Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Jabs galore as vaccine rollout gets underway, ten years since Christchurch earthquake marked, and health ministry accused of trying to gag Mental Health Foundation. The first jabs in a long campaign of Covid-19 vaccinations have been given this weekend. It perhaps marks something of an end … 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: 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
Is it plausible that the new cases contracted in the Pullman hotel in Auckland were transmitted via pipes? Here’s what the science tells us. As the investigation to determine how three people became infected with Covid-19 during their stay in New Zealand’s managed isolation and quarantine system gets away, it is worth considering a few … Read more
As CEO of her iwi rūnanga, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was on the frontline protecting her community during the first outbreak of Covid-19. Now that more virulent strains threaten to breach our borders, the Māori Party co-leader calls on the government to introduce much stricter measures. As we enter the New Year I think it’s important that … Read more
Cases of Covid-19 are being found daily in the country’s border facilities, but that won’t stop them from throwing together a Christmas like none before it, complete with face masks and social distancing. Following Jacinda Ardern’s decision to give Santa and his reindeer a pass to avoid a stint at a border facility, and presumably … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Mahuta signals intent to replace Tauranga council with commissioner, Super Fund keen on local infrastructure, and Safety Warehouse panned for idiotic cash drop stunt. Local government minister Nanaia Mahuta has started the term with a big call. After months of dysfunction and infighting around the Tauranga … Read more
Good morning and welcome the The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Contrasting visions on National’s defeat and future, St Johns ambulance in deep funding hole, and Tauranga mayor quits with call to sack council. Contrasting visions for why National lost the election so badly have been presented at the party’s AGM. As the NZ Herald’s (paywalled) Derek Cheng reports, … Read more
Each time there’s a new community case, New Zealand draws breath, then sighs with relief as it is contained. It’s long past time we stopped accepting that such a volume of leakage is inevitable, argues Duncan Greive. Yesterday Auckland was delivered news of the most troubling case of Covid-19 in the community since the Americold … Read more
More and more community cases linked to the border have been detected in recent days, first in Christchurch, then in Auckland, and now in Wellington. Justin Giovannetti looks at what’s happening. Community cases of Covid-19 linked to quarantine facilities have been reported in New Zealand’s three largest cities over the past week, but director general … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Protests and legal challenges as US election counting continues, Ardern sets out government’s economic plans, and special votes released today could swing seats. If you’re hoping for a decisive update to the US election count overnight, bad news – it’s still on a knife edge. At … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Who’s up and who’s down in Ardern’s new cabinet, new Covid-19 community case in Christchurch, and Ngāi Tahu taking Crown to court over freshwater. Throw out all those articles you read predicting who would get what ministerial jobs – they were pretty much all wrong … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Country outside Auckland now at level one, previewing the first major leader debate, and another error found in National’s costings. The alert levels will shift down around the country this week, with most of the country moving back into level one. Our live updates from yesterday has the … Read more
The case of a person who tested positive almost a week after leaving managed isolation has highlighted the need to keep tracking those who have been through MIQ, writes Siouxsie Wiles. Over the weekend, the Ministry of Health reported a case of Covid-19 in Auckland that is not related to the current Auckland cluster. Before … Read more
There’s been good news this week for would-be New Zealanders in the age of Covid-19, as the government has given the green light for more workers and immigrants to enter the country. There was a substantial shift at New Zealand’s border this week as the government announced plans to slowly lower the drawbridge and allow … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Auckland drops down to alert level two, poor government communications create huge queues for testing, and eyebrows raised at US ambassador dodging quarantine facilities. Ready or not, the country’s largest city is as of this morning at alert level two. It’s fair enough to ask whether … Read more
If you’re worried about getting a Covid-19 test because of fears of going into quarantine, don’t be. Here’s what you need to know, to make one scary thing a little less scary. The government’s decision to move community cases of Covid-19 into quarantine facilities has raised fears among some New Zealanders that might stop them … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Alert levels extended until next Monday with new rules put in, managed isolation worker still hasn’t got test results, and Peters has new connection with Bad Boy of Brexit. The current alert levels will remain for another week at least, and even after that, things … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: A big decision on what comes next, an important ruling on the lockdown legality, a power pair installed to troubleshoot the testing regime, and how concerned should we be about air crew? Six days ago, when the prime minister announced that Auckland would remain in alert … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government under real pressure over testing system, thousands currently behind on mortgages, and a remarkable interview about that vile managed isolation rumour. The question of testing dominated exchanges in parliament yesterday, with the government under pressure to account for the managed isolation systems. As the NZ Herald reports, … Read more
A worker at a managed isolation facility has tested positive for Covid-19 after working for days despite showing symptoms. His case showcases another weakness in the border testing regime that has come under fire over the past week, writes Justin Giovannetti. The prime minister said people with symptoms should stay home. The director-general of health … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions over testing of border workers, decision on delaying election to be made today, and concerns for educational progress with new lockdown. The first point to note about managed isolation facilities – we don’t necessarily know that was where this latest outbreak came from. Alternative theories … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Preparing for a possible return of the pandemic, SFO prevents JLR document release, and stoush over National candidate selection deepens. I say possible in the headline there, because we can’t know for sure that community transmission of Covid-19 absolutely will come back. But at the moment, … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Exploring the rapid rise of Billy TK’s NZ Public Party, report finds senior military officers misled ministers over Operation Burnham, and Lake Taupō water monitoring to be led by iwi. Within the space of a few months, Billy Te Kahika Jr has gone from being … Read more
People like me already don’t know when we will see ‘home’ again, thanks to the forthcoming border fees, writes Jai Breitnauer. We don’t need to be judged for it too. About eight weeks ago we got a message we had been dreading – my father-in-law was in hospital having been in a motorbike crash. Of … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: For and against a massive new hydro storage scheme, major new report delivered on RMA reforms, and Greens and NZ First at odds over waka-jumping repeal. For a lead story today, a look at some of the benefits and challenges of a major potential infrastructure … Read more
The government has finally announced plans to begin charging some New Zealanders returning to Aotearoa, but the list of exemptions will be long and the money raised won’t come close to covering the cost of managed-isolation. What’s all this then? As New Zealand settled into the freedoms of alert level one over the past two … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: China furious at NZ over Hong Kong extradition suspension, woman says police haven’t started investigation into sexual assault almost a year later, and patients reportedly refusing Covid-19 tests. A significant update in New Zealand’s relationship with China: Yesterday foreign minister Winston Peters announced that this country … Read more