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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Elle Hunt in Wellington

Cabinet in New Zealand to review Covid settings next week – as it happened

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will give a Covid alert level update for Auckland and the rest of the country
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will give a Covid alert level update for Auckland and the rest of the country Photograph: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

This blog is now closed. You can read more about Jacinda Ardern’s coronavirus lockdown decision here, and the report on today’s earthquakes and tsunami here. Thanks for reading

Lockdown to lift in Auckland

That’s the end of the press conference.

To recap:

  • Auckland will move to alert level 2 at 6am on Sunday, with some exceptions (under the Health Act) for contacts of confirmed cases – or those who might have been exposed to the virus at the gym
  • The rest of the country will move to alert level 1 at the same time
  • Cabinet will review Auckland’s settings next week; any shifts down will happen before the weekend
  • There are no new Covid-19 cases in the community or in managed isolation

That concludes our coverage of this really very full day here in New Zealand – happily, with good news.

Thank you for following along with our coverage, and TGIF.

America’s Cup sailing will resume on Wednesday, while cricket, netball and rugby can finally put tickets on sale for their big events on Sunday, Stuff reports.

Ardern says she “absolutely” felt the first earthquake. Her first thought was “Bugger it”, she says.

Kiri Allan chips in: “She sent me a text message to make sure I was going to be doing my job. 2.29am!”

Emergency management minister Kiri Allan is back to talk about the tsunami response. She says the call to cancel the alert was made when it became apparent that “there was no longer a risk to life”.

She’s facing questions about the notification system, specifically the civil-defence text alerts sent to people’s phones. These were received by thousands of people at different times, but Allan says it is not yet known whether this could have been improved upon.

“Those are strictly targeted and have been targeted, again, based on the science available as to those who were most at risk of losing life. That was not meant to be a carte blanche notification to all.”

She says she is by and large satisfied that people knew what to do, as a result of the overall management strategy, but that the government would be “looking to stress-test the system over the next few days”.

Both she and prime minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledge that the first two of the three earthquakes were “disconnected”, one recording off the East Coast of the North Island and one close to the Kermadec islands – requiring different responses.

Allan says there has been no reports of concerning or substantive damage as a result of the earthquakes. Now that the alert has been cancelled government teams can look into it more closely, she says.

Ardern says it was the right decision to lift the three-day lockdown in Auckland earlier in February before reinstating level-three restrictions at the end of the month.

Ardern is asked if she will apologise to Case L, a coronavirus case who says she was not told to self-isolate by the government and that Ardern’s comments about her case led to her to be bullied on social media.

Ardern says now (as she has earlier) that she will not apologise but that it was never her intention to create a pile-on.

Another exception: on Sunday, church services can proceed only with fewer than 100 attendees.

Ardern interrupts questioning of Bloomfield over the invocation of the Health Act to say that the requirements of New Zealanders under its coronavirus response “are by and large very well understood”.

She says she does not believe anyone who broke level-three restrictions set out to do wrong, and that she has not seen any benefit in continuing a “back-and-forth” over individual cases over this past week.

Ardern adds that there have always been breaches of New Zealand’s lockdown. “By and large the country has done exceptionally well – but we’ve never had an experience that’s been perfect.”

There are some exceptions to the restriction levels lifting, says director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield.

People who attended the City Fitness gym (the site of the most recent significant exposure event, a week ago) and those who have been told by Auckland regional public health teams that they are a casual-plus, close or casual contact of a confirmed case.

These people are required to isolate at their usual home, report for and undergo medical testing at a time and place specified by a medical officer of health, and remain isolated until they receive further information.

Bloomfield clarifies this is a “specific legal requirement”, compelling these individuals under section 70 of the Health Act.

Ardern: “We may not be in the devastating position that much of the rest of the world finds itself in, but an elimination strategy can still feel like hard work. It is completely natural to feel fatigued. Covid is hard work for everyone. Thank you for pushing forward once again.”

Auckland lockdown lifts on Sunday

Ardern says the government’s response has been overly cautious given the unpredictable and highly transmissible nature of the UK variant of coronavirus.

“Level three provided us with an extra layer of security while we addressed the unknowns and reduced the risk.”

Auckland will go to level two at 6am on Sunday. The rest of the country will go to level one at the same time.

Jacinda Ardern begins by pointing to case numbers in France and elsewhere overseas: “I know here in New Zealand we take none of what we have for granted, not least because so many of us know people or have people that we love abroad.”

She says she accepts that New Zealand’s strategy of elimination is difficult for people, from job losses to school camp cancellations. “Covid has taken a toll on so many in so many ways – but it will get better.”

She says she will release a “roadmap” in the coming weeks showing how the immunisation rollout will affect Aotearoa’s Covid response in the next year.

Kiri Allan says the civil defence response to the threat of a tsunami was underway pre-dawn: “I want to say thank you to all of those who did exactly the right thing.”

Jacinda Ardern: “It’s hard not to feel like our country is having a run of bad luck, when you have an earthquake, tsunami and pandemic to contend with all in one day …

“We have had our share of tough moments in this country, but within that we have always been blessed with incredible people who work in our emergency response system.”

Ardern praises the work of emergency management minister Kiri Allan and hands over to her for an update.

Director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield will give an update on the Covid-19 response afterwards.

Ardern is speaking now.

Covid-19 data modelling expert and physicist Shaun Hendy told Radio New Zealand earlier today that he recommended keeping the level two restrictions in place beyond Sunday as Aucklanders started travelling in and out of the city.

“[Level 2] just puts that cap on event sizes which means that should we have an outbreak we’re not chasing hundreds or thousands of casual contacts,” he said.

Otago University epidemiologist Michael Baker said it was probably safe for the rest of the country to go to level 1, but advocated for mask use to be sustained.

Ardern to make Covid announcement

We are now going to change tack to covering the other alert extant in New Zealand, with an announcement on the coronavirus restrictions expected from prime minister Jacinda Ardern at 4pm.

Auckland has been in a level-three lockdown since Sunday morning, following cases of coronavirus in the community. The rest of the country has been at level two, restricting large gatherings.

Ardern and the Cabinet is meeting now to discuss an alert change. No new cases of community transmission have been recorded since 28 February, though the last “significant exposure event” was a week ago, at a gym.

We’ll update you here.

Updated

Evacuees can return home as tsunami threat downgraded

Thousands of people have returned to their homes and offices after a tsunami warning was downgraded.

The series of three large earthquakes from 2.30am, off the East Coast of the North Island and later around the Kermadec Islands, led to an evacuation order for large areas of the coastal North Island.

Though some surges and erratic water levels were reported, warnings of flooding and waves of up to 3m high were not borne out and the alert was downgraded at 1.30pm New Zealand time.

However, civil defence has reiterated its warning to stay away from the beach as unusual wave activity is likely to continue for some time.

A national threat remains in place to expect “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore” – see details of relevant locations here.

Some surges were also recorded at Norfolk Island (with 64cm-tall tsunami wave recorded) and the Pacific islands.

Civil defence minister Kiri Allan has said the government was right to err on the side of caution and has thanked authorities and the public for their swift, efficient response under pressure.

Some questions have been raised as to the initial alert system, with some people in high-risk areas receiving the civil-defence text message and others not.

Allan said earlier today that the response would be reviewed for future lessons once the threat had passed.

GNS Science is also working to understand the series of earthquakes and their subsequent movements.

At this stage it is not clear whether there is any link between the 2.30am earthquake, felt across New Zealand, and the two stronger ones that occurred later, near the Kermadec islands.

Seismologists have said that the 8.1-magnitude quake was unusual in both its significant size and shallow depth, and for being stronger than the preceding two.

For now, Aotearoa’s heaving a sigh of relief.

Updated

Ōpōtiki councillor Louis Rapihana has been talking to Radio New Zealand from the eastern Bay of Plenty township evacuated almost in its entirety today. He spent much of the morning on top of a hill with about 100 other people and says word of the threat level downgrade was met with a cheer.

From Vanuatu:

The New Zealand Herald reports that 500 Whangārei District Council staff and central city workers have now returned to offices in town after being given the all-clear.

Rob Forlong, the Whangārei District Council chief executive, said the move this morning to Whangārei Primary School – the council’s designated evacuation point – had gone well, with food and water supplied by the school, the Salvation Army and a local business owner.

Forlong said the council’s ongoing tsunami evacuation drills had borne fruit and those in Whangarei central city deserved praise for the ease of the operation.

There had been a steady stream of evacuees driving north past the school for the first 90 minutes after council staff arrived at the school, he said. “It was like rush hour.”

Asked by the Herald if he was relieved that Whangārei city had escaped tsunami damage, Forlong replied: “Oh shit yeah.”

For readers not in New Zealand and unfamiliar with seismic surprises – this might give you an idea of what it’s like.

Is it the van shaking? Or the land?

Civil defence minister Kiri Allan has told NewstalkZB she is pleased that the threat level has been downgraded and thanks New Zealanders for their quick, calm response to three huge earthquakes in the space of hours. “I’ve been so incredibly impressed. ... people did what they had to do.”

She says there has been no reports of damage but the government had not yet ruled it out. Tidal changes of up to 1m were still expected so people were advised to remain away from the water.

“If anyone was thinking if they could catch a cheeky wave or take advantage of the sea while not many other craft are out there, please don’t. Not today. We don’t want them to put their lives at risk.”

Allan says that it was right to err on the side of caution given the size of the three earthquakes and New Zealand’s coastal vulnerability. “Of course we are going to make prudent decision on that basis.”

The response would be reviewed on there always being room for improvement, Allan says.

In particular it seems likely that the government will face questions over the delivery of the civil defence text-messaging alert early this morning, which was received by some people in areas where there was judged to be a risk to life, but not others.

Seismic activity around New Zealand over the past 13 hours.

More good news: no new cases of coronavirus recorded in the community today. An announcement about any alert-level change is expected at 4pm.

From earlier: people walk up a hill above Papamoa Beach, New Zealand
From earlier: people walk up a hill above Papamoa Beach, New Zealand Photograph: George Novak/AP
People watch for signs of a tsunami from a hill above Papamoa Beach
People watch for signs of a tsunami from a hill above Papamoa Beach Photograph: George Novak/AP

Norfolk Island was hit by tsunami wave of... 64cm, says Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology – though more are possible.

The new national advisory is for “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore”, meaning the flooding threat has passed.

Here is the latest alert from authorities.

GNS Science has advised that the largest waves have now passed, and therefore the threat level is now downgraded to a Beach and Marine threat for all areas which were previously under Land and Marine threat.

All people who evacuated can now return.

The advice remains, for all areas under Beach and Marine threat, to stay off beach and shore areas.

Here’s the affected areas.

Largest waves have now passed

GNS Science has advised that the largest waves have now passed and the threat level has been downgraded. People who have been evacuated can now return home.

We remain in the “wait and see” stage, with the impact of the earthquake not registering uniformly on New Zealand’s shores.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the first waves were due to reach NZ at Lottin Point on the East Coast just before 10am this morning.

Since then, there have been anecdotal reports of unusual surges or sediment, higher or lower than usual water levels, and erratic movements of boats at anchor – but nothing damaging, or dangerous as yet.

Civil defence minister Kiri Allan has urged people to remain at higher ground, away from the coast even if there appears to be no threat.

A man looks out onto a beach following a tsunami warning in Orewa, north of Aucklands)
A man looks out onto a beach following a tsunami warning in Orewa, north of Aucklands) Photograph: David Rowland/AFP/Getty Images

Britomart station in Auckland is to close due to the possibility of flooding, Auckland Transport has advised. It is at this stage expected to reopen after high tide at 3pm.

All ferry services are on hold for now, too.

Aucklander Ben Ross paints a picture of the stakes:

Thousands of people are currently gathered at high ground across New Zealand, with waves of up to 3m high and flooding still a risk in coastal areas.

The advice to stay away from the shore has been ignored by surfers at Fitzroy Beach in New Plymouth, with Radio New Zealand reporting a group of 30 in the ocean plus more swimmers.

“I think we’re pretty safe here,” a surfer named Dale told RNZ. (Official advice says otherwise, to be clear.)

We’re expecting to hear from prime minister Jacinda Ardern at 4pm with an update on both the tsunami threat and any change to the Covid alert level. (At this stage Auckland is due to exit an alert level-three lockdown on Saturday night.)

Ardern posted on Instagram about the 2.30am quake with a screengrab from Geonet monitoring site: “Hope everyone is okay out there.”

Updated

From Vanuatu:

6.2 magnitude aftershock hits Kermadec islands

Civil defence minister Kiri Allan says there has just been a 6.2-magnitude aftershock from the Kermadec islands, but says that is to be expected given the size of the initial quake.

She is asking that people follow civil defence instructions even if there seems to be no risk. “Although it may feel like there is not a lot going on sometimes, there is a lot going on... please do stay high, or stay inland and keep your family safe.”

She says she has been struck by the “pretty incredible calm response” of the country. “Many people have had to evacuate, many people have had to change their plans.”

Updated

Radio New Zealand’s Tom Kitchin is reporting that Tolaga Bay, northeast of Gisborne, is a “ghost town” as residents have headed for higher ground. He said there was no sign of any unusual activity at the wharf.

It has been a long day already for residents of the town, who were asked to evacuate earlier this morning before that warning was cancelled, and another followed at 8.45am.

Rachel Cunliffe shared this photo of an exceptionally low water level at Kaipara Harbour, an enclosed harbour north of Auckland.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Vanuatu’s meteorology and geohazards department warned “an earthquake of this size has the potential to cause a small tsunami wave that could reach 0.3 to 1 metre”.

It advised “immediate evacuation from coastal areas to higher grounds” in Tafea, Shefa, Malampa, and Sanma, and urged people to listen to radio broadcasts for further warnings.

In Fiji, also in the path of a potential tsunami, the country’s national disaster management office issued a tsunami warning, before cancelling it at 10:18am local time, declaring the danger passed.

“The public is now advised to await instructions from the NDMO before returning to low or coastal areas. The public is also advised to remain vigilant as aftershocks are expected to occur along the earthquake source zone.”

John Townend, a seismologist and professor of geophysics at Victoria University, is talking to Susie Ferguson on Radio New Zealand about the sequence of three earthquakes.

“Following any big earthquake, we get more earthquakes.” It is less likely for subsequent earthquakes to be bigger than the first, “but it is certainly not beyond the bounds of possibility.”

A magnitude 8.1 earthquake is large enough to trigger its own aftershocks, which could register from magnitude 7.0 up. Depending on the location, depth and size of any subsequent quakes, further tsunami threats could be possible.

The current threat was hard to predict given the uncertain relationship between the initial quake and the waves’ interaction with the seabed and New Zealand coastline, Townend said. “An earthquake of this size produces a very complicated pattern of waves.”

Now was the time for vigilance, he said.

Updated

A tsunami warning is also in place for Norfolk Island, with authorities warning of “the possibility of dangerous rips, waves and strong ocean currents”.

Some localised flooding onto the immediate foreshore was expected to persist “for several hours”. Evacuations were not necessary, but people were advised to keep away from the water’s edge.

Video shows tsunami waves

This video reportedly shows Tokomaru Bay, north of Gisborne, within the last hour.

Updated

Civil defence minister Kiri Allan has reiterated that the civil defence threat overrides the current Covid-19 alert at level two. (Auckland is at level three until Sunday but is not at risk, though people are advised to stay away from beaches.)

Updated

People checking for news as they wait on high ground in Whangarei
People checking for news as they wait on high ground in Whangarei Photograph: Karena Cooper/AP
Traffic slowly works up to high ground at Whangarei
Traffic slowly works up to high ground at Whangarei Photograph: Mike Dinsdale/AP
People gather on high ground in Whangarei
People gather on high ground in Whangarei Photograph: Mike Dinsdale/AP

Asked about erratic water activity in Whangārei, Bill Fry says he cannot confirm it himself but says the area had been flagged at one of the most at-risk in New Zealand.

Updated

GNS Science’s Bill Fry says “time saves lives”. Right now GNS Science is collecting more data to update its forecast and improve its modelling, reducing uncertainty over time.

The potential threat to coastal land is currently gauged at between the 1-3m threshold.

It is the “unlikely scenario” that another major earthquake would follow the most recent magnitude-8.0 shake, said Fry.

Allan says the timeframe for the threat could be “quite lengthy”.

Updated

Civil defence minister Kiri Allan has clarified the order of alerts this morning. The first tsunami warning, after the 2.30am quake, was targeted to particular areas. It was later extended with the subsequent quakes.

Allan says early indications are that New Zealand’s alert system has been effective. “It seems that people understand very clearly what they need to do.”

Updated

GNS Science’s seismologist tectonophysicist Bill Fry says the earthquakes could not have been predicted but that the sequence of three is unusual – not seen by him before in his decade-plus experience in New Zealand.

It is too soon to make any conclusions but he says GNS will be studying it today.

Updated

Civil Defence Controller Roger Ball is stating that a “relatively extensive” area of New Zealand could be subjected to unusual activity. “We are advising to play it safe... people do need to stay off the beach and off the water.”

That included to the sea, rivers and estuaries – and going out in boats.

Ball urges that people do not go sight-seeing for tsunami waves as the severity of the surges will vary. “The threat must be regarded as real until this warning is cancelled.”

Updated

Kiri Allan says she has spoken to civil defence teams in Opotiki, who say the town has been evacuated.

“People have done the right thing in the regions by picking up, packing up and by and large staying calm. I want to acknowledge the anxiety for many families and many people as those messages were coming through this morning. ... so many people have done exceptionally well to follow the civil defence messaging. I want to thank the men, women and children who have had their lives jolted this morning.”

She has asked that people who have moved to higher ground stay where they are until the official all-clear is given.

Updated

'An extraordinary morning'

Minister Kiri Allan is speaking to media from the Beehive bunker now, acknowledging “an extraordinary morning for many New Zealanders up and down the country”.

“From 2.30 this morning, essentially, some people have been up, worried about their homes and their families.”

She has praised the speed with which New Zealanders responded to the calls to evacuate and the efficiency of the response, but warns that the situation is “constantly evolving”.

Updated

Newshub Sports reporter Luke Robinson has shared this photo from Tokomaru Bay, north of Gisborne.

You can see the affected areas here.

We’re hearing anecdotal accounts of unusual wave activity and surges around coastal New Zealand, though nothing damaging or dangerous as yet.

Opotiki District Councillor Louis Rapihana, standing on top of a hill at Opotiki in the eastern Bay of Plenty, told Radio New Zealand he could see the waves getting bigger.

Daniel Thompson of Mangonui Waterfront Apartments said he had seen “very, very different water conditions” in Doubtless Bay: the boats in the harbour moving erratically at anchor, at odds with the tides, and the seagulls falling silent.

The first waves were thought to have reached New Zealand shores around 10am, but authorities have warned that the first will not necessarily be the strongest.

The National Crisis Management Centre has been activated in the bunker of the Beehive building in Wellington. A press conference is expected from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) shortly.

You can see the impact of people heading for higher ground on Google Maps.

Radio New Zealand’s Kathryn Ryan is speaking to a man on a boat off Tutukaka. He is at 50m depth, the minimum advised by authorities, and does not seem especially fazed by the tsunami threat.

Kathryn: “Have you seen or experienced anything unusual yet?”

“Some big snapper coming onboard.” His wife was pulling onboard a fish as he spoke, he added.

Kathryn: “I certainly don’t want to distract you from that.”

Whangārei residents have found higher ground. National party deputy leader Shane Reti told Radio New Zealand he could see the sea pulling out.

This is the tsunami siren sounding in coastal areas of New Zealand where evacuation orders are in place.

The official advice is for people to get to higher ground on foot, by bike or scooter to avoid contributing to traffic gridlocks.

It has been a full morning already for much of New Zealand, starting with a 7.1-magnitude earthquake at 2.27am, recorded 105km east of Te Araroa off the east coast of the North Island.

Despite the time, more than 50,000 people recorded feeling it on the national geological hazard monitor Geonet. It woke me up here in Wellington: a period of sustained shaking, all through the house.

That was followed by a series of aftershocks, as you can see below. This latest tsunami warning was prompted by the magnitude 8.0 earthquake near the Kermadec Islands.

Kia ora from Wellington.

A series of strong earthquakes off the east coast of the North Island – most recently, a magnitude 8.1 near the Kermadec Islands – have prompted a tsunami warning for large parts of coastal New Zealand.

The first earthquake struck at 2.27am and was widely felt across the North Island, with the first waves detected on the East Cape at about 3am.

Flooding is expected along the east and west coasts of the North Island: from Cape Reinga to Ahipara and Whangarei, from Matata to Tolaga Bay including Whakatane and Opotiki, and Great Barrier Island.

National Emergency Management Agency has called for immediate and full evacuation of those areas, with people instructed go to higher ground. Radio New Zealand is reporting that the first waves have reached Opotiki around 10.20am, but NEMA has warned that “the first wave may not be the largest”: “Tsunami activity will continue for several hours and the threat must be regarded as real until this warning is cancelled.”

Thanks for joining us in our coverage.

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