Stay safe and stay calm as Omicron spreads
Omicron is here and Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy is reminding locals to stay calm and be safe.
Earlier in the week two locations of interest were posted in Upper Hutt and last week St Patrick’s Silverstream sent 100 boys home after they were deemed close contacts of a year 12 student, who was a positive case. Guppy says it “is only a matter of time” before Omicron becomes widespread in the community.
He is reassured by the high vaccine numbers and is confident the city will cope.
“Our people have generally been very good at following the precautions and public health measures. Upper Hutt has strong vax numbers and people are getting boosted.”
He says it is more important than ever that people now do the right thing.
“We’ve started talking to our community, through our social media channels, about self-isolating at home when the time comes, things to prepare in advance, that kind of thing.”
He says people should not be panicked by Omicron.
“We do not need to be anxious or frightened. This next phase is about getting on with life.”
The reality, he says, is that we need to learn to live with Omicron. It is already having a negative impact on the local economy and “where possible” he urges people to continue to shop local.
“Our retailers, particularly in the hospitality, are noticing a drop in foot traffic with everyone working from home so if you can still pop in and get your takeaway coffee as an example, they’d love your support.”
It is important to remember to wear a mask, social distance and always scan in, he says.
He has one final plea for locals – get vaccinated and if you have not already done so, get your booster.
The reality is, he says, that the best way to beat Omicron and get back to normality is to get vaccinated.
Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.
We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️
We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?
Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.
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56.5% I avoid spending money on coffee
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34.8% I still indulge at my local cafe
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8.7% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
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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!
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