on the future of New Zealand’s elimination strategy and phased loosening of border controls.

Covid-19 elimination has been the dominant strategy for a number of jurisdictions across the Asia-Pacific region, including New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia. This approach contrasts with the suppression and mitigation strategies of Europe and North America.

Continue reading...

New Zealand’s biggest contribution to the climate struggle is its positive example | Philip McKibbin

Posted on by

Suggesting that cutting New Zealand’s emissions won’t make any difference on a global scale is an argument that misses the point

Should New Zealand hold itself to its greenhouse gas emissions targets?

“Of course!” you may be thinking – and you wouldn’t be the only one. There is widespread support for climate action in Aotearoa. It led to record demonstrations in 2019, which saw 170,000 people striking, and the government is currently working on a plan in response to a recent report from the Climate Change Commission. Still, some New Zealanders seem to think otherwise, arguing that we are already doing enough.

Continue reading...

Amazon moves production of Lord of the Rings TV series to UK

Posted on by

Show has been shot in New Zealand so far but filming will move to UK from June 2022

Amazon has made the surprise decision to move production of its $1bn-plus Lord of the Rings series from New Zealand to the UK, rejecting tens of millions of dollars in incentives to shoot the TV show in the same location as the blockbuster films.

Amazon, which four years ago paid $250m to secure the TV rights to JRR Tolkien’s works after founder Jeff Bezos demanded a Game of Thrones-style hit for its streaming service, chose to film the first series in New Zealand after competitive bids from around the world.

Continue reading...

New Zealand borders to remain closed until new year – video

Posted on by

New Zealand, which has stamped out coronavirus, plans to cautiously reopen its borders to international travellers early next year. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said the government planned to follow the advice of experts and maintain the elimination strategy. She said borders would not reopen until after New Zealand's vaccine rollout was completed at the end of the year. About 29% of New Zealanders have received one dose of the vaccine and 17% are fully vaccinated

Continue reading...

‘Light at the end of the tunnel’: New Zealand welcomes border reopening plans

Posted on by

Health experts warn that reopening hinges on Covid vaccine programme reaching vulnerable communities

New Zealand’s much-awaited, albeit cautious, roadmap for reopening its borders has given businesses and families a taste of hope for the future, though health experts warn that it is dependent on improving the country’s vaccination strategy to reach vulnerable communities.

The prime minister Jacinda Ardern laid out the reopening plans at a forum in Wellington on Thursday, 17 months after borders closed in March 2020.

Continue reading...

Hear be kiwis: New Zealand celebrates as distinctive cry of iconic bird returns

Posted on by

Kiwi watchers have recorded the sound of the bird’s song at many sites that were silent just five years ago

It’s a frigid, early-winter night, and across the forests and farmlands of Northland, people are crouching in the dark. They’ve timed this night for the waning moon, so moonlight doesn’t disturb any visitors. Scattered through the night, they sit, silently, and listen.

The sound they’re all hoping for is a high-pitched, piercing cry, or guttural croak – a sign that Aotearoa’s threatened, iconic kiwi has returned to patches of forests that had fallen silent.

Continue reading...

New Zealand should take phased approach to border reopening, experts advise

Posted on by

Panel says country should also continue to pursue ambitious Covid elimination strategy, even after border reopens

New Zealand should take a phased approach to reopening its border but not before a high percentage of the population is vaccinated, according to an expert governmental advisory panel.

The advice’s release comes a day before the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is expected to make an announcement on the government’s approach to the reopening of the country on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Resolutions but no revolution as National ends its annual conference as divided as ever

Posted on by

There was a degree of heat, but not much light cast on the future of a party still recovering from last year’s election thumping

The National Party has just wrapped up the final day of its annual general meeting. There was a bit more drama than usual. Former speaker of the house David Carter resigned from the board before the close of the meeting after failing to win the presidency from Peter Goodfellow, who has held the role since 2009.

Various changes were made to the party rules. A nod to the Treaty of Waitangi as the country’s founding document was inserted into the party constitution. There was heated debate on questions of party governance, with delegates opting to keep the board on a short leash following a disastrous election last year.

Continue reading...

Willing to be set on fire or jump off tall buildings? New Zealand needs more stunt people

Posted on by

During the pandemic New Zealand has become a safe haven for international film studios, creating a surge in demand for ‘stunties’

Burrowed in a beige building block in Auckland’s industrial east, a neat line of stunt hopefuls wait their turn to take their first step on an “air ram”. With enough power to flip a full sized car, the menacing looking metal pedal is designed to vault the “stunties” high into the air, as if tossed from an exploding building.

Standing by and keeping a watchful eye, Dayna Grant points up to the rafters of the converted warehouse at least 10 metres above, fondly remembering a time she was tossed up high enough to touch the ceiling. But today’s NZ Stunt School class of ex-circus performers, working stunt people, and retirees, won’t come close to that.

Continue reading...