Aucklanders are back in alert level three, and should be wearing face coverings when out and about. The rest of the country is in level two, which means mandatory masks on public transport. We’ve all been here before, but if your mask game needs a refresh, epidemiologist and mask enthusiast Lucy Telfar Barnard is here … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: 72 hours of lockdown incoming for Auckland, vaccinations of border workers to begin imminently, and hospo businesses facing a difficult week. A new set of three Covid-19 cases in the community has been found, and the alert levels have shifted as a result. The cases are … Read more
Three new cases of Covid-19 detected in the community has prompted a move up the alert ladder, to level three in Auckland and level two across the rest of the country. Below, the critical questions about Covid-19 alert level three, answered. For the latest official advice see here. What happened? On a helter-skelter Valentine’s Day … Read more
‘We do not agree with the opinions expressed,’ said the Ministry of Education of the Te Kūiti High School acting assistant principal, who wanted to spark debate with an email attachment that included false claims around the ‘controlavirus’ and Bill Gates. The acting assistant principal at Te Kūiti High School shared conspiracy material that dismissed … Read more
New research reveals dramatic increases in the assessment of government trustworthiness. Shaun Goldfinch of Curtin Universty, Robin Gauld of the University of Otago, and Ross Taplin of Curtin University explain the findings, and why they matter. It has become accepted wisdom that the Covid-19 pandemic has seen trust in government rise across countries. But by … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Queenstown mayor calls for more taxpayer support, rent going up for military families, and Air NZ bosses front up at parliament. Last week we got a sense of the overall economic picture for the country, and today it’s worth taking a closer look at one … Read more
Nancy Harris should have been in Auckland tonight for the opening of her play Two Ladies. Instead she’s been chatting with the cast via Zoom from locked-down Ireland, where live theatre is a distant memory. It was a surreal moment in a year of surreal moments. I was sitting in my mother’s living room in … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: RMA reform timeline unveiled, warning about avoiding the water after an earthquake, and Green MP explains why he went back to Mexico. It’s not exactly breaking news, but the repealing and replacing of the Resource Management Act is going to be among the biggest things … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nurse overwork concerns at managed isolation hotels, Air NZ halts work on behalf of Saudi military, and Green MP in managed isolation after going overseas for personal matter. MIQ nurses are warning that mistakes will happen if understaffing and unsustainable workloads continue, reports Radio NZ’s Kate Gregan. Nurses … Read more
The social media mob that was so quick to condemn NZ Breaker Tom Abercrombie and his family need to understand the intense challenges faced by autistic people – especially children – in restricted environments like MIQ, writes Denise Carter-Bennett, an autistic mother of an autistic child. Last week, media reported that professional basketball player Tom … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Air New Zealand’s Saudi war shame, Robertson to outline budget priorities, and new tenancy laws coming into force today. A strange and shameful story erupted last night: Air New Zealand has secretly been supporting the Saudi military in their blockade of Yemen. This story, from One News political … Read more
Bigger, better, faster responses are needed to meet future bio-threats: no more acting like ‘stunned mullets’, is the message from independent review leader Helen Clark, writes Nick Wilson. The world must decide what needs to change to prevent events like the Covid-19 pandemic happening again, according to the former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark. … Read more
A surprisingly large number of people could be getting a Covid jab within the next few weeks – but don’t go marking it in your diary just yet. There’s light at the end of the tunnel as New Zealand’s medical regulator gave the thumbs up to a Covid-19 vaccine yesterday. With the jab from Pfizer … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Australia has tough week with lockdowns and bushfires, controlled Covid case detected in community, and lead levels in Otago towns much higher than previously thought. Our cousins over the ditch are having a tough time of it at the moment, with Covid-19 lockdowns coinciding with … Read more
Our understanding of the way Covid-19 is transmitted from person to person has changed a lot since the pandemic began. A year in, here’s what we now know. It’s just over a year since the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its highest alarm over Covid-19, declaring it a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). … Read more
Got a friend who’s got it wrong about vaccination? Here’s how to set them right. Yesterday New Zealand provisionally approved use of the Pfizer vaccine, sparking a fresh burst of argument about Covid-19 vaccinations online. Many people have concerns about the vaccines and how they will impact people. I worked with Jo Kirman, associate professor … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New jobs numbers show hopeful economic situation, provisional approval given for Pfizer vaccine, and proposals for NZ history curriculum announced. The latest top-line economic data shows a recovery is now well underway – however, the overall economic health of the country remains mixed. The biggest news … Read more
Countries have a history of acting selfishly – and when they do, everyone loses out, writes Roderick Bailey. According to one recent estimate, more than half of all vaccines against Covid-19 have been reserved for one-seventh of the world’s population. At the time of writing, the UK alone has reportedly secured enough vaccines to give each … Read more
After a byzantine process, some beautiful performances and a fair splash of luck, the Black Caps will be playing for the biggest prize in cricket – the first ever World Test Championship. Alex Braae explains how they got there. What’s all this then? In June this year, Kane Williamson will lead the Black Caps onto … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Māori wards gather momentum, the managed isolation system is effectively full, and drought on the way again in Hawke’s Bay. In the day since an announcement from local government minister Nanaia Mahuta, the concept of Māori wards has generated both momentum and opposition. In case you … Read more
The chorus of online judgement that appears each time we have a community case could have grave implications for New Zealand’s Covid-19 response, writes Ayesha Verrall, an infectious diseases doctor and associate minister of health. It’s never easy telling someone they have HIV. But having done it dozens of times, I have grown more comfortable … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: School year beginning with added challenges, Mahuta moves against petitions opposing Māori wards, and fishing company could lose vessel over illegal trawling. Schools are beginning to go back after a summer break, and into a year that will present some deep challenges. That’ll be true whether … Read more
Wondering why the Covid-19 vaccines were able to be developed so quickly? Fair enough, too. Let me explain, writes Joel Rindelaub. Under the headline “Why I wouldn’t give son vaccine yet”, the NZ Herald yesterday published a story questioning the safety of the latest Covid-19 vaccines. It was irresponsible reporting, and they have rightly removed … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Reaction to big changes required by first emissions report, stories swirl about managed isolation places, and UK in bid to join NZ-inclusive trade bloc. The Climate Change Commission has released a major report setting out the changes that will need to be made for New … Read more
Filimone Vuna’s heartwarming story is a good reminder that older people may not fully understand NZ Covid Tracer app technology, writes Vaimoana Tapaleao for the NZ Herald. Sola Vuna did not think anything of it when his father called his daughter Praize over to help fix his cellphone which had started to run out of … Read more
An open letter to prime minister Jacinda Ardern, minister of foreign affairs Nanaia Mahuta and trade minister Damien O’Connor on supporting a People’s Vaccine Dear Prime Minister Ardern and Ministers Mahuta and O’Connor, The world has watched Aotearoa New Zealand’s remarkable response to Covid-19. Our leaders struck a different path from many other countries, one … Read more
As dozens of unions, advocacy groups and NGOs sign an open letter to the NZ government, Phoebe Carr and Edward Miller make the case for replicating the values of our domestic Covid response on a global scale. The world watched stunned as New Zealand eliminated Covid-19 from our islands. We did it by listening to … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nervous wait for Northland and Auckland, trade minister annoys Aussies with China comments, and long-awaited clean car standards finally on the way. At the moment it looks like the top of the country might have got away with a very lucky escape, in the latest … Read more
There are now three returnees who contracted the virus in the Auckland isolation facility then went out into the community while positive. These are some of the questions that need to be resolved. At 10.20pm last night the Ministry of Health confirmed that the two cases they’d been treating as probable were now classified … Read more