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Covid-19: Two people in 20s among 32 deaths, 8396 cases reported

‘Oku taupotu ‘i lalo ha fakamatala fakaTonga

Covid-19 community case numbers have continued to fall, with 8396 new infections reported over the past week.

The numbers cover the week from Monday February 6 to Sunday February 12.

As of midnight on Sunday, there were 171 people in hospital with the virus.

Seven people were in an intensive care or high dependency unit.

Thirty-two more people with the virus have died, including two people in their 20s.

Of the 30 other people who have died, three were in their 40s, two were in their 50s, two were in their 60s, seven were in their 70s, 12 were in their 80s and four were aged over 90.

Twenty were men and 12 were women.

Seven were from the Auckland region, six were from the Southern District, four each were from Waikato and Canterbury, three were from the Wellington region, two each were from Tairāwhiti and Northland, and one each were from Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki and Nelson Marlborough.

The number of deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor, is 2513.

Last week’s positive cases, detected through rapid antigen tests (RATs) and PCR tests, are located in Northland (306), Auckland (1781), Waikato (903), Bay of Plenty (412), Lakes District (193), Hawke’s Bay (477), MidCentral District (452), Whanganui (208), Taranaki (265), Tairāwhiti (170), Wairarapa (140), Capital and Coast (551), Hutt Valley (285), Nelson Marlborough (281), Canterbury (1148), West Coast (87), South Canterbury (106) and Southern District (551).

The location of 18 cases is unknown.

The seven-day rolling average of cases is 1148. The seven-day rolling average of RAT results is 2401.

FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA

‘Oku holoholo hifo pē ki lalo ‘a e toko lahi ko ia ‘o e kau puke ‘i he Covid – 19, pea koe toko 8396 ‘a e kau puke fo’ou kuo lipooti mai ‘i he ngaahi uike si’i kuo maliu atu.
Ko e ngaahi fika ko ‘eni ko e lele ia mei he Mōnite ‘aho ‘aho 6 ‘o Fepueli ki he Sāpate ‘aho 12 ‘o Fepueli ai pē.
Pea mei he tu’apō ‘o e pō Sāpate, ko e kakai ‘e toko teau fitungofulu mā taha [171] ‘i falemahaki ‘oku ma’u kinautolu ‘e he vailasi.
Koe toko 7 ai ‘oku nau ‘i he ‘iuniti ‘oku fai ki ai ‘a e tokanga makehe pe lahi ange ‘a e ngaahi fiema’u ki hono tauhi kinautolu.
Kuo toe lau atu foki mo e toko tolungofulu mā ua [32] ki he toko lahi ‘o e kau pekia mei he vailasi, kau ai ‘a e toko ua kei ta’u uofulu tupu.
‘I he toko 30 kehe ko ē kuo nau pekia, ko e toko tolu ai na’a nau ‘i he ta’u fāng,ofulu tupu, ta’u nimangofulu tupu ‘a e toko ua, ongongofulu tupu ‘a e toko ua, toko fitu na’a nau ‘i he ta’u fitungofulu tupu, toko 12 ‘i he ta’u valungofulu tupu pea ko e toko fā ‘i he ta’u hivangofulu tupu.
Ko e toko uofulu ai ko e kakai tangata pea toko taha ua leva ko e kakai fefine.
Ko e toko fitu mei he vāhenga ‘Aokalani, toko ono mei he vāhenga fakasaute, tautau toko fā mei Uaikato mo Kenitapeuli, toko tolu mei he vāhenga Uelingatoni, tautau toko ua mei Tairāwhiti mo Northland, pes tautau toko taha leva mei he Bay of Plenty mo Hawkes Bay, pea pehē ki Talanaki mo Malapolo.
Ko e toko uaafe nimangeau hongofulu mā tolu [2513] ko e fika ‘eni ‘o e kau pekia ‘oku fakapapau’i ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e ‘ulungaanga ai ‘o e Covid – 19, ‘a ia ko e tupu’anga pē ia ‘o e pekia pe kaunga lahi ki ai.
‘I he uike kuo ‘osi ‘i Northland, na’e fe’unga mo e toko tolungeau mā ono [306] na’e ma’u ‘oku ‘i ai e vailasi ‘i honau sino mei he ngaahi sivi fakavavevave ke ‘ilo’i pe kuo hūfia ‘e ha fili ‘a e sino [RAT pē PCR], toko tahaafe fitungeau valungofulu mā taha [ 1781] ‘i ‘Aokalani, hivangeau mā tolu [903] ‘i Waikato, fāngeau hongofulu mā ua [412] ‘i Bay of Plenty, toko teau hivangofulu mā tolu [193] ‘i he vāhenga Lakes, fāngeau fitungofulu mā fitu [477] ‘i Hawkes Bay, fāngeau nimangofulu mā ua [452 ‘i he vāhenga MidCentral, toko uangeau mā valu [208] ‘i Fanganui, uageau onongofulu mā nima [265] ‘i Talanaki, teau fitungofulu [170] ‘i Tairawhiti, teau fāngofulu [140] ‘i Uailalapa, nimangeau nimangofulu mā taha [551] ‘i Capital mo Coast, uangeau valungofulu mā nima [285] ‘i Hutt Valley, uangeau valungofulu mā taha [281] ‘i Nelson Marlborough, toko tahaafe teau fāngofulu mā valu [1148] ‘i Kenitāpeuli, toko valungofulu mā fitu [87] ‘i West Coast, toko teau mā ono [ 106] ‘i he fakatonga ‘o Kenitapeuli pea toko nimangeau nimangofulu mā taha [551] ‘i he vāhenga fakasaute.  
‘Oku ‘i ai leva mo e toko 18 ‘oku ‘ikai ‘ilo ‘a e feitu’u na’a nau puke mei ai.
Ko hono lau faka’aho ko ia ‘i he ‘aho ‘e fitu ‘o e kau puke ‘oku ‘i he ‘avalisi ko e toko tahaafe teau fāngofulu mā valu [1148]. Pea ‘oku toko uaafe fāngeau mā taha [2401] ‘a e ‘avalisi mei hono lau faka’aho ‘i he ‘aho ‘e fitu ‘o e ola ko ia mei he sivi fakavavevave ke ‘ilo pe kuo hūfia ‘e ha vailasi ‘a e sino pe RAT. 

Earthquake adds more anxiety to cyclone misery in Gisborne region

By rnz.co.nz

The Gisborne region, already hugely affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, has been shaken by a 4.2 magnitude quake this evening.

The quake occurred at 7.45pm and was centred 25km west of Gisborne at a depth of 22km.

Within 15 minutes more than 1100 people reported feeling it, with most describing it as light or weak.

An RNZ reporter visiting the city said it was “a good shake”.

Tairāwhiti is one of eight regions in a state of emergency as they cope with Cyclone Gabrielle.

In some parts of the region, such as Tolaga Bay evacuations of properties are underway.

Lulutai issues cancellation warning after Fiji Airways’ mechanical issue

Lulutai Airlines said it canceled its two flights scheduled for today Monday 13 due to maintenance issue facing its Fiji Airways’ hired carrier.

“To all our passengers traveling to and from Vavau on the two services today , please be advised that your service was canceled due to mechanical issues in Fiji”, a statement released by the airlines said this afternoon.

It also said the ATR has finally departed Fiji and was on its way to Tonga.

The services are expected to be back on track on Tuesday.

“ATR services tomorrow to Vavau will resume as normal”.

“ Our team is currently working on moving all passengers to tomorrows service and if you have any issues or misconnects to international flights please send details via messenger”.

As Kaniva News reported recently, Fiji Airways is stepping in to help Tonga’s national airline maintain services to Vava’u from February 3, to June 30.

Australia has signed an agreement with Tonga to help the kingdom pay Fiji Airways to run the passenger service seven times a week between Tongatapu and Vava’u.

Four Arrested after drug raids in Tongatapu’s Hahake, Vaheloto districts

Methamphetamine, cannabis and firearms were netted in police raids in Malapo, Fasimoeafi and Hala’ovave last week.

Police, within 24 hours, in three different raids, arrested four people for possession and supplying of illicit drugs.

The first raid was on the evening of Thursday, 9 February 2023 at a residence at Malapo where two men, aged 31 and 36 were arrested together with 3.06 grams of methamphetamine, one .22 rifle with a magazine containing ten . 22 live bullets, cash TOP$478.50, and drug utensils.

The second and third raids were made at Hala’ovave on Friday, 10 February 2023, with the second made at a residence while the third was effected on the Sūnia ‘Akaveka Road.

The second raid resulted in the arrest of a 41-year-old male together with 8 packs of methamphetamine (2.27 grams), cash over TOP$1,000, and drug utensils.

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A 33-year-old man from Fasi was arrested in his car in the third raid. He had in his possession 8 packs of cannabis (82.25 grams), 9 packs of methamphetamine (33.98 grams), cash TOP$305, as well as drug utensils.

All suspects have been remanded in police custody to appear in court this week.

We acknowledge the strong and ongoing partnership with members of our communities and encourage anyone who may have information about drugs to please come forward or contact Police on 740-1660 or 922. Our joint efforts would go a long way to protect our children, our families, and our communities from the harm caused by drugs and hold those responsible to account.

Labour closes gap with National in new poll

By RNZ.co.nz

National and Labour are neck-and-neck in the latest poll from The Taxpayers Union/Curia, but National and ACT would still be able to form a government on its numbers.

The poll had both major parties at 34.4 percent, with National falling 2.8 percentage points and Labour up almost as much, 2.7 points.

National and ACT together would have 61 seats – just enough to form a government.

The Greens dropped 2.8 percentage points, falling to 7.8 percent – the equivalent of losing five seats – while ACT gained 0.9 points to reach 11.7 percent, which would give them 15 MPs.

The poll surveyed 1000 people – 800 by phone and 200 by online panel – between 2 and 9 February, and had a margin of error of 3.1 percent at the 95 confidence level. Results are weighted for gender, age and location.

  • National 34.4%, down 2.8 (46 seats)
  • Labour 34.4%, up 2.7 (46 seats)
  • ACT 11.7%, up 0.9 (15 seats)
  • Green 7.8%, down 2.8 (10 seats)
  • NZ First 2.9%, up 0.1 (0 seats)
  • Te Pāti Māori 2.1, up 0.5 (3 seats)
  • Other: 6.7%, up 1.4

Preferred Prime Minister:

  • Chris Hipkins: 30%
  • Chris Luxon 26%
  • Jacinda Ardern 9%
  • David Seymour 8%
  • Winston Peters 3.5%
  • Chloe Swarbrick 1.9%
  • James Shaw 1.3%
  • Matt King 1.3%
  • Leighton Baker 1%
  • Nicola Willis 0.7%

MP Piveni Piukala exchanges words with accuser’s supporters in court  

Tongatapu 7 MP Piveni Piukala allegedly exchanged words with his accuser’s supporters during a court appearance this morning.

Hon Piukala appeared at the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court after he was charged with electoral fraud.

Paula Piveni Piukala

It is understood Hon Piukala has submitted a response against his charges and told the court ‘there was no case to answer’.

Piukala’s political companion and supporter Kelekolio Tapueluelu claimed the tension this morning began after Piukala entered the court and made references to his accuser and their supporters.

Tapueluelu said the accuser’s supporters responded before a man allegedly stood up and walked towards Hon Piukala.

Tapueluelu said that at one stage he subdued the man by holding his hand.

The Ministry of Justice could not be reached for comment.

The fraud charge allegations against Piukala are related to his successful campaigns in Tongatapu 7 during Tonga’s November parliamentary by-election campaigns.

The allegations included bribing voters.

Piukala won the by-election after he successfully sued former Tongatapu 7 MP Sangstar Saulala over electoral bribery. As a result, the Supreme Court declared Saulala’s election void in August.

The petition against Piukala was filed by a Tongatapu 7 rival constituent, Feleti Ulakai.

Tonga Police talk down man threatening to jump from top of hospital tower

A Police Emergency Services team persuaded a man who had threatened to jump from a tower at Vaiola hospital on Friday to step back.

Photos seen by Kaniva News showed what appeared to be tearful relatives of the man standing together and were trying to calm each other. Some of them tried to attract the attention of the man.

The man, who was not identified, had finally agreed to climb down with the help of some Police officers. He was taken to the hospital’s psychiatric centre unharmed for evaluation.

An evaluation report is expected to be released to the media, the Ministry of Health told Kaniva News.

Many concerned people took to social media in an attempt to find out what was going on.

One person on Facebook wrote: “What happened?”

Another asked: “Why are the Police Emergency Services officers attending the scene?”

A third person wrote: “Thanks that he is being saved and rescued?”

Cyclone Gabrielle makes landfall as thousands without power, evacuations begin

By RNZ.co.nz

Cyclone Gabrielle is already bringing strong winds and heavy rain to parts of the North Island.

Most of the North Island is covered by some kind of Severe Weather Watch or Warning either for wind, rain or both.

Red heavy rain warnings have been issued for Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel and the northern parts of Gisborne Tairāwhiti.

Red strong wind warnings have been issued for Northland, Auckland and the Coromandel.

A Flourish data visualization

Read more: Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact in numbers

Thousands are without power, while some people in Coromandel and Gisborne are already starting to evacuate, and Auckland Council is closing all non-essential services Monday and Tuesday.

Power company Vector said there were widespread power outages, especially in exposed areas across north Auckland.

It said about 15,000 customers were without power at 7pm.

“This number will change constantly as we restore homes and businesses but, with the weather due to worsen, we expect further outages overnight and tomorrow.”

Northpower has also been working to restore power in the Whāngarei area, writing on Facebook that “cyclone winds have caused major damage to the network, much of it from trees falling through lines.”

Auckland Council has said it will close all non-essential services across the region on Monday and Tuesday, including libraries, community centres, early childhood education centres, and active recreation centres.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge has been closed due to high winds and will remain closed overnight.

All Auckland train services have also been cancelled tonight, and KiwiRail has closed operations on the top half of the North Island until at least 3pm tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Coromandel Civil Defence controller Garry Towler says six evacuation centres will be open 24-7 while another 12 to 15 community-led centres are on standby to open if required.

Read more: Cyclone Gabrielle in photos

An emergency alert text was sent to all people on the peninsula this afternoon.

Towler says most people appear to be heeding the warning, as traffic leaving the region is heavy. He’s advising people to go to family or friends.

Earlier, Northland declared a precautionary state of emergency for an initial period of seven days.

Speaking at today’s official update, MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said even with significant wind gusts in Northland already being reported, the weather today was just the start.

She said they had not seen pressure this low in 40 years.

“This is a serious event for New Zealand.”

Many Auckland schools, services to close Monday

Much of Auckland will be closed on Monday as Cyclone Gabrielle storms through the motu.

Auckland Airport has prepared itself for further flooding and has sandbags waiting. The airport was severely affected during Auckland's January deluge.

Auckland Airport has prepared itself for further flooding and has sandbags waiting. The airport was severely affected during Auckland’s January deluge. Photo: RNZ / Jonty Dine

Auckland Council will close all non-essential services across the region on Monday and Tuesday, as the region prepares for Cyclone Gabrielle.

Follow RNZ’s live blog for the latest weather updates.

The non-essential services affected include libraries, community centres, early childhood education centres, and active recreation centres.

Only critical services, such as building assessments, will take place.

Essential services, such as contact centres and cemeteries, will remain open.

Aucklanders are being urged to stay home if possible on Monday and Tuesday.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge has been closed due to high winds and will remain closed overnight.

The prime minister said earlier today it is up to individuals to decide if they work from home tomorrow as Cyclone Gabrielle moves closer to New Zealand.

Chris Hipkins said people should continue to minimise non-essential travel as the country heads into the working week.

“I think the message at the moment is minimise the traffic on the roads as much as possible.

“People can make their own decisions about that, but if they’re in a position to work from home, yes, they can do that.”

Air New Zealand is cancelling all flights, to, from or through Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Taupō until midday on Tuesday.

The InterCity bus network has cancelled three day-time services today and overnight services between Auckland and Wellington tonight and tomorrow as a precaution.

KiwiRail has decided to proactively close the rail network in the top half of the North Island on Sunday night, until at at least 3pm Monday.

KiwiRail said commuter trains in Auckland, the Northern Explorer train and the Te Huia train between Auckland and Hamilton will not be running tomorrow.

Rail lines from Auckland to near Marton will also be closed.

While the Ministry of Education hasn’t officially ordered schools to close, most schools in Auckland will be closed Monday and some Tuesday as well.

Please check with your local school directly or via social media to confirm their status before Monday morning.

Very few schools are confirmed to be open, although Auckland Grammar School has said in a statement that they will remain open for on-campus learning tomorrow.

The University of Auckland will also be moving to online exams Monday and Tuesday.

Jury trials in Auckland and Whangārei are being postponed until Wednesday.

Among the other closures are Auckland Zoo, which announced it is closing Sunday afternoon until further notice, and Auckland War Memorial Museum and Auckland Art Gallery, which will be closed Monday. Rainbow’s End amusement park is closed today and Monday.

Several Auckland libraries are being closed or used as emergency centres, so please check their website for information.

Kerbside waste collection has also been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday in Auckland.

Multiple Countdown stores are also closing early tonight. Countdown Waitangi, Warkworth, Tikipunga, Regent, Whangārei, Whitianga, Gisborne, Katikati, Kaihohe and Kerikeri are all closing between 7 and 8pm. Countdown Paihia Central has already closed early.

Cyclone Gabrielle in pictures: Flooding and trees downed across northern parts of New Zealand

By RNZ.co.nz

Power outages, downed trees, flooding and empty aisles at supermarkets are some of the early impacts being seen as Cyclone Gabrielle lashes the upper North Island.

At the Onerahi ramp in Whangārei with about an hour to go till high tide.

At the Onerahi ramp in Whangārei with about an hour to go till high tide. Photo: Supplied/ Adrienne Chubb

Cyclone winds have caused major damage to the Northpower network, much of it from trees falling through lines.

Cyclone winds have caused major damage to the Northpower network, much of it from trees falling through lines. Photo: Supplied / Northpower / Facebook

Cyclone winds have caused major damage to the Northpower network, much of it from trees falling through lines.

Cyclone winds have caused major damage to the Northpower network, much of it from trees falling through lines. Photo: Supplied / Northpower / Facebook

A damaged power pole near Warkworth.

A damaged power pole near Warkworth. Photo: Supplied / Vector Limited

Orewa Beach on Sunday afternoon, as Cyclone Gabrielle makes its way to New Zealand.

The sea was surging at Orewa Beach on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Supplied / Chris Newson

Orewa Beach on Sunday afternoon, as Cyclone Gabrielle makes its way to New Zealand.

Strong winds and a high tide at the north Auckland beach. Photo: Supplied / Chris Newson

Strong winds and a high tide have washed away part of Orewa Beach in north Auckland. One kite surfer is out in the heavy swell.

One kite surfer was out in the heavy swell at the beach. Photo: RNZ / Rhonwyn Newson

Strong winds and a high tide have washed away part of Orewa Beach in north Auckland. One kite surfer is out in the heavy swell.

Photo: RNZ / Rhonwyn Newson

Flooding has begun as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle on Riverside Drive in Northland's Whangārei.

Heavy rain from the cyclone caused flooding at Riverside Drive in Northland’s Whangārei. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati

Flooding has begun as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle on Riverside Drive in Northland's Whangārei.

Riverside Drive in Northland’s Whangārei. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati

Cyclone Gabrielle is causing havoc in the Far North, downing trees and powerlines. Photos by Top Energy NZ

In the Far North, trees and powerlines came down, causing an outage to about 1500 properties on Friday morning. Photo: Supplied / Top Energy NZ

Cyclone Gabrielle is causing havoc in the Far North, downing trees and powerlines. Photos by Top Energy NZ

Photo: Supplied / Top Energy NZ

In Auckland, crews were working to restore electricity at Karekare on the west coast, in Henderson and pockets of east Auckland and the North Shore.

There were also outages at Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, Waharoa in Waikato and Inglewood in Taranaki.

Auckland Airport has prepared itself for further flooding and has sandbags waiting. The airport was severely affected during Auckland's January deluge.

Auckland Airport has braced itself for flooding and has sandbags at the ready after being severely affected during January’s deluge. Photo: RNZ / Jonty Dine

Air New Zealand announced international arrivals and departures on Monday would be extremely limited. There are also domestic flight cancellations through to Tuesday.

Essentials have sold out at supermarkets across Auckland as people prepare for Cyclone Gabrielle. This includes shelves bare of milk and bread.

Essentials were sold out at several supermarkets across Auckland as people prepared for Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: RNZ / Jonty Dine

Bread aisle at St Luke’s Countdown were wiped clean as Aucklanders prepared for Cyclone Gabrielle.

The bread aisle at St Luke’s Countdown was wiped clean on Sunday morning. Photo: RNZ / Veronica Schmidt

Authorities are reassuring people supermarkets will stay open and urged people not to panic-buy.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visits Auckland Transport's operation centre in Takapuna, North Shore as Cyclone Gabrielle makes landfall.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visits Auckland Transport’s operation centre in Takapuna, North Shore as Cyclone Gabrielle makes landfall. Photo: RNZ / Ashleigh McCaull

Army personnel from 16 Field Regiment unload supplies at the Central Distribution Centre in Auckland alongside volunteers from the Auckland City Council.  Essential supplies such as blankets, torches and pillows will be distributed throughout Auckland as part of Op Awhina.

Today personnel from our New Zealand Army’s 16 Field Regiment assisted in delivering and unloading more than 50 pallets of emergency supplies to the central distribution centre in Auckland ahead of the severe weather from Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Defence Force

PM Chris Hipkins arrives at Hub West, a community facility in Henderson to see cyclone response

Photo: RNZ / Lucy Xia

Cyclone Gabrielle on 12 February.

Satellite imagery of Cyclone Gabrielle on 12 February. Photo: Twitter / NIWA

National Emergency Management Agency message: Cyclone Gabrielle will impact much of the North Island with severe gales, heavy rain and very large waves forecast from today through to Tuesday.

This is expected to be an unprecedented and dangerous weather event.

MetService has issued severe weather warnings for many parts of the North Island.

Keep up to date with MetService weather warnings and advice from your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.

Adhere to all advice and instructions from authorities.

Cyclone Gabrielle will also exacerbate the impacts for those communities recovering from recent floods

Avoid travelling during severe weather, and check Waka Kotahi for road closures.

  • Do what you can to prepare your household for the coming days.
  • Information about preparing for storms can be found at getready.govt.nz.
  • Call 111 if you feel in any danger.

Stay safe. Don’t take any chances.