Auckland to move to Alert Level 2, rest of New Zealand to move to Alert Level 1
UPDATE
17 February
4.53pm
The rest of New Zealand will return at Alert Level 1 at 11.59pm tonight. Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield are currently providing an update to media at a post-cabinet press conference.
Here's what you need to know:
- New Zealand will return to Alert Level 1 with Auckland moving to Alert Level 2.
- These restrictions will be reviewed February 22.
- There has been an additional 1 case confirmed, with the positive case a member of the same household bubble.
- New locations of interest have been loaded on the Ministry of Health website.
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UPDATE
16 February
1.09pm
There are no new community cases Ashley Bloomfield confirmed in a 1pm update today. There are no new cases in MIQ facilities.
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UPDATE
15 February
4.20pm
Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield are currently providing an update to media at a post-cabinet press conference.
Here's what you need to know:
- The Prime Minister says there's a variety of scenarios on how the virus got into the community. To date, health officials are still attempting to establish the source of the outbreak.
- 42 people have been identified as close contacts.
- The first batch of Pfizer vaccines - 60,000 doses - arrived this morning on a Singapore Airlines flight.
- Vaccines will be offered to border and MIQ workers from this Saturday.
- This will be the largest vaccine programme in New Zealand's history, Jacinda Ardern says.
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UPDATE
February 15
1.36pm
The Ministry of Health has confirmed five new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation. There are no new community cases.
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UPDATE
February 15
8.18am
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the first two February cases are the highly infectious UK strain. There is no link to any MIQ infections.
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All regions outside Auckland have moved to Alert Level 2.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed the nation at 7.00pm Sunday, announcing all regions excluding Auckland, will move to Alert Level 2 from 11.59pm tonight.
Here's what you need to know:
- Gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited.
- Mask use is encouraged when it is difficult to maintain physical distancing.
- From 11.59pm tonight, travel to Auckland will no longer be possible with the heightened alert level - unless you are returning home.
- The full list of rules under Alert Level 2 can be found here.
- Here's the full list of locations of interest where the cases visited.
Neighbourly will update this message as further information comes to hand.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.7% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.7% Critical thinking
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29.8% Resilience and adaptability
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2.7% Other - I will share below!
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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