Programmers slam the country's MIQ booking system, the Government reveals when people will receive their Covid vaccine, and there's some relief for residents who drank contaminated water.
Software developers are calling for the MIQ booking system to be overhauled after “unprecedented demand” crashed the website last week.
Computer programmer Andrew Connell says the current system doesn’t make sense . He says the way users are encouraged to book vouchers replicates a denial of service attack, usually used by hackers to shut down websites.
He says the voucher booking system should be made more efficient and fairer, with people put in a queue rather than having to refresh the website repeatedly.
Another programmer told 1 NEWS the voucher booking system “would not be deemed fit for purpose in any commercial project”, however MIQ Deputy Secretary Megan Main says she’s happy with the way it’s working .
She says any website would struggle with the level of demand they’ve had and won’t commit to any immediate changes to the booking system.
But as demand for a place in MIQ grows, Australian entertainers The Wiggles are settling into their hotel spots ahead of their New Zealand tour. The group last night tweeted “the fun never stops … even in quarantine”.
The Wiggles’ tour was only able to go ahead after 12 MIQ spaces were made available for them, their crew, and their families in January.
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Pressure for full travel bubble grows
While Kiwis’ frustrations in booking their own MIQ spots grows, National’s Judith Collins has continued her calls for New Zealand to open its borders to visitors from across the Tasman.
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he’s happy for borders between the two countries to open but says it’s a matter for the New Zealand Government.
He added that his country is happy to benefit from New Zealand’s reluctance , saying, “If Australians can’t go to Queenstown, I’m hoping they’re going to Cairns.”
The New Zealand Government previously said a travel bubble with Australia would be open by the end of March, however, the venture is still plagued with several logistical issues , particularly around controlling potential outbreaks of Covid-19.
Those issues come as New Zealand’s tourism towns continue to struggle.
Queenstown businesses told Stuff they are “looking down a pretty dark hole” while they wait for a trans-Tasman bubble and the Australian tourists that would come with it.
The Scenic Hotel Group has also just announced it’s closing four hotels in the Glacier Country region due to the lack of international tourists.
Vaccine groups revealed
The Government has released its Covid vaccine rollout plan, which splits the country into four groups .
Jabs for the first two groups – border workers and frontline healthcare workers – are already underway, with some people in high risk situations, such as older people living in South Auckland, being added to that second group.
“Priority populations” who are at a higher risk if they catch the virus make up the third group and will begin their vaccinations in May. The rest of the country should start receiving their jabs in July.
Some groups are already calling for a higher priority in that vaccination queue, including supermarket staff . Countdown is arguing its employees must work through all alert levels and points out its stores regularly feature as locations of interest in community outbreaks.
Some relief for Otago towns
Residents of three Otago towns who were drinking contaminated water have been told long-term lead exposure is unlikely .
The good news was delivered at a public meeting in Waikouaiti last night. It comes after residents were told to stop drinking their tap water in February after lead was discovered in the supply. The presence of lead had been signalled months earlier .
Officials say residents’ blood test results were similar to any other part of New Zealand with very few returning lead levels above the national threshold.
However, a no drinking order will remain in place for at least two more months as investigators try to work out what caused the spike in lead levels.
Cup teams split the honours
Helmsman Peter Burling has pointed to a lack of match racing as a potential reason for Team New Zealand’s costly errors in the second race of the America's Cup yesterday.
The Kiwis notched up a commanding victory over Luna Rossa in the first race but couldn’t back that performance up an hour later, allowing the Italians to even the series up at one-all .
It was an anticlimactic start for those wanting to watch the racing, with Level 2 restrictions preventing fans from gathering at the America’s Cup village.
And with many Kiwis instead tuning into their TVs to watch the action, Seven Sharp went behind the scenes to see how the racing is captured for the screen .
Other news of note this morning:
- The Duchess of Sussex has reportedly made a complaint to broadcaster ITV over comments Piers Morgan made about her mental health. Morgan left the network’s Good Morning Britain show yesterday after storming off set live on air .
- The hunt is on to find impartial jurors for the trial of the former US police officer accused of killing George Floyd.
- The BBC reports health systems in many of Brazil's largest cities are close to collapse due to a deluge of Covid-19 cases.
- ACT leader David Seymour has revealed his party’s recommended changes to New Zealand’s Covid-19 response - and epidemiologist Dr Michael Baker says the plan “looks good” .
- A Ministry of Health programme set up to reduce sudden and unexpected deaths of babies in their sleep hasn’t succeeded , with fatalities rising two years into it.
- The horticulture industry is warning of a “tragedy unfolding” as labour shortages leave Hawke's Bay apples rotting on trees.
- A rock as old as our solar system has been discovered on a UK driveway after a meteor hurtled across the skies of southern England.
- And Biosecurity New Zealand says it appears the snake found on an Auckland construction site this week was alive when it was discovered .
And finally...
But in much more pleasant animal discovery news, a police officer is preparing to adopt a kitten he rescued off a busy Auckland motorway this week.
Senior Constable Robert Campbell came to the kitten’s aid after members of the public spotted it cowering on Spaghetti Junction in rush hour traffic.
Soon smitten with the kitten nestled in his speed detector bag, Campbell decided to give the ball of fluff a new home with his family.
A name for their new pet is still being considered, but a current frontrunner is “Lucky”.
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