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Explained: What the traffic light system is and how it works

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

On 3 December, the country will leave behind the alert level system which has been in place since early 2020 and move into the traffic light system.

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File image. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the move today, saying the most important thing to communicate about the traffic light system was “for the most part, if you’re vaccinated, you can go about doing all the kinds of things you’d usually expect … what varies is just how large those gatherings are at different levels”.

So what is the traffic light system – formally the Covid-19 Protection Framework – and how does it work? Here are the basics:

The system will involve three settings – green, orange and red.

Vaccine levels will play a key determining factor for which regions go into red and which go into orange on 3 December, Ardern said.

“We will look at … vaccine rates, we will look at case rates, and that will be the major determining factor but we’ll also be pragmatic. So you know, a good indication is if you’ve hit 90 percent first dose is a good indication of where you’re heading.”

“If you want to be guaranteed that no matter the setting that we are in, that you can go to bars, restaurants and close-proximity businesses like a hairdresser, then you will need to be vaccinated,” Ardern told media in October.

Back then, Ardern also said the vaccination certificates would allow businesses to be able to open and operate at any level.

Red

The red setting will allow hospitality to open with vaccine certificates, but gathering limits, physical distancing, masks and other public health measures would be used.

Record keeping and scanning will be required, with face coverings mandatory on flights, public transport, in taxis, retail, and in venues.

Public facilities can open with up to 100 people and 1m distancing. Retail needs to have 1m distancing too.

People are advised to work at home, but ECEs, schools and kura can open with public health measures.

Some outdoor community events will be allowed with limited capacity.

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Photo: RNZ / Vinay Ranchhod

Orange

At orange, gathering limits can lift. Places that choose not to use vaccination certificates will either be closed or have public health measures in place.

There will be no limits for the following if vaccination certificates are used: Hospitality, gatherings (weddings, worship, marae), events, close contact business, gyms.

Without the use of certificates, hospitality and gatherings will have limits applied

Without the use of certificates, events, gyms and close contact businesses will not be able to operate.

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Photo: RNZ / Vinay Ranchhod

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Photo: RNZ / Vinay Ranchhod

Green

Green is when there are some Covid-19 cases in the community but at low levels.

Fully vaccinated people can enjoy all events and hospitality and gatherings by showing a vaccine certificate.

Premises choosing not to use certificates will face restrictions similar to the current alert level framework.

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Photo: RNZ

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Photo: RNZ

Live: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern provides post-Cabinet update

By
Kaniva Staff
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By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.

New Zealand will move into the Covid-19 traffic light system at 11.59pm Thursday 2 December, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

At a post-Cabinet briefing this afternoon, Ardern said “The hard truth is that delta is here and it is not going away”.

“And while no country to date has been able to eliminate delta completely once it’s arrived, New Zealand is better positioned than most to tackle it because of our high vaccination rates and the inbuilt safety measures in the traffic light system like vaccine passes.”

The government will provide extra guidance for businesses to prepare. An assessment toolkit will be released for those businesses wanting to require their staff to be vaccinated.

Legislation will be introduced and passed this week to enable that, Ardern said.

Tomorrow, the verifier app for businesses that require proof of the vaccine pass for entry will be launched.

Businesses will not be required to use it, but it will be useful, she said.

Guidance this week will also set out how businesses can operate safely under the traffic light system.

From this Thursday, hairdressers and barbers in Auckland will be able to open if they require proof of vaccination from customers.

Some 83 percent of eligible New Zealanders are fully vaccinated. Ardern says if all those people who are now overdue for their second shot got it today, that number would rise to 88 percent fully vaccinated.

Earlier today, Ardern told Morning Report she was confident that district health boards will be able to cope with Covid-19 pressures over the summer.

Ardern said when the government considers alert levels on 29 November, it will be considering regions’ likely status over summer as well as their vaccination rates.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 modeller Shaun Hendy told Morning Report he would prefer Auckland to remain at level 3.2 until the new traffic light system is introduced, rather than moving to level 3.3 which would see the hospitality sector reopen.

Hendy said it could be quite confusing to move Auckland to level 3.3 this week and then maybe next week move to the traffic light system and vaccine passes.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the daily 1pm Covid-19 update on 5 October 2021.
File photo: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Photo: Pool / Stuff / Robert Kitchin

Covid-19 update 22 November: 205 new community cases of Covid-19, 1 death

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

There are 205 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today and a person has died from the coronavirus.

In a statement the Ministry of Health (MOH) said Counties Manukau Health reported the death of a man in his 40s at Middlemore Hospital.

“No further information will be released until conversations with the man’s family have concluded. Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends at this deeply sad time.”

Of the new cases, 175 were in Auckland, 20 in Waikato, five in Bay of Plenty, one in Taupō and four in Northland.

Another case in Palmerston North was not included in today’s figures as it was recorded after the morning cut-off for reporting. It will be recorded in tomorrow’s figures.

There are 85 people in hospital including six people in ICU.

In addition, the MOH said 91 percent of eligible people in New Zealand had their first dose and 83 percent were fully vaccinated.

So far, more than 1.1 million My Vaccine Passes have been created.

There are also changes to saliva testing requirements.

“The ministry has updated the position on the use of saliva for diagnostic testing for Covid-19, based on an updated review of the evidence and results of testing in New Zealand,” the MOH said.

“This means saliva testing for surveillance purposes for some groups of workers can be reduced from twice weekly to once a week, and there is no need for a follow-up nasopharyngeal swab to confirm a positive saliva test result.”

Yesterday there were 149 community cases of Covid-19 reported, nine of them were outside Auckland with six in Waikato, two in Bay of Plenty and one in Canterbury.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today said that she was confident district health boards would be able to cope with Covid-19 pressures over the summer.

Gov’t agrees in principle to sell Lulutai airlines to Flyniu

By
Kaniva Staff
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The government has reached an in principle agreement to sell the national airlines to the privately-owned Flyniu airlines.

Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa (L), ‘Atu Fīnau

The agreement is subject to an assessment of the Flyniu proposal by the new government.

If all goes to plan, the Flyniu is expected to go ahead with the purchase early next year.

The interim-Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa had indicated early this month in an e-mail seen by Kaniva News the Lulutai airlines was available to be purchased by Flyniu.

It is understood the government was looking for buyers and companies with interests in operating the flight services.

Tu’i’onetoa previously said the government took over the airlines from Real Tonga Airlines to make sure the flight services continued to serve the kingdom after the airlines ceased operation last year and most of its staff and assets were taken over by the government.

A Flyniu spokesperson Semi Halanukonuka told Kaniva News this morning they are expected to operate from Vava’u.

The deal came after a number of meetings and unsuccessful attempts by the Flyniu authorities to convince the former government they can do the job well after the company was kicked out of the kingdom in 2004. The throw out came about after the then government introduced its one-airline policy giving the right to operate the local flight services to the late king George V’s airline company.

The founder of Flyniu ‘Atu Fīnau is now the chief executive officer of the Air Vanuatu airlines.

In a story published by the Vanuatu Business Review last week it said Air Vanuatu was in good financial position and it could pay back its loans despite the global financial crisis caused by the pandemic which hugely affected the airlines industry.

The vanuatu Finance Minister Johnny Koanapo was quoted as telling parliament Air Vanuatu has been paying off its debt of over VT1 billion (NZ$152,160) to creditors, which existed before the pandemic.

“The company is still not free from debts, but I believe it is doing its best to recover its debts.”

COMMENTARY Party MPs, independents and Nobles prepare to make deals and form alliances to elect PM

By
Kalino Latu
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COMMENTARY As Parliament prepares to elect a Prime Minister, three groups look set to dominate the race for the premiership.

Fale Alea ‘o Tonga. Photo/Tonga Broadcasting Commission

As the horse trading and deal making begins, there are no certainties, but some intriguing possibilities about how it might play out.

Former Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa was returned to parliament with seven MPs altogether, including him and Viliami Hingano, the Ha’apai governor who is now an MP. They have enough number to unite with the nine noble MPs as they did before and form the government. The new government only needs 14 MPs. This leaves the remaining nine new MPs to seek five other MPs so they can themselves form the government.

We are yet to confirm whether or not any legal promises were signed by Tu’i’onetoa’s PAK party when they formed in 2019 obliging his Ministers  and the nobility to stand together with Tu’i’onetoa if they were re-elected.

The Tu’i’onetoa faction could also work together with the new independent MPs and form the government themselves. There are independent MPs likely to align themselves with the Tu’i’onetoa group like Dr ‘Aisake Eke.

PAK Party

The Prime Minister and his Ministers did not promote their PAK Party during the campaigns. Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said in one of his official livestream programmes days before the elections that  they did not promote it because they wanted the people to elect whoever they wanted. His announcement implied that his PAK party would only name its members after the elections, meaning they would promote it among the elected MPs before forming he government.

Nine Independent MPs

On the other hand, there is a strong group of nine independent new MPs which consists of what has been regarded as one of the most well educated and hard working members of Tonga’s working elite.

This includes three MPs who hold Doctor of Philosophy qualifications and a well-known businessman Tēvita Puloka. Some held top offices in government for years.

These nine MPs also include PTOA MPs Saia Piukala, Veivosa Taka and Sēmisi Fakahau. However, these PTOA MPs political stance is not seen as hardcore, meaning they can work with anyone, even the Noble MPs. This group could form a government by making a deal with only five Noble MPs or even the Tu’ionetoa MPs if they are not still loyal to him.

Tu’i’onetoa group could elect new PM

Tu’i’onetoa’s group could also dump the nobility and stick with the other nine independent MPs. So at the end of the day it appears there is no possible kingmaker at this point because the two groups of people’s MPs have the numbers and could either unite with the Tu’i’onetoa’s or the nobility.

One group belongs to Tu’i’onetoa, one group belongs to the nine independents and the other is the nobility. Could this be the first time the nobility split and support two groups in their race for the Prime Ministership? Or could the Tu’i’onetoa group unite with the independents and form the government without the nobility? There is even the possibility that the members of PAK could do their own deal with the nobles or the nine independent MPs and elect somebody else besides Tu’i’onetoa as Prime Minister.

Whatever the outcome, we can expect many splits, fractures and unexpected alliances from these groups before a Prime Minister is chosen and Parliament resumes.

Murder investigation underway after man, 22, dies in Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
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By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.

The death of a 22-year-old man in Auckland on Sunday afternoon has prompted police to being a homicide investigation.

Middlemore Hospital
The man died at Middlemore Hospital. Photo: RNZ / Claire Eastham-Farrelly

In a statement, police said the man was dropped off at a Takanini medical centre about 12.45pm with critical injuries.

He was taken to Middlemore Hospital, where he died from his injuries shortly later.

Police are investigating how the man was injured and to identify who dropped him off at the medical centre.

Anyone with information that could assist police enquiries is asked to get in touch via 105.

Covid-19 update: 149 community cases reported in New Zealand

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

There have been 149 community cases of Covid-19 reported in the country today, including nine outside Auckland.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said there were 83 people now in hospital – up 13 from yesterday – including five in intensive care.

Earlier today, a positive case was confirmed in Hawke’s Bay and testing is underway in the area. The person had travelled to the region from Auckland, with a travel exemption.

Yesterday there were 172 community cases reported in New Zealand, 148 of which were in Auckland.

– more to come

Three dead in overnight crashes in Auckland and Northland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Three people have died in single vehicle crashes in Auckland and Northland.

Two people have died in a crash in Clendon Park, Counties Manukau early this morning.

Police were called to the single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Weymouth Road and Palmers Road at 12.30am today.

The road is closed and motorists are asked to avoid the area.

Another person has died following a single-car crash near Mangawhai, in Northland.

Emergency services were alerted to the crash on Devich Rd at around 11.35pm last night.

The road was closed for a period as contractors repaired power lines that had come down but was reopened at about 5am today, police say.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are continuing.

Rugby: France demolish All Blacks 40-25 in Paris

By
Kalino Latu
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Three tries in the second half were not enough for the All Blacks to prevent a heavy loss to France at Stade de France in Paris this morning.

After leading 24-6 at half-time, the French weathered an all Black fightback in the second half and sealed the victory with a try to Damian Penaud in the 66th minute.

Les Bleus ended a 14-match losing streak against their rivals with tries by Peato Mauvaka, Romain Ntamack and Damian Penaud, while Melvyn Jaminet kicked the rest of the points with clockwork precision.

New Zealand, who threatened a comeback with three tries in 20 minutes early in the second half through Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane and Ardie Savea, suffered their second defeat in a row after being humbled 29-20 by Ireland last weekend.

The home side’s stunning performance completed a perfect series for France after wins against Argentina and Georgia, and gave them their first victory in Paris against the All Blacks since 1973.

See how the match unfolded with Jamie Wall’s live blog.

New Zealand had not lost against Les Bleus since 2009 and had been unbeaten in France since 2000.

It was the final game of the All Blacks’ 2021 season and the second back-to-back defeat for the team in 12 months.

The thrilling test encapsulated the French game – an exhilarating mix of flair and power to which Les Bleus added their tendency to let things slip from their hands.

New Zealand made seven changes to the team who lost to Ireland, notably bringing in Richie Mo’unga at flyhalf after Beauden Barrett failed to recover in time from a knock, alongside experienced scrumhalf Aaron Smith, but they were rarely a match for Les Bleus’ poise, pace and power.

France coach Fabien Galthie, who captained the team that won 42-33 in Marseille in 2000 for their last home win over the All Blacks, restored Ntamack to his favoured flyhalf position after fielding him at centre in the previous tests and it paid off.

A quick combination between Dupont and Ntamack put the visitors’ defence on the back foot and on the resulting lineout, the maul brought Mauvaka over the line.

Barrett, however, slotted two penalties as France paid for a lack of discipline under sustained pressure.

France opened an eight-point lead as Ntamack faked a pass to the outside before evading two tackles with a clever side-step and diving over.

Jaminet’s penalty from an angle extended the advantage.

France threatened on almost every incursion into New Zealand’s half, to the deafening roars of a raucous crowd which was sent into raptures when Mauvaka went over again after another dominant maul from a lineout for his fifth try in nine caps.

Les Bleus were less focused after the interval and their advantage started to melt as Barrett touched down in the corner after a pass from Smith before Ioane dazzled through the midfield to add a second try in four minutes.

France’s defence was at a loss and a driving maul from a penalty lineout sent Savea over the line. Barrett converted to slash the deficit to two points.

A splendid counter attack from his own 22 metres by Ntamack brought France close to the line and Savea was sin-binned for being off his feet with the hosts back in control after Jaminet’s penalty.

Penaud then grabbed a loose ball and raised his arm in anticipated celebration as he ran unchallenged towards the line to give France a lead they would not surrender.

The two teams will face off at the same venue in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup in two years.

– RNZ / Reuters

Covid-19 update: 172 community cases in New Zealand today

By
Kaniva Staff
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By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.

There 172 community cases of Covid-19 in the country today, with 148 identified in Auckland, the Ministry of Health says.

There was no media briefing today. The Ministry of Health said in a statement that there were 70 people in hospital, including five in intensive care.

Today’s cases – which include 97 unlinked cases – were 148 in Auckland, one in Wellington, three in Bay of Plenty, four in Lakes DHB, 12 in Waikato, and four in Northland.

“The continued spread of Covid-19 to regions throughout New Zealand is a reminder that everyone needs to heed the advice that will help keep our communities as safe as possible,” said the Ministry.

“That includes ensuring you and your loved ones are fully vaccinated if eligible, that you wear a mask, keep a safe distance from people outside your bubble, and keep track of your movements outside your home.”

The Wellington case is the one announced yesterday, which has now been confirmed after a second positive result.

“The initial weak result, combined with the follow-up test, indicates the case is in the early stages of infection. They are self-isolating.”

The Ministry said the case is a user of the Covid-19 tracer app, which will assist with contact tracing and identifying any locations of interest.

So far, one location of interest has been identified – Countdown Cable Car Lane in Wellington Central – and has been added to the Ministry’s website.

Multiple new locations of interest have also been announced around the country on the Ministry of Health’s website today as Covid-19 community cases continue to spread.

New locations include supermarkets and stores in Whangarei, Hamilton, Dargaville and Christchurch.

For a full list of the times and locations visit the Ministry’s website.

The Ministry said investigations have identified a small number of close contacts of the Wellington case, including the case’s co-workers, who are currently isolating and being tested. All results from this testing have come back negative.

“We urge anyone in the Wellington region with Covid-19-related symptoms – no matter how mild – to get tested, even if they are vaccinated.”

The three new cases reported in the Bay of Plenty today include two in the same household in Tauranga and one in Mount Maunganui which is connected to an existing case.

A fourth case tested positive after going to the Tauranga Hospital emergency department late last night and will be added to official figures tomorrow.

The Ministry said the risk from last night’s exposure event at Tauranga Hospital is low, but one ward has been closed to both visitors and new patients and three staff members have been stood down as a precaution.

The four new cases in Lakes DHB are two cases connected to the Taupō cluster, one of which is in Rotorua Hospital and two new cases in Rotorua – one is linked to an existing case and potential links have been identified for the second.

There were 12 new cases reported in Waikato today.

There are also four new cases in Northland today, including one in Kaitaia, one in Ruakaka and one in Dargaville. All three of these people are close contacts of existing cases and were already in isolation.

The fourth case lives in Auckland where they are isolating.

There were no cases reported in Christchurch today.

The Ministry said 21 residents and five staff members of Edmonton Meadows Care Home in Henderson have now returned positive tests since the start of the outbreak. Three of the residents who tested positive for Covid-19 are receiving ward-level care at Auckland hospitals.

There were 198 new community cases yesterday – 152 in Auckland, 30 in Waikato, five in Northland, six in the Bay of Plenty, two in the Lakes DHB district, and one each in the MidCentral DHB area, Wairarapa and Canterbury.

There have now been 6701 cases in the current community outbreak and 9461 in New Zealand since the pandemic began.

There were 22,608 vaccine doses given yesterday – 6833 first doses and 15,775 second doses. The Ministry said 91 percent of eligible New Zealanders have had their first dose and 83 percent are fully vaccinated.

The Ministry also said about 900,000 people had now downloaded their My Vaccine Pass.

The system is operating smoothly, and capacity has been increased, so we encourage people to go to MyCovidRecord.health.nz to book their My Vaccine Pass to be ready for summer.

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