An Air New Zealand crew member who worked on a flight between Sydney and Auckland on Christmas Eve has Omicron and was out in the community.
The Ministry of Health made the announcement on Thursday afternoon.
The crew member was tested for Covid-19 as part of routine surveillance testing on Monday, December 27.
Whole genome sequencing had confirmed they had the Omicron variant of the virus, the ministry said.
Two omicron cases have now been out and about in the community, raising the risk the new highly transmissible variant is here. (Source: 1News)
It also confirmed the crew member had been linked to three other Omicron cases on the flight.
The crew member was immediately transferred to a MIQ facility. They are fully vaccinated.
Eight close contacts have been identified. Seven of them so far have returned negative test results.
There are no locations of interest connected to the crew member at this stage, the ministry said.
Air New Zealand's chief medical officer, Dr Ben Johnston, said the crew member had crewed on flight NZ752 which arrived in Auckland from Sydney.
"On duties across the Tasman, aircrew remain airside and operate back to New Zealand on the return flight. Aircrew are also subject to regular surveillance testing where they are tested up to once every seven days."
The ministry is describing the crew member as the second border-related case who has been in the community.
UK drum and bass artist Dimension is the first, as revealed on Wednesday.
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