A three-day lockdown for Auckland, a fiery Trans-Tasman tiff and a push to speed up the banning of conversion therapy kept politicians busy this week.
The political cycle started early - an abrupt afternoon press conference on Sunday to confirm new community Covid-19 cases saw the Prime Minister race down to Wellington with 20 minutes to pack her bags.
The Prime Minister said the cautious approach was the right move after three family members tested positive for Covid-19.
Standing in the theatrette, Ardern gave Aucklanders the news they would go into another Level 3 lockdown , while the rest of the country would be wearing masks again on public transport, not having large gatherings, and trying to remember the rules of Level 2.
The levels lifted on Wednesday night. With it came a new rule for the rest of the country, joining Auckland in compulsory mask wearing on public transport at Level 1 . Unfortunately, as it was briefly mentioned in the alert level change announcement, many New Zealanders were not aware of the new rule until Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins re-announced it on Thursday .
All schools and kura will be able to provide their students with free period products from June in an attempt to tackle period poverty. The issue of period poverty had been concerning charity groups for years, with reports of students having to skip school due to being unable to afford period products.
The news is being celebrated by campaigners who are hoping the rollout is just the beginning.
The Green Party, fed up with the time it was taking the Government to ban conversion therapy , launched a petition for priority to be placed on outlawing the practice. It has since received more than 150,000 signatures.
The Green Party used today’s Big Gay Out to send a strong message to parliament.
A tweet from the Turkish Ministry of National Defence saying that three New Zealand nationals, a woman and two children, tried to "enter our country illegally from Syria" was the tip of the ice berg, before a war of words saw Trans-Tasman relations take a swift dive .
A stern-looking Jacinda Ardern revealed on Tuesday the woman detained at the border who reportedly had ties to ISIS, left New Zealand at age six. She once had dual citizenship with New Zealand and Australia - but not anymore. New Zealand had raised the issue asking to work together with Australia, when the woman left Australia, on an Australian passport and went to Syria. Ardern was told the next year Australia had unilaterally revoked the citizenship. "You can imagine my response," Ardern said, accusing Canberra of abdicating its responsibilities.
Jacinda Ardern strongly criticised Australia’s decision, after the individual moved from New Zealand when they were six.
Morrison was asked about the spat a few hours later, saying it was his job to put "Australia's national security interests first" , in what was described by 1 NEWS' political editor Jessica Mutch McKay as a "short sighted, inwardly focused, selfish move" played by Morrison.
The pair talked it out that evening - it is unclear what will happen now, with the only clues from the phone call being that it was "constructive" , the issue is "complex" and they are "working through those issues". These phrases were repeated over and over the next day by both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nanania Mahuta.
News that ANZ's KiwiSaver was investing in companies that had links to the war in Yemen saw Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick promptly dump the provider - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's KiwiSaver also sits with ANZ. The New Zealand Superannuation Fund also admitted it was investing in the same companies - Raytheon Technologies, Textron and BAE Systems.
The Green MP is in the process of switching providers after learning hers has links to the humanitarian disaster in Yemen.
BAE Systems has sold billions of dollars of weapons to the Saudi military, Textron has provided cluster munitions and aircraft to the Saudi military and Raytheon also provides munitions.
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