A family who had lined up for a long awaited KFC takeaway this morning was devastated when their meal didn’t make it into the car and hit the ground instead.

They were just one of many carloads of people who have been waiting in line for hours in Auckland to buy takeaway food since the city went to Level 3 at midnight last night.

Fortunately, staff at the Takanini KFC replace the meal.

A witness to the incident said it may have been a devastating experience if the accident had happened somewhere away from the KFC.

Food outlets opened for contactless takeaways, click and collect and delivery from 11.59pm on Tuesday night.

Take away outlets across Auckland have been inundated today as  drivers formed long queues for driveway service and Tongan KFC lovers were among them.

Many take away shops opened at midnight or soon after and there have been long  queues in Mangare since last night.

A worker from KFC in Manukau said about half a dozen cars had lined up by 7.30am. One customer had been there since 8pm the night before and had slept in his car.

By late morning staff at one McDonald’s in Māngere had set up traffic cones to direct traffic in its car park, but the line up remained relatively small.

However, earlier this evening it was reported that KFC and McDonalds in Māngere had 100 metre long double lanes of traffic waiting.

Vaccination

Auckland councillor Josephine Bartley has suggested setting up vaccination centres at KFCs.

“People are going to be waiting in line for ages anyway, they might as well get a vaccination while they’re there,” she told the New Zealand Herald.

“I’m more than aware that KFC has a massive customer base in Auckland and notably in areas that are a focus for raising Covid vaccination rates such as Māngere, Ōtara, Manurewa, Papatoetoe.”

Extremes

Tongan’s love of takeaway food has sometimes reached extremes. In 2015 when they were competing in the Rugby World Cup in the UK, the Tongan team made the local Nandos their home. The Samoan team lamented that all they could see was fast food restaurants, but their management banned them from all of them – including McDonalds and KFC.

A 35-year-old woman hadn’t been seen for three weeks in Keysborough, Victoria, Australia.

Police have identified her as Lavinia. She was last seen on Theodore Avenue, Noble Park around 2:35pm on 1 September 2021.

“Lavinia was last seen in a black T-shirt, knee length dress with short black belle sleeves, and black side shoes. She is believed to be in the Dandenong or Casey areas”, Police said.

It is understood Lavinia is Tongan and she was working for the Autograph in Parkmore.

Police have launched a homicide investigation following the tragic death of a 72-year-old man at an address in Favona, Auckland yesterday evening.

A post mortem has been carried out today and Police are in the process of ensuring all next of kin have been notified.

Police are currently speaking with a man who is assisting us with our enquiries.

We are not looking for anyone else in relation to this matter and want to reassure our community of this.

This is an extremely difficult time for the victim’s family and Police, along with Victim Support, are supporting them.

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake has rattled Melbourne this morning with reports of damage in the city and across Victoria.

Geoscience Australia said the earthquake was 10km below the surface about 150km east of the city.

The initial quake was felt 190km away in Melbourne, as well as in regional Victoria, Sydney, regional New South Wales, the ACT, Adelaide and Launceston in Tasmania.

Geoscience Australia said the quake was potentially the largest earthquake in eastern Australia, at least since European settlement.

A magnitude-4 earthquake was recorded by the agency nearby about 15 minutes later.

There are reports emerging of significant damage in some parts of Victoria, the ABC said.

Fire and Rescue NSW said there are no reports of major structural damage in New South Wales.

Follow all the latest developments with RNZ’s live blog:

NZ’s GeoNet said for an earthquake of this depth and magnitude, there would have been strong shaking, particularly close to the epicentre near Mansfield.

“This is the largest on land earthquake in Australia since 1997. Earthquakes in Australia are reasonably uncommon, being far from the active tectonic zones of the Australian plate.”

Geoscience Australia said the quake was detected around Mansfield in Victoria’s north-east and hit at 9.15am local time.

Apartment buildings are being evacuated in inner Melbourne, where damage to streets and roads is being posted to social media.

Windows buckled as quake shook Mansfield

FoodWorks Mansfield assistant manager Karen McGregor said she first thought a truck was coming into town.

“The windows started shaking, the walls, and everything on the desk, it was really quite scary,” she said.

“We ran downstairs to the shop, it was really, really scary down there. The windows were buckling.

“I was very scared. I just thought, oh my God, is this place going to fall down?”

McGregor said she had not heard reports of anyone with any injuries.

Despite the shaking, she said the shop did not sustain too much damage, with only a few unbreakable items off the shelves.

Ross, 60, who lives on the Bellarine Peninsula told ABC Radio Melbourne it was the biggest earthquake he had ever experienced.

“We’ve just moved into a round earth house on a concrete slab and the whole thing just rock and rolled and the water in the swimming pool went sloshing backwards and forwards,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Margot in Moonee Ponds said at first she thought her daughter was pranking her when her whole house began shaking. “It was quite intense,” she said. “My chair was shaking… everything in the room was rattling and clinking together.”

Expert says aftershocks could continue for months

Seismology Research Centre head Adam Pascale said the epicentre of the quake was north-east of Aberfeldy and the Thomson Dam in the Alpine National Park.

“We are still refining it, but we think it’s a magnitude 5.8 potentially at this point in Gippsland,” he told ABC Radio Gippsland.

“It shook here in the northern suburbs of Melbourne for about 15-20 seconds so it’s quite a significant earthquake.”

Pascale warned there could be aftershocks to come and they could continue for months.

“There is a small likelihood that there could be a larger event but we’ll see as we go,” he said.

“The main things for people to remember is if they do start to feel some shaking. There’s usually a primary and a secondary wave.

“The primary wave will give you a few seconds to get under a table and hold on.”

– RNZ / ABC

Breaching Covid-19 restrictions will now mean an increased infringement fee of up to $12,000 for individuals when imposed by a court, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced.

Speaking at the daily Covid-19 briefing this afternoon, Ardern said fines for breaches of the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act were being increased because of the view that the infringement regime did not reflect the severity of breaches.

“Our success has been really based on the fact that people by and large have been really compliant … however, there has been the odd person that has broken the rules and put others at risk. Specifically we’ve had some people break out of MIQ including in a handful of cases, with Covid, who have pose a threat to the community.”

She said there were some issues very early on, but they had reduced when the government introduced fines for those who breach the rules, such as alert levels or breaking the rules of MIQ.

“It’s Cabinet’s view that these fees don’t properly reflect the significant social and economic impacts of a single case of Covid-19 getting out into the community, and nor do they act as a sufficient incentive to play by the rules,” Ardern said.

Like with a traffic ticket, people can be issued an infringement notice for breaking the rules. If the infringement fee is not paid in full by the due date it is referred to the Ministry of Justice for enforcement, when it becomes a “fine”.

On-the-spot infringement notice fees were initially set at $300, with fines of up to $1000 when imposed by a court, but Ardern today said they would increase.

Infringement notices would increase to $4000 for individuals, and $12,000 for companies, while fines imposed by courts would increase to a maximum of $12,000 for individuals and $15,000 for companies.

People convicted for criminal offences – such as intentionally failing to comply with an order, or intentionally threatening, assaulting, or hindering an enforcement officer – may also face fines and prison.

The fine for criminal offending would increase from $4000 to $12,000 or six months imprisonment, with an additional fee of up to $15,000 introduced for companies.

Ardern said those were maximums subject to the court’s discretion, and would take effect from November 2021 subject to the passing of the Covid-19 Public Health Response amendment bill.

These fines are for people who do something specified as an infringement offence in a Covid-19 order.

She said there was a balance between making sure people understood the rules, but also the consequences of breaking those rules.

“I think the sheer magnitude of having someone with Covid-19 who breaks those rules, the impact on the community, we need to make sure that the fines really do reflect the gravity of the situation.”

The prosecutions were not made by politicians, she said.

“The prosecution decisions aren’t ultimately made by us. We need to set up the framework and the infringements that are available should those prosecutions be taken and I think actually from the general public there would probably be a bit of a view that when you are putting people at risk you need to have an infringement regime that reflects the seriousness of some of that rule breaking.

“Where they’re used and how they’re used, what fines are awarded, that sits out of our hands.”

In a statement, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said examples of infringement offences would include failure to wear a face covering in places where it is mandatory.

Criminal offences could include travelling without permission, or travelling for a purpose other than what was permitted, from an alert level 4 or 3 area to alert level 2.

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

Twenty Tongans stranded in Fiji since March this year have been told their repatriation has been suspended because the risk of importing the delta variant is too high.

Fiji is battling an outbreak that began in April, with over 12,000 active cases in isolation and the death toll at 575.

Tonga’s Government said the group in Fiji were among 2608 Tongans stranded overseas.

Tonga’s National Emergency Management Committee is allowing people to return from Covid-19-free countries such as Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Nauru on direct flights.

But it is not allowing repariation from countries like Fiji, Australia and New Zealand who are struggling with outbreaks of the Covid-19 delta variant.

The committee said Tongans stuck in Fiji included people in transit as well as students.

It said the Tongans were supported with living allowances from the Tongan government.

The committee said the suspension also applied to Tongans trying to get home from New Zealand and Australia.

“The Government of Tonga’s National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) continues to assess and review the situation in Fiji whilst aiming for the vaccination coverage in Tonga to attain around 70 percent by the end of the year,” the committee said in a statement.

“The Air Vanuatu flight, which arrived in Tonga on 26th August 2021, brought in 14 Chinese nationals who were based in Vanuatu since June 2021 and they were approved by the Government of Tonga to implement a development project having fulfilled the strict requirements dictated by health criteria.”

The statement said those who had lived for more than 14 days in a Covid-19 free country such as Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu or Nauru could enter Tonga on direct flights.

But for those arriving from Covid-19 transmission locations such as Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, the government said they would have to wait as these flights had been postponed based on assessments by the NEMC.

“Tonga has a strong desire to repatriate all 2608 Tongan nationals and residents who are currently stranded overseas.

“The Tongan government also takes this opportunity to extend sincerest gratitude to the Fijian government, and the people of Fiji, for the tremendous support rendered, and assistance received, during this difficult time.”

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

About 8000 children in Fiji have contracted Covid-19 since April this year, health authorities said.

This week, the Government launched its vaccine rollout across the country for children aged 15 to 17.

The aim is to get these senior students back in school, which had been closed for the past five months.

According to an advisory from the Ministry of Health, children from 15 to 17 years of age would receive the Moderna vaccine first because they were mostly in secondary school.

Some of these students were nearing the end of their secondary education, the ministry said.

The advisory further stated that Year 12 and Year 13 students need to sit external exams.

Opposition MP Salote Radrodro called on the Government to table a plan in Parliament on the vaccination rollout for children.

The Social Democratic Liberal Party member told the House on Monday some parents had not yet accepted the vaccine concept.

Radrodro said there was a need for the communities to be better informed and educated on the issue.

The SODELPA MP also said reports that some parents were concerned that the Covid-safe measures in schools should be addressed.

“Do the schools have the capacity to practise that in the classrooms in regards to the wearing of masks?

“Will this be mandatory to all the schools? Who is going to be providing the children with masks in schools?”

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said unlike the workforce, vaccination was not mandatory for children in Fiji.

The ministry had deployed teams to the remote areas to ensure children eligible to receive the vaccine could get it.

Rollout by school clusters

Details of the rollout plan included the Moderna vaccine would be rolled out by school clusters across the country.

Schools that were close to each other would be grouped to form a cluster.

Children will need to receive two doses of the Moderna vaccine which was administered at a dose interval of 28 days, the ministry said.

Parents and guardians would be asked to sign a consent form for children receiving the vaccine.

They would also be able to register their child online.

Before going to the vaccination sites, parents are urged to ensure their children were well hydrated and had eaten well.

“Ensure that you are carrying all the necessary documents requested,” the ministry said.

“Please follow all Covid-19 safe measures when going to the vaccination sites

“Wear a mask and maintain physical distancing of two metres. Avoid crowds. Wash or sanitise hands frequently and keep the careFIJI app on your mobile phone always on.”

According to the Education Ministry, 26 percent of students over 18 years are fully vaccinated while 30 percent have only had their first jab.

Of the 9115 students in Year 13, 8349 students were over 18 years and the remaining 766 students were 17 years old.

With 66 percent of target population fully vaccinated, the Government said it was on track to achieve the 80-percent rate in November when it plans to reopen Fiji’s borders to the world.

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

Auckland will move to alert level 3 from 11.59pm on Tuesday night, and stay in level 3 for at least two weeks, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced.

Watch the live announcement here:

The rest of the country will remain in level 2, but will move from gatherings of 50 up to gatherings of 100.

Meanwhile, part of northern Waikato has been issued a section 70 order, requiring people who live or work there to stay at home.

“We are not stepping out of level 4 because the job is done, but nor are we moving because we don’t think we can achieve the goal of stamping out Covid-19 – we are moving because level 3 still provides a cautious approach while we continue to stamp out Covid-19,” Ardern said.

“It means staying in your bubble, it means contactless transactions and keeping your distance. It means we say thank you to Auckland for their tireless work, and we collectively keep going.”

There are 22 new cases today, the majority of them household or known contacts. Five are unlinked, and three of those are within one family, and there is a tentative link for that family, Ardern said.

Three of the new cases are in Whakatīwai but are being counted in the Auckland total. Ardern said testing so far has included household contacts, corrections staff, police staff, court staff, and 300 swabs have already been taken in the small community.

“We do want to make sure we are keeping the community safe,” she said.

Director of General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said he was issuing a section 70 order requiring people who live or work in the area around Mangatangi, in northern Waikato, to stay at home. Ardern said it was effectively a “bespoke level 4”.

Bloomfield said the order was for people living in an area north of SH2 centred on Mangatangi.

“That will effectively extend the road boundary to the east of Maramarua … and also to the southeast of Miranda on the Firth of Thames.”

Ardern said level 4 had been tough but it had also made a difference.

Almost all cases of the last 14 days have either been household or known contacts, and wastewater testing suggests there is no significant undetected transmission.

There has not been widespread clusters around workplaces, and of the cases where a link has been established, none has resulted from people accessing essential services.

Ardern reminded people that in level 3 they can make minor changes to bubbles such as bringing in an elderly relative who is not part of another bubble, but should not visit friends or break bubbles.

“Once in a household everyone is at risk of getting Detla, so if you break your bubble, know that the consequence may be spreading Covid back into your house to your loved ones,” Ardern said.

Schools in level 3 are largely closed. Cabinet has made the decision to make masks mandatory at high schools at alert level 3, Ardern said.

People attending an essential service must also wear a mask, and people are encouraged to do so whenever they leave their home.

People over 65 in Auckland should stay home until they have been vaccinated, she said.

“We have been doing direct outreach to all our over-65s who haven’t had their first dose yet in Auckland. That amounts to about 23,000 people.

“Last week a letter was sent to those over-65s who we had details for. Today we’re commencing an outbound call campaign… these will average about 8000 calls a day.”

People with a booking in the future can bring it forward, she said, adding pharmacies are offering delivery services, as are supermarkets.

People travelling over the boundary for personal reasons are now being required to carry evidence of having taken a test within the last seven days.

There are exemptions available through the Ministry of Health.