NZ

NZ says committed to getting vaccines into Pacific

Nanaia Mahuta told the New Zealand Parliament, discussions were being held around the implementation of a so-called TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organisation aimed at speeding up the production and delivery of vaccines.

The TRIPS [Trade and Intellectual Property Rules] mechanism looked to protect intellectual property and trade interests but in doing so critics said it slowed collaboration between companies.

NGOs had called for a waiver to be approved immediately.

Mahuta said the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines needed to be addressed urgently.

Plans under way for trans-Tasman bubble by end of April

Ministers are actively working on the proposal and the next step would be for it to go to the full Cabinet, potentially this coming Monday.

That will be on the condition there are no community outbreaks of Covid-19 or lockdowns in the meantime.

There could also be an arrangement for safe travel zones with realm countries, the Cook Islands and Niue, which the government have long said would be a priority.

The door has already been partially opened, with New Zealand allowing passengers from the Cook Islands and more recently Niue to come here quarantine-free.

New positive community case of Covid 19, Ministry of Health confirms

During this afternoon's 1pm press conference, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the new community case was a student at Papatoetoe High School.

The school now remains closed until further notice.

The person is considered a casual-plus contact who had been advised to self-isolate and get tested, the ministry said in a statement earlier today.

Hipkins said the student had not returned to school on Monday. The case was picked up by testing of all students and staff before they were able to return to school.

New Zealand quarantine-free travel into Australia to resume

The one-way travel bubble was suspended last Sunday night after three community cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Auckland and the city went into level 3 lockdown for three days while the rest of New Zealand was put in level 2 Covid restrictions for the same period.

New Zealanders wanting to enter Australia without quarantining will need a negative coronavirus test result less than 72 hours prior to departure, if they have been in Auckland any time in a two-week period before travelling.

Tourism industry calls for clarity on border reopening plans

In December, Cabinet agreed in principle to establish a travel bubble with Australia in the first three months of this year.

While the news was welcomed, those in the tourism industry said they needed to ensure there was enough time to get ready for an influx of overseas visitors.

The managing director of the Scenic Hotel Group, Brendan Taylor, said it would take two to three months for the airlines to ramp up, if the borders reopened.

He said operators needed time to prepare and ensure they have enough staff to cater for incoming guests.

New Zealanders make record number of transactions per second

As of 2pm, $166 million had been put through the tills.

The busiest time of the day has likely passed, with a peak of 204 transactions per second at 12.30pm, a new record.

The previous record was 188 per second and the daily average about 60.

Paymark chief executive Maxine Elliott said they had to work hard to ensure the retail network was fully operational throughout today.

Paymark had seen about 3 million transactions processed since midnight.

Sky TV broadband trial starts strong

Sky chief customer officer Chaz Savage said feedback from the trial, which began on 4 December, proved it was on the right track.

"It's exciting to see our project take shape as we roll out customer trials with the support of a great partner like Vocus. We've been working together to develop and provide a solution which means New Zealanders can access all the entertainment they want at speeds and service levels they need, and we're looking forward to creating more value for our customers through Sky Broadband."

Trans-Tasman bubble to help reunify families, business - Melbourne University epidemiologist

Cabinet have agreed in principle to quarantine-free travel in the first quarter of 2021.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said officials were working on contingency plans in the event of an outbreak.

The decision is dependent on Australia's agreement and no major change in circumstances in either country.

Australian federal health minister Greg Hunt said his government was keen on the idea.

"We're ready to implement from our side as soon as New Zealand's ready. It's the first step on a return to international normality."

Police investigate message left near mosque

The message written on the footpath outside Masjid An-Nur in Riccarton yesterday, and was reported to the police by the Muslim Association of Canterbury.

RNZ understands the message was written while worshippers were at afternoon prayers.

Canterbury police District Commander John Price said the incident is being taken very seriously.

"We take any messaging that has any concern to it extremely seriously and a report has been completed and that has been assigned to an investigator," he said.

First group of Tokelauans repatriated since start of Covid-19 pandemic

The trip is expected to be one of the happiest for the islanders who set sail from Samoa on Wednesday and are relieved they will be home for Christmas.

The group had arrived in Apia on a repatriation flight from New Zealand on 13 November.

But they had to spend an extra week in isolation in Samoa on top of the required 14 days after a passenger on the same flight tested positive for Covid-19.

Some of the 33 people who are undergoing yet another 14 days quarantine on their home atolls of Fakaofo and Nukunonu have been stuck in New Zealand since March.