Category Archives: New Zealand

Not many professional rugby teams captured the attention of Mike Dabulas while he was growing up in New Jersey. He mostly played the sport, having been introduced to it by his father around age 6. But when Dabulas did watch professional rugby, he really only cared for one team: the New Zealand All Blacks. He would devour their matches on YouTube and one of his fathers friends would bring over DVDs of matches for them to watch together.

To Dabulas, the All Blacks, winners of the mens Rugby World Cup in 1987, 2011, and 2015, represented the best of the sport. Kind of like the [New England] Patriots in their peak, like nobody can touch them, Dabulas says. They have the best skills, best players, just the best team.

On Saturday, Oct. 23, at FedExField, Dabulas will be one of 23 players suiting up for the U.S. mens national rugby union team, commonly known as the Eagles, in a test match against the All Blacks for the 1874 Cup. The 24-year-old Dabulas will be a reserve fly-half and is the only player from Old Glory DC, the local Major League Rugby franchise, to make the roster. Jamason Faanana-Schultz, who also plays for Old Glory, participated in the 28-man training camp this week but did not make the final roster. He still has a chance to make the final 23 up until Saturday morning pending any injuries on the team, an Old Glory spokesperson tells City Paper. All the players for the USA Eagles this weekend also compete for one of the 12 Major League Rugby teams.

Its surreal, Dabulas says of playing against the All Blacks. Like Im watching film on these players and Im like, Ive been watching you for years. Damian McKenzie, Beauden Barrett, all those guys, Im like, Ive literally been watching you play at that level. And now I have to play against them? Its pretty funny.

The 1874 Cup, named for the first year that rugby was played in the United States, is aiming to help raise the profile of the countrys bid to host the mens Rugby World Cup in 2027 or 2031 and the womens Rugby World Cup in 2029. The U.S. has never hosted either event. The All Blacks, currently ranked No. 2 in the world by World Rugby, will be playing in the U.S. for the first time since 2016, and organizers and players hope that having one of the most storied teams in the match will bring additional attention to the sport.

Not every country gets to play the All Blacks, let alone host the All Blacks, so its a very special, rare event for any country in the world, says Faanana-Schultz, a 25-year-old native of Australia whose father is American. Faanana-Schultz is confident that fans will show up for the All Blacks, not only for their play on the field, but for the haka, the traditional prematch Mori dance that the players perform on the field.

The haka is one of the most well known spectacles and not just in rugby but any sport in the world or any event in the world, he says. The haka is an amazing thing and amazing thing just to watch.

Both Dabulas and Faanana-Schultz have seen rugbys growth in the United States. MLR launched in 2018 with seven teams and grew to 13 teams before the Colorado Raptors disbanded in 2020. Eleven of the 12 current teams are based in the U.S. with one, the Toronto Arrows, based in Canada.

I think its changed drastically. I know, growing up, obviously rugby wasnt very popular yet, Dabulas says. Now that the MLR is here, were on TV every week. Like, its pretty unreal. Thats not something I had when I was younger.

Link:

Old Glory DC's Mike Dabulas Prepares to Compete Against the New Zealand All Blacks in the 1874 Cup - Washington City Paper

OPINION: Covid-19 has moved to New Zealand, but that doesnt mean you should have to live with it.

We need our local leaders mayors, iwi and hap leaders, and the district health boards (DHBs) to stand up.

The pandemic is now too complex to handle from Wellington alone, and clearly requires insider solutions to low vaccination rates in some communities. We need local voices discussing the restrictions vs Covid-elimination payoff.

Its time for the Government to give control back to iwi and local leaders.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Minister Peeni Henare is responsible for the Governments Mori Health portfolio.

READ MORE:* Covid-19: Auckland should keep regional boundary 'as long as possible' to protect country* Covid-19: Risk remains for Mori and Pasifika even if Auckland hits 90% first doses* Covid-19 outbreak situation report: What happened today, October 8

The decision about whether Covid-19 should be allowed into communities beyond Waikato should rest only with those in those communities. According to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, these are not decisions the prime minister should make.

However, on Friday, televisions and radios will be tuned to the Beehive when we hear the Governments latest plan for getting out of Covid restrictions.

Will that plan involve iwi?

Will that plan give back power to councils to manage emergencies related to Covid-19?

Will that plan require DHBs to step up and be publicly accountable for the vaccination efforts in their regions? Despite having democratically elected leaders, most DHBs have remained silent throughout the pandemic.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited Murupara on Thursday and walked through the drive-through vaccination centre.

So far, the public discussion has been focused on Jacinda Arderns Christmas plans. But if youre able to see all your friends and family at Christmas, that wont be because we have miraculously eradicated Covid-19.

It will be because the Government has allowed Covid-19 to spread. In Auckland, there is a good understanding that Covid-19 has settled in. Level 3 here is viewed as a holding pattern, while our immunity builds.

Most Aucklanders have accepted this. The Government has, by not directing us onto a different path, also accepted it on Aucklands behalf.

But what about the rest of the country?

A one-size-fits-all approach to Covid-19 will not work weve seen that with the lower vaccination rate of Mori.

No doubt many towns and iwi will be looking to Auckland and thinking no way. Most of the country has avoided uncontrolled outbreaks of Covid-19 so far, and surely has every right to continue to do.

However, the Government continues to effectively micro-manage the pandemic from Wellington.

LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff

Glenn McConnell is a journalist and columnist at Stuff, from Te tiawa.

It has alluded to albeit in a fairly coy manner reopening for summer. That must surely concern community leaders from Hawkes Bay up to Tairwhiti, who call the countrys summer hotspots home, and often live in communities with far lower vaccination rates.

The Government removed councils ability to declare local states of emergency in relation to Covid-19, in an amendment to the Civil Defence Emergency Act last year. Previously, the Act could have allowed councils to impose their own restrictions to control outbreaks.

So, if the Government chooses to open the country up, there will be little local leaders can do to stop it.

The solutions for Auckland and Wellington, both with very high vaccination rates, will not work in the suburbs of Christchurch or Rotorua.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at a drive-through vaccination centre.

Look to towns such as Murupara and Rotorua. They have incredibly low vaccination rates. If Covid-19 was let loose in those communities, it would be truly horrendous. In Murupara, less than 40 per cent of the town has received a dose of Pfizer.

From the podium and in interviews, Ardern and Dr Ashley Bloomfield have been the stars of the pandemic response. Last week, Ardern travelled to Murupara and other towns with low vaccination rates to try and help those vaccinators on the ground.

But the prime minister cannot be in every town, holding the hands of every vaccine-hesitant citizen.

Weve reached the stage of the pandemic where local solutions are needed.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have become the faces of the pandemic response.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi ensures tino rangatiratanga for hap. The term carries a lot of meaning, but it describes a persons right to access the resources to ensure they can live their best life. In Te Tiriti, it asserts that the leaders of hap have the authority to set their own course.

The next step of the pandemic, where we need to reach everyone and adjust to the virus on our shores, is far more complex. Te Tiriti can help.

Weve seen the effect of a Wellington-led vaccination effort, which has resulted in inequitable vaccination that risks derailing our journey out of Covid-19 restrictions.

The relationship between Mori leaders in Whnau Ora agencies and Wellington has got so bad that John Tamihere is taking the Ministry of Health to court.

RICKY WILSON/STUFF/Stuff

John Tamihere at a West Auckland vaccination centre.

He alleges the ministry refused to provide information that would have allowed his team to contact Mori yet to be vaccinated. Other Mori health providers have said they did not receive the resources to vaccinate everyone, and in Gisborne theyre literally fundraising on GiveALittle to get a mobile vaccination clinic.

These community leaders know their people better than the Ministry of Health does.

Its time we trusted them, and give them the power their tino rangatiratanga to keep their iwi, towns, hap and whnau safe.

Link:

Covid-19 is part of life in Auckland, but it doesn't have to be for New Zealand - Stuff.co.nz

In January 2006, a group of children aged between 10 and 18 attending a fossil-hunting expedition with Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club at Waikato, New Zealand, discovered a series of interesting fossil traces sticking out of a block of sandstone that had been uncovered by the tide. Initially mistaken for a rusty propeller, mentors Tony Lorimer and Chris Templer immediately identified it as an avian fossil.

Donated by the club to Waikato Museum in 2017, the skeleton was measured, scanned and reconstructed as a 3D model, showing that the bird would have stood at approximately 1.4 metres tall. Today, Emperor Penguin is the largest extant species of penguin, measuring up to 1.2 metres in length and weighing up to 45 kilograms.

An artist's impression of Kairuku waewaeroa (Simone Giovanardi / Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology).

During the Paleogene period between 66 million and 23 million years ago giant penguins were widespread across Zealandia, a now mostly underwater landmass that includes New Zealand. As well as being taller, these giant penguins were also thinner than Emperor Penguins, the researchers reported.

Described as the most complete fossilised skeleton of an ancient giant penguin ever discovered, researchers concluded that the specimen is between 27.3 and 34.6 million years old, dating from a time when much of the area was underwater.

A recent study in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology has described the find as a new species of prehistoric penguin, named Kairuku waewaeroa after the length of its hind legs. In Mori, "waewae" means "legs" and "roa" means "long".

The enormous diving bird had unusually long legs and beak for a penguin and the measurements showed that it would have towered over other species in the Kairuku genus. It is thought that the bird's longer legs may have helped it to dive deeper or swim faster.

The fossilised remains alongside a size comparison ofKairuku waewaeroa and Emperor Penguin (Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology).

In an interview with Stuff, Dr Daniel Thomas, a senior lecturer in Zoology at Massey University's School of Natural and Computational Sciences, said: "These longer legs would have made the penguin much taller than other Kairuku while it was walking on land, perhaps around 1.4 metres tall, and may have influenced how fast it could swim or how deep it could dive"

"Kairuku waewaeroa is emblematic for so many reasons. The fossil penguin reminds us that we share Zealandia with incredible animal lineages that reach deep into time, and this sharing gives us an important guardianship role.

"The way the fossil penguin was discovered, by children out discovering nature, reminds us of the importance of encouraging future generations to become kaitiaki [guardians]."

Giovanardi, S, Ksepka, D and Thomas, D. 2021. A giant Oligocene fossil penguin from the North Island of New Zealand. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.1953047

Go here to read the rest:

Fossilised New Zealand penguin identified as new species - BirdGuides

There are 129 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today, after hitting triple digits for the first time yesterday.

File image. Photo: 123rf.com

In a statement, the Health Ministry said 65 of the new cases were still to be linked to earlier cases.

Nine of today's new cases are in Waikato, with the rest in Auckland. All of the Waikato cases are linked. There have now been 73 cases in the district linked to the current outbreak.

There were also five new cases in managed isolation.

A total of 102 community cases was reported yesterday.

There are 51 people in hospital with Covid-19, including five in intensive care.

The ministry said there have now been 2389 cases in the current outbreak, and 5090 in New Zealand since the pandemic began.

There were 41,294 vaccine doses given yesterday - 10,066 first doses and 31,228 doses.

Earlier today, the government announced details of its Covid-19 Protection Framework, involving the roll-out of a 'traffic-light' system once all DHBs hit 90 percent full vaccination rates.

No further locations of interest in Hawkes Bay and no positive detections for Covid-19 in the most recent wastewater testing. Further testing will be conducted next week.

There were no further locations of interest in the area, other than the Kmart Napier that had already been reported.

The Ministry of Health also reiterated its call for people in the Auckland suburb of Redvale to get tested.

It said that the suburb, which was the site of a party during alert level 3, has an ongoing high chance - or "high positivity rate" - of some infection.

"We are asking Redvale residents with symptoms, no matter how mild, to get tested as soon as possible, even if they are vaccinated. We are also encouraging testing in New Lynn and the North Shore suburbs of Rosedale and Bayswater."

Originally posted here:

Covid-19 update: 129 new cases in the community - RNZ

Josh Adams says he is buzzing about the prospect of facing New Zealand when Wales launch their Autumn Nations Series at a sold-out Principality Stadium.

But the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against Wales after injuries and unavailability hit them hard.

Seven England-based players including British and Irish Lions trio Dan Biggar, Louis Rees-Zammit and Taulupe Faletau are absent because next weeks game falls outside World Rugbys autumn international window.

And a number of others are out through injury, with established stars such as George North Leigh Halfpenny, Justin Tipuric and Josh Navidi all currently sidelined.

On top of that, Wales have not beaten the All Blacks since 1953, losing 31 successive games, with 16 of those defeats being in Cardiff.

It all adds up to a case of mission improbable as the reigning Six Nations champions embark on a demanding autumn campaign that also features appointments with South Africa, Fiji and Australia.

With the biggest challenge comes the biggest rewards. Why not think of it like that? Wales and Lions wing Adams said.

Everyone selected in the coaches eyes are good enough to be international rugby players. What better challenge for someone who hasnt faced one of the big southern hemisphere countries before to face the All Blacks?

When you get that opportunity no matter if youve played 150 Tests like Al (Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones) or a couple in some boys cases against the All Blacks you want to show up.

That is our mentality. Weve got to show up as a team. It is a massive challenge, but I am buzzing for it and I know that energy is going through the whole squad.

We respect them, of course we do, as a fantastic team who have been one of the best for a number of years and are coming off another Rugby Championship win. That is impressive.

When we get things right, we can hurt any team

Wales wing Josh Adams

We respect they are a very good team, but then again, we are a very good team. When we get things right, we can hurt any team.

Some of you will ask about injuries, and we have got some, unfortunately. Thats rugby. It is a great opportunity to see where we are in terms of the depth chart.

While Wales are regular Six Nations challengers they have won the title six times their record against New Zealand, South Africa and Australia is poor.

Since claiming their first Six Nations crown in 2005, Wales have played the three southern hemisphere heavyweights a total of 53 times, but claimed just nine victories and one draw.

Adams added: The Six Nations is an unbelievable tournament in its own right, and we have a good record in that.

But showing up in the autumn when we play these big teams, continuing a winning run into the autumn and beating them is a fantastic statement to put down. Our style of play is very much challenging the opposition with ball in hand.

You are not going to run from everywhere. It is when those opportunities come, weve got to be good enough to take them.

Challenging teams with ball in hand, having good attacking shape and structure is certainly something that can put these southern hemisphere teams under pressure.

I think there are four campaigns before we get to France for the 2023 World Cup, so every one needs to be be better than the last one.

See the original post here:

Wales wing Josh Adams buzzing by prospect of facing New Zealand - The Independent

New Zeland is a great place to be a child if you are rich, white and able-bodied, but the reality for at least 125,000 children includes abuse, neglect, poverty, and poor health and education outcomes.

Childrens Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft is not mincing his words on this countrys failure over the last 30 years to prioritise children, with 20 per cent living in and out of poverty, and 10 per cent really doing it tough.

The two latter groups are disproportionately populated by Mori, Pasifika and disabled children.

The width and depth of the inequities in child wellbeing is shocking, Becroft said in a speech at the University of Canterbury on Friday, one of his last before his tenure as commissioner ends on October 31.

READ MORE:* Children's Commissioner: Child poverty progress 'wrecked' by Covid-19* Government urged to maintain focus on child poverty, as Covid-19 threatens progress* Free lunches for school kids, Government announces

The wellbeing of at least 125,000 children is significantly compromised by serious material hardship. For this reason, and because this situation is totally avoidable, we belong on an international roll of shame, he said.

The Government needs to commit $2 billion a year over the next 10 years to improve outcomes through measures such as lifting core benefit rates, introducing rent controls, increasing social housing and making adequate mental health services accessible to all youth, Becroft told Stuff.

He painted a grim picture with statistics on rheumatic fever, which affects Mori and Pasfika children disproportionately (its a scandal that this entirely preventable disease even exists in New Zealand); youth suicide (one of the highest reported rates in the world, with the rate for Mori youth 2.1 times that for non-Mori youth); abuse and neglect (69 per cent of children in State care identify as Mori); bullying (one of the highest rates of school bullying internationally); and racism.

CHRIS SKELTON/Stuff

Judge Andrew Becroft is finishing his tenure as Childrens Commissioner on October 31.

Becroft blamed the toxic stress of poverty, inconsistent early intervention and the lethal cocktail of the enduring legacy of colonisation and modern-day racism for the poor outcomes.

One of the most pressing issues for youth was mental health, with children and youth at high risk of negative mental health effects from Covid-19.

Girls, Mori, Pasifika, and gender minorities are particularly affected, he said.

Becroft said children and young people were often invisible despite the grim statistics. They were not well represented in He Ara Oranga, the report from the government inquiry into mental health, or in the Covid-19 response.

New Zealand was also behind on diagnosing and supporting neurodevelopmental issues, he said.

History will judge us harshly. When it comes to neurodevelopmental issues, for some reason New Zealand has been asleep at the wheel.

Despite what seemed like an unsurmountable mountain to climb to make this country a safe place for all children, Becroft remained positive.

CHRIS SKELTON/Stuff

Becroft says he has given his all to his role as Childrens Commissioner.

We have made terrific progress over the last five years, and the Governments goal to halve child poverty in 10 years is very attainable.

Of course I wish more could be achieved faster. It is a marathon, not a sprint.

He believed the Government, and society at large, had finally woken up to the needs of children.

Multiple strategies, targets and goals were in place to lift children into wellbeing over the next 10 years, he said.

CHRIS SKELTON/Stuff

Becroft is optimistic about the future of children in Aotearoa despite grim statistics.

While reluctant to sing his own praises, Becroft believed the relentless advocacy from his office during his five-year tenure had played a big role in this shift.

He was particularly fond of the little known Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy, which was informed by his offices work, including interviewing 6000 tamariki and rangatahi.

The office played an independent watchdog role, but did not have extended powers.

It is what it is. We dont have any direct levers, Becroft said.

He still believed the office had made a huge difference for children, with his tenure being one of the greatest honours of my life.

Ive given it my all.

As to what next, he would figure that out after he finally took all the accumulated leave he had not taken over the last five years, he said.

The next Childrens Commissioner, Judge Frances Eivers, would start on November 1.

Originally posted here:

New Zealand belongs on 'international roll of shame' on children's wellbeing - Stuff.co.nz

Sport

21 Oct, 2021 04:00 PM4 minutes to read

LOVERACING.NZ's Liz Whelan takes a look at the last week of racing highlights. Video / LOVERACING.NZ

Punters could be in for an anxious watch if they back the two glamour girls of New Zealand racing in A$7million worth of races just 25 minutes apart tomorrow.

Because if Probabeel is going to win the A$5million Cox Plate in Melbourne or her stablemate Entriviere the A$2million Invitation in Sydney they are probably going to have to come from behind their elite Australian rivals to do so.

And one of their stablemates Imperatriz may have to attempt exactly the same as favourite just hours earlier in New Zealand's richest domestic race of a golden day of racing.

Probabeel is the best Kiwi chance in a star-studded Cox Plate that also includes the very in-form Callsign Mav but while the mare has the most successful Cox Plate barrier at 7 she is likely to settle midfield at best, meaning she is going to need to outfinish most of the superstars of Australasian weight-for-age racing.

"She is very well and as long as the rain holds off she will get her chance but we realise this is top level stuff," says trainer Jamie Richards.

"So she is going to need to be right at the top of her game and have some luck but she deserves her shot after her win last start."

That was when Probabeel shook up the Cox Plate market by beating long-time favourite Zaaki in the Might And Power Stakes at Caulfield.

Add that to the defeat of tomorrow's other favourite Verry Elleegant a week earlier and the Cox looks anything but the two-horse race is was being touted as a month ago.

But both Zaaki and Verry Elleegant should be better suited by showers forecast for Melbourne both Friday and Saturday and while Richards doesn't expect enough rain to force Probabeel out of the race, any easing of the track will aid the favourites.

With Zaaki set to roll forward and James McDonald back in the saddle he is still clearly the horse to beat and both the Kiwis will need to run up to their peak to get past him in what could be a vintage version of the great race.

If Entriviere runs up to her best then maybe she will be too good for what is not a daunting inaugural running of the Invitation at Randwick but she is still going to have to come from worse than midfield after starting from barrier nine.

Her supporters will be hoping for a genuine tempo over the 1400m and no traffic concerns so she can unleash the sprint which has made her one of New Zealand's most exciting gallopers. Remarkably is just 13 months ago today she made her winning debut at Matamata.

"Obviously we would have liked her to draw in a few spots closer," admits Richards.

"But she is spot on and with a few showers around Sydney she should be able to get her toe into the ground which she likes.

"So she will get her chance in what is a pretty exciting half an hour or so for the stable and the owners involved."Before then there is business to be taken care of at home where the $80,000 Soliloquy Stakes at Matamata, moved from Ellerslie because of Covid restrictions, is a crucial lead-up to next month's 1000 Guineas at Riccarton.

Imperatriz had looked freakish on occasions before racing below her best when third in the Gold Trial Stakes at Hastings last start and she will need to perform to a higher level to win tomorrow up against a very deep field of fillies.

"I think she is right back to where she was two starts ago but she has a wide draw which could mean we have to ride her patiently," says Richards. "If that happens she could go super and still not win because it is a tricky race."

The unbeaten Ziegfeld, Mustang Valley and Aris Aris have all done enough to suggest they could not only win tomorrow but the Guineas at Riccarton.

But local filly Bonny Lass will miss tomorrow's race and Riccarton after a slight setback this week.

The rest is here:

Horse racing: Why punters will be sweating over New Zealand glamour girls - New Zealand Herald

Nine weeks on, the Auckland outbreak has hit record levels, and continues to grow. The numbers tell a compelling story, writes Siouxsie Wiles. Data visualisations by Harkanwal Singh.

The Spinoffs ongoing coverage of Covid-19 relies on support from readers via Spinoff Members. Help us stay on the story by joining here.

This week, Aotearoa recorded its highest daily number of confirmed Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began. That number 94 is still minuscule by international standards, but dont let that fool you into a false sense of security. Lets look at the data and see what we can learn from it.

Looking at the data of when weve had community cases in New Zealand, we can see that for much of the pandemic our alert level restrictions and border controls have done a great job of eliminating Covid-19. Until August this year, there had been just over 2,800 confirmed cases and 26 deaths.

But since delta breached our defences in August, weve had more than 2,100 community cases of Covid-19, and two more deaths. Looking at the graph, we can see that the move to alert level four did a really good job of containing delta, but it didnt eliminate it. It looks like we got close. The sad thing is well never know if staying at level four for a couple more weeks would have done the job or whether the virus had already infected people who either cant or wont abide by the alert level restrictions.

Throughout the world weve seen what happens when Covid-19 and inequality collide. Now we are experiencing it for ourselves. Its clear that our response to date hasnt focused on addressing what makes some people and communities more vulnerable to Covid-19. Weve seen this in our vaccine rollout, in the way the wage subsidy is paid directly to employers instead of employees, in the lack of any significant increase in benefits, and in the focus on shovel ready recovery projects that have tended to provide jobs for men, despite more women being made unemployed because of the pandemic. On top of that, its likely this delta outbreak would also have played out quite differently if we had detected it earlier.

Throughout this pandemic, weve relied on people going and getting tested if they have any symptoms as the main way of detecting community transmission of Covid-19. Complacency was our enemy here. For the last few years, Ive been participating in the FluTracking survey. Each Monday morning, I get an email asking me about any symptoms Ive had over the previous week. Yesterday participants got an email telling us some of the findings from the data for this year. This is the statistic that really stood out to me: on average per week, less than a third of participants with fever and cough reported being tested for Covid-19.

There will be lots of reason for this but what is clear from the early cases identified at the start of this delta outbreak, there have been people with symptoms who thought that because there was no virus in the community in New Zealand they didnt need to get tested. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

The last thing the graph shows us is that the current outbreak is growing. Its growing slowly, but it is growing. The reason the growth is slow is because we have restrictions in place. How much cases continue to grow, how fast, and how Covid-19 will impact on our healthcare system depends entirely on when and how we lift the current restrictions and what level of vaccinations weve reached when we do. Ill say it now, but if we opt for some kind of Freedom Day regardless of reaching a really really high vaccination rate across the country and across different ethnicities, itll be carnage.

I think many people were probably shocked when we were told that Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in more than 120 suburbs across Auckland. But the wastewater data has been telling us a similar story. ESR are sampling wastewater from 22 sites across the Auckland region and testing it for fragments of the Covid-19 virus. They put their findings up online on a weekly basis. The data is really clear; detections of the virus have been increasing. If we just look at the last four weeks, weve gone from eight of those 22 sites testing positive for the virus to 14. And from the map you can see just how wide an area these positive sites cover.

That means regardless of where you live in Auckland, you may end up being exposed to Covid-19. So please, wear a mask while you are out and about, stick to the alert level three rules, and if you arent already vaccinated, get vaccinated. Remember, you arent fully vaccinated until two weeks after your second dose.

Stopping transmission of the virus relies on two important things. The first is identifying where a case got infected and then following the leads from there to identify any unknown cases and transmission chains. This is known as case investigation. Here in New Zealand, that case investigation has been helped by using genomic sequencing which can help link cases together by how related the sequences of the virus are to each other. The second thing that helps stop transmission is identifying people the case was in contact with during the time they were infectious and getting those people into isolation. This is what we know as contact tracing.

For most of this outbreak, Ministry of Health has been reporting the number of cases from the last 14 days that have not been linked to known cases. These are sometimes called mystery cases. During September these hovered at between five and 15 per day, as case investigations and genomic sequencing was able to link the cases to each other.

But since early October the number of unlinked cases has been steadily rising and that number is now approaching 200. Because delta moves so much faster and infects so many more people, the outbreak has put huge pressure on our public health units who do the contact tracing and case investigations. The focus has had to shift to stopping further transmission rather than investigating where cases came from. This just makes it all the more important that wherever you live, if you have any symptoms that could be Covid-19, please get tested.

The delta outbreak is affecting people of every age, with more than 1,200 people under the age of 30 having been infected. More than 40 of them have been hospitalised. In total, more than 170 people have been hospitalised during this outbreak. As cases grow, that number is going to grow, too. And its not as simple as prepping more ICU beds. Decades of under-funding means there is no slack in the system. So at some point soon, Covid-19 is going to have a massive impact on the ability of our healthcare system to provide care for non-Covid-related things.

The good news is that vaccines really are keeping people out of hospital. The majority of people who have been hospitalised have not been vaccinated. And while one dose offers some protection, its the people who are fully vaccinated that are most protected. As I said earlier, dont forget you arent fully protected until two weeks after your second dose.

To protect people from getting Covid-19, and to protect our hospitals from being overwhelmed, we need everyone to get vaccinated. Seriously. We need double doses to be up at over 95%. The data shows weve still got a way to go, especially in the under 30s.

Even if you are young and healthy, we all need you to get vaccinated. Our under 12s who cant get vaccinated need you to. As does everyone with cancer, or who is on dialysis. And everyone who is immunocompromised for whatever reason.

As Toby Morris and I have explained before, beating Covid-19 is a multi-player game and we all have our part to play. If you are still nervous about getting vaccinated, or know someone who is, hopefully this FAQ we put together can help.

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Siouxsie Wiles: What the data is telling us about New Zealands delta outbreak - The Spinoff

Keeping Scott Base Covid-19 free will cost an estimated $1 million, as people are required to spend 14 days in managed isolation before they fly to Antarctica.

About 280 people will visit the Ross Island research station during the 2021-22 season, including scientists and maintenance crew.

Those travelling to the ice will not stay in the same managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities used by returning Kiwis, with Antarctica New Zealand paying to use Southern Cross Lodge, in Methven, instead.

This is not an MIQ facility, a spokeswoman said.

READ MORE:* New Zealand's summer season in Antarctica begins as first group heads to the ice* Hundreds of personnel from international Antarctic programmes to go through MIQ* Covid-19: No changes for Antarctica NZ after cases at Chilean base* Coronavirus: Hotel sought for quarantining Antarctica workers before they head to the ice* US military in managed isolation in New Zealand ahead of Antarctica trip* Antarctica New Zealand's efforts to prevent Covid-19 from reaching the southern continent

Antarctica New Zealand is paying for this isolation. It is completely separate from the MIQ system.

International researchers who fly to Antarctica from Christchurch will use MIQ hotels when they first arrive in Christchurch though.

About 1500 people will enter New Zealand, including 1100 from the US Antarctic Program and about 400 from the Italian, Korean, French and German programmes.

ANTARCTICA NZ/SUPPLIED

An artists impression of what the $306m redeveloped Scott Base might look like.

This is less than half the total of a typical season, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

In a normal season, about 350 staff and scientists stayed at Scott Base, but last year it was about 90.

There were 36 projects planned in 2020-21 but only 12 went ahead. These included essential maintenance and preparatory work on the $306m Scott Base rebuild.

Eighteen Scott Base staff including engineers, tradies, and a shop and bar worker would be flown down this year, as well as contractors and the project team heading the redevelopment.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF

Antarctica New Zealand chief executive Sarah Williamson will be among those travelling to Scott Base during the 2021-22 season.

One of the main aims of Scott Base is to support science and 17 research projects will be carried out this year, including:

Antarctica New Zealands chief executive Sarah Williamson and two new board members would also visit the ice in the coming season.

Despite international efforts, Covid-19 did reach Antarctica last year when people connected with the Chilean Army base known as O'Higgins Base tested positive for the virus.

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New Zealand to spend $1m on isolation spots to keep Scott Base Covid-19 free - Stuff.co.nz

Kane Williamson's elbow niggle "flared up a little bit" earlier this week and there is a "chance" that the New Zealand skipper would end up missing matches during the T20 World Cup, head coach Gary Stead has revealed. Williamson was seen fielding in New Zealand's 13-run loss to England in a warm-up game on Wednesday but the Kiwi skipper didn't bat as a "precautionary measure," according to Stead.The coach said Williamson's elbow injury had "flared up a little bit" after the three-wicket loss to Australia in the first warm-up game on Monday.

The Kiwi skipper had hit a 30-ball 37. When asked whether Williamson might have to miss matches during the tournament, Stead, although optimistic, said "there's always that chance".

"We're still pretty hopeful and confident that if we get the rest right, initially here now, and get that balance right then he should be right to play," Stead was quoted as saying by 'stuff.co.nz'.

New Zealand open their campaign against Pakistan in Sharjah on Tuesday but play their other four Super 12 matches in the space of seven days between October October 31 to November 7 which leave little room for rest.

"Kane is a prodigious hitter of and balls, he loves to prepare that way as well, and in some ways that's probably the worst thing he can do, is over-hit at times.

"So it's really getting that balance right, between feeling ready and feeling prepared to go, and making sure we don't aggravate anything," Stead said.

Last week, Williamson had said that the recovery from the elbow problem, which has been bothering him for a while, has been slow.

He also divulged that the problem was impacting his batting as it affected his grip.

Talking about the team's performance, the coach said the side is likely to stick with the three-seamer and two-spinner bowling attack. New Zealand lost both its warm-up games in the run-up to the tournament.

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"We've had that balance for quite a while and I think it's still the right balance for most of the conditions here as well," he said.

"We'll weigh up what we think around Sharjah in particular and if we think there needs to be anything different there for that first game against Pakistan, but that's a little way down the track," he added.

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T20 World Cup: New Zealand Coach Gives Update On Kane Williamson's Elbow Injury - NDTV Sports