As Melbourne enters another lockdown, NZ authorities trace thousands of recent returnees, and Judith Collins' approval rating plummets in a new poll.
A massive effort is underway to contact around 5000 recent returnees from Melbourne.
The growing Covid outbreak in Victoria has prompted the New Zealand Government to extend the pause on travel from the state until 8pm next Friday, with those who’ve arrived in New Zealand since May 20 told to isolate and get tested for the virus.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says failure or refusal to comply is an offence .
It comes as Melbourne wakes up to its fourth lockdown, with local officials hoping the state-wide seven-day circuit breaker restrictions will be enough to stamp out their growing outbreak.
Twenty-six cases are now connected to the cluster , including a person who’s now in intensive care. Another 14,000 Melburnians are required to isolate and get a Covid test.
Meanwhile, the pandemic’s beginnings are making headlines again, with US President Joe Biden giving his intelligence agencies a 90-day deadline to unearth the origins of Covid-19 .
He says he wants a "definitive conclusion" on whether the pandemic was a result of a Chinese laboratory leak or spread from animals to humans.
Facebook also says it will no longer remove claims that Covid-19 is man-made or manufactured from its apps.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization said the lab theory was unlikely, however the Wall Street Journal has reported three researchers from a Wuhan lab were hospitalised in November 2019.
China has denounced the US investigation into Covid’s origins and rejects any link between the virus and the Wuhan research lab.
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Collins' approval rating plummets
The Government hasn’t had the usual post-Budget bounce in the latest 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll, although Labour still holds a comfortable lead on 46 per cent support.
National, meanwhile, has seen a small rise in party support (to 29 per cent), however Judith Collins’ approval rating as party leader has plunged to -19 , down from +9 in December.
Meanwhile, ACT’s David Seymour has reached his highest preferred Prime Minister rating, now sitting at six per cent, and Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick made her first appearance on those rankings, with two per cent support.
House price expectations still high
Most Kiwis expect house prices to continue to surge , despite the Government’s recent policy changes.
ASB’s latest Housing Confidence survey also shows buyer sentiment is more negative, with one in five Kiwis thinking it’s a bad time to buy.
ASB senior economist Mike Jones says the survey numbers are further evidence that housing market pressure is being released only gradually.
However, the rate of house price growth is expected to slow later this year, a projection that was shared by Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr earlier this week.
Mike King hands back honour
Mental health advocate Mike King has revealed he’s returning his New Zealand Order of Merit medal ahead of his annual Gumboot Friday fundraiser today.
In an open letter to Jacinda Ardern , King says he feels like a fraud with the honour when he still hears about families and children in distress and unable to get the support they need.
He says his decision to return the medal isn’t a protest at the Prime Minister but at a broken system.
Ardern says King is deserving of the medal but respects his decision. She also acknowledged yesterday that work on mental health services is far from complete.
Jail time for businessman
A prominent businessman has been sentenced to prison for indecently assaulting three men and trying to cover it up.
His lawyer argued for a lesser sentence, in part citing the man's age and health difficulties. 1 NEWS last night revealed the businessman was seen out and about at the orchestra days before his sentencing.
Despite being sentenced yesterday, he continues to have name suppression. His lawyer says he now intends to appeal and apply for bail.
Other news of note this morning:
- An upcoming Australian current affairs show is asking whether New Zealand has "ditched" its trans-Tasman neighbours for China - and a promotional clip for the piece has set tongues wagging .
- The UK’s Health Secretary has denied lying to his colleagues and to the public about key aspects of the pandemic response.
- Rio Tinto says it will pay the $6 million bill for returning the ouvea premix stored throughout Southland to Tiwai Point.
- Scientists have created a model to see how many people might be at immediate risk during a volcanic eruption in Auckland - and how long it would take to evacuate .
- The Mongrel Mob has launched a petition to strip National MP Simeon Brown of his portfolios over “racist rhetoric”.
- The plant pathogen myrtle rust has been found in Christchurch for the first time , four years after the fungal disease was detected in New Zealand.
- Beloved children's author Eric Carle, who created The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has died .
- And a panel of experts has revealed where you can find the country’s best-tasting tap water .
And finally...
If you haven’t yet got around to watching last night’s Friends: The Reunion special, please allow me to enact the Morning Briefing’s first ever spoiler alert. Stop reading now!
Okay. 1 NEWS digital reporter and Friends super-fan Rebecca Moore has cast her eye over the show, where viewers discovered parts of the Ross and Rachel storyline actually spilled over into real life. (The romantic parts, thankfully, not the Ross-flying-into-a-jealous-rage bits.)
You can read about that and all the other cast revelations right here .
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