Howick Historical Village is to remain closed until summer due to the financial effects of Covid-19.
The village, which also had to cut staff, like many museums throughout New Zealand, has suffered a serious financial impact from Covid-19, says Marin Burgess, president of the Howick & Districts Historical Society.
“We’ve felt the effect of the severe decrease in revenues from tourism, events and education and projections estimate that it will take a significant amount of time for these sectors to recover,” she says.
“To help get us through this difficult period, we are actively seeking financial support from Auckland Council and other agencies, as well as the private sector.
“Our unique living history museum contains some of the oldest original buildings in Auckland and the stories they tell give us a picture of history rarely experienced.
“To preserve these historic buildings, heritage gardens and our collection for generations to come we have had to make the difficult decision to downsize our team and reduce our operations.”
Burgess says they wish to reassure the community that they aim to fully re-open in the last quarter of 2020 “with fresh ideas and a new perspective”.
The café onsite, the Homestead Café, continues to be open to the public for coffee, lunches and treats.
“We look forward to being able to open our doors to the general public but until that time, we have a number of exciting projects under way,” says Burgess.
“These include a new logo, brand and website, continuing our increased digital media presence and outreach programmes for schools.
“We are continuing to take bookings for filming and venue hire such as weddings, in accordance with current guidelines.
“Our dedicated team and volunteers will be working hard to keep our gardens, buildings and taonga protected and maintained.”
Lockdown has taken its toll on every sports club in the land and even the biggest are not immune the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A couple of months later than planned Pakuranga United Rugby Club (PURC) is gearing up to kick off its 2020 seasons for both rugby and netball.
PURC general manager Stephen Hackett is under no illusions as to the enormity of the task ahead. While the club has been preparing for weeks for alert levels to drop and gathering rules to ease, Hackett acknowledges there is much to do before the doors and fields are fully open again. Most importantly, the board, he and the club are upbeat about the 2020 season.
“That’s the key message for us is, welcome back to our community. We’re back, we’re welcoming and we’re going to support our membership in what is the new normal,” said Hackett.
The club continues to embrace social media for this phase of its re-opening with a recovery video featuring some big names in the games including ex-All Blacks Malakai Fekitoa and Charles Piutau, and ex-Blues players Joe Edwards and Tom McCartney, all set to play starring roles for their club.
“It features a re-opening – we’ll have the scoreboard coming on, the lights coming on, we’ve had pictures of the lines getting put down, it’ll have netball players shooting through the hoops, we are back and we are open,” said Hackett.
“For us as a club we’ve hunkered down and obeyed the Government restrictions and levels with a big effort put in by the board to maintain our staff.”
Former All Black Pita Alatini – the director of rugby at Pakuranga United Rugby Club – is fizzing to get the season underway after weeks of lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The club has used the government subsidies to retain staff as they play a key part in the recovery process. Pakuranga employs six full-time staff and 10 casuals.
“The big thing is our staff continued to work during the time and put together all the plans for this re-opening,” he said.
“To be fair, what we’re going into is sport in my day. We used to play winter sport in the winter and finish in the spring. For a lot of parents and a lot of children, it’s going to be their first experience of winter sport how it used to be which I think is a fantastic thing.
“Currently, we’re gearing up for the return-to-play protocols and that’s governed by the New Zealand, Auckland Rugby Union as well as Netball NZ.”
Seniors will return to train from Wednesday now the gathering numbers have increased to 100 from 10.
“What we do know is that on the 13th of June, our senior teams can start two weeks of pre-season games prior to any competition and it’s just been released that council will let us play through till September 26 which will allow a full season,” said Hackett.
“For us, sport is critical to the recovery plan of the club. The re-starting of our Gymnasium and Badminton club was major and people coming back have flocked – it’s been great. Lloyd Elsmore Park Badminton clubs have not been able to start – so at the moment we’re open for members’ casual play.
“A major part of our recovery plan is working with our sponsors to make sure that they’re not only there for us now but are there for us in the future and we really want to know how we can be there for them as well. And so our Live Local, Play Local, Support Local – motto – is huge for us.”
Some of the things the club is working through at the moment includes not being able to use changing rooms, cleaning of gear and contact tracing of members. The limited numbers within their clubhouse at present is also significant.
“They’re going to be a concern for our ongoing clubrooms business. Hopefully that will only be for a short period. On top of our club operation we run a hospitality function centre so the gatherings numbers moving should make it easier for us to operate,” said Hackett.
“Basically, like many, overnight we fell from 100 per cent operating income and going quite well after a really successful touch season to zero – complete shutdown, lockdown.
“We have to do is ensure survival of the brand of course – PURC is a massive brand in our community and we need to ensure its survival, and as a part of this we have a responsibility to ensure our staff are looked after and ensure we give as much security to them as we can.”
A recent Auckland Rugby survey paints a positive picture. Around about 3 to 5 per cent of people were uncertain or were not coming back to the club post-Covid-19 which Hackett said is was quite low.
“The uncertains (‘we want to see your safety plans and how you’re going to protect my safety’) were about 20 percent,” he said.
“Seventy-five percent were just ripping the door down, they want to come back.”
PURC had 630 juniors last year and 250 seniors. The organisation doesn’t just focus on rugby. “We focus on netball (around 200 players his year), we focus on badminton – Lloyd Elsmore Park Badminton (around 500 players).
PURC’s Netball Co-ordinator Amanda Dyason said everything was pivotal on the government this week easing gathering restrictions. There were changed to 100 from 10 yesterday.
“If those numbers move up we’re pretty much ready to go. We’d already finished our registrations and done our trials prior (to going into lockdown) and we had actually gone up two teams,”
“We were going to be 25 teams this year but after being revised we’re probably going with 23 teams. Our season we can extend right out until October so we can still go ahead with a full season – that’s not locked in until we know the gathering rules. We’re aiming for the competition to start on June 20.”
There are no new cases of Covid-19 to report in New Zealand today.
Today is the third straight day with no new recorded infections.
Our total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 remains at 1154, which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.
Our combined total of confirmed and probable cases remains at 1504.
This represents 97 per cent of all confirmed and probable cases as having recovered from Covid-19.
Photo AHG NZ
There are no additional deaths to report.
There remains one person receiving hospital-level care for Covid-19; they are in Middlemore and are not in ICU.
Yesterday our laboratories completed 3302 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 261,315 .
NZ Covid Tracer app
The NZ Covid Tracer app has now recorded 354,000 registrations, 30,000 more than at the same time yesterday.
We continue to encourage as many people as possible to download the app – it will help us identify, trace, test and isolate any cases of Covid-19. The faster we can do these steps the less likely it is the virus can spread in our communities.
The Ministry is also very supportive of the work done by businesses to get their unique QR code which people can use to record having been there.
To reinforce on privacy:
personal information and contact details provided through the app will only be used to get in touch if an individual is identified as a close contact of a Covid-19 case
information about the locations individuals choose to record is stored securely on their phone and is not shared with contact tracers unless an individual chooses to do so.
In either case, the personal information shared with the Ministry is held for public health purposes only and will never be used for enforcement.
Counties Manukau Police are continuing to appeal to the public for sightings of missing woman Elicia Hughes-Sutherland.
According to Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Michele Gillespie, Counties Manukau Police:
Elicia, 25, was reported missing from an address in Papakura on Thursday and Police and her family have significant concerns for her wellbeing.
Her last known contact was on Tuesday, and she has not been in touch with family or friends since.
Elicia is described as around 160cms tall and can be identified by a large distinctive tattoo on the side of her neck.
Her vehicle, a grey Mazda Demio – registration JGJ106 – was located in the carpark at Hunua Falls on Friday.
Search and rescue personnel completed a ground search of the area, while an aerial search was also carried out using Eagle.
Police have been carrying out a number of inquiries including speaking to family and friends who have recently been in contact with Elicia.
Police have received some information from members of the public which we are working through and we want to thank them for their assistance.
Anyone who has seen Elicia since Tuesday or has had any contact with her – whether in person or online – is urged to contact Police on 105, quoting file number 200521/6276.
After the announcement Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller had succeeded Simon Bridges as the leader of the opposition, with Nikki Kaye elevated as his deputy, the Times sought comment from Local MP’s Jami-Lee Ross and Simeon Brown.
Mr Brown said “With the new leadership of Todd and Nikki National is raring to go as we ask New Zealanders to trust that our team and our plan are the best options to get the country through these dark and difficult times.”
He then added “I want to thank Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett for their stewardship over our Party these last couple of years.”
“They say that Leader of the Opposition is the toughest job in politics, particularly when you’re up against a first-term government, and Simon and Paula deserve an immense amount of gratitude for their service to both National and New Zealand. I am privileged to have started my own political career under their leadership and guidance” said Brown.
Todd Muller and Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown in discussion.
Mr Ross said “National supporters and members have wanted a new leader for 18 months. They finally get their wish.
“There will no longer be a need for National voters to dream about the day of someone new taking over.
“They have in Todd Muller the successful business leader fresh out of the John Key mould.
“But, as the party sings the song of unity in public, but it will still be a rollercoaster ride through to the Election.
“A move from Government to Opposition always sees parties rip themselves apart before they are ready to govern again.
“New Zealanders looking for vision and hope will struggle to see that projected from National for a while.
“A vote for National is still a vote for a party that will sit in the opposition.” A relative unknown in public circles, Ross believes he “will likely need until 2023 before he is really ready.”
“This election will see a lot of strategic voting as New Zealanders decide to vote for people and parties they believe can achieve wins for them.
“Voters usually struggle to see the logic in voting for candidates from parties that they know will sit in opposition unable to fulfill election promises.
“That will be the challenge for every National candidate across the country.”
The National candidate for Botany, Chris Luxon was also approached and he offered “A big congratulations to Todd Muller on his selection as Leader of the National Party.”
Luxon added, “I’ve known Todd for some time and he is thoughtful, intelligent, and cares deeply about our party and country. He will be an outstanding leader and I look forward to campaigning with him.”
There are no new cases of Covid-19 to report in New Zealand today.
Our total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 remains at 1154, which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.
Our combined total of confirmed and probable cases remains at 1504.
One additional person has recovered, taking recoveries to 1456. This represents 97 per cent of all confirmed and probable cases as having recovered from Covid-19.
There are no additional deaths to report.
There remains one person receiving hospital-level care for Covid-19; they are in Middlemore and are not in ICU.
Yesterday our laboratories completed 3302 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 259,152.
NZ Covid Tracer app
The NZ Covid Tracer app has now recorded 354,000 registrations, 30,000 more than at the same time yesterday.
We continue to encourage as many people as possible to download the app – it will help us identify, trace, test and isolate any cases of Covid-19. The faster we can do these steps the less likely it is the virus can spread in our communities.
The Ministry is also very supportive of the work done by businesses to get their unique QR code which people can use to record having been there.
To reinforce on privacy:
personal information and contact details provided through the app will only be used to get in touch if an individual is identified as a close contact of a Covid-19 case
information about the locations individuals choose to record is stored securely on their phone and is not shared with contact tracers unless an individual chooses to do so.
In either case, the personal information shared with the Ministry is held for public health purposes only and will never be used for enforcement.
Today there are no new cases of Covid-19 to report in New Zealand.
Our total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 remains at 1154, which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.
Our combined total of confirmed and probable cases remains at 1504.
Today there is no change to the number of people recovered at 1455 representing 97 per cent of all confirmed and probable cases as having recovered from Covid-19.
There are no additional deaths to report.
There remains one person receiving hospital-level care for Covid-19; they are in Middlemore and are not in ICU.
Yesterday our laboratories completed 5604 tests bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 255,850.
NZ Covid Tracer app
The NZ Covid Tracer app has now recorded 324,000 registrations, 31,000 more than at the same time yesterday.
We continue to encourage as many people as possible to download the app – it will help us identify, trace, test and isolate any cases of Covid-19. The faster we can do these steps the less likely it is the virus can spread in our communities.
A good explanation about the importance of prompt contact tracing has been recently provided by University of Auckland Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles.
The Ministry is very supportive of the work done by businesses to get their unique QR code that people can use to record having been there.
To reinforce on privacy:
· personal information and contact details provided through the app will only be used to get in touch if an individual is identified as a close contact of a Covid-19 case
· information about the locations individuals choose to record is stored securely on their phone and is not shared with contact tracers unless an individual chooses to do so.
In either case, the personal information shared with the Ministry is held for public health purposes only and will never be used for enforcement.
The NZ Covid Tracer app, already being used by Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, is strongly supported by New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner who has said New Zealanders should feel secure in downloading and using the app.
Maximum gatherings limited to 10
Many New Zealanders will be noticing that life is returning to a new normal but a key reminder this weekend is that the maximum number of people who can gather remains at 10 for now. This limit applies to both private and public gatherings including church and faith based ones.
The only exceptions to this are funerals and tangihanga registered by funeral directors with the Ministry of Health.
New Zealand is in a relatively good position with regard to restricting the number of cases of Covid-19 and its important that we keep it there.
‘I want to acknowledge once again the support and patience of New Zealanders to get us to this point.
‘It remains important to minimise the mixing and mingling involved in larger groups.
‘I know many people, including those of faith, want to move as quickly as possible to increase the size of their gatherings. I know how important it is for people to be able to practise their faith together.
‘The number of people at gatherings will be one of the specific issues being reconsidered by Cabinet on Monday – until then it remains at 10’, Dr Bloomfield says.
Simon Bridges has been removed as leader of the National Party in favour of newcomer Todd Muller.
His deputy Paula Bennett has also lost her job, and has been replaced by Central Auckland MP Nikki Kaye.
Todd Muller with Botany MP Jami-Lee Ross in 2016
In a statement the National party said:
Todd Muller has been elected Leader of the New Zealand National Party, the party caucus announced today.
Nikki Kaye has been elected as his Deputy.
“There is no Team Todd, there is no Team Nikki, or anyone else – there is only Team National,” Mr Muller said.
“National has always been a coalition of city and country, business and community, conservatives and liberals – National is the party for all New Zealanders.
“New Zealanders need a National Government with the experience and management skills to get our country through the worst crisis since the end of the Second World War.
“My focus as leader is our country’s economic recovery and the strengthening of every community throughout New Zealand.”
Today there is one new confirmed case of Covid-19 to report in New Zealand.
The case is linked to the St Margaret’s cluster in Auckland and is a household contact of an earlier case. Because of their connection to the earlier case, the person has been in isolation since the beginning of Level 4. This case is another example of the ‘long tail’ of Covid-19 and why ongoing vigilance is so important.
Today’s case means our total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 is 1154, which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.
Our combined total of confirmed and probable cases is 1504.
Today we have recorded 97% of all confirmed and probable cases as having recovered from Covid-19, an increase of three on yesterday, for a total of 1,455.
There are no additional deaths to report.
There is one person receiving hospital-level care for Covid-19; they are in Middlemore and are not in ICU.
Yesterday our laboratories completed 5408 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 250,246.
NZ Covid Tracer app
The NZ Covid Tracer app has now recorded 293,000 registrations.
We continue to encourage as many people as possible to download the app – it will help us identify, trace, test and isolate any cases of Covid-19. The faster we can do these steps the less likely it is the virus can spread in our communities.
It is also really important that businesses are going through the steps to get their unique QR code that people can use to record having been there. We have now recorded 10,692 QR codes generated by businesses.
And just to be clear on privacy:
· The personal information and contact details you provide through the app will only be used to get in touch if you are identified as a close contact of a Covid-19 case.
· Any information about the locations you sign into is stored securely on your phone and is not shared with contact tracers unless you choose to do so.
In either case, the personal information you share with us is held for public health purposes only and will never be used for enforcement.
Group events at Level 2
Heading into Saturday and Sunday, a reminder that the maximum number of people who can gather remains at 10 for now and that this applies to both private and public gatherings including church and faith-based ones. The only exceptions to this are funerals and tangihanga registered by funeral directors with the Ministry of Health.
‘We provided our health advice to the Government on numbers at Level 2 to minimise the mixing and mingling involved in larger groups,’ says the Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
‘I know many people, including those of faith, want to move as quickly as possible to increase the size of their gatherings. I know how important it is for people to be able to practise their faith together.
‘As we head into the weekend, I want to acknowledge once again the support and patience of New Zealanders right through Levels 4 and 3.
‘The number of people at gatherings will be one of the specific issues being reconsidered by Cabinet on Monday.’
Police have released a video guide to having a good night out this weekend as the country enters its second week in Alert level 2.
As of May 21, bars are able to re-open to the public with some restrictions still in place.
Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers says Police understand New Zealanders will want to get out to see friends and family after sticking to their bubbles for seven weeks.
“The key thing is to play it safe – stick to the rules and have a plan to get home.
“People should be able to enjoy themselves, but don’t go too hard with their drinking.”
Covid-19 Alert Level Restrictions are still in place around mass gatherings as they continue to pose a risk for the transmission of the virus.
“Inside bars and restaurants people should be: seated in groups no larger than 10, with 1m separation between tables, and have a single server.
“Most New Zealanders are doing the right thing and acting responsibly.
We don’t want to risk the gains we’ve made so far.”
Assistant Commissioner Chambers says putting in a little time to plan a night out will go a long way.
“If you’re going to a bar or mate’s place to drink – don’t drive and nominate a sober driver.
“Last year, alcohol or drugs were a factor in 131 fatal crashes and 432 serious injury crashes on our roads.”
Assistant Commissioner Chambers says it’s also a timely reminder that many public places have liquor bans.
“Police will be highly visible in our communities and continue with reassurance patrols and visits to many businesses.
“Our focus is on education. However, serious or persistent breaches of current restrictions may result in enforcement action.”
The video ‘A Guide to a Good Night’ is available through the Police website and Facebook pages or via the link below
At the beginning of April, the Ministry of Health started issuing a daily survey to collect information about the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders, how they are doing, and how they are being impacted by Covid-19.
The Ministry of Health is using this data along with other sources of information, such as call volumes to help lines, feedback from services and specialist mental health and addiction service data as ongoing monitoring of how people are doing.
In the most recent week of surveying, 99% of people told us they are getting along with other members of their household, 99% can support the wellbeing of their children and 95% are able to pay basic living costs. Most people report being happy with life as it is.
Thirty-one per cent of people experienced feelings of loneliness or isolation at times, and 8% reported depressive or anxiety-related symptoms, however, it hasn’t been possible to estimate how much of this is due to the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions.
Robyn Shearer, Deputy Director-General, Mental Health and Addictions says: “We know Covid-19 may have significant, long term effects on people’s mental wellbeing. It’s important to track how people are doing so we can target support where it’s most needed.”
She adds, “We are aware that there is a lot of different research being conducted at the moment and each will use different methodologies and sample groups – which means they are likely to come up with differing results. All of this information provides us with a useful indication of what is going on.”
“We recognise some people are struggling, and we know that the level of need varies in different communities. That’s why we are making support and tools available. The survey gives us important information on the trend over time- which is currently showing overall improvement,” says Mental Health and Addiction Chief Clinical Advisor, Dr Arran Culver.
“The impacts of Covid-19 may be felt for some time and some of them may be out of our control. But that doesn’t mean mental distress is inevitable. Just like physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing is something that we can strengthen with practice. The stronger our mental wellbeing is, the better we’ll be able to cope with uncertainty and stress” he added.
Shearer says, “If we all act now and pay attention to our mental wellbeing – practicing good mental wellbeing techniques and accessing support when we need it – we can avoid a spike in mental distress in the months to come.”
Today there are no new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.
That means our total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 remains at 1153, which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.
Our combined total of confirmed and probable cases remains at 1503.
Today we have recorded 97 per cent of all confirmed and probable cases as having recovered from Covid-19, an increase of five on yesterday, for a total of 1452.
There are no additional deaths to report.
There is one person receiving hospital-level care for Covid-19, they are in Middlemore and are not in the ICU.
Yesterday our laboratories completed 6113 tests bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 244,838.
Influenza vaccines New Zealanders are encouraged to get their flu vaccine, especially as the weather starts to get colder.
We had a record number of 1.76 million Southern Hemisphere vaccines this year and that is now open to everyone, however we are still asking immunisation providers to make sure they hold enough stock for priority groups such as pregnant women, older people and those with pre-existing conditions.
The Ministry of Health and Pharmac have also successfully secured 360,000 Northern Hemisphere vaccines which will be available for providers to order this week.
The Northern Hemisphere vaccine contains two of the same strains of influenza vaccine as the usual vaccines used in New Zealand this year, and one that is closely related.
Funerals and tangihanga Since we moved into Alert Level 2 just over a week ago there has been the ability for funerals and tangihanga to have up to 50 people where funeral directors can demonstrate that appropriate public health measures are in place.
Funeral directors register these funerals or tangihanga with the Ministry. Since the beginning of Alert Level 2 there have been 650 funerals or tangihanga registered – though separate services at a church and a crematorium for the same person may count as two events.
The Ministry is very aware of the importance of families, friends and whānau being able to gather together to grieve and that is supported by the large number of registrations.
NZ Covid Tracer app
The Ministry continues to be encouraged by the number of Kiwis who have downloaded NZ Covid Tracer – we have now recorded 240,000 registrations.
We want as many people as possible to download the app – it will help us identify, trace, test and isolate any cases of Covid-19. The faster we can do these steps the less likely it is the virus can spread in our communities.
It is also really important that businesses are going through the steps to get their unique QR code that people can use to record having been there. We have now recorded 6,800 QR codes generated by businesses.
The Ministry has now published a draft data standard and supporting specifications for NZ Covid Tracer. These will support developers of other contact tracing apps to use the NZ Covid Tracer QR codes.
This means there will be no need for people to see multiple QR codes at one location, provided other apps choose to adopt the NZ Covid Tracer standard.
The Ministry has already been in touch with the software vendors we engaged with on the standard and specifications to direct them to the published documents, which are available on our website
Yesterday some New Zealanders were having trouble locating the app in the Google Play Store – the Ministry has worked with Google to ensure the app can be found more easily.
Updates to the app went out last night which included fixes for bugs that are very normal for any new app to have when it is first released.
And just to be clear on privacy, the personal information and contact details you provide through the app will only be used to get in touch if you are identified as a close contact of a Covid-19 case.
Any information about the locations you sign into is stored securely on your phone and is not shared with contact tracers unless you choose to do so.
In either case, the personal information you share with us is held for public health purposes only and will never be used for enforcement.
Hospitality venues
Bars and pubs reopen today – while we remain in Alert Level 2 we ask that people keep behaviour at a restricted level, too.
Bars will be implementing newly established health and safety requirements including seating and plenty of space between tables.
These requirements are designed to limit physical interaction between patrons and between staff and customers.
This is a great chance to catch up with a friend and support local businesses. Have fun if you head out to a bar in coming days but support the staff by ensuring you do so from your seat with your small group.
And just a note on the contact details you are providing when you are out and about – whether it be a bar, a restaurant or a café.
Please ensure you are providing the correct details. We are taking these steps because it is important to be able to trace contacts of people who have Covid-19. Providing incorrect details will slow the process, and risks giving the virus a chance to spread in our communities when we have worked so hard to stamp it out.
