A state of emergency has been declared in Napier overnight after torrential rain caused flash flooding, slips and power cuts across the city.
NIWA says yesterday was Napier’s second wettest day on record with 237mm of rain falling by 10pm.
Fire and Emergency received around 350 calls for assistance last night, including evacuating elderly residents stuck in their homes.
Incredible footage rolled in all evening showing the extent of the city’s submerged streets.
Napier residents are being asked to avoid travel today and use less water while the network recovers from the deluge. People are also being advised to avoid eating any food that’s been in contact with floodwaters, due to concerns the water could be carrying bugs from sewerage systems.
Covid vaccine 90 per cent effective
Trials for one of the world's leading coronavirus vaccines has found it to be more than 90 per cent effective .
The vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been tested on more than 43,000 people in six countries with no safety concerns raised.
There are around a dozen Covid-19 vaccines currently in the final stages of testing, but this is the first one to show any results. It uses the experimental approach of injecting part of the virus’s genetic code in order to train the immune system.
Pfizer and BioNTech have described the vaccine’s results as “a great day for science and humanity”.
More MIQ rooms released
Kiwis disappointed at missing out on a space in New Zealand’s managed isolation facilities before Christmas are being encouraged to keep checking for availability given the changeable nature of international travel.
More rooms were made available yesterday on a first come, first serve basis, while people whose travel plans have fallen through are being encouraged to cancel their managed isolation vouchers so other returnees can take their place.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is making moves towards the long-awaited travel bubble with the Cook Islands .
The arrangement was put on hold due to the August outbreak of Covid-19 in New Zealand, however Government officials will now travel to the Cook Islands on Saturday to pave the way forward for the venture.
Procedures under spotlight
While there were no new community cases of Covid-19 recorded in New Zealand yesterday, procedures at the country’s quarantine facilities were still under scrutiny.
It follows the emergence of the November quarantine cluster, which started when a Defence Force member contracted the virus while working at the Jet Park Hotel.
A handful of schools have been on high alert during this latest outbreak, with Ōtorohanga College temporarily closing its hostel yesterday, and two Lower Hutt students among a large group being tested for the virus.
The Ministry of Health is also still investigating how two health workers managed to catch Covid-19 from infected foreign fishermen in Christchurch.
Just over one in 10 of the mostly Russian crew tested positive for the virus, prompting one expert to say the economic benefit New Zealand gets from having overseas crew here isn’t worth the health risk they pose .
Those comments came as the NZ Nurses Organisation (NZNO) also called for an “urgent resolution” to their concerns over their members working at quarantine facilities.
And officials are again urging Kiwis to use the Covid tracer app following the latest community outbreak.
The owner of the Wellington restaurant visited by a Covid-19 case says they’ll be encouraging their customers to use the app , saying the new case has been “a good wake-up call for everybody”.
St John staff opt to strike
Union members at St John Ambulance have voted to strike later this month , following disputes over pay and shift work.
They claim St John is withholding their agreed shift pay, proposing salary cuts to fully funded jobs, and wants to remove their rosters from the collective agreement.
First Union says the organisation has been cutting frontline staff and that it’s only a matter of time until the measures cost lives. St John says it’s working to ensure there's limited negative impact to patients.
Thousands of primary healthcare workers also walked off the job yesterday , demanding pay parity with their district health board counterparts.
Other news of note this morning:
- President-elect Joe Biden is moving forward with plans to tackle Covid-19 in the US , while a bipartisan group urges the Trump administration to begin the post-election transition process.
- Jacinda Ardern has responded to criticism about the number of New Zealand children in poverty, while Auckland City Mission says its prepping for its toughest Christmas in 100 years .
- 1 NEWS understands Shane Reti has the numbers for the National Party deputy leadership – but there’s still a chance others may put their hand up for the role today.
- Children as young as eight are worried about their weight , according to the latest snapshot from NZ’s largest longitudinal study ‘Growing Up in New Zealand’.
- The Government is extending its small business loan scheme by three years, as well as increasing the interest-free period, as part of its Covid-19 economic response.
- Fair Go has a cautionary tale about what to look for when buying a second-hand electric vehicle.
- And the rest of the nominees for TV Personality of the Year can breathe a sigh of relief - Dr Ashley Bloomfield has withdrawn from the competition .
And finally...
Look, don’t shoot the messenger, but Christmas is coming.
So, Seven Sharp sent Eli Matthewson out to find some alternative Christmas gift ideas – and he came up with... axe throwing ?
Sure, it’s an unusual experience to gift, but it might just be perfect for 2020. Because who hasn’t wanted to throw an axe at a wall at some point this year?
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