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Nobody really knows who the five millionth person in New Zealand was - but there's a chance it could be Odette Olive Deane. The chubby-cheeked tot was born on March 10 this year, around the time Statistics NZ reckons the country's population ticked over to 5 million. Our population has … View moreNobody really knows who the five millionth person in New Zealand was - but there's a chance it could be Odette Olive Deane. The chubby-cheeked tot was born on March 10 this year, around the time Statistics NZ reckons the country's population ticked over to 5 million. Our population has grown from 4m to 5m in 17 years thanks to a combination of natural growth (births minus deaths) and net migration (arrivals minus departures). Stats NZ said today that - provisionally - the population reached 5m sometime in March. Mum Charlotte Deane, 26, said it was "crazy" to think her daughter could be New Zealand's 5 millionth person. Charlotte had gone into labour while having lunch at Burnham Military Camp, where her soldier husband Oliver is based. "I started feeling pains, like a rubber band flicking, and then it all happened." Oliver drove her to Christchurch Women's Hospital and was there for the birth of their "very big" 4.3kg baby, after just 2.5 hours of labour and one day after her due date. Stats NZ's population insights senior manager Brooke Theyers said the precise date when we hit 5 million also isn't available yet but it's estimated that at March 31 had a resident population of 5,002,100. Theyers said while the 5m mark could have been reached by a newborn baby, it was more likely to be a migrant arriving on a plane. The Covid-19 pandemic had caused unusual international travel and migration patterns in recent months, which had boosted net migration as more Kiwis arrived home from overseas, she said. Fewer people were also leaving the country.
Escalating numbers of Covid-19 cases in early March made Charlotte "a bit more paranoid" than normal preparing for birth, she told. "I was keeping track of where the infections were and I didn't really want to go into hospital. And after she was born I didn't want to go into confined spaces." But she had been reassured by research showing babies and children were less likely to catch the disease and likely to have milder symptoms. It's not all been easy. When Odette was just 2 weeks old the country went into lockdown, making the first weeks of maternity leave even more isolating than normal. She was only able to have one week of home midwife visits, and feeding the baby proved hard without outside help from a lactation consultant. But despite those first difficult weeks, Odette is thriving. "She was obviously a giant baby but they think she was born too big. She's just started losing a lot of weight so now she's very petite - we call her Dotty," Charlotte said. "She's very loved. She's had lots of kisses from her big brother [Walter, 20 months]. She goes a little bit crazy during the day but she sleeps really well at night.
Mid-lockdown, at just 4 weeks, Odette started smiling at them - and she hasn't stopped. "She's the most smiley baby I've ever seen."
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Hi neighbours,
Another cell phone tower and a power box have been set alight in south Auckland - the latest in a string of attacks.
Brian Tamaki's Destiny Church is holding a drive-in service, as traditional services remain off limits in Covid-19 alert level 2.
Should churches be allowed to hold services in Alert Level 2?
As we settle into life in Alert Level 2, we're excited to see a bit more of NZ. Join us as we showcase the best close-to-home travel experiences Aotearoa has to offer.
Hi Neighbours, Schools start returning to normal from next Monday, but dedicated school bus services won't have the social-distancing that applies to public transport in Level 2. Why? Read the story below.
The possible closure of a 131-year-old racecourse has not gone down well with people who have been f…
Nobody is exempt from coronavirus restrictions – not even the Prime Minister.
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Jacinda Ardern was turned away from a Wellington cafe, Olive, this morning because it had already reached its limit of customers under social distancing rules. … View moreNobody is exempt from coronavirus restrictions – not even the Prime Minister.
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Jacinda Ardern was turned away from a Wellington cafe, Olive, this morning because it had already reached its limit of customers under social distancing rules. A post about the incident on Twitter drew a sheepish reply from Jacinda Ardern's partner Clarke Gayford. "I have to take responsibility for this, I didn't get organised and book anywhere," he admitted. But wait, the story has a happy ending. Shortly after the first couple was turned away, a space opened up, and staff from the restaurant caught up with them. "Was very nice of them to chase us down the street when a spot freed up. A+ service," Gayford said. Olive's owner was bemused by the media attention, but told the Herald it was nice "after all the drama and stress" of the past two months to be talking about "something light-hearted and fun". He didn't want to give his name but confirmed Ardern was turned away by the restaurant manager, and then chased down the street a few minutes later when a table became free - something the owner said they did for other customers as well.
"She had a lovely brunch and left half an hour later. She was lovely with all the staff ... [and] she was treated like a normal customer." He wouldn't say what the Prime Minister ordered at the restaurant, which describes itself online as "an institution on Wellington's Cuba St". But he confirmed the couple, who are engaged to be married, did not have their 23-month-old daughter, Neve, with them. "[It was a] date brunch." Cafe and restaurants, along with most other retailers, were not able to operate at all during the alert level 4 lockdown. Under level 3 they could only serve takeaways. But after New Zealand stopped the spread of Covid-19, those restrictions were eased when the country moved to level 2 just before midnight on Wednesday. The Prime Minister had, however, stipulated cafes and restaurants must follow strict social distancing rules and ensure contact tracing is in place. Customers must be seated at distance from each other and be served at the table, rather than the counter. But his staff felt no pressure with the Prime Minister in the restaurant this morning, Olive's owner said. "We're following every one of the rules."
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We’ve been proud to work with some amazing charities over the past few months who have been helping Kiwis up the road, down the road and ‘round the corner, to get through.
Join us in thanking all the outstanding New Zealanders at The Student Volunteer Army, Kiwi Harvest, Kaibosh, and food … View moreWe’ve been proud to work with some amazing charities over the past few months who have been helping Kiwis up the road, down the road and ‘round the corner, to get through.
Join us in thanking all the outstanding New Zealanders at The Student Volunteer Army, Kiwi Harvest, Kaibosh, and food banks like The Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch City Missions.
Ngā mihi maioha.
#neighbourstogether
A woman has been rescued after she fell 30 metres down a cliff in West Auckland while searching for …
Aucklanders face fines of up to $20,000 from Saturday, for using hoses and water outdoors, as the wo…
As alert level 2 dawned on New Zealand, boaties desperate to break their long fishing dry spell were…
Small businesses are vital to the recovery of our economy.
During the Covid-19 restrictions, business owners have shown initiative, hard work and resilience to keep afloat.
But many have been hit hard.
Lack of clarity about just how heavy the toll of the restrictions have been on … View moreSmall businesses are vital to the recovery of our economy.
During the Covid-19 restrictions, business owners have shown initiative, hard work and resilience to keep afloat.
But many have been hit hard.
Lack of clarity about just how heavy the toll of the restrictions have been on individual businesses and their ability to quickly rebound adds to the uncertainty of the national economic recovery.
Therefore, Prosper is launching a survey targeted at finding out the scale of Covid-19's impact.
You can take that survey right now – it will only take a few minutes.
Did you know a government and industry study found the condition of as many as one in two New Zealand homes assessed wasn’t as healthy as it should be?
That has a big impact on our health, but despite the obstacles we face, there are lots of simple ways to make your place warmer and drier, … View moreDid you know a government and industry study found the condition of as many as one in two New Zealand homes assessed wasn’t as healthy as it should be?
That has a big impact on our health, but despite the obstacles we face, there are lots of simple ways to make your place warmer and drier, more comfortable and easier to heat.
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