The Australian travel bubble stays open despite new Covid cases in Melbourne, unprecedented scenes unfold in Samoa, and the PM makes an historic appointment to the role of Governor-General.
Quarantine-free travel between Aotearoa and Victoria can continue, despite four new community cases of Covid-19 in Melbourne.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health last night deemed the public health risk from those cases as being “appropriately managed” but is adding new precautions for people who have been in Melbourne.
Travellers who have been in the city since May 11 are asked to monitor their symptoms and to contact Healthline if any develop. People who have been to any locations of interest linked to the cases should also contact Healthline about potential testing and self-isolation.
All four cases in Melbourne are linked to each other, however health authorities are stumped as to how they became infected .
It comes as contact tracers reveal they listed the wrong supermarket as a location of interest earlier this month, meaning some people didn’t realise they were close contacts until weeks after being potentially exposed.
The Age reports one of yesterday’s new cases was “likely to be quite infectious” while moving around the community, although officials there are yet to seek tighter restrictions.
Sign up to get the Morning Briefing delivered direct to your inbox – here.
Unprecedented scenes in Samoa
Fiame Naomi Mata’afa was sworn in as Samoa’s first female Prime Minister in an ad-hoc ceremony in a marquee yesterday after the FAST Party found themselves shut out of Parliament .
It’s not clear if the ceremony will be officially recognised, with caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi branding the move as “treason” .
Apia-based journalist Mata’afa Keni Lesa has written about yesterday’s events for The Spinoff here , describing the day as both one of pride and one of shame.
New Zealand has ruled out intervening in the unfolding constitutional crisis, with Jacinda Ardern saying she trusts Samoa’s institutions to uphold the outcome of the election. She says despite the volatile political situation, she’s received reports of relative calm in the country.
PM reveals historic appointment
Dame Cindy Kiro has become the first wahine Māori to be appointed to the role of Governor-General.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the move yesterday afternoon, saying Dame Cindy will take over from Dame Patsy Reddy when her five-year term ends in September.
Dame Cindy says she hopes her appointment will inspire women , especially young Māori, who she said yesterday “can reach the very top”.
She also spoke of holding the Governor-General position as someone who came from a pōhara (poor) background.
"I was born to a poor family. I know what it takes - hard work, dedication and perseverance - to succeed in life."
Resale profits hit new peak
Profit from resales of residential property have hit a 25-year high .
According to new CoreLogic data this morning, those re-selling their homes are making a median gain of $313,000, up $24,000 on the previous quarter.
CoreLogic says nearly 99 per cent of people who sold between January and March did so for more than what they paid for the property, regardless of location or property type.
Meanwhile, Sleepyhead has been given the green light to develop its $1 billion manufacturing and housing community in north Waikato.
The company is turning a 178-hectare rural site in Ohinewai into a town for its workers . Including industrial, commercial and residential zones, the space will house 3000 residents across 1100 homes.
Govt cautious on 'coward punch' laws
The Prime Minister is cautioning against creating new laws for “individual sets of circumstances”, as a petition calling for harsher “coward punch” laws gains traction .
Jacinda Ardern spoke about the issue broadly yesterday, saying she didn’t want to compromise any case before the courts relating to the death of young MMA fighter Fau Vake .
Ardern says one of the issues in creating separate pieces of legislation for particular offending is that “sometimes you can create unintended consequences ”.
She says under the current system, a judge can consider all factors of the nature of offending while sentencing.
Concern over mental health spend
A Christchurch woman who lost her father to suicide last year says the new Budget is woefully lacking in dollars specifically for mental health .
Grace Curtis says she’s “hugely disappointed” to see no increase in money earmarked for the specialist mental health area.
She told 1 NEWS the Government should be treating mental health with the same importance as Covid-19, “because it’s taking far more lives in our country at the moment”.
Other news of note this morning:
- Belarus is being condemned by the EU for diverting a plane over its territory to allegedly arrest an opposition journalist .
- Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has appeared in court for the first time since her arrest in February.
- Stuff reports the Government has broken its election promise around dental grants, saying funding for that work will now come in a later budget.
- Shattered dreams around retirement and first home ownership have been described at the James Hardie court case in Auckland.
- Wellington city councillors say they’re gobsmacked at a proposal to lift rates by 16 per cent next year, while the NZ Herald reports Auckland Council is also expected to raise rates and water bills when they meet today.
- Retailers have been removing controversial products from their shelves, with five Countdown supermarkets choosing to no longer sell eggs produced by chickens in cages , and The Warehouse deciding to end the sale of fireworks .
- New Zealand’s first not-for-profit eating disorder treatment service is a step closer to opening its doors after securing a property for the centre.
- And Fair Go asks - can a shop make you hand back something you bought if they undercharged you ?
And finally...
Christchurch toddler Ivy Smith might know her ABCs but, evidently, she’s still working on minding her Ps and Qs.
The two-year-old has shot to global attention after a video emerged online of her potty-mouthed reaction to a goat nibbling leaves in her garden.
The video has already garnered more than five million views (of which I’ve probably contributed 5,000), so Seven Sharp visited Ivy and her mum, Sophie, last night to see how they feel about their newfound fame .
SHARE ME