Visit our Popular Forums

**GordMay** · 17-12-2020, 05:12

New Zealand: Public Health & Economy
New Zealand Economy Surges Out of Recession In V-Shaped Recovery

Gross domestic product surged by 14 percent in the third quarter, helped by aggressive stimulus measures and consumer spending.

Gross domestic product surged 14% from the second quarter, when it contracted a revised 11%, Statistics New Zealand said Thursday. Economists forecast a 12.9% gain. From a year earlier, the economy grew 0.4%, confounding the consensus forecast for a 1.8% decline.

“We can only identify three other countries that have achieved the ‘full recovery’: Taiwan, China and Ireland,” said Stephen Toplis, head of research at Bank of New Zealand in Wellington. “New Zealand is definitely in a very small minority.”

The government’s determination to eliminate the virus saw it impose one of the strictest lockdowns in the world but allowed a quicker resumption of economic activity once it was stamped out.
New Zealand has recorded 1,744 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and just 25 deaths.

More ➥ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...spending-spree

New Zealand Coronavirus Cases (as of December 17, 2020): 2,100
Deaths: 25
Recovered: 2,032
More N.Z. Stat's ➥ https://www.worldometers.info/corona...y/new-zealand/

**GordMay** · 24-01-2021, 03:56

New Zealand detects first community COVID-19 case in two months

A 56-year-old woman who recently returned from Europe tested positive 10 days after completing two weeks in isolation.
The woman returned to New Zealand on December 30 after spending four months in Europe – mainly in Spain and the Netherlands – and was released from an Auckland quarantine hotel on January 13.
New Zealand Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the woman returned two negative tests while in isolation, and her husband had not shown any symptoms.
This marks the first known case of community transmission in New Zealand since November 18/20.

More ➥ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/...-in-two-months

**GordMay** · 25-01-2021, 05:06

New Zealand’s new COVID case is the South African variant (501.V2*)
Genome testing indicates woman who got sick caught virus from another returning traveller just before leaving quarantine.
More ➥ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/...frican-variant

*The South African variant, 501.V2, carries a mutation called E484K, among others.
Scientists have tested the Pfizer Covid vaccine against one of the mutations, found in the South African variant, called N501Y, using blood samples from 20 people. In that preliminary study*, vaccination appeared to work against the mutated virus.
However, the S.A. variant has a number of additional mutations, including changes to some of the virus' spike protein, so further study is required.

* “Neutralization of N501Y mutant SARS-CoV-2 by BNT162b2 vaccine-elicited sera”
➥ https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...740v1.full.pdf

goboatingnow · 25-01-2021, 12:27

I can’t understand how NZs strategy will work long term. They will be potentially faced with closed borders for years.

**GordMay** · 03-03-2021, 04:37

New Zealand’s response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
New Zealand has avoided the major health impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, due to a strict country-wide lockdown, the end-goal of which was elimination, rather than mitigation and suppression. The New Zealand government’s use of scientific expertise, spanning public health, infectious diseases, genomics, modeling and immunology, has been one of the keys to the success of its SARS-CoV-2 elimination and control strategy.

“New Zealand’s science-led response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic” ~ by Jemma L. Geoghegan et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-021-00872-x

In January 2021, PM Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand and the world needed to return to some semblance of normality before she opened the country’s borders to foreign nationals, adding that “we can expect our borders to be impacted for much of this year”.
The prime minister shut the border in mid-March [2020] and said on Tuesday she would not open it again until New Zealanders were “vaccinated and protected” – a process that will not start for the general population until the middle of this year.
➥ https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-and-protected

NZ OFFICIAL COVID-19 WEBSITE ➥ https://covid19.govt.nz/

El Pinguino · 05-03-2021, 00:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I can’t understand how NZs strategy will work long term. They will be potentially faced with closed borders for years.

Neither NZ or Australia are truly hermit kingdoms....

In Australia the international borders are supposedly sealed and only citizens and residents allowed in.... in fact 1/3rd of arrivals are neither... ( figures and details are mushy )... all the news that is fit to print here... https://www.theage.com.au/coronavirus-pandemic
Likewise outward travel is banned .... except for 100k who wanted out.... I received an exit permit ( yes it is all a bit Orwellian ) within 24 hours because I had a pressing need to go sailing.........

They say much of the boost to the economy .. and Australia is going much the same way as NZ... is because people are spending the money in country rather than on a fortnight in Bali.

Lets not forget that up to about 1970 and the coming of the 747 overseas travel ( trans Tasman does not count ) was very much only for the very well off down here... down under...

Young people would buy a one way ticket on a liner and spend the next year in London saving up to buy a ticket home..... or build a ferro yacht and sail back...

**GordMay** · 11-03-2021, 05:07

“Canada and New Zealand both have hot housing markets, but only 1 has plan to cool things down” ~ Opinion/Analysis by Don Pittis

In an attempt to prevent a speculative bubble from growing, the RBNZ raised the minimum required for mortgage down payments on March 1, and will raise them again on May 1, including even stricter borrowing requirements for investors.[1]
As of May, most New Zealand buyers, who plan to live in their home, will be required to provide a down payment of 20 per cent. Investors will need to put down 40 per cent.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Bank of Canada dropped its latest epistle. Interest rates stay the same. “The Bank of Canada today held its target for the overnight rate at the effective lower bound of ¼ percent, with the Bank Rate at ½ percent, and the deposit rate at ¼ percent ...”[2]
More ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/can...down-1.5942438

[1] “Financial stability strengthened by firmer LVR restrictions”
➥ https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/news/2021/0...r-restrictions

[2] “Bank of Canada Interest Rate Announcement”
➥ https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2021/03/...se-2021-03-10/

“Policy Interest Rates" ~ Bank of Canada”
➥ https://www.bankofcanada.ca/core-fun...interest-rate/

**GordMay** · 17-03-2021, 07:57

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has said the borders will remain closed until the nation is “vaccinated and protected” – likely for all of 2021. New Zealand can return to ‘normal’, only when the rest of the world does too

Update on cases for March 17, 2021:
- There are no new COVID-19 cases to report in the community.
- There are 3 new COVID-19 cases to report in managed isolation.
More ➥ https://www.health.govt.nz/news-medi...aged-isolation

**GordMay** · 18-03-2021, 03:01

December 2020 fourth quarter report:
The economy contracted 1.0%, in the final three months of 2020, data showed Thursday in Wellington, and some economists are predicting it may shrink further in the current quarter. The wobble follows a V-shaped recovery, from a first-half slump, as the nation successfully eliminated community transmission of the virus.
In the December 2020 quarter, compared with the September 2020 quarter:
- GDP declined by 1.0 percent.
- Goods-producing industries fell by 3.2 percent.
- Primary industries fell by 0.6 percent.
- Service industries rose by 0.1 percent.
- GDP per capita fell by 1.2 percent.
- Real gross disposable national income per capita fell by 1.1 percent.
Over the year to December 2020:
- Annual GDP growth declined 2.9 percent.

➥ https://www.stats.govt.nz/informatio...r-2020-quarter

➥ https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/decem...tember-rebound

**GordMay** · 01-04-2021, 05:46

Information about confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand
[Last updated 1pm 01 April 2021]

New cases reported during the past 24 hours 5 *
Active cases At the border 67
In the community 0
Under investigation/other 0*
Total 67
Most recent case reported 31 March 2021
Most recent case reported due to community transmission (spread within our communities) 28 February 2021

*There are five new cases. One previously reported case has been reclassified as under investigation. This gives a total net increase of four cases.

More ➥ https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/...rent-situation

**GordMay** · 06-04-2021, 05:23

Trans-Tasman travel bubble:
Jacinda Ardern announces date of quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the trans-Tasman travel bubble, allowing quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand, will commence on April 19.

More ➥ https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/polit...w-zealand.html

And ➥ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-...bble/100050572

**GordMay** · 08-04-2021, 04:52

New Zealand bans entry of travellers from India

As India struggles to contain the second wave, New Zealand temporarily suspended entry for all travellers from the South Asian country, including its own citizens, from from 4pm April 11 TO [AT LEAST] April 28.
New Zealand has virtually eliminated the virus within its borders, and has not reported any community transmission locally for about 40 days.

➥ https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/...354&ref=search

**GordMay** · 02-05-2021, 03:34

Australia’s Perth dodges new lockdown, but imposes restrictions

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan shutterd nightclubs until May 8, bans people from attending Sunday football derby that attracts 45,000 spectators.

New Zealand, late on Saturday night, paused travel from Western Australia, cancelling two flights due to arrive on Sunday morning. The Pacific nation last month agreed to a quarantine - and COVID-testing free “travel bubble” with Australia.

More ➥ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/...fter-new-cases

**GordMay** · 25-06-2021, 04:14

Information about confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand ➥ https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/...-current-cases

The source of current active cases [2] is in people who travelled internationally and were diagnosed in managed facilities at the border.

COVID-19 media conference — 25 June 2021 ➥ https://youtu.be/h-M0GJ36llA

Pause on quarantine-free travel from New South Wales extended for 12 more days [Jun 24/21] ➥ https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/hea...r-12-more-days