It was the third day in a row New Zealand reported no new cases of the virus, the Budget plans unveiled more support for the response to the pandemic, and businesses had a bittersweet welcome to level 2.
Photo: RNZ / 123RF
There are no new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand for a third day running, and so the total number of confirmed and probable cases remains at 1497, of which 94 percent have recovered. No further deaths have been reported, the toll stands at 21.
Two people with the virus are in hospital - one each in Auckland and Middlemore hospitals - but neither are in intensive care.
There was no media conference held today for the update on cases, instead the Ministry of Health sent out a statement.
The ministry had previously said four of the 16 clusters around the country were closed, but today the definition of a closed cluster has been updated, meaning there are no longer any closed clusters at this stage.
It does not expect any of the existing clusters to meet the new definition until later this month.
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP
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Meanwhile the ministry has also indicated that it does not have enough doses of influenza vaccine to meet increased demand brought about by Covid-19.
It said by the end of next week an additional 220,000 doses will have arrived in the country, bringing the total to 1.768 million - a third more than last year.
The Nurses Organisation has also called for an external investigation into how seven Waitākere Hospital nurses caught Covid-19 while caring for elderly patients.
Extra funding for Covid-19 response and new bill introduced for MP pay cuts
In today's Budget announcement, the government said an additional $36.1b of funding is going to the Covid-19 response and recovery fund, with $15.9b to be spent on the immediate response to kick-start the economy and $20.2b put aside for future investment.
There will also be an eight-week extension to the wage subsidy scheme for businesses who have suffered a 50 percent reduction in turnover the 30 days prior to their application compared to last year, costing up to $3.2b.
A $400m tourism sector relief package was also part of Budget plans.
Read more about the 2020 Budget:
A slump in growth is expected in the coming year, with the economy forecast to shrink by 4.6 percent in the year ended June, with growth still shrinking by 1 percent the year after.
But then recovery is expected to take hold with the economy growing by 8.6 percent in 2022, before easing to average 4 percent over the next couple of years.
Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, Winston Peters, and James Shaw head to the House to present the 2020 Budget. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
The forecasts are based on a Treasury assumption that virtually all pandemic-related restrictions on the economy and border entry have been relaxed.
The government will today introduce a bill that will enable elected politicians and senior public officials to receive a temporary pay cut.
Last month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that all ministers would take a 20 percent pay cut for six months.
State Services Minister Chris Hipkins said the bill would make changes to the Remuneration Authority Act.
"It will allow the Remuneration Authority for a limited time, to make a temporary determination that results in a reduction in pay up to 20 percent for six months for a group of top public officials covered by the Act, including MPs and elected local government members," he said.
Bittersweet welcome to level 2
Today was the first day for the country dropping to alert level 2, with most businesses able to resume and workers returning to office spaces.
But not all business are optimistic about the future, with two-thirds of surveyed Canterbury businesses saying they feel their future remains on a knife-edge due to the effects of Covid-19 restrictions.
New Regent Street in the centre of Christchurch. Photo: 123RF
Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leeann Watson said level 2 would reveal the gap between businesses being able to reopen, and being able to operate at full capacity.
With more than 100 businesses in the region involved in the screen industry, Watson said revival of the film industry played a role in the economic recovery in the region.
"This would be a great opportunity to help some of those sectors seriously impacted, not just in the last six weeks but well and truly before that as we saw tourism numbers drop rapidly from about January this year."
In the past two months, Weta Digital has managed to meet all its project deadlines, including finishing up Disney's Mulan last Friday and even scoring two new - as yet unannounced - projects. It had also implemented its own pandemic planning and moved 1500 crew to work from home over just 72 hours.
Office companies are also working out how to get their spaces functioning safely and abide by the rules, while some hotels are allowing day rentals for people who fancy a change of scene, but aren't keen for social interaction just yet.
This morning Nelson Airport opened its doors to a smattering of passengers for the first time since the lockdown, which signalled a big step in the revival of domestic travel and air services.
Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
Its new $32 million terminal was officially opened by the prime minister last year, but since the arrival of Covid-19, revenue had taken a hit with the drop in aircraft movements and the corresponding drop in income from landing fees.
Some domestic travellers told RNZ they were thrilled to be seeing their loved ones again before boarding their flights, while some tourists were sad to be leaving behind the peace compared to the situation in their respective home countries.
"I feel like I'm on the first flight to freedom!" one traveller heading to Wellington said. "I'm off to see my six-month-old grandson, and my daughter and her husband of course, but I'm really missing the wee boy - I've missed out on some special moments."
Meanwhile, dozens of pilots who have been laid off since airlines were grounded are now looking to Auckland's railways for employment.
Another sector that has taken a hit during the lockdown is hardware, with more than $1 billion worth of sales lost in April.
The climate had led Mitre 10 Whangaparāoa's franchise owner to temporarily close the store and ask staff to take a pay, for which now a workers' union is in a stalemate over.
Media company Stuff is to sell its fibre arm, which has 20,000 broadband customers, to Australian telecommunications company Vocus for an undisclosed sum.
Stuff employees were last month asked to take a 12-week pay cut because of the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.
New Zealanders stressed but resilient in pandemic response - survey
More than 1000 New Zealanders were surveyed about the lockdown and pandemic by University of Waikato psychologists, with most reporting concerns for the public health and the financial impact of the coronavirus.
Photo: 123rf
"Through this initial restrictive phase of New Zealand's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we would describe our participants as stressed but resilient," senior lecturer Dr Carrie Barber said.
*Read more on the lessons that New Zealanders want to keep from the lockdown.
Many of those surveyed said they had dramatically changed their lifestyle - particularly with work, transport and family life.
She said most people were worried, especially about infecting others or losing loved ones, with more than 30 percent experiencing high levels of anxiety and/or depression.
"In spite of this challenging situation, participants described using mostly positive, effective coping strategies. They have connected with whānau and friends, engaged in new and old hobbies and activities, and exercised, often with a walk around the neighbourhood."
Details of support package for sports to be released soon
The details of a financial support package for the sports sector in New Zealand will be released in the coming days.
Photo: Pool / STUFF LTD
Sports and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson said early last month the government was working on a recovery package for sport.
The announcement of the 2020 Budget on Thursday confirmed that, alongside confirmation of similar support for the arts.
"These are both areas that have been devastated by Covid-19," Robertson said in his speech to Parliament.
"Funding sources have dried up and events have been cancelled. They are also both sectors that have increasingly offered employment opportunities and contributed to our economy."
The support will be in addition to the $25 million package from Sport New Zealand confirmed last week.
The recovery package for sport would be based on a report provided by Sport NZ, who commissioned global accounting firm KPMG to review the financial impact on the sector.