Daily Archives: December 19, 2021

When New Zealand went into Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, on the other side of the world a West African nation of 17 million people did the same.

Today, the public health response in Senegal couldn't be further from the one in New Zealand, with one expat Kiwi saying its as though the virus never existed.

Former Cantabrian Robin McCone, 52, a now retired partner in a major global accounting network, is currently living in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, and will continue to do so for at least the next five years.

Judging by the public health response in Senegal, it almost seemed like the Covid-19 pandemic had come and gone, he said.

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No-one is wearing a face mask. It is as if Covid never happened.

Senegal has had more than 74,000 Covid cases and 1800 deaths. About only 5.75 per cent of the countrys population has been fully vaccinated.

McCone visited his family in Canterbury for Christmas in 2019, and had just returned to Ghana for work when the pandemic hit. The response there was strict, even more so than New Zealand, and well-handled, he said.

However, it was almost impossible to get a vaccine in West Africa now if you were not a frontline worker, he said.

Supplied

McCone says his dog, Dorothy, was on her way to ending up on a menu before he rescued her.

According to McCone, people were not wearing masks at all, shops were running as they used to, and lockdowns and restrictions were a thing of the past.

McCone is double vaccinated, but it took calling upon the EU ministry of foreign affairs to get it done.

I had to move hell and home to get that vaccine.

He said the slow vaccination roll-out meant Covid-19 variants were circulating through communities, and international travellers were getting infected and returning home with the virus.

But in his new home city, Dakar, Covid-19 is exhibiting more as a seasonal flu, and he puts that down to the fitness, health and average age in Senegal.

Life expectancy in Senegal is 68.9 and the average age and the median 18.5. Compared with New Zealand's 81.7 and 37.4 respectively.

McCone said Covid-19 seemed to have a lesser impact on mortality rates in Dakar, but it was still a massive mistake for developed countries not to help provide vaccines to Senegal.

But despite the lack of Covid management, McCones intrepid nature attracted him to Senegal and its people.

Dakar is super safe and the Senegalese are some of the politest, friendliest folk weve met in West Africa.

Kiwis would love it here. You cant walk down any road without people saying Bonjour, a va?. Ive been looked at as a freak in many countries for being that friendly. Not here.

RNZ

RNZ's The Detail podcast explores the untapped trade potential for New Zealand which Africa offers.

McCone left New Zealand in 1996, and has lived and worked all over the world, including New York City, Georgia, Switzerland, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Central Asia.

He moved from Ghana to Senegal just a couple of weeks ago for an early retirement and to support his wifes career.

So far, retirement had largely consisted of surfing at a nearby beach, taking his longboard on trips down non-existent roads, and adopting stray animals as pets.

McCone said he saved his dog, Dorothy, from ending up on someones plate. Dorothy was going to be in the chop bar, she was on the menu. I saved her from being eaten.

Supplied

Robin McCone's wife and dog enjoy life in Senegal.

McCone said he loved the lifestyle Dakar provides, and ranked it among one of his favourite places in the world alongside Georgia in Europe, and Canterbury in Aotearoa.

He believed there was a lot of opportunity for expat Kiwis in Africa.

But watch out for Jollof a West African rice dish that McCone deemed to be awful, describing the taste as being like rice and coffee and shrimp.

The West Africans cant get enough of it. Nigerians and Ghanaians will fight who [invented] it, but it came from Senegal.

Read the rest here:

'As if Covid never happened': No restrictions and few vaccines, says Kiwi living in Senegal - Stuff.co.nz

New Zealands cities could be reshaped for decades to come, forcing the long-entrenched dream of the quarter-acre block to the margins, after the government joined forces with the opposition to pass sweeping legislation in favour of housing densification.

In a rare display of cross-party collaboration, Labour and National passed the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) bill a policy that aims to counter urban sprawl and boost supply by up to 105,000 new homes in the next eight years by forcing councils to loosen restrictions on building in urban areas.

The country has been in the midst of a housing crisis for more than a decade, driven by multiple factors including restrictive planning law, a lack of housing supply, an unchecked property investor market, and a widening gulf between income and housing costs.

Its large cities of Wellington and Auckland have some of the least affordable property markets in the world; home ownership rates in New Zealand have been falling since the early 1990s across all age brackets, but the drop is especially pronounced for people in their 20s and 30s.

Last year, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, visited New Zealand and called the housing situation a human rights crisis and a dark shadow that hangs over the country.

The OECD has ranked New Zealand top for unaffordable housing for its poorest families.

Planning law has long been criticised for being restrictive, unwieldy and slow. It is blamed in part for slowing down housing development, entrenching single-house dwellings, and creating urban sprawl, which has implications for transport, infrastructure and climate change.

Building a standard single-story house in New Zealand comes with a lot of paperwork, but trying to build a multi-storey or multi-dwelling development could tie someone up in regulatory battles for months or years, at great expense.

If an area is zoned as a single-family area, the standard residence is a single house with a garden. Anyone wanting to build multiple dwellings, or anything other than a standard house, requires consent from the local council. Councils can reject the application for a whole number of reasons, including, for example, an unhappy neighbour about to lose some sunlight.

The law will scrap some of those restrictions, forcing councils to allow up to three three-storey houses on most sites in the countrys major cities, without requiring consent. Building approvals will still be required.

There will be exemptions in areas where densification is inappropriate, such as where there is a high risk of natural hazards, or a site has heritage value.

The bill is paired with an acceleration of the governments national policy statement on urban development, which aims to further reduce constraints on urban planning and development. That will come into effect to August 2023, instead of August 2024.

Probably not.

Modelling by Price Waterhouse Cooper predicted the new rules could result in about 48,200 to 105,500 new homes being built in the next five to eight years across New Zealands major cities.

The national median price hit an eye-watering high in November up by 23.8% to $925,000, compared with $747,000 in November last year. The analysis suggests that an increase in supply from this policy could slow down the runaway prices but not cause them to drop. However, if the policy was not in place, the prices would continue to balloon.

Australia is facing its own housing affordability crisis, driven in part by record-low interest rates and an increase in household savings. Just 30% of the poorest 25-34 year-olds now own their homes, a 10% decrease since 1981. Grattan Institute program director Brendan Coates said restrictive zoning played a significant role in house prices in Sydney and Melbourne.

Research published by the Reserve Bank of Australia in 2018 found restrictive zoning contributed about 40% to the price of houses in the two major cities, and was even higher in wealthy councils including Willoughby, the Northern Beaches and Melbournes inner east.

The new legislation attacks one of the key impediments to greater density the structure of government which led to too few homes being built, Coates said.

It depends.

Coates said a similar approach to New Zealand could help solve Australias housing affordability crisis while boosting lagging productivity growth. Decisions about development approvals largely sit with local councils, he said. People who would like to live there cant vote, and their interests are left unrepresented.

Unsurprisingly, fewer homes are built than whats needed.

But research by urban planners Mark Limb and Cameron Murray published this year found repeated zoning changes designed to encourage urban infill didnt lead to cheaper housing. Instead, while the zoned capacity for housing at the locations doubled, the vast majority werent developed within five years, suggesting it was the market price, not planning regulations, that determined if and where development occurred.

I dont think its going to do anything in New Zealand, Murray said. People will certainly build apartments where they couldnt before but theyre not going to flood the market and crash prices.

This argument has been around since the 1960s weve blamed overregulation but if it was true rezoning would reduce house prices, property developers lobbying for it are the worst lobbyists ever or theyre lying.

Murray said the solution in Australia was to provide free government housing to people unable to enter the market. Rezoning isnt going to massively reduce prices just as they said in Australias housing supply inquiry, he said. Its become a religion, its a neat silver bullet.

Continue reading here:

New Zealand has adopted a radical rezoning plan to cut house prices could it work in Australia? - The Guardian

New Zealand has been too slow to use some of the technologies available, such as rapid antigen testing, Hope says.

Overseas, people are travelling more freely, with borders "very stop/start" due to variants.

"But for us it's been wholly stop," Hope says. "It hasn't started."

He's concerned the Omicron variant may push back plans to open the border to New Zealanders living in Australia in mid-January.

Many in the tourism sector have been "decimated" by the pandemic, and they desperately need the border to reopen, he says.

"So I do think, you know, as we kind of get further through the pandemic, we can both reduce risk, at the same time as enabling more cross border travel."

The self-isolation period should also be reduced to three days for low-risk countries, as we won't have an effective tourism sector with a week-long stand-down period, he says.

There are also massive people constraints. While businesses might have products and services and customers to buy them - they sometimes don't have the staff to operate.

"So part of my wish list is to get very clear about the skills that we need in New Zealand and for the government to be much, much more open about who we bring into New Zealand to help the economy grow.

"We must think about what our immigration policy looks like, in a way that enables businesses to meet what is very clear demand for goods and services, and that's been heavily constrained. It will impede us massively going forward."

While some businesses have gone "gangbusters" this year, the tourism sector and the hospitality and retail associated with it continue to suffer most - and that's why a smart border is so crucial, Hope says.

"So you know, there are many people who have lost their businesses. And that has been incredibly challenging over this two-year period, for people's livelihoods and mental health - and in a much more negative health way than perhaps if they'd caught Covid.

"Because it's so ongoing for many people and in some cases there's simply no way out. They just had to abandon their business and take another job."

While there was a lot of focus on wage subsidies and resurgence payments, there has been a lack of sector-specific support, Hope says.

"So my wish list is that the government wake up and actually understand and walk a few miles in those people's shoes. Because the ongoing health implications of losing your business are extremely severe. It will have long-term repercussions."

RNZ

Continued here:

COVID-19: What Business NZ chief executive Kirk Hope wants for Christmas - New Zealand to have 'smartest borders in the world' - Newshub

December 18 2021There were 39 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today and 10 new cases in MIQ. Video / NZ Herald

By RNZ

As we head into the third year of the pandemic, a group of distinguished international scientists has published an opinion piece arguing that vaccine strategies need to shift focus from trying to stop infection, and move towards the prevention of severe disease and global equity in achieving high adult coverage.

Published in medical journal The Lancet on Friday, the article was authored by all 15 current members of the World Health Organisation's peak vaccine advisory group - the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), who note that the recent emergence of Omicron as the fifth variation of concern has threatened confidence in vaccine protection.

Professor Peter McIntyre from University of Otago is the lead author for the piece, and says New Zealand needs to get its objective straight as it heads into 2022.

New Zealand has a lot to celebrate, he says.

The strategy of elimination it pursued before the advent of vaccines was far and away the most effective, with death rates more than 100 times lower than many countries that opted for other strategies.

But it meant New Zealand has had to rely on gaining high vaccine coverage rates because we had little immunity from the effects of Covid-19 - so it is terrific we are now among the most vaccinated countries in the world, Professor McIntyre says.

The important question now is where do we want to get to, he says.

Covid-19 is a severe illness that hits elderly people and those with health problems particularly hard.

"Our focus going forward needs to continue to be on those severe cases," he said.

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"If we over time end up with Covid circulating widely and causing, as the current coronaviruses [do] ... they cause colds, about 20 percent of colds, it's just that we weren't testing for them ... They've always been there, but they were mild and we didn't worry about them too much.

"So what our objective has to be is to tame Covid with vaccines into something that we are OK about because we know it's not going to send you to hospital or kill you."

It will take time for the country to move away from the pre-vaccine era where every case identified is treated as "a disaster".

There is still "an incredible intensity of testing" which has meant people going to hospital for other reasons have ending up being counted as Covid-19 positive cases.

"There is a need for a kind of shift. It's going to take a little while because people are understandably very nervous ... But I think we do have to have a shift over time from focusing on every infection to saying: OK infection is here, we have to deal with it but what we really care about is ensuring we're protecting with anti-virals, boosters, with whatever we have got at our disposal, protecting people vulnerable still to severe illness."

Professor McIntyre says laboratory staff "have been smashed" by the amount of testing they have to do for Covid-19 and sooner or later they will need to reduce this testing to allow a focus on other diseases.

While the country is in a privileged position because of its high vaccination rate, it remains vital to get groups such as Mori and those who are uncertain "over the line".

New Zealand needs to keep the number of infections down, but we "don't need to be on the edge of our seats" about every case now that vaccines are widely available, he says.

McIntyre says the world is incredibly lucky to have seen the development of vaccines that work so well against severe disease.

He would argue against lockdowns and blocking flights now that the country has achieved its 90 percent double vaccinated for those who are eligible.

No parts of New Zealand are now lowly vaccinated, he says.

"To be honest countries around the world, if they looked at 90 percent double vaccinated, that would be in their dreams - even high income European countries, it would be in their dreams.

"Denmark is about 80 percent over 12 [years old]. So I think New Zealand has done incredibly well."

While there is still a need to raise the vaccination rates in some areas of the country that are lagging behind, "that is a really important objective but we have to look at the balance of what all the downsides are of severe restrictions and how much of that we are prepared to tolerate".

"The vaccines are performing terrifically well, we're in a different situation with high vaccine coverage and that's great."

He says New Zealand was most vulnerable to the Delta strain because at the time it escaped MIQ into the Auckland community vaccination rates were still low.

If people are vaccinated they will probably be protected against the worst effects of Omicron and for the elderly or the immuno-compromised anti-virals will be available.

"So we're in really really good shape. But the thing that we still have to focus on is the unvaccinated because it doesn't matter what letter of the Greek alphabet we're talking about, they're still in the firing line."

McIntyre says in other parts of the world where vaccination rates have been low, those who receive one dose after being infected have a much greater level of protection against new variants.

Asked if low vaccination rates allow the development of variants, he says their emergence will be driven by "infection pressure".

We are now in the post-vaccine world and need to recognise that this infection will be around forever and we need to be looking at how infections and vaccines interact with each other, he says.

In future there may be a live attenuated version of this virus which vaccinated people can have which will provide a boost without giving people the virus.

These types of vaccines create a nervousness because of fears of whether it has been weakened enough to not pass on the virus, particularly to children.

"There's been interest in it but it's something which is still evolving ..."

The approach of having the vaccine go into the nose or breathing it in through an aerosol is another option for building up immunity.

"A live attenuated vaccine, if we could do it as we have done with flu, it may be something which really helps us as this whole endemic or transition to being an endemic virus evolves."

The goal is to build a broad immune response which would be similar to the immunity built up for measles and other childhood viruses such as chickenpox and polio.

"That's why we have been able to get rid of smallpox because we were actually giving protection against the whole virus, not just a bit of it."

It looks like a mix and match of MRNA vaccines (such as Pfizer) is effective - which is a positive when trying to distribute the supply of vacines worldwide, however, there would not be any advantage to New Zealanders using another vaccine for their booster shot, he says.

While early reports suggest the new variant Omicron may be milder than the likes of Delta, his prediction is that people are still at risk of severe disease if they are unvaccinated.

Speaking about the international vaccine supply in the first half of 2022 he expects it to be solid, and the challenge in terms of global equity will be to deliver vaccines to parts of Asia and Africa that have so far missed out.

"The good news is that the supply is coming right, we've still got a long way to go but we're on the right track."

This report has been edited to reflect New Zealand is among the the most vaccinated countries in the world.

See the rest here:

Covid 19 coronavirus: NZ needs to refocuse its strategies, says Professor - New Zealand Herald

9:04pm, 18 December 2021

New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson is adamant trans-Tasman club rugby will go ahead in 2022 despite the growing threat of the Omicron virus.

A decision on the future of the competition will be arrived at in the next few days according to Robinson, who spoke to media at Wellington alongside the codes end-of-year board meetings.

We would like to get to a situation where we can replicate as closely as possible the original Pacific format, he said.

Theres a few moving parts to that and a few different contingencies being worked through were down to having to make a call pretty soon.

The scenarios that were talking about the moment all have an element of trans-Tasman (matches).

Last month, Australian and Kiwi rugby chiefs released the Super Rugby Pacific draw including expansion franchises Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika with a kick-off date of February 18.

Jacinda Arderns government then threw a spanner in the works with its border reopening plan, which requires all arrivals to self-isolate for seven days on arrival.

The NZ government has repeatedly declined the idea of exemptions for sport but Robinson is clinging to the prospect, saying there was a huge amount of work going on with the government to get the competition happening.

COVID-19 has already forced many changes to southern hemisphere rugby, including the last two Rugby Championships.

In 2020, the Super Rugby season was suspended before being split into domestic competitions.

In 2021, the South African and Argentinian sides went their own way and domestic competitions concluded with a mini trans-Tasman season.

Given the NZ governments hyper-vigilance in the face of COVID-19 and its fear of the Omicron variant, trans-Tasman sport could be a long way from returning.

COVID-19 has also smashed NZ Rugbys finances, which wore a $NZ34.6 million ($A32.7 million) loss last year.

Robinson pre-empted another loss, saying wed like to think we get pretty close to breakeven.

The former All Black is maintaining a pursuit of private equity investment from US firm Silver Lake, though his efforts have been stymied by the players association.

The selling of a minority stake in the All Blacks is highly contentious among players and fans.

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New Zealand Rugby 'close' to break-even this year after NZ$34.6mil loss in 2020 - RugbyPass

Monday, 20 December 2021, 9:17 amPress Release: NZ Merchant Service Guild

The union representing ships masters and officers saysfuture solutions for a resilient supply chain must includeNew Zealand ships crewed by New Zealand seafarers.

TheNew Zealand Merchant Service Guild has welcomed theGovernments recent state of play report on coastalshipping, including its support for maintaining anddeveloping local maritime skills.

Merchant ServiceGuild Vice President, Captain Iain MacLeod, says the ongoingglobal COVID pandemic has put the spotlight on thevulnerability of New Zealands supply chain.

CaptainMacLeod draws on decades of direct experience of theshipping industry, and he was recently a Master on one ofthe international container vessels routinely plying the NewZealand coast.

He says allowing our supply chain to bedominated by international shipping companies paying crewsfrom poor nations rates as low as NZ$1.47 per hour andcharging exorbitant freight prices cannot bejustified.

The Merchant Service Guild has beenactively campaigning for an expansion to local coastalshipping since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

Ithas recently drafted a Private Members Bill to closeloopholes in the Maritime Transport Act.

Theseloopholes have allowed international shipping companies likeMaersk to progressively undermine New Zealandshipping.

There is gross exploitation ofinternational seafarers who effectively work in New Zealandwaters, staying on board with no shore leave for months andmonths on end, while their employers make record profits,and pay no tax here.

Mr MacLeod says the situationhas now become worse as the largest global shipper Maerskhas put New Zealand on the spot market for freightrates.

He says this will hurt New Zealand industry,and a new supply chain model was urgently required thatrebuilt New Zealand coastal shipping.

Captain MacLeodsays a local seafaring workforce is a crucial factor inbuilding New Zealands COVID resilience.

Therewould be nothing to stop New Zealand crewed coastal vesselsfrom adding international ports to their normal tradingroutes carrying New Zealand imports andexports.

Scoop Media

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New Zealand Shipping The Solution To Supply Chain Chaos - Scoop

Sir Ian told Newstalk ZB the current situation is "one of the most dangerous times of this pandemic".

"The Prime Minister said to everyone, 'Go take your break, you bloody deserve it' and I was staggered by that. Nobody should be talking about a break right now.

"Summer should be where we have the best opportunity to start putting defences in place for the upcoming onslaught which is winter. Winter will bring in the flu, it will bring in COVID.

"We already missed 16 months, where we did nothing, to shore up the defences and the idea that parliamentarians pat themselves on the back saying, 'You've done really well' there is nothing to congratulate themselves about."

Sir Ian called on Ardern "to accept that we aren't here whinging we are here offering help. We just want to sit at a desk with her for an hour and outline the steps we could take to make this the safest country in the world".

"We've actually missed some steps - let's fill those in before this gets out of control," he told Newstalk ZB.

The Government has been contacted for a response to Sir Ian's comments.

It last week celebrated New Zealand hitting 90 percent fully vaccinated. COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said Kiwis had worked hard a deserved a Christmas break.

"Their commitment means all New Zealanders are safer and more protected, and can get back to doing the things they love, whether it's travelling to catch up with friends and family for Christmas, heading out to restaurants, pubs and cafes, or enjoying the many festivals and outdoor events planned for the summer."

Continue reading here:

Why New Zealand businessman Sir Ian Taylor believes politicians are holidaying at the 'most dangerous time' of COVID pandemic - Newshub

Shane Martin - the father of Richmond superstar Dustin - has died in New Zealand, the Tigers have confirmed.

A statement released by Richmond on Saturday morning confirmed the news, with the club asking for respect to be shown to the Martin family.

The cause of death for Shane, who wasin his early 50's,is not yet known.

"The Richmond Football Club can confirm the passing of Shane Martin, the father of player Dustin Martin," a statement from the club read.

"The club extends its heartfelt sympathy to Dustin, his brothers Bronson and Tyson and the entire Martin family.

"We ask the media to respect Dustin and the Martin familys privacy in this extremely difficult time."

According to the Herald Sun, Richmond were told of Shane's death on Friday and have thrown their full support behind the Martin family.

Shanewas deported from Australia in 2016 on grounds of character and wasn't able to return to Australia despite repeated attempts.

Dustinhas spoken regularly about how difficult it has been to live in a different country to his father, with the star midfielder regularly trekking to New Zealand to visit him.

Dustin's last publicised trip to visit his father in New Zealand came in April when the Brownlow Medallist was sidelined from AFL match action with concussion.

It was the first time Dustin had seen Shane in 12 months because of travel restrictions due tothe COVID-19 pandemic.

Read this article:

Dustin Martin's father Shane dies in New Zealand as Richmond mourns - Sporting News AU

Vaccinations at Manurewa Marae. Photo / NZME

Not the kind of people to rest on their laurels, New Zealand continues to reach milestones in its vaccination rollout, after smashing its Christmas target of vaccinating 90 per cent of the eligible population.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) today announced that the eight millionth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has been administered in the country.

The number includes first doses, second doses, boosters and third doses intended for those who are immuno-compromised.

The total number includes doses of both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.

New Zealand began the vaccine rollout in February this year, with border and MIQ workers first on the list. The Delta outbreak in August led to an acceleration of the vaccination rollout and the country reached its 90 per cent target earlier this week.

To date, 94 per cent of the eligible population has received the first dose of the vaccine.

READ MORE: Vaccine Tracker: How many Kiwis have been vaccinated?

MedSafe has approved the Pfizer vaccine for the 5-11 age group in New Zealand, with the rollout expected to start by the end of next month.

Meanwhile, MOH also announced today that MidCentral and Hutt Valley have now reached 90 per cent first doses for Mori, becoming the fourth and fifth DHB areas to achieve this milestone.

View original post here:

The 90% project: New Zealand administers its eight millionth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine - New Zealand Herald

Between the theatre, arts and live music scenes, alongside the lingering political presence and catastrophic winds, our capital is a city like no other. But where Wellington truly shines is its hospitality scene.

Its something that foodies travel the country for; a weekend in Wellington just to eat around the city and suburbs. Restaurants in the city come and go. What was there one week may have disappeared the next, but there are a few that have seemingly been standing since the beginning of time. And one of those is Fidels.

Maarten Holl/Stuff

Fidel's has been a Cuba Street favourite since 1996.

Born in 1996, Fidels politically curious name pays homage to the history of Wellington and the iconic Cuba Street. Since then, the caf has inspired much of the food scene surrounding it.

Owners Roger Young and Potti Wagstaff banded together to open up nearby Havana Bar, a backstreet haunt with some of the best tapas and wines in town, and the coffee served at the caf comes fresh from the Havana Coffee Works, just a few blocks away.

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Any Wellingtonian knows that Fidel's is the place to be for a coffee and scone on the go, or Sunday brunch. But the best thing about Fidels is it doesnt discriminate; youll find uni students wedged between politicians and touring musicians and thats part of what makes the space so endearing.

The real secret thats hidden at Fidels isnt the company, and its not the famous Snickers thick shakes either (which have been around since before freak shakes were even a thing). Youll find it by the slice in the cabinet, and youll want to grab more than just one.

The Tim Tam cake is their ode to a treat youll only find in this corner of the world: the much-loved chocolate biccie of the same name, comprising two malt biscuits and cream filling.

Supplied

Fidel's Tim Tam cake is an oversized version of the popular biscuit.

Here, two wedges of gooey chocolate cake are separated by a layer of house-made dulce de leche, and topped with rich chocolate ganache. It doesnt get much better than this. The cake is gluten-free, but unlike other friands or lemon and poppy seed slices around the city, it doesnt taste like it.

The cake recipe even featured in Cuba Street: A Cookbook, a collaborative effort by restaurants in the centre of the city to share some of Wellingtons most famous dishes. So, you can try to make it yourself, but nothing tastes as good as a slice from the source itself.

The ultimate way to enjoy the treat is to ask for your slice to be warmed up for about 20 seconds, with a dollop of cream or yoghurt on the side. Its the citys secret indulgence, and youd be mad not to try it the next time youre in town.

Maarten Holl/Stuff

The spot for coffee and cake or a full sit-down breakfast.

Where to eat: Fidel's Tim Tam cake is $7 per slice. Find the caf at 234 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington. See: fidelscafe.com.

Staying safe: New Zealand is currently under Covid-19 restrictions. Face coverings are mandatory on all flights and public transport. Proof of vaccination and vaccine exemption may be required in some venues under the traffic light system. Follow the instructions at covid19.govt.nz.

Do you have a favourite snack worth travelling for? Email us at travel@stuff.co.nz or let us know in the comments.

Read more:

Travel bites: The decadent Wellington cake based on New Zealand's favourite biscuit - Stuff.co.nz