Auckland and wider New Zealand will drop one level each – to levels 2 and 1 respectively – from midnight tonight, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced.
There is one exception to the alert levels: Papatoetoe High School. Students and their families are being asked to stay home, and return a negative Covid-19 test before returning to school on Monday.
“As ever, if you are sick, please stay home,” Ardern said. “This continues to be one of our most important restrictions.”
She said Cabinet will review the alert levels again on Monday.
“There is every chance we will find further cases.
Auckland went into alert level 3 and the rest of the country to level 2 at midnight on Monday morning after three community cases in South Auckland were found over the weekend.
Two more cases of Covid-19 in the community were reported today, both of them students at Papatoetoe High School. School principal Vaughan Couillault confirmed they were siblings, and one was a classmate of the existing case.
Dr Bloomfield has said a further member of those students’ household has also tested positive since then.
Cases D and E – the siblings reported earlier today – were not infectious when they were at school, Bloomfield said.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told the Health Select Committee today it was still too soon to say what impact the new cases would have on Cabinet’s alert level decision this afternoon.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told the select committee the siblings were isolating already as they were classed as a close contact and casual-plus contact.
This afternoon he said we should be encouraged that all five of the community cases remained in a tight formation with clear epidemiological links.
He said testing of the household contacts would take place and exposure events would be looked at. People linked to any exposure event would also be asked to isolate.
He said family members for the two siblings were also isolating.
Dr Bloomfield has noted that health appointments are essential and has advised anyone with an appointment in Auckland to ensure they go.
This RNZ.co.nz story is republished with permission
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is speaking at a briefing after a Cabinet meeting to discuss the alert level settings.
Auckland went into alert level 3 and the rest of the country to level 2 at midnight on Monday morning after three community cases in South Auckland were found over the weekend.
Two more cases of Covid-19 in the community were reported today, both of them students at Papatoetoe High School.
School principal Vaughan Couillault confirmed they were siblings, and one was a classmate of the existing case.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told the Health Select Committee today it was still too soon to say what impact the new cases would have on Cabinet’s alert level decision this afternoon.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told the select committee the siblings were isolating already as they were classed as a close contact and casual-plus contact.
He said testing of the household contacts would take place and exposure events would be looked at. People linked to any exposure event would also be asked to isolate.
He said family members for the two siblings were also isolating.
This RNZ.co.nz story is republished with permission
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says there are two new cases in the community – both are students at Papatoetoe High School.
The news comes as Cabinet are deciding whether to lift Auckland out of the level 3 lockdown and the rest of the country out of level 2.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to make the announcement at 4.30pm.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told the Health Select Committee this afternoon that one of the new Covid-19 cases was a classmate of the original case.
He said the case was being treated as a close contact and was isolating, as were their family members.
“Her brother, who also tested positive, is categorised as a casual-plus contact because he’s student at the school.
“But in this case it’s most likely that the chain of transmission is from our original case to her classmate, who’s then passed it on to her brother.”
Dr Bloomfield said they’ll be looking very carefully at whether there were any other positive tests coming out of the high school.
“So far two thirds of them, over 1000, have been negative which is encouraging,” he said.
The family of a returnee in managed isolation who was denied exemptions to see his deceased wife said they accepted the decision.
‘Anau Ki he Sina Pateta Fakena. Photo/Facebook
Alatini Fakena was one of more than dozen returnees and Tongan applicants in overseas countries who have been denied seeing their dead loved ones since the kingdom went into lockdown since March 2020.
The rejection of his compassionate exemption application was reported by Radio FM 89.5 this morning.
The broadcaster quoted Ministry of Health Deputy CEO Dr Reynold Ofanoa saying the decision to decline the application was made after thoughtful considerations.
As Kaniva News reported last week, ‘Alatini, who was currently being isolated at the Tanoa Hotel after arriving from New Zealand, has pleaded with authorities to allow him see his deceased wife.
Meanwhile, a status posted to ‘Alatini’s Facebook page which appears to have come from a family member said they accepted the decision by the authority.
It said they did not want the community to perceive ‘Alatini as a person who is posing a public health safety risk.
“And no — we don’t need anyone to say anything about the MOH and all essential workers about this matter . We would not want Alatini to come out and to be labeled as a “coronavirus carrier” or later pronounced as a positive case !” the post said.
‘Ānau Ki he Sina Fakena passed away peacefully at Vaiola Hospital on Thursday 11.
She is survived by her husband ‘Alatini and their three children.
The Tu’i’onetoa government has stopped its new road construction contractor in Ha’apai from doing any further works there saying there was an issue with the deal before the company took up the jobs.
Sione Foaki Fifita (L) and Minister of Finance Tēvita Lavemaau. Photos/Kaniva Tonga
The Minister of Finance has confirmed this to Kaniva News this morning.
He did not respond to one of our questions asking him whether it was true the project will be rebid.
Hon Tēvita Lavemaau said the contractor Sione Foaki Fifita began working on the project late last year but it has now been ordered to stop.
The Minister said in Tongan: “’Oku kei tuu ngaue i he taimi ni kae oua ke fakakakato ae ngaahi fiemau koia ke fatu aki ae Contract Ngaue pea mo Foaki”.
In English this means: “The work is currently being on hold until the requirements needed to write up the contract with Foaki are completed.”
The road work deal was part of the Prime Minister’s multimillion budget announced to build new roads in Tonga.
The Prime Minister said this was a priority for the people and surveys conducted throughout Tonga have supported this policy and there was government money for the project.
The controversy surrounding the government’s deal with Fifita included complaints that the government had awarded a contract to a person with close ties to Hon. Tu’i’onetoa.
Critics have claimed that Fifita and Hon. Tu’i’onetoa come from the same village, Talafo’ou , and have strong family connections.
The announcement last year by the Prime Minister confirming that three companies with strong links to the government have been awarded contracts to supply rocks for the roading project met with jeers of disapproval from the public.
Critics argued the government disregarded local construction companies which have the right equipment and expertise to do the jobs and gave the contracts to their friends.
Ha’apai constructions
Fifita came under the spotlight last month after a New Zealand based-Tongan freight company threatened to sue the Tonga government after he failed to pay more than $100,000 freight debts.
The overdue bill was owed to Tripac International Ltd which is also known as Friendly Islands Freight Ltd after it shipped heavy machinery from New Zealand to Tonga.
The equipment belongs to Fifita and his Pacific Works and Civil Contractor company.
Tripac held the equipment at its facility at the Queen Salote wharf when it arrived in Tonga because Mr Fifita wouldn’t pay for the freight.
It has been claimed the Minister of Finance contacted Tripac and asked the company to release the equipment with a guarantee the government would pay it afterward.
FAKAMATALA FAKA-TONGA
Kuo ta’ofi ‘e he pule’anga’ ‘a e langa mo e tanu hala pule’anga na’e lolotonga fakahoko ‘i Ha’apai ‘e he tangata konitulekitoa mei Nu’u Sila ko Sione Foaki Fifita. Ko hono fakahā fakapapau’i ‘eni ‘e he Minisitā Pa’anga’ Tēvita Lavemaau ki he Ongoongo ‘a e Kaniva Tonga’ he pongipongi’ ni. Na’e ‘ikai foki ha tali ‘a Lavemaau ki he fehu’i ‘e taha mei he Kaniva’ ‘o ‘eke ange pe ko e mo’oni ‘e toe fakahoko ha tala ngāue (rebid) ki he polōseki ko ‘eni’. Pehē ‘e Lavemāu’ kuo tupu hono ta’ofi e ngāue ‘a Fifita’ mei he ‘ikai fakakakato ‘a e fiema’u ki he aleapau ngāue ne tonu ke fakahoko ‘e he pule’anga’ mo ia’. Pehē foki ‘e Lavemaau ne ‘osi lele mai pe a e ngāue ia ‘a Fifita’ ‘i he konga ki mui ‘o e ta’u kuo ‘osi’ ka kuo ta’ofi ‘eni.
Authorities say incoming Covid-19 community test results following the Auckland cases are encouraging, but caution in the next few days will be crucial.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says it’s important for parallel chains of transmission to be uncovered if they existed. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
A surge in testing has yet to discover any spread to close contacts or further into the community.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report that was positive, but it was important for parallel chains of transmission to be uncovered if they existed.
“The key thing we’re trying to rule out is, first of all, have any of our existing cases passed the virus on to someone, either at the school or in the workplace. Now the testing so far is reassuring in that case.”
The daughter in the Papatoetoe family at the centre of the recent community cases was the first to report the onset of symptoms, but it was still unclear if she was the index case.
“Whilst, yes, the mother works in the Auckland Airport precinct and, whilst arm’s length removed, has got an association with incoming flights through being part of that laundry, it’s really important here to remain open-minded,” he said.
“So, we’re very interested, of course, in the testing from the school to make sure that if indeed the daughter was the index case that we are identifying where that might have come from.”
The mother, father and daughter – who all tested positive – have been moved to quarantine, while another household contact who has tested negative remains in isolation at home. Bloomfield said the family was doing well.
More than 3000 people were tested across the Auckland region yesterday, focusing on close contacts and those who had visited places of interest.
A pop-up testing centre at Papatoetoe High School. Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen
“This is the thing we’re trying to find out, really are there parallel or onward chains of transmission in the community. I should say that our sense is that we would have picked up at least someone else, through the regular testing of anyone with symptoms,” Bloomfield said.
Wastewater testing in the area last week had also returned an encouraging result.
“ESR has been doing some quite regular wastewater testing, the last result from that was on the 10th of February and that didn’t show any virus in the South Auckland area.”
More wastewater testing would be carried out this week, he said.
On saliva testing, Bloomfield said this was being rolled out across some managed isolation and quarantine facilities and cost around the same as a nasal swab test.
“We have talked to Rako [Science] about their testing, which is saliva based, and the results they have are from the US, which we’re still treating with some caution about whether it’s going to be as accurate as the swabbing,” he said.
“So we will be watching with interest any further work they do and any results they have from that.”
A medical expert who accurately predicted Covid-19 would come back into New Zealand’s communities has given his “best guess” as to when the latest lockdown will end.
Three new community cases – people from the same family – in South Auckland yesterday saw Auckland put into Alert Level 3 restrictions and the rest of the country into Alert Level 2.
The restrictions are currently in place until Wednesday night at 11:59pm, with the situation being reviewed by Government on a daily basis.
The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medicine’s Professor Des Gorman appeared on Seven Sharp to give his evaluation of what will happen next.
“My best guess, and it is a guess, would be that the Government will try and buy time and they will extend this window of observation out until Friday at least,” he said.
“They would do this to try and accumulate more data and get a sense of how widespread this outbreak is, and God willing it’s not widespread, and we can make a rapid transition back to Alert Level 1.”
Gorman also says health officials need to take a look at what the country’s “appetite for risk” is around Covid-19.
He thinks it’s currently at odds with itself, as we are willing to “plonk” down Kiwis arriving from overseas in the middle of populated cities, but also willing to go into lockdown as soon as new virus cases emerge in the community.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield is remaining cautious despite close contacts of the latest Covid-19 community cases returning negative tests so far.
Bloomfield says the lack of further community cases is an “encouraging sign”.
“But it’s the days ahead that will be crucial as results from expanded testing across the Auckland region and the Waikato and Taranaki start coming through,” he told media at the post-Cabinet press conference today.
“What we really want is that the results of this testing at [Papatoetoe High School], at the workplace and in the wider South Auckland community to rule out that there is an onward transmission or rather undetected transmission.”
An investigation is still underway as to how the family contracted Covid-19.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is holding a post-Cabinet meeting media briefing with Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
Watch here:
Ardern this morning revealed that genomic sequencing of the latest Covid-19 community cases in Auckland showed they were the UK variant of the coronavirus.
Ardern told RNZ’s Morning Report the results showed the government was right in taking a precautionary approach in moving alert levels, considering the UK variant was more infectious.
Auckland was put into alert level 3 at midnight, while the rest of the country moved to level 2 after three community cases were revealed yesterday.
Ardern said on Sunday the alert levels would be reassessed on a daily basis.
This RNZ.co.nz story is republished with permission
A group of Pasifika law students at Auckland University of Technology have raised concerns about the lack of support for Pasifika in its legal studies programme at the Manukau campus.
Although these concerns have been brought to the attention of the faculty, the students believe that they are still being ignored.
Photo: RNZ / Claire Eastham-Farrelly
In 2016, AUT began offering courses for its Bachelor of Laws degree at its Manukau campus.
In an interview with news programme Te Karere, AUT explained that part of the reason for offering courses in Manukau was to help increase the overall number of Māori and Pasifika lawyers.
Despite promises from AUT of mentor programmes and meaningful support, some students have told RNZ Pacific that such assistance was never forthcoming.
Annette Collins is now in her fourth year studying law at AUT and feels the university has misrepresented the degree of support available to Pasifika students.
In particular, the possibility of receiving assistance from the Pacific Islands Law Student Association, which is referred to on both AUT’s website and in the law school prospectus.
Collins said that she had heard from a couple of students that one of the reasons they had enrolled in the first place was the possibility of receiving support from Pasifika Law Students Association.
AUT Law student, Annette Collins Photo: RNZ Pacific
Despite AUT’s prospectus and website still referring to the association, Collins stated that it had “been confirmed by AUT staff that it is a defunct association”.
Having discussed these issues with other senior Pasifika law students, Collins has come to believe that the lack of support for Pasifika is not new.
“From the years that I’ve been enrolled in the programme, since 2018, and discussions that I’ve had with fellow students as well as those who have either been enrolled since 2016 or at the same time I was enrolled, there’s been a great number of concerns over the lack of Pasifika support.”
Concerned about the struggles of first year Pasifika law students, Collins approached the faculty.
She has had meetings with several AUT law faculty members to discuss ways to support new Pasifika law students, but she said these have not yielded any meaningful additional support.
Annette Collins running a workshop for a mentoring programme she started. Photo: Supplied
So, to address the lack of support from the faculty, Collins and other senior Pasifika law students attempted to start their own mentoring programmes for junior Pasifika law students. Despite contacting the Pacific Advancement Office, Collins felt that Pasifika students were not getting the support that was promised.
“And what I mean by that is the resources to run the workshops, that being room space, or even whiteboard markers. Even though I reached out to a staff member concerning the need for that support, I was met with, ‘look I will get in contact with you’ and that just never happened.”
With the help of another student, Collins managed to run a two-day workshop aimed at training senior students to mentor both Pasifika and non-Pasifika law students, who needed study support through the programme.
Despite this small success, she said that the faculty’s lack of support for the intiative had left her disheartened and discouraged.
“We know law is difficult, and we don’t want the answers, but what we would like is support for Pasifika law students and for AUT to meet us halfway.”
Michelle Unasa Va’afusuaga Maua, she was an AUT LLB South Campus Scholarship recipient. Photo: Supplied
Michelle Unasa Va’afusuaga Maua is a fourth year law student at AUT. She enrolled at the university after receiving a scholarship to study law at the South Campus.
“I came to AUT to study there thinking there was going to be a massive support for our Pasifika and Māori students, and it has not been my experience at all, if anything there has been no support for Pasifika students.”
Maua said she believed her scholarship to study law at AUT would mean peer support or mentoring would be included but that was not the case.
She said that when she first enrolled in AUT’s law programme, there was a student association called MAPLA (Māori and Pasifika Law Association) who were initially there to support. However, this association disbanded in 2016.
According to Maua, the following year the Pacific Island Law Student Association (PILSA) was created, to support Pasifika law students. However, the new association was short-lived and failed to deliver any meaningful support.
“And after I signed up for it, there were no initiatives run by the PILSA group. It’s been inactive since 2017.”
Maua, Collins and a few other students got together to address the lack of support for Pasifika law students.
“So we had come together to run with our own money on a voluntary basis, [to provide] support for Pasifika students in their first year.”
Maua said one guest lecturer she approached was willing to write to the dean highlighting the lack of support for Pasifika students.
She and other senior law students had spoken to some first year students who told her they felt overwhelmed and disappointed that there was no support for Pasifika.
“We got to talking and that’s how the initiative of us volunteering our time to kind of mentor the first year students through their exams came about.”
AUT Law student, Carol Brown Photo: Supplied
Carol Brown is a third year law student who agrees with Collins and Maua: “The problem is, that there is an absence of support from AUT law, mainly at South Campus,” she said.
Another first year student, who did not want to be named, said that without the support of Collins, Maua and Brown, she wouldn’t have continued her studies. She said the only reason why she applied to study at AUT was because of its campus in Manukau.
She said she did not expect to be spoon-fed the material, but a support or mentoring programme would have made a huge difference to her first year at South Campus.
In response to the concerns raised by students, AUT Law School student support and success associate head Alison Cleland said the South Campus tried to “offer an accessible, friendly place to study law”.
Khylee Quince. Photo: Supplied
However, AUT Law School associate professor Khylee Quince said students needed to be more engaged.
“The establishment and operation of student associations are a matter for students. The association for Pacific students at AUT law has been non-operational for several years due to a lack of student commitment,” Quince said.
“Until 2016 Māori and Pacific students operated a joint association, when they devolved into separate bodies – the Māori association has continued, the Pacific one has not, despite periodic prompts from staff. Academic staff work with student associations, but are not involved in their operations.
“In the absence of a specific association, Pacific students have been welcomed into Te Aro Ture, the Māori law students’ association and the general students’ association AUTLSS (AUT Law Students Association).
“The school and faculty provide academic and pastoral support to all students in association with these established bodies.
“I am not aware of any independent student-driven initiatives that have been mooted outside of existing bodies and processes. We are committed to providing appropriate support for all students, and to hearing any concerns students have.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Cabinet has decided that from 11.59pm tonight Auckland will move to alert level 3 for three days until midnight Wednesday.
The rest of the country will move to level 2 for the same period. This will be reviewed every 24 hours.
Watch Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield provide an update here:
A mother, father and daughter are the three new Covid-19 community cases in Auckland.
The three new cases all belong to a single household in Papatoetoe.
The mother works at LSG Skychefs which services planes at the airport, the father is self-employed and the daughter goes to Papatoetoe High School. Here’s what we know about the cases.
