Category Archives: New Zealand

Every year it's a race against time for Hop farmers and brewers as they attempt to make beer only found in New Zealand.

Nestled away in Tasman, Hop Farm Brewery are running a complex operation.

The team produce very unique beers made with fresh hop flowers, often just hours after theyre picked.

Freestyle Hops Director David Dunbar told 1News, hops are so like any other flowers, once its picked its not going to last for very long and its really important that we treat those flowers carefully because theyre not being dried, theyre not being preserved in any way so we have to be very gentle in terms of getting them to a brewery.

The flowers are picked in Nelson and immediately flown to Wellington where they're taken to Parrot Dog Brewery.

Matt Eats, sales manager at craft beer shop Beer Jerks, told 1News they have a completely different characteristic.

"So you're getting all of those wet hop compounds that are going in, they produce a completely different flavour profile and we're really lucky that New Zealand hop farmers allow us to do this because it creates a product that's unique in the world.

Only New Zealanders get to drink these kinds of beers and they only get to drink them now, Eats says.

Within 48 hours, the flowers are ready to be made into fresh hop beer.

Sadly, the annual Bar Hop to taste test the beers is cancelled due to Covid-19 but they can still be ordered online to be enjoyed at home.

Here is the original post:

A beer produced only in NZ has flowers as the main ingredient - 1News

Its midnight in Lviv and Mike Seawright is in a hotel room, having given up the couch he slept on last night.

The New Zealander has been in Ukraine for two days, having crossed the Romanian border on foot then travelled by car to begin providing desperately needed aid to the Ukrainian people.

Thursday night, his first in the country, he was put up by locals. Now the couch is needed for their elderly parent displaced from Kyiv who left with nothing.

What sort of humanitarian would make a grandmother sleep on the floor?

READ MORE:* Russian artillery fire halts second attempt to evacuate civilians from Ukrainian city* The Cook Islands resort that is banning Russians* Ukraine under attack: How can New Zealanders help the people of Ukraine

DAVID WHITE/STUFF

ReliefAids Mike Seawright, warzone aid worker.

Its a rare light comment from Seawright who says hes been floored by what hes seen so far both in Ukraine and at its borders.

Its a statement with particular gravitas because the director of ReliefAid, which specialises in offering humanitarian help to those stuck in war zones, has seen a lot. For the past two decades he and his team have been working in conflict zones, delivering aid to more than 250,000 people.

He was heading to oversee operations in Syria when he changed course to Ukraine. There, he will be providing blankets and supplies to the thousands of displaced people sheltering in kindergartens and schools in freezing conditions, and recruiting staff to administer medical treatment.

Ukranians are doing a massive amount to help themselves, but they need help.

If donations and funding allows, his team of volunteers will also supply kits to people in the country's hotspots like Mariupol where a hospital was attacked and days of shelling have largely cut residents off from the outside world, forcing them to scavenge for food and water.

Some cannot leave and some will not leave...well be providing things, plastic, to cover blown-in windows, solar lamps and water containers.

MIKE SEAWRIGHT

Ukranians have been flocking to the Romanian border where some are waiting days to cross into safety.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, on orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Millions of people have fled the country and the UN has confirmed 549 civilian deaths, including 37 children. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher and a further 908 people have been injured.

Because hes only been in the country a few days, most of Seawrights observations come from what hes witnessed at the Romanian border, something he describes as a horrendous tidal wave of humanity.

The line of cars on the day he crossed stretched back three kilometres.

Thousands of people are crossing by foot, carrying children and pets. The dogs and the people are sitting out in snow, it would have been one or two degrees at most.

I heard of drivers waiting three days in their car. You think of that in practical terms: toileting, food, warmth. Forget comfort, how do you meet the basics of life?

A fenced corridor running between Romania and Ukraine is jammed with people waiting to get through. On the day Seawright crossed he and two others were the only ones heading against the flow.

Youre passing 80-year-old grandparents. I saw one woman with a 2- or 3-month-old baby crying in a pram. What is she going to do for 10 hours at the border?

MIKE SEAWRIGHT

More than 1000 Ukrainians have volunteered at this charity centre helping displaced families.

What was most noticeable was the emotions of those both waiting to cross and finally getting to the other side where aid organisations have set up.

The fear and the tension is palpable, you can literally see it on their faces, some are crying, many are stoic, but you can tell theyre just holding on.

Once in Romania people are weary, exhausted and grateful.

They're alive and if nothing else, survived an arduous journey, but their life will be uncertain now, and yet they're relieved.

Well-versed at operating in war zones, Seawright says the speed of the Ukranian displacement has shocked him. The UN estimates more than 5 million people could be moving in the next weeks if the war continues. He also says the world is yet to see how aid workers will be treated by Russia.

Experience has shown us they are deliberately and systematically targetted in Syria. Our offices have been bombed, two staff killed by snipers and aid convoys targeted. It starts with attacking hospitals and schools which is what were seeing in Ukraine.

Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

An injured pregnant woman in the Mariupol maternity hospital attacked by Russian forces.

For now the ReliefAid team has enough money to get its operations started and are hoping New Zealanders will support them with donations. Anyone who does can be assured theyll be directly assisting people who desperately need help.

Seawright urges those who cant donate to make a noise.

Scream to your MP, scream on social media, conduct a social boycott, do whatever, but speak out because this is unacceptable.

If we don't say anything nothing gets done. The war needs to stop to end the humanitarian crisis.

A Givealittle page has been set up to support ReliefAids work in Ukraine. If youd like to donate, click on this link.

Read the rest here:

'Scream to your MP': New Zealand aid worker pledges to help Ukranians - Stuff

Last updated: 9March 2022

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The following vaccines are currently available in New Zealand. They have been provisionally approved after a thorough assessment, and must give Medsafe ongoing data and reporting to show that they meet international standards.

Pfizer vaccine for people aged 12 years or older as a primary vaccination course, and for people aged 18 years or older as a primary course and as a booster.

How the Pfizer vaccine works

Pfizer paediatric (child) vaccine for children aged 5 years to 11-years-old as a primary vaccination course.

Children and the COVID-19 vaccine

AstraZeneca vaccine for use in people aged 18 years or older as a primary vaccination course or as a booster dose, with a prescription.

About AstraZeneca

Novavax has been approvedfor primary coursesfor ages 18 and over. It's a two-dose protein subunit vaccine.

About Novavax

Medsafe has granted provisional approval ofJanssenfor primary courses and boosters for ages 18 and over.

Provisional approval does not mean Janssenhave beencommitted forusein New Zealand. Medsafes provisional approval is the first step, with further consideration required by Cabinet on options for its use.

Janssen is a single-doseviral vector vaccine.

Provisional approval was included in the Medicines Act so people in New Zealand can get early access to medicines if its to meet an urgent clinical need.

It allows a vaccine to be used with conditions in place. This restricts how the vaccine is used by health professionals depending on the supporting data available at the time.

COVID-19 vaccines have been given provisional approval in New Zealand because data to support the longer-term safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines is not yet available.

After a vaccine is provisionally approved further consideration is required by Cabinet on whether to use this vaccine. Only then can the vaccine be used in New Zealand.

Medsafe isNew Zealands medicines safety authority. It evaluates applications for all new medicines, including vaccines, to make sure they meet international standards and local requirements.

COVID-19 vaccines are being held to the same standards and requirements as all vaccines before they get full approval.

Medsafe will only recommend a medicine is approved to use in New Zealand if it meets these standards. If approval is granted, it will either be full approval under section 20 of the Medicines Act 1981, or provisional approval under section 23.

Medsafe focuses on three key areas when assessing a vaccine:

Its assessment includes looking at:

Were moving quickly to make sure New Zealand gets the best protection against COVID-19, but this doesnt mean cutting any corners.

Medsafe has made changes to its vaccine assessment and approval process so its more efficient. Medsafe has been:

The Pfizer vaccine (Comirnaty) has been provisionally approved (with conditions) for use in New Zealand.

This means its been formally approved after a thorough assessment, but Pfizer must give Medsafe ongoing data and reporting to show that it meets international standards.

The process Medsafe went through to assess whether the Pfizer vaccine could be approved to use in New Zealand.

Medsafe COVID-19 vaccine evaluation and approval processMedsafe COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring process

If any of the COVID-19 vaccines arriving into New Zealand contain a new organism, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) will be involved. Theyll need to approve the import, development and field testing or release under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (HSNO Act).

EPA have a rapid approval pathway for any vaccines that are, or contain, new organisms which includes genetically modified organisms. They can look at applications at pace where needed and are working with Medsafe and Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in preparation for the vaccines.

Environmental Protection Agency New organisms

See the article here:

COVID-19 vaccines available in New Zealand - Ministry of Health

Opinion: The Prime Ministers comments that the protest occupation of parliament was unprecedented and not the way we do things shows an ignorance of history.

The image of our country as long unified and harmonious is far from the truth, you only have to look back on our long list of violent confrontations which go back centuries.

Tribal wars graduated into Land Wars, and its been every few years since that our country hasnt witnessed some sort of ground-shaping strike, lockout, occupation or full scale riot which escalated to violence.

And every time the government of the day has come out punching, claiming the mob and rabble have all been inspired by criminal elements, communists, or overtaken by imported ideologies.

READ MORE:* Politicians call for 'accountability' in wake of riot, but from where and from who?* Flashback: US wartime invasion had racist side* Battle of Manners St: US wartime invasion had racist side

One of our most destructive riots was the Queen Street Depression Riots of April 1932, where shop windows all along Aucklands main shopping street were all smashed in by a berserk crowd of thousands.

The mood in New Zealand leading up was ugly, with huge sections of the population stricken by unemployment and poverty brought on by the Great Depression.

Hundreds got injured in the fighting, and when the police got hemmed in near the Town Hall, looters ran through Queen St smashing windows and raiding jewellery stores and any other shop worth pillaging.

ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY/Stuff

Union marchers clash with police at the intersection of Cuba Street and Dixon Street, Wellington, taken May 3, 1951 during the Waterfront Strike.

Only marching sailors presenting fixed bayonets around the city streets managed to quell the riot that evening, but the following day it was Karangahape Rds turn to get all its windows smashed in. Only mounted Specials repeatedly charging into the crowds and smashing in heads with long truncheons managed to finally disperse the so-called mob.

The following month of that angry autumn, it was Wellingtons turn, the ugly mob angrily protesting in front of parliament before rampaging down Lambton Quay where they smashed every window they could.

Despite the government of the day saying the riots were caused by a small communist-inspired element, the big Inquiry that followed explained the dissatisfaction in society at the time as stemming from high unemployment (it noted the majority of rioters were New Zealand-born), the skilled new arrivals which had taken their jobs, and the increasing number of women who were entering the workforce.

A report in the New York Times, written by their reporter who happened to be visiting at the time, gave some idea of the tension which pervaded at the time; It was hard to estimate how far New Zealand came to open rebellion at this time, but one thing is patently clear, the tenseness of the situation was foremost in the minds of government officials.

Des Woods/Stuff

Soldiers from Burnham Military Camp erect barbed wire fencing at the Lancaster Park South ground in preparation for the rugby test against the Springboks on Saturday. August 13, 1981.

Causes of riots where people vent their frustrations can be many and varied.

The Springbok Tour made us examine our ties to an apartheid regime. Another full scale street battle was the 1943 Battle of Manners St, when hundreds and hundreds of US and NZ servicemen and civilians slugged it out in downtown Wellington over the night of April 3, a time when some 25,000 US troops were stationed in this country.

Right from the start, it was a classic clash of culture, many Kiwis grating the governments decision to allow such huge number of US servicemen to be stationed here. New Zealand men referred to their US counterparts as bedroom commandos, which wasnt far wrong at least 1500 Kiwi women ended up marrying US servicemen from that time.

The big brawl started when racist southern state US servicemen objected to Maori serviceman coming into the Allied Services Bar. Set on by both New Zealand troops and civilians alike, nearly all of whom were Pakeha, the brawl escalated to take over the entire street with over 500 involved in hard out combat.

Two American servicemen were reportedly killed, with scores seriously injured on both sides.

Once again, the government made sure it hardly got reported, the fatalities released as unconfirmed. The issue of US troops here was sensitive, and got people riled up, even if they were supposed to protecting us.

FAIRFAX NZ/Stuff

Maori Warden Hine Grindlay holds hands with a peace group as she tries to stop the 1984 Queen St Riot.

Another notable civil disturbance involving thousands of rioters was the Queen St riots of December 1984, which erupted out of the DD Smash and Herbs concert Thank God its Over! celebrating the end of the academic year.

After Herbs performed, and lead act DD Smash were coming on, the power went out. The 10, 000-strong crowd grew agitated as they waited and waited for the problem to be fixed, throwing things at the policemen who slowly but surely had surrounded the crowd.

Soon after DD Smash lead singer Dave Dobbyn called out I wish those riot squad guys would stop w**king and put their short batons away, the concert promoters came on to say the concert was cancelled at the request of the police. Thats when the place just exploded, the resulting rampage down Queen St causing millions of dollars of property damage, upturned cars, broken bottles and rubbish everywhere.

Since that event, police learnt that their straight in strong arm approach did not necessarily work with crowds capable of exponentially escalating their uncivil behaviour.

Once again back then, the government blamed it a small fringe criminal element working to their own agenda, with nothing to do with police brutality or tactics.

One man who patently understood the just-under-the-surface disaffectedness of New Zealanders was then Labour Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer. Back in 1990, he introduced his Bill of Rights Act in Parliament as a safeguard to protect New Zealanders against the unbridled power of future governments, at the time saying; It is unlikely that there will be a wholesale disregard of human rights in New Zealand in the foreseeable future, but we cannot afford to wait until rights disappear before we take action, because it will be too late by that stage.

It could be argued that with these latest protests there is again a high level of dissatisfaction, especially in the provinces, a time when people have an underlying sense of being not listened to.

MONIQUE FORD/Stuff

Protesters spray police with fire extinguishers during the Parliament riot last month.

We may have survived the first stage of the pandemic reasonably unscathed, but who couldnt but note the government-inspired vilification of anyone who has dared to disagree with the mandates.

And if thew Government hasnt noticed, things have been simmering in the so-called team of five million.

The skint poor have been watching the rich get richer, struggling businesses have all but been wiped out by mandates, skilled people losing their jobs to them, expat Kiwis facing the near-impossible MIQ lottery to come home, families forced to accept their old people dying alone, the groundswell of aggrieved farmers fed up with everything from diesel king cab tax to never ending compliance issues, 1080 depriving families of clean game, even shore netters sore they are not allowed to set their nets anymore.

All of these restrictions imposed without any meaningful consultation. Exactly the way Three Waters and local democracy reforms are being foisted on us.

For the Government to claim the latest protests have gone beyond the pale advocating executions of politicians is pure bunkin. Look what happened outside the Auckland Town Hall on Bastille Day (July 14) 2012, when 10 city blocks of protestors (mobilised by Aotearoa Not for Sale) turned up to see the guillotining of an effigy of PM John Key. Believe it or not, this sort of thing happens all the time when people get angry.

Its time the Government came off its high-horse and started a dialogue with all the factions of the disaffected. Labelling them ferals and a river of filth is nothing short of an epic fail and does not address the real problems bubbling away under the surface.

Read more from the original source:

Violent clashes an integral part of New Zealand's history - Stuff

New Zealand and Australian delegations will return to Gallipoli on Anzac Day this year.

The dawn service at the Anzac Commemorative Site in Gallipoli in 2018. Photo: NZDF

The pandemic has stopped formal Australasian commemorations in Turkey for the last two years.

Veterans' Minister Meka Whaitiri will attend next month's service.

She will also visit the Mori Contingent P site at Number 1 Outpost, as well as Shrapnel Valley, Beach Cemetery, and Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery where some of the fiercest fighting took place.

"The Government acknowledges the collaborative work that New Zealand and Australian officials have undertaken with Turkish authorities to be able to bring us back together to once again commemorate Anzac Day at Gallipoli. We very much appreciate the ongoing generous support provided by the Turkish authorities that allows us to commemorate at Gallipoli in a safe and respectful way", Whaitiri said in a statement.

She said Anzac Day in Gallipoli is a significant part of the national day of remembrance and has been keenly missed by those who had expected to take part but could not.

Returned Services Association president BJ Clark said the Gallipoli services are unforgettable - like those who fought there.

"Sitting there at some unearthly time in the morning in the cold and the dark and remembering the service of those who'd come on to the peninsula - it was quite eerie, it was quite special."

BJ Clark said Covid will likely restrict numbers at Aotearoa's Anzac Day services next month.

All commemorations will be held within the Turkish Covid-19 guidance at the time and attendees will be encouraged to follow appropriate public health measures.

The rest is here:

New Zealanders and Australians to return to Gallipoli on Anzac Day this year - RNZ

This is how Jay keeps himself busy - not on the couch or the computer but in the bush reloading pest traps near his house in Piha.

"I tried out mayonnaise for a bit, they didn't seem to like it as much," he says.

The 11-year-old is a keen conservationist and knows our native species are in trouble.

"I'd really like to see our native birds everywhere again. Like have tuatara in the wood stack, and kiwi dashing across the trails at night," he says.

He's so determined to make it happen he's come up with some of his own creative designs to get rid of unwanted critters.

"My favourite one was the droppable thermal detection camera, and basically you would drop it from a helicopter and it would spring open, and it would put 1080-infused yoghurt out and then the pests would eat it hopefully," he says.

There's also the venus fly trap-inspired flower trap. One for feral cats too, with a built-in microchip scanner to release any family pets caught by mistake.

He's sent the blueprints off to the Department of Conservation (DoC), hoping he can help them reach the Predator Free 2050 goal.

"It's just awesome to see young people so passionate about biodiversity [and] really engaged in finding solutions," says DoC electronics team manager Grant Redvers.

The team's planning a Zoom session with Jay and want to pick his brain for other ideas.

"Some of the concepts he was thinking about were really in line with what some of our engineers working in this field are thinking about so he's spot on," Redvers says.

"It would be cool to have something which is similar to some of my ideas," Jay adds.

He's started by keeping his backyard predator-free. One trap at a time.

Excerpt from:

11yo Piha boy designs his own pest traps to protect New Zealand's native species - Newshub

Display Photo & Video

Cantabrian Dean Davis will be heading to Fort Worth, Texas next week to compete in the Steak Cookoff Association (SCA) World Championship.

Well done is not a phrase in Dean Davis vocabulary at least not when it comes to steak.

Cantabrian Davis is heading to Fort Worth, Texas to fly the New Zealand flag in the Steak Cookoff Association (SCA) World Championship from Thursday to Sunday.

He is one of two Kiwis that will be representing Aotearoa on the world stage against some of the worlds top barbecuing talent, after qualifying by winning two New Zealand based competitions and receiving a golden ticket invitation to compete.

This is the eighth year of the competition and the SCAs largest World Championship to date.

READ MORE:* Kiwi teen is one of the world's best steak cooks - and he's sharing his tips* Christchurch chef heading to Texas after winning steak-cooking competition* The AM Show's Mark Richardson makes Duncan Garner honour vegan vow

Being able to cook a perfectly medium-rare steak is the bare minimum by the competition's judging criteria, which assesses marble, flavour, final appearance, texture and more to decide which steak is the best cooked steak in the world.

Davis began competing in barbecue just two years ago after discovering the New Zealand steak-cooking community on Facebook.

He came dead last in his first ever steak-cooking competition, but refused to be deterred.

I was gutted... it gave me a boot up the arse.

Display Photo & Video

Grill or sear marks are an important part of the steak-cooking judging criteria.

His next steak-cooking event resulted in him earning a solid second place, before securing two first places and thereby guaranteeing his invitation to the United States for the world champs.

Youve got to back yourself. If you come last, you come last.

Davis has been barbecuing over hot coals since he was seven years old.

This will be his first time in the States. He said he was looking forward to exploring Texas, the home of barbecue, during any downtime he has around the competition.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff

Davis was given his golden ticket to attend the World Championships after winning a local competition.

He was also so cautious of becoming infected with Covid-19 (he needed to return a negative test before leaving) that he took his children out of school a week out from his departure.

He isolated himself for weeks leading up to his flight.

Ive been so paranoid... Ive tested myself twice a day for the past week.

While Covid-19 had made things difficult, Davis was still grateful to be able to attend the competition, and noted that many other New Zealand cooks, who wouldve travelled in normal times, were unable to go.

Returning his final negative test before departing would turn all the feelings of nerves into excitement, he said.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff

A first place at a New Zealand Steak Cookoff Association competition earns one a golden ticket.

Davis raised money to get himself to Texas, including by running a barbecue masterclass at the Woodend Tavern in North Canterbury and selling branded caps and hoodies.

Hes also sponsored by Silver Fern Farms, who donated ribeye steaks for Davis to practice with, the same variety that will be cooked at the competition.

I couldnt do it without the support, he said.

Its the 2nd best feeling after winning Lotto.

New Zealands two representatives at the World Championships are both from Canterbury.

Davis and Troy Bilbrough of popular fast food joint Bacon Brothers will represent New Zealand.

Continue reading here:

New Zealand barbecue champion takes his grill skills to global competition - Stuff

Niue, one of the only countries to remain Covid-free throughout the pandemic, has recorded its first case of the virus.

The person, a traveller from New Zealand, arrived on a flight on Monday.

They are now in quarantine.

Brook Sabin/Stuff

The tiny Pacific Island country of Niue has recorded its first-ever Covid case. (File photo)

The person was double vaccinated and boosted and had returned a negative PCR test and rapid antigen tests prior to boarding their flight, a statement from the office of premier Dalton Tagelagi said.

READ MORE:* Covid-19: Cook Islands records first community case* Covid-19: Risk of Delta-variant to Niue low as government considers flight cancellations* Countries with no Covid-19 cases: The places that avoided coronavirus completely (so far) * Covid-19: Niue reaches herd immunity, with 97pc of eligible population vaccinated

On the flight were 26 other passengers, who also tested negative prior to departure.

Niue Government/Supplied

Niue's premier Dalton Tagelagi says the countrys high vaccination rate is a point in its favour. (File photo)

Niue, which has a population of just under 2000, vaccinated 97 per cent of its eligible population in 2021.

Our extremely high vaccination rate is another factor in our favour, as it slows the spread of transmission and reduces the health impacts in those who do contract this virus, the statement said.

All officials that are deemed to have come in close contact with the case are currently in isolation and will be closely monitored and tested according to protocol.

The other passengers had returned a negative Covid-19 test in Niue, but would be monitored and retested on day 3, the statement said.

We have expected this virus, we have prepared for it, and we are ready to contain its spread. We have remained vigilant; we have caught this case and now I ask you to remain vigilant too.

As we all know, the best defence against this virus is by keeping calm, working together, and making use of all the health and safety precautions that we know make a real difference in protecting us all from Covid-19.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are just eight other countries that have not reported any Covid-19 cases most of them in the Pacific.

The others are Tuvalu, Tokelau, Saint Helena, Pitcairn Islands, Nauru, Federated States of Micronesia, Turkmenistan and North Korea but officials have doubts about the veracity of the last twos claims.

Read more:

Niue reports its first-ever case of Covid-19, a traveller from New Zealand - Stuff

When your opponent has a historically bad performance and a player scores an unheard-of three own goals, how do you evaluate a win?

That is the question for the United States women's national team and coach Vlatko Andonovski, who beat New Zealand 5-0 in the SheBelieves Cup on Sunday with the help of Kiwi defender Meikayla Moore, who was credited with three own goals.

Moore's goals were the USWNT's first three before the New Zealand center-back was substituted in just the 40th minute, setting up an easy win before the Americans had really even earned it. In truth, the 2-0 score without the own goals may have been a better representation of how the match actually played out: the USWNT were a step off throughout the first half, but found their footing and scored twice in the second.

- Murray: Rodman, Smith headline USWNT players to watch at SheBelieves- Carlisle: USWNT fails to click against Czechs, but shows promise for future- WATCH: SheBelieves Cup on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+

Moore's 50th cap started to unravel in just the fifth minute when forward Sophia Smith whipped a ball into the box and Moore tried to block it, but the ball skipped off her shin into the net from a wide angle. One minute later, full-back Sofia Huerta came from the opposite right side for a similar cross intended for Catarina Macario, but it knocked off the face of an unsuspecting Moore and in.

Only in the 36th minute did Moore make an obvious error: as Midge Purce whipped a short, skipping ball into the box, Moore's swipe to clear the ball was ill-timed, causing her to kick it into goal rather than toward the sideline as intended.

Three own goals scored by one player in a single match, let alone a single half, is exceedingly rare. ESPN Stats & Information couldn't find any other examples that weren't part of a deliberate protest in any recent major competitions. Stan Van Den Buys was credited with three own goals in a Belgian league match in 1995, but video footage shows one of them wasn't actually an own goal.

"This is a game and own goals are part of the game -- it just happens," Andonovski said. "It's unfortunate that it happened to the same player, but she's incredible and I actually thought her positioning was very well -- it's just unlucky sometimes."

1:13

Meikayla Moore commits three first-half own goals as the USWNT takes a 3-0 lead over New Zealand into halftime.

Andonovski, who has been using this SheBelieves Cup to evaluate new players that could be the USWNT's stars of tomorrow, insists that his side deserves credit for the moments that led to the own goals. He said: "Even though they were own goals, if you look at the way we built up to come to those opportunities, to come into the areas to create those goals, it was very good."

The USWNT did, however, struggle to generate clear-cut chances in the first half. By the time the USWNT found itself ahead 2-0, the Americans had not even registered a shot on target and they had only generated 0.11 in expected goals, or xG, which is an advanced stat that measures the likelihood of a chance resulting in a goal. When the second half finished with the USWNT up 3-0, they still only had .71 xG in seven shots, one of them on target.

In other words, the USWNT weren't dominating in front of goal, as much as the score made it look that way. New Zealand had just been very unlucky in a couple moments and sloppy in another. But, even if precision may not have been there in the first half for the USWNT, aggression was, and the Americans constantly put New Zealand under pressure, which played a crucial role in the result going the way it did.

"We all understand this is a process," Andonovski said. "It's not like, 'Oh, now we scored five goals and all the sudden we're so good.' No, we still have a lot of areas to build on and grow in."

Only in the second half did the USWNT seem to find their rhythm, and Ashley Hatch scored a splendid header that looked familiar for those who watched any of her Golden Boot-winning season last year in the National Women's Soccer League. In the 51st minute, Huerta picked her head up from the midfield and seemed to pick out Hatch, who had nestled between the center-backs -- Hatch rose up and clinically headed it inside the near post.

"We've been working on swinging the ball around our outside backs and our wingers, and making sure we're available in the box," Hatch said.

Ashley Sanchez, in her first USWNT start, and Huerta each stood out for their chance creation and both earned an assist. Sanchez, who at one point wowed the crowd by dancing past a defender hugging the slideline, recorded .20 expected assists, or xA. Huerta, who had the second-most touches of any player on the field and was all over, managed an xA of .26, the most of any player.

Mallory Pugh, who has been on the outs with the USWNT since the 2019 World Cup, capped off the scoring in the 93rd minute, racing behind on a breakaway and beating goalkeeper Erin Nayler one-on-one for a sweet finish. It was Pugh's 19th goal in 69 appearances.

The second half was likely what Andonovski was hoping to see after a disappointing, lackluster 0-0 draw to the Czech Republic on Thursday. In that game, the U.S. struggled with chance creation and was sloppy in the final third. But against New Zealand, the Americans were certainly better on the ball and they were better off of it too, making smarter runs to find seams within the box.

The USWNT also looked more aggressive than days earlier against the Czech Republic. The midfield players sat higher and attacked more, and the Americans were keen to play more direct and test New Zealand more, whipping the balls into the box that did turn into those own goals.

"We tried to put the ball into spaces where, no matter who touches it, it's gonna go into the goal and it's really hard to defend," Purce said.

The Americans finished the match with 19 shots and 2.64 xG compared to New Zealand's six shots and 0.41 xG, and their win reflected the dominance they enjoyed overall.

The starting lineup on Sunday skewed slightly older than Thursday's group, but it was less experienced, averaging just 36 caps per player. That number was inflated by the presence of defender Becky Sauerbrunn, who made her 201st cap on Sunday, as Andonovski made six changes Sunday to his starting lineup that faced the Czech Republic.

"We want to win every game, we want to win every tournament, but right now the development of this group of players is what is taking priority," Andonovski said.

Although it came from an own goal, the USWNT's first goal snapped a 181-minute shutout streak, which is a rather long scoring drought for a team that has historically been used to dominating opponents but has struggled lately.

The goalless draw on Thursday was the fifth time the USWNT had failed to score in their last 13 matches going back to the start of the Olympics. The Americans were held scoreless only four times in their previous 120 matches dating back to the 2015 World Cup.

Trinity Rodman came off after a knee injury in the 81st minute, but Andonovski said it didn't look serious. Rose Lavelle was held back from the game for a minor injury as well with Andonovski calling her absence precautionary.

The talking point from Sunday may continue to be the rare hat trick of own goals from New Zealand and the helping hand it provided the USWNT. But as the USWNT still looks to be recovering from a Tokyo Olympics where they struggled, and this summer's World Cup/Olympic qualification inches closer, a five-goal win and the major confidence boost it provides is nothing to ignore either.

The USWNT will have one more SheBelieves Cup game to evaluate where the team is at when they face Iceland on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2.

Here is the original post:

What the USWNT learned from New Zealand win despite Meikayla Moore's 3 own goals - ESPN

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said Covid-19 restrictions, including mandates and vaccine passes, will begin to lift once the country gets well beyond the Omicron outbreaks peak.

At a post-cabinet press conference on Monday, Ardern said case numbers were likely to peak in mid-to-late March, or three to six weeks away. Case numbers were expected to double every three to four days.

Its likely then, that very soon, we will all know people who have Covid or we will potentially get it ourselves, she said.

Ardern said at an earlier stage of the pandemic, this prospect would have been scary, but now there are three main reasons why it is less so: the highly vaccinated population; Omicron being a mild to moderate illness due to high vaccination rates and boosters making hospitalisation 10 times less likely; and public health measures like masks, gathering limits and vaccine passes slowing down the spread to ensure everyone who needs a hospital bed can get it.

So far, that plan is working. We had 46 cases per 100,000 people compared to 367 in New South Wales, and 660 in Victoria, at the same point in the outbreak.

The country recorded 2,365 new cases of the virus in the community on Monday, 116 people in hospital and two further deaths, bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 55.

After the Omicron wave peaks, there will probably be a rapid decline, followed by cases stabilising at a lower level, Arden said. It is then that government can consider easing public health measures, beginning with loosening restrictions on gathering sizes, and later, moving on from using vaccine passes and mandates where vulnerable people are less likely to be affected.

If we hadnt had vaccine passes, as we managed Delta, we would have had to instead use more general restrictions across the whole population. They have always been the least bad option. But while they have been necessary, as Ive always said, they have also been temporary.

They will remain important in some areas though, for some time, she said.

Arden said it is difficult to set an exact date for easing mandates, but indicated the government needs to be confident New Zealand is well beyond the peak and that the pressure on the health system is manageable.

The announcement comes as hundreds of anti-mandate protesters enter their 14th day of occupying parliaments grounds. The protest has also operated as a vehicle for anti-vaccine sentiment, QAnon-style conspiracy theories, antisemitic views, and calls for the execution of journalists, politicians and health officials.

Ardern directed a message to the protesters: Everyone is over Covid. No one wants to live with rules or restrictions. But had we not all been willing to work together to protect one another, then we all would have been worse off as individuals, including losing people we love.

That hasnt happened here for the most part and that is a fact worth celebrating, rather than protesting.

Restrictions will ease when doing so would not compromise the lives of thousands of people, and not because the protesters demanded it, Ardern said.

Now is not the time to dismantle our hard work and preparation, to remove our armour just as the battle begins.

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New Zealand will lift Covid restrictions only when well beyond peak, Jacinda Ardern says - The Guardian