Reconnecting New Zealanders to the world
Today the Government launched a plan to safely re-open New Zealand’s borders from the first quarter of 2022, while sticking with the elimination strategy that has led the country’s COVID-19 response to date.
For now until the end of the year, the focus is on offering the vaccine to all eligible New Zealanders.The vaccination process is being accelerated to ensure everyone is at least partially vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid the risk and impact of Delta variant of COVID-19.
Once all eligible New Zealanders have had the opportunity to be vaccinated, there will be a phased approach to the re-opening of the border.
Phased approach
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From the first quarter of 2022, the country will look to move to new risk-based settings as soon as it’s safe. A self-isolation pilot for businesses that need to send staff overseas is planned in the second half of this year, and there are plans to develop new testing and vaccination checking systems at the border.
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There will be new low, medium and high risk pathways when border and health systems are ready.
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1. Low risk: Quarantine free entry for vaccinated travellers who have been in low risk countries.
2. Medium risk: Modified isolation for vaccinated travellers who have visited medium risk countries.
3. High risk: Full 14 days in MIQ and testing for unvaccinated travellers from medium risk countries and all travellers who have been in very high risk or high risk countries.
Testing regimes will remain across all three pathways. A traveller health declaration, including a vaccination certification, will be an important factor in determining the travellers' risk entry pathway on arrival.
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Elimination strategy remains
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Sir David Skegg, Chair of the Government’s independent Public Health Advisory Group, said elimination does not necessarily mean “zero COVID-19” or eradication. Early in the pandemic, the Director-General of Health confirmed that our elimination approach focuses on zero tolerance towards new cases, rather than a goal of no new cases. "Our approach has followed this definition, which treats elimination as a process, rather than a permanent outcome," Sir David said today. Alert level restrictions, including lockdowns, will be deployed as we need to in future to quickly stamp out the virus, but greater vaccination coverage will also ultimately reduce the need to use lockdowns. If we open the borders now we will lose the freedoms and advantages we have worked so hard to achieve.
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Christmas Eve busiest shopping day of the year with more than 500,000 sales
Busiest shopping day of the year
Peak time 12 noon-1 pm - 563,303 transactions
Per second peak - 167 transactions
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Number of sales beats Black Friday, but lowest Christmas Eve in six years
Christmas Eve has been the busiest shopping day of the year with 9,745 sales a minute at its peak.
Payments company Worldline says noon to 1pm saw 563,303 sales recorded on its network, down by about 7 percent on a year ago.
The company's network covers about three-quarters of the electronic terminals in operation.
Worldline did not have a dollar value for spending, but the peak number of transactions was the lowest for the past six years and well shy of the record 679,436 in 2019, before the pandemic.
Earlier this month it noted rising sales in the first three weeks of the month, but they remained 1.3 percent lower than 2024, with most parts of the country trailing the previous year's spending.
Official data from Stats NZ to the end of November showed a small rise in spending on the previous month, to 1.6 percent higher for the year.
Retail spending has been subdued as households have remained cautious because of high prices and a slow benefit from lower interest rates, and as well as concerns about the soft labour market.
However, recent surveys have shown improving consumer sentiment with ANZ bank's monthly report showing confidence at its highest level in four years.
Boxing Day is traditionally the country's favourite shopping day, but with Black Friday spending also softer this year the amount going through retailers' terminals may also be down on a year ago.
Adding a dampener to consumer spending may be the recent rises in longer term fixed mortgage rates because of higher wholesale rates.
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Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?
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79.1% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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20.9% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
Exclusive Christmas Sleep Deals - Up to 65% OFF Beds!
Hi neighbours,
This coming Christmas, why not treat yourself to better sleep? For one day only, we’re offering an extra 5% OFF on top of our already reduced Boxing Day Bed Sale prices!
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If you’d like to see what’s available:
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Browse all Boxing Day deals: beds4u.co.nz/boxing-day
Don’t miss out, give yourself the gift of quality sleep this Christmas!
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