Kiwis are due to find out where they stand in line to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, National proposes a full trans-Tasman travel bubble, and the America's Cup finally gets underway.
But first, in breaking news this morning, the royal family has issued a statement following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
In it, the Queen says the whole family is “saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan”. It goes on to say that “while some recollections may vary”, claims made during the interview will be taken seriously and addressed by the family privately.
Buckingham Palace’s statement comes as Prince Charles dodged a reporter’s questions about the interview during an official visit to a vaccine clinic in London overnight.
And as TV viewers and royal watchers continue to argue over who the victims and villains were during Harry and Meghan’s almost-tell-all interview, it’s become clear to many who the real winner from the interview has been: Oprah .
Vaccine rollout reveal due
New Zealanders are set to find out where they stand in line to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, with the Government announcing its next steps in the vaccination process today.
More light is expected to be shed on where the South Auckland community and New Zealand’s elderly population fit in the grand scheme of things, and whether some sports stars will be able to jump the vaccine queue.
The Black Caps are due to travel to India and England at the end of the month and have been lobbying Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield to get a jab before departing.
Today’s announcement comes as the country opens its largest vaccination centre, with the new South Auckland clinic initially prioritising border worker families.
Around 150 people will be vaccinated at the clinic each day with those numbers set to rapidly increase. Two more Auckland clinics are expected in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the Government has revealed a panel of experts to review its response to the pandemic.
The group, chaired by Sir Brian Roche, is tasked with ensuring New Zealand’s response to the coronavirus continues to improve.
Roche says “the simple issue of communication” will be one of the first issues the panel addresses . His comments come as Stuff reports the Government is still developing a Covid communication plan specifically for Māori a year on from New Zealand’s first case of the virus.
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Calls to expand trans-Tasman bubble
Kiwis can once again travel across the Tasman without needing to quarantine.
Australia’s top health officials met last night and decided to reinstate the one-way travel bubble from Thursday at midnight. However, travellers are still being advised to check arrangements before flying as some states can implement different rules.
And as the trans-Tasman corridor reopens one way, National is calling on the Government to fully open that bubble .
Party leader Judith Collins says Australia has proven a bubble can work with a flexible approach when new community cases appear.
National proposes that Australians flying to New Zealand provide proof of a negative Covid test 72 hours prior to travel but not be required to isolate. Collins says this will free up managed isolation spots for Kiwis returning from other parts of the world or skilled workers.
Meanwhile, health officials are still investigating the source of New Zealand’s most recent community case of Covid-19.
The Air New Zealand worker who tested positive at the weekend has been found to have a variant “not classified as one of concern” .
There were no new community cases of the virus reported yesterday.
Police deny racial profiling
Police say they’re not racially profiling Māori and Pacific youth when they approach them and photograph them for their national database.
Assistant commissioner for iwi and communities Chris de Wattignar told RNZ stories about such incidents are “clearly coming from Pacific or Māori families” but says their database indicates “a relatively colour-blind approach”.
RNZ’s investigations into why police are approaching young people, taking their photo, and collecting their personal details for a national database can be found here .
An Independent Police Conduct Authority and Privacy Commissioner inquiry into the practice has also now been broadened to include any member of the public.
Nats probe election defeat
National is remaining tight-lipped over a review into its disastrous election defeat last year.
The review was launched after National shed 23 parliamentary seats following that loss.
Leader Judith Collins said the review is a matter for the National Party board and she would be discussing it with her caucus. National's senior whip Matt Doocey has described the review’s contents as “confronting”.
But while National stayed mum on the review yesterday, Labour MP Willie Jackson was happy to weigh in with his opinion on the matter .
He said National were “totally out of touch with New Zealanders” and ran an ugly, arrogant campaign last year.
The big show begins on the water
Team New Zealand will finally begin their America’s Cup defence this afternoon. Their first race against Italy’s Luna Rossa is set to get underway just after 4pm.
Up to 13 races can be organised over the next week, with the first team to reach seven victories winning the Cup.
Other news of note this morning:
- As Housing Minister Megan Woods comes under fire from the Opposition for failing to answer official questions on time , National is also attacking new figures that show the Government is spending a million dollars a day on transitional and emergency housing.
- A dead snake, suspected to be a carpet python , has been found in a drain at an Auckland construction site, sparking a biosecurity scare.
- Andrew Little says terror suspect Suhayra Aden won’t be detained on arrival if she returns to New Zealand.
- Masks and social distancing will officially be a thing of the past for Americans who have received both of their Covid-19 vaccine jabs.
- There's been a heated standoff between police and protesters in Auckland following a long-running battle over clearing trees for housing.
- The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) says complaints about the use of Te Reo Māori in broadcasts will no longer be considered .
- More than half the schools in the country have signed up to receive free period products.
- And Kiwi fashion designer Karen Walker has been immortalised as a Barbie , announced yesterday as the company's "official role model for New Zealand 2021".
And finally...
British entertainer Bill Bailey may be one of the world’s most loved comedians so you can imagine Seven Sharp’s delight when they discovered he was in the TVNZ building to film new show Patriot Brains this week.
Jeremy Wells popped over to the set to shoot the breeze with Bailey about pandemics, dancing shows, and bombshell interviews with Oprah Winfrey, which you can find here . Come for Bailey’s observations about the royal family - but stay for the dancing lesson he decides to give Wells at the end.
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