The law setting up a Matariki public holiday - set for 24 June this year - has passed in Parliament.The law adds a 12th day of public holiday to New Zealand's working year, recognising the Māori body of knowledge around the period on the Māori lunar calendar.The Te Pire mō te Hararei Tūmatanui o te Kāhui o Matariki/Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill passed its third reading without the support of National or Act.The bill sets dates for the holiday date through until 2052, falling on the Friday closest to the Tangaroa lunar phase - when the last quarter-moon rises - of Piripi, a period typically falling between June and July.It marks the beginning of the Māori New Year, the most significant celebration in the traditional Māori calendar - an environmental calendar system which accounts for the position of the sun, heliacal rising of stars, lunar phases, and regional ecological events.Plans are under way for nationwide events to help support the celebrations.Matariki brings a focus on remembering those who have died, celebrating the present, and looking ahead to the future and the coming season, though the stories told, traditions honoured and exact timings differ by iwi and hapū.The celebration is underpinned by values of aroha (love), whakamaharatanga (remembrance), kotahitanga (unity), manaakitanga (caring), tohatoha (sharing), mana taiao (environmental awareness), hākari (feasting), wānanga (discussion), noho tahi (coming together), atawhaitanga (kindness), whakanui (celebrations) and tuakiritanga (identity).The bill is only the fifth piece of legislation drafted in both te reo Māori and English.Associate Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiritapu Allan - who championed the bill - said it was a historic moment, instituting the first national holiday specifically recognising and celebrating mātauranga Māori."Matariki is not about replacing an existing public holiday. Rather it provides us with a unique, new opportunity to embrace our distinctive national identity and helps to establish our place as a modern Pacific nation," Allan said."Matariki is a time of unity, renewal, celebration, and hope. With the challenges we have all faced in recent times, it allows us to come together with whānau and friends to pause, reflect and look optimistically to the future."She said research showed many benefits to public holidays in general, including reducing employee stress, helping reduce burnout, and promote work-life balance; while it would also provide a much-needed mid-year boost to hospitality and tourism.National MP Paul Goldsmith said the party was supportive of having a holiday which recognises and celebrates te ao Māori, but while he was looking forward to celebrating it the party believed Matariki should replace a previous public holiday."As if there is no cost, there is no consequences from this ... ultimately we as a country need to pay for it."Labour's Grant Robertson said it was one of the measures the government was bringing in to better recognise "who we are in Aotearoa New Zealand today and who we can be".Crown-Māori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis said members of the opposition who criticised the bill should listen to Māori and tikanga.National's Simon O'Connor had raised the idea of instead of using the name of Matariki, using the Greek name Pleiades, or another name that was "more neutral". Davis said it showed National's contempt for anything Māori."They want to 'neutralise' our culture, our tikanga, our kaupapa ... that there goes to describe the attitude of the National Party."Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said it had only taken 180-odd years to have an official day celebrating "the essence of what it is to be Māori"."It is still a shameful stain on this country that Māori kaupapa or matauranga Māori is still to brown, or too native to acknowledge."He said it was an annual reset, and offered a "huge window of opportunity to look at a more progressive, equitable and equal future for Aotearoa," saying it was time for a constitutional reset rooted in the Treaty of Waitangi.

The price of fertiliser may go up and there could be a shortage of vodka under the government's new sanctions on Russia, says Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O'Connor.All Russian imports to New Zealand will be hit with a 35 percent tariff in response to what our government has described as "abhorrent and reprehensible" atrocities committed against Ukrainian citizens.Existing export prohibitions to industrial products closely connected to strategic Russian industries have also been extended.The Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O'Connor told Morning Report the tariffs were in line with a number of New Zealand's partner countries."For New Zealand this is a very significant move, we've not imposed tariffs since the formation of the WTO and have campaigned of course very strongly internationally to remove tariffs and promote trade. This is a reverse of that to try and put pressure on Russia of course to stop the war in Ukraine."It was a very high number of tariffs, he said.Under the new sanctions, the price of fertiliser may go up and there could be a shortage of vodka."Most of the companies will realise it's not economic to [bring those products in] and they won't import from Russia..."O'Connor said it's one of the costs New Zealand needs to shoulder to continue to put pressure on "a nation that continues to carry out abhorrent action in Ukraine".Export prohibitions cover ICT, machinery, components of technological products, he said."These are the things that may end up in the hands of the Russian military machine, we don't want that to happen ... we don't want to contribute in any way to their war effort."There will be some disadvantage, some imposition and some restrictions on people who may not of course be intending to move those or see that go into the military, the reality is, they could - so we have to stop the export of those products.Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told First Up New Zealand will continue to lift its contribution and support the people of Ukraine."The most important thing for us is that what we do is meaningful and so we were in there quickly with humanitarian aid, we've got our intelligence officers working over there now as well, and we will keep looking for ways that we can support."Cabinet discusses this at every single meeting, Robertson said.He said a 35 percent tariff will have a big impact."To be frank, that's going to make it pretty hard for any Russian company to be able to get through that."The trade New Zealand has with Russia is quite small, he said.

Health workers are thanking Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield for his work stopping the ailing health system from collapsing in the pandemic - and for saving lives.They say they can relate to him needing a rest.Dr Bloomfield leaves his job in July, stepping down 12 months early after the huge stress of the past two years.There are few public servants who have had the same degree of fame.For two years he has been a regular in the living rooms of the country, particularly in the first lockdown when almost everyone was home turning in every day to hear news of the Covid-19 threat.Emergency doctor and chair of the Council of Medical Colleges John Bonning said Bloomfield had to step up to communicate with the public in a role that would normally have been done by politicians.He exuded trust and had stellar public health credentials, as a medical doctor who had worked for the World Health Organisation and headed a DHB, Bonning said.He engaged and communicated very regularly with health worker groups."He felt the pain, he felt the pressure along with the rest of us," he said.Frontline GP and chair of the Pacific GP Network Api Talemaitoga said the country was lucky to have a director-general with top public health skills when they were needed most.That meant Bloomfield understood the practicalities of what had to be done - like limiting numbers, mass masking, vaccination programmes and the importance of communication, he said.Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said Bloomfield's advice had been at the heart of the government's decision making and he "had saved thousands if not tens of thousands of lives".But not everything was perfect under his tenure. There was a blunder that meant high-risk border workers weren't being routinely tested as promised, criticisms about spread in MIQ facilities, delays at times over testing, and a slow vaccine rollout to Māori.Te Whānau O Waiapareira chief executive John Tamihere said the director-general had done a decent job but he was uncomfortable with the "idolatry" that had sprung up around him.He had called Bloomfield out over the past two years on issues like the delays giving Māori health groups autonomy to look after their communities, and of the ministry's initial failure to hand over health data.Photo: Pool/ Getty ImagesIt would be mean-spirited to criticise Bloomfield on his way out, he said.He was a highly-paid public servant who had done a decent job, particularly for mainstream New Zealand, but his copybook was not completely clean, Tamihere said."But ... Mr Bloomfield will go down as leading a great result when compared with other nations," he said.Pacific health groups had shared the concerns about not initially being able to lead the response for their communities, who bore the brunt of early waves of the virus.GP Api Talemaitoga said while that was frustrating, he and his colleagues on the frontline were not always privy to the big picture Bloomfield was dealing with "in terms of the whole country, the ministry, and his political masters."Senior emergency doctor Kate Allan represents the College of Emergency Medicine and said Bloomfield inherited a broken health system but led a response that stopped it from collapsing under the weight of Covid-19."I take my hat off to him. I think it's been an amazing job and an incredibly difficult job and I can't imagine how tired he must be," she said.Bloomfield is, in turn, quick to credit people like Dr Allan who worked on the frontline to battle the virus.

A bill discounting road user charges by 36 percent has passed its third reading in Parliament.Road user charges apply to drivers of light diesel vehicles and heavy trucks.The Road User Charges (Temporary RUC Reduction Scheme) Amendment Bill legislation also allows Waka Kotahi to issue invoices if RUC licences are found to have been bought for excessive distances or otherwise abuse the three month long reduction.It comes into effect in two weeks, on 21 April, and lasts for three months.Those purchasing RUCs during the three months will be required to complete an online declaration form stating they are only purchasing charges required for that period.The move is part of the government package to ease the pressure on fuel costs, impacted by the Russian war on Ukraine.It sits alongside an equivalent 25 cent fuel tax cut, and three months of half-price fares on public transport.Parliament went into urgency, sitting for about 10 minutes, to finish passing the legislation this morning.In a statement, Transport Minister Michael Wood said the legislation would particularly benefit the road transport industry."As a nation, we are experiencing the impacts of pandemic induced inflation and a war on the other side of the globe. We know households are feeling the effects too, so we've taken swift action," he said."The reduced RUC rates will make it cheaper to transport goods and services and for families to get where they need to go."

The country will remain at the red Covid-19 traffic light setting, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.Watch here:Ardern made the announcement at today's post-Cabinet media briefing from about 4pm.She said the rolling average of cases had declined 36 percent in the two weeks since the government refined the traffic light system.There had been early data showing an uptick since mid-March in people visiting places of retail and recreation in Auckland, as well as more people returning to workplaces, she said.While cases were dropping in Auckland, Wellington and Tairāwhiti others regions like Canterbury, Northland and Waikato were not experiencing the same drop. Hospitalisations in some DHBs were not expected to peak until mid- to late-April."So for now, New Zealand will remain at red," Ardern said."I know there is an eagerness to move to orange, but we are still frankly amid an outbreak and there is still pressure across our hospital network."Ardern said the decision today was based on health advice, and the government did not want to move too quickly and lose the progress made."It's less about the case numbers and more about the hospitalisations."Asked why Auckland cannot move to orange when cases are falling, Ardern says while we are seeing a decline in hospitalisations, "it is off a high base, the numbers are still relatively high, the pressure on our system is still there, we want to make sure that we're in the best possible position and we don't lose the gains we've worked so hard for"."We've always said that there is the possibility of moving regions to different levels at different times ... but as we've said, Auckland has made significant progress but we do still have a relatively high hospitalisation rate.""We need to look after our healthcare workforce."The country needed to help the health system recover and be ready for the expected winter surge, Ardern said, requesting that people get boosted."Unvacccinated and people that are not boosted make up a disproportionate number of people in our hospitals. More than 9900 people are due their booster today, please get your booster as soon as you can."She noted vaccine passes would no longer be required from midnight tonight, although businesses could continue using them if they wished.The next review of the traffic light settings will be on Thursday 14 April.The National Party wants the traffic light system scrapped completely.The prime minister told Morning Report vaccine mandates and the traffic light system had made a big difference but said the first Omicron peak had passed in parts of the country.She warned it was only the first wave of Omicron and there would be more waves and new variants coming.Ardern said precautions that were known to be effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19, such as mask use and gathering restrictions, would continue to be required, even if it was decided that parts of the country could move to the orange setting.

This weeks weather report shows not much of a change to the muggy conditions we have had as of late.Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday bring light showers on and off throughout Warkworth. Thursday and Sunday will be cloudy and Friday looks to be full sun.Gardening GuideSummer crops are coming to an end in the cooler areas of the country and the early frosts may start to appear.Vegetables such as garlic, beans, beetroot and leafy greens like kale can be planted at this time of year.Replenish compost - leftover scraps from the kitchen can be used as compost for your garden and start sowing/planting you winter harvest.

New Zealand tenor Simon O'Neill has won a Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance.O'Neill was among those nominated for the Los Angeles Philharmonic recording of Mahler's Symphony No 8.He has tweeted that he is 'over the moon' at the performance's win.More to come...

Prepare to bid farewell to vaccine passes and many workplace mandates - at least for now - but the next question is whether any regions are ready to have restrictions eased.Cabinet ministers will review the red settings today and with cases believed to have peaked in Auckland, it would have be at the front of queue for a move to orange.Many changes have already been made because of the nature of Omicron - a different beast to Delta, the variant New Zealand faced when the traffic light system was put in place.Which leaves the red light restrictions - namely indoor gathering limits - which would be scrapped under orange.Business New Zealand chief executive Kirk Hope said there was a case to move Auckland to the lower setting.He thinks there are "a lot of people who would be hopeful that Auckland at least, if not other parts of the country, can be put into orange".As well as freeing up some businesses, he said it would signal a return to a more "normal" state of affairs."There are still people who are quite fearful, quite rightly - we've got, hundreds of thousands of cases and that's quite a different situation to where we have been before, where for long periods of time we had no cases at all, or very, very few cases," he said."So it is a big, mind shift people will have to go through, but it will make a difference, certainly for businesses, if we can get more people out and about."Covid-19 modeller Michael Plank was urging caution, and for people to take just one step at a time."It's a good approach to not get rid of all our public health measures in one go, as some countries have done, because that does create a risk that you get a big rebound, and a second wave."Shifting from red to orange in the traffic light system could be done regionally, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said. Graphic: NZ GovernmentEpidemiologist Michael Baker was also mindful of what was happening in other countries, like Australia, which was generally about two months ahead."They're now seeing a very big second wave, which in some cases is larger than the first wave, so we want to avoid having that same scenario in New Zealand."One of the drivers internationally, he said, was relaxing controls too rapidly.Baker was not convinced orange would provide "many barriers against transmission of the virus" and he would have "real concerns" about moving any part of the country to the lower setting.More broadly, Baker said the traffic light framework was not fit for purpose, and what was needed was a system that sent "a very clear message about what is the level of risk at any one point in time"."We want a consistent system where we don't change what a red light means frequently, and that the public knows and understands."He also wanted sentinel, or random community, testing for a more accurate picture of infection levels, as was being done in Britain, and more widespread whole genome sequencing to pick up any new variants coming through the border.Once Covid-19 cases surged into the thousands, the government started to use the number of hospitalisations as a measure of the broader outbreak.That will be one of the key criteria considered today - there are about 690 people in hospital with Covid-19 on Sunday - down from a peak of just over 1000 nearly a fortnight ago.New Zealand Faculty of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine chair Kate Allan said as far as the Auckland metro hospitals go, they were overwhelmed - but that was happening way before Covid-19, and unless fundamental changes were made, it would continue even once the pandemic was under control."We're very concerned about influenza, we're very concerned about measles, we're very concerned about children who have been missing or their childhood immunisation in the resurgence of some of those infections," Dr Allan said."So there's a much bigger problem and Covid is little part of this giant problem, and very complex problem, and the healthcare system is at the centre of if."The primary health care sector would bear the brunt of another spike in Covid cases, Dr Allan said, as most cases were managed in the community."And that's not because they've just had a bit of a mild illness, but they haven't been unwell enough to need hospital level care."So they may still feel pretty horrible and still need to spend time in bed, and what we would call mild, but maybe a patient would call moderate - but they can be managed at home."Cabinet will decide today which, if any regions, can move to orange, with the announcement expected at 4pm.

Can New Zealand grow peanuts suitable for peanut butter?To find out, eight peanut varieties are currently being trialed in Northland and one looks particularly promising...A text of GPS coordinates leads Country Life to a paddock of peanuts in the Far North. It can't be spotted from the road."It's by design," laughs Greg Hall from the Whangārei development agency Northland Inc. "It stops people ripping off our peanuts." Greg Hall, Northland Inc. Photo: RNZ/Carol StilesThis half-hectare block is one of five planted in Northland to see if there's potential for peanuts to be grown commercially in the region.Two of the planting sites are near Awanui and three are in Kaipara.The trial comes on the back of a project two years ago in which Nelson-based peanut butter manufacturer Pic's wanted to know whether it would be feasible to make peanut butter from home-grown peanuts. Currently Pic's imports peanuts from Australia and Brazil.So far, the trial - which is funded by MPI, Pics and Northland Inc - is looking good, Greg says.Peanuts seem to love the free-draining, sandy, loamy soils and warm temperatures of the North Island's west coast.They need about 600 millimetres of rain in their 110-day growing season, he says."Based on what we are doing here, there's definitely an industry here. We import well over 20,000 tonnes of peanuts so for Pic's alone that equates to about 430 hectares of peanuts."Eight cultivars, selected for their high oil content, are being grown with technical advice from Plant and Food Research."We were quite lucky for this year we got eight advanced breeding lines out of India that hadn't been released publically so that's a real coup for New Zealand."Some varieties produce hundreds of tiny peanuts in short, stubby shells. Others are less prolific but produce larger peanuts that are two per shell.One peanut cultivar is growing particularly well across all five sites, Greg says."People think they grow on trees. They are a legume so they grow under the ground and are good nitrogen fixers as well so they put nitrogen back into the soil."He says that could make planting a hectare of peanuts a good option for farmers and should mean they will need to apply less fertiliser on that piece of land.A scratch test of the peanuts shows they're not quite ready for harvest.Greg says it's looking like they will be ready to be dug up and inverted in mid-April."Then they will dry in the sun or wind for three to seven days, then there's a thresher that comes and shakes the peanuts off and we bin them and take them to a drier to dry down to 10 percent moisture."Pic's will then make trial batches of peanut butter from the NZ-grown peanuts to see which varieties fare best.It'd be great if peanut farming could become a thriving export industry for Northland, Greg says.The two-year trial, which is costing almost $1 million, continues next year.Peanut trial Photo: RNZ/Carol StilesPhoto: RNZ/Carol Stiles

Fire & Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) is reminding everyone to check their smoke alarms tonight as the clocks change for the end of daylight savings .Clocks will go back by an hour tomorrow (Sunday April 3) - meaning an extra hours sleep-in and earlier nightfall going forward - and FENA National Manager (community and readiness and recovery) Steve Yurek says the changing of the clocks is also a good time for households to check their smoke alarms are working.."When you look after your smoke alarms, they look after you." Steve said. "Checking is easy and should actually be done once a month."Just push the button on each of your smoke alarms. If you hear the beep, you know they are ready to protect you and your household,Smoke alarms can't detect smoke through closed doors, so it's important there are enough smoke alarms installed to cover the whole houseWe recommend you have an alarm in every bedroom, living area and hallway," Steve said.He said it was also important to have an escape plan to get to safety quickly."Taking a few minutes this daylight saving weekend to do these simple things could save your life and those of your family.The change of the clocks also serves as a good reminder about winter fire safety as the colder month approach.Information about how to ensure your fireplaces, heaters, electric blankets and other winter essentials are fire-safe can be found safety https://www.fireandemergency.nz

The co-owner of a major tourist business says the government has no understanding of tourism and appears to have given money to its mates without due process.The comment by Aaron Russ of Heritage Expeditions follows a critical report from Auditor-General John Ryan on the $290 million Strategic Tourism Asset Protection Programme.The top watchdog has criticised the government tourism fund for a lack of transparency and clarity, and found government ministers provided few records explaining their decisions.Allocated in 2020, the fund was paid out to 127 businesses.Heritage Expeditions director Aaron Russ. Photo: RNZ / Sally MurphyHeritage Expeditions focuses on taking people to more remote locations like the sub Antarctic Islands, through the Fiords.Russ told Morning Report they usually have "high value" customers and it was difficult to get clarity on the application process."After the fact, we had to go through the OIA process to understand what it was, because there was nothing obvious publicly that clarified why our application wouldn't be considered and successful when others were."It appears from the information I was able to gain that it was to do with visitor numbers."Some very similar businesses to his received funding, he said."Confidence is struggling, there's such a lack of clarity and an unwillingness to engage through the process, I guess it leaves you really wondering what you can be confident in, in terms of a government, bureaucracy, with a transparent process when it comes to such a significant series of decisions for businesses."Russ would like to think the review of the process, recommended by the report, will take place."A long hard look at what's happened and some the consequences it's caused and how that can be addressed for businesses that have ended up in situations with uneven playing fields as a result of ... the situation that's happened." "It appears from the information I was able to gain that it was to do with visitor numbers" - Heritage Expeditions operator Aaron Russ durationNational Party tourism spokesperson Todd McClay Photo: RNZ / Angus DreaverNational says the government should consider reclaiming and redistributing some of the $290m paid out.National Party tourism spokesperson Todd McClay was not surprised by the upset in the tourism sector and called minister Stuart Nash an apologist."There should be an apology, one for the taxpayer whose money has been chucked around and secondly to the tourism businesses who have missed out and the mums and dads who have had to close."It's $290 million of taxpayer money the government shovelled out the door and it's gone to what looks like companies that wrote a letter with no other justification for the support that was needed."When Stuart was asked what was the criteria used to decide whether a business was strategic, it was self-defining and it was a lot of trust there."Where the money had not been allocated properly or the business had not met its requirements, the money should be taken back, he said.Tourism Minister Stuart Nash Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneTourism Minister Stuart Nash was not the minister at the time but told Morning Report they needed to get money out the door."We didn't know what was happening, there were tourism businesses in danger of falling over, there were concerns that if they did fall over, they'd be bought by foreign interests."He said while he accepted the report, he did not think the situation was quite how it is being painted."This was a group of ministers making decisions under very unusual and very trying circumstances. However, there was a level of robustness that was undertaken before money went out the door."Every applicant had to provide a profit and loss statement, he said."It wasn't perfect, I acknowledge that ... there was one recommendation and we will implement that."

Police and Parliament are on alert for more protest action from the anti-mandate movement.Following the 23-day occupation, a new group has sprung up demanding an end to all Covid-19 restrictions.It is collecting donations to fund more demonstrations and despite claiming to be transparent and open, members have registered their website through anonymising services and are using codenames like Alpha, Echo, Charlie and Guerilla.Ten days ago, a group calling itself Unite - not related to the trade union of the same name - announced on the social media app Telegram it intended to carry out more protests in Wellington.The group's website was registered through an anonymising third party to domain host Epik.Epik was known for previously hosting controversial clients such as the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer and the notorious 8chan message board.RNZ identified some of those involved in Unite, including Tessa Jefferis, Ruth Riley and Ashley Robb.All three spent time at the Parliament occupation earlier this year.Jefferis told RNZ there was nothing nefarious about the secrecy surrounding the group and she had a right to privacy."On a personal level we're all interested in the subject of privacy, which is another very big and broad-sweeping human rights question and might not be something the average person thinks about a huge amount," she said."But you can't conflate the desire for privacy in your personal life with this idea of having anonymity and having something to hide. They really can't be conflated."The protest at Parliament was supposedly about vaccine mandates, and those outside of health, Corrections and border control are set to scrapped on 4 April, along with vaccine pass requirements.But the legal framework for them will remain as does the ability for businesses to choose to use them.That was why protests would continue, Jefferis said."There'll be protest action until we, first, get an acknowledgement. Second, we get an apology. Third, we get justice. And fourth ... personally, I'm not stopping until the Covid-19 Health Response Act legislation is obliterated."Police and protesters square off outside Parliament on 22 February. Photo: RNZ / Angus DreaverThe group was also collecting donations through a bank account listed on its website.Jefferis said they were committed to keeping precise financial details and being transparent with donors, though she would not commit to publicly releasing them."That bank account will be going purely to the protest events in the short-term, and actually I don't believe we've actually received too many donations yet because we haven't really put it out there much. We just kind of slipped it on to the website."Call for law change around donationsBut National Māori Authority chairperson Matthew Tukaki, who raised his concerns about the financing of the 23-day occupation at Parliament, warned people to think carefully about giving money to the anti-mandate cause."I just urge everybody, all New Zealanders, to be aware of where your money is going. There is no transparency whatsoever around these calls for donations," he said.He wanted a law change to ensure absolute transparency."Whether that be about entity establishment, whether that be about the ability to raise donations, including foreign donations coming in as well, because the reality is when you fundraise these sorts of activities we have no transparency over money coming in from overseas and therefore what entities they're coming from as well."So we really do need to ensure there is reform in this space."Matthew Tukaki is calling for a change in the law surrounding fundraising. Photo: SuppliedAnti-misinformation group FACT Aotearoa's spokesperson Stephen Judd said he questioned Unite's motives as Covid-19 legislation and controls had been thoroughly examined."They talk about a government that is tyrannical and they talk about gross human rights violations, and that just doesn't sit with observable reality from our point of view," he said."Obviously there are issues with mandates, even though they are becoming historical, and there are issues with process and legality throughout the Covid response, but they've been dealt with in the courts and they've been dealt with through normal democratic means."So if people are still claiming there's tyranny and using words like complicit, you've got to suspect there really is a conspiracy theory core to what these people are thinking."I think this is borne out by the activity we've seen today, which is largely driven by people who believe in the so-called sovereign citizen conspiracy theory and what's been left after the first round of protests have shaken out is the conspiracy theory core and people who just don't really believe in democracy."One person was arrested on the forecourt of parliament yesterday afternoon for breaching his bail conditions after a group of about 15 protesters briefly gathered.Police said they left peacefully after discussions with officers.'Low tolerance' of disruption - policeSecurity has been stepped up at Parliament and people have been advised to work from home until further notice due to the spectre of protest."As a precaution, additional police staff have been called in from outside of the Wellington Police District and plans are in place to respond if required," a police spokesperson said."Police have a low tolerance of any activity that could lead to disruption of Parliament, critical roads or residents."While police will respect the right to lawful protest, any behaviour deemed unlawful or that disrupts people from going about their lawful business will not be tolerated."As we have done since the end of the last protest at Parliament, police will maintain a high visibility in the area."

Moana Jackson, one of the country's leading legal minds and indigenous scholars, has died after a lengthy illness.Son of All Black Everard Jackson, and brother of a founding member of Ngā Tamatoa, Syd Jackson, Moana trained as a lawyer but was also a teacher of Te Reo Māori.He co-founded the Māori Legal Service in the 1980s, becoming a tireless advocate for criminal justice reform and the dismantling of racist structures in the justice system.In 1988, he was the author of the ground-breaking report for the Justice Department, Māori in the Criminal Justice System, which is still widely referenced today.Jackson worked for the United Nations, where he helped draft the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and for the interim Bougainville government during the peace process there in 1990s.Most recently he lectured at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Ōtaki, while remaining a staunch advocate for Māori rights until his final days.Moana Jackson lay Te Waimana overnight, ahead of his return to his Ngāti Kahungunu homeland, where he will lie at Matahiwi Marae in Hastings.

The Warkworth Country Market was in town yesterday, held at the A&P Showgrounds in Warkworth.The market was a huge hit with locals and out of towners who spent plenty of time perusing the stalls and enjoying the sunshine.Over 200 stall sites including, clothing, artwork, woodwork, plants, jewellery, pottery, artisan breads, chutneys and pickles, dog treats and apparel (yes dogs are welcome so remember your poo bags), homewares, deli products, garden art, outdoor furniture and much, much more.Twig & BloomHeld on the 4th Sunday of every month from 9:30am til 2pm, this market is a must visit for those looking for something fun to do on the weekend.The Warkworth Country Market hosts a variety of food trucks and caravans with flavours from all around to sample.There is a main stage and busking stage, street performers and lot's of fun rides for all the family.Make sure to check it out next time you're nearby! For more information, see belowhttps://www.instagram.com/warkworthcountrymarket/https://www.facebook.com/Warkworth-Country-Market-110250791552784

Jane Campion has won Best Director for The Power of the Dog while Best Actor nominee Will Smith caused shock by slapping presenter Chris Rock for an insensitive joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss.The Oscars have been shocked by Best Actor nominee Will Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock for an insensitive joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss.Smith marched on stage and slapped Rock after he made a joke about Pinkett shaving her head. She suffers from alopecia. The ceremony cut to black briefly, stunning an otherwise predictable ceremony so far.Top winners so far include Troy Kotsur for CODA, the first deaf man to win an Oscar, and Ariana DeBose for West Side Story, the first queer woman of colour. Dune has led the way with six Oscars in total, in technical categories.Several New Zealand ties are to be found in the Oscar for Short Film (Live Action) The Long Goodbye by Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia, with executive producers Sally Campbell, Tim Nash and Seth Wilson at production company Somesuch.The 94th Academy Awards returned to the all-out razzle-dazzle extravaganza we're used to, after smaller muted ceremonies in the past two years due to the pandemic.Last year less than 200 people were there in person, and many winners received their awards at home in their lounges.This year pre-parties and red carpet entrances are back on stars' itineraries, before the ceremony kicks off at 1pm New Zealand time at the 3400-person capacity Dolby Theatre, in Hollywood, Los Angeles.While The Power of the Dog is tipped as the best horse in the race for the Best Picture award, underdog contender CODA has been charming audiences and offers a real threat despite sitting on only three nominations.

REMINDER: Nightworks - Pūhoi Road closureNX2 reminds people travelling through the Pūhoi area that a small section of Pūhoi Road will be closed for five nights from Sunday 27 March to Thursday 31 March 2022 between 9:30pm to 4:00am to allow our team to undertake pavement works.The dates are weather dependent and may be postponed if necessary. Signposted detours and traffic management will be in place.As the detours will add a considerable amount of time to journeys, NX2 encourages road users to plan their travel for outside the closure hours, where possible. Visit the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency journey planner at www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz

Covid-19 restrictions have been loosened, but hospitality venues say it has done little to boost their takings.Some are warning that businesses will not survive for much longer unless the country is shifted down to the orange level urgently.Gathering limits indoors have gone from 100 people to 200 and all outdoor gathering limits axed. Outdoor face mask requirements have ended as has the scanning of QR codes.Auckland CBD restaurant Vivace co-owner Mandy Lusk said there was no uptick in weekend customers."We had a nice Friday and then a nice Saturday, which was the same as the week before," she said."For those of us in the CBD it makes no difference whatsoever, because so much of our business comes from corporate workers."The corporates were still working from home, Lusk said.That means weekdays were slow."Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday we haemorrhaged money."We closed by 8:30pm for the first time in 30 years, and it really is just our lovely regular customers are coming out support us on those nights, but there's nothing to pay the rent and the taxes and everything else."You can't just survive on Friday, Saturday paying your wages and your rent."8wired Barrelworks Last week's announcement saw outdoor gathering limits quashed, meaning thousands of people were able to watch Saturday's White Ferns' final game of the Women's Cricket World Cup at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.But anyone wanting to celebrate in big numbers after had to put away their dancing shoes - dancing's off the menu under the red setting, but clubs can still open.Hide club owner Mitch Ryder said it had been tough, but they had been able to house private events."It just seems to be saying, go ahead with the big rugby games and stadiums with tens of thousands of people, but that 300 or 400 people in an intimate nightclub is, for some reason, much more dangerous."I can't wrap my head around it, but we just need to roll with the punches and just hang in there until the restrictions are loosened."Head of Retail NZ Greg Harford said many customers were still worried about the risk of Covid-19 but that a shift to orange might boost consumer confidence."It is safe to get out to the shops and do some shopping, as long as everyone's wearing a mask," he said."I think the biggest thing that anyone can do to help retailers is to get out and shop and the best thing the government can do to help support is move us down from the red traffic lights setting into orange."Auckland's Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck agreed, saying once office workers were back in the city, things would start to look up.The government's set to review the traffic light settings a week from today, but Beck warned some businesses might not last until then."It's absolutely dire for some, absolutely. It's been an enormous strain."Many were struggling before we got to the Omicron wave. We haven't had too much time outside of the red setting or a severe lockdown, and that has a huge toll because basically, we've been at the epicentre of the pandemic for two years now."There was light at the end of the tunnel - the country opening its doors to Australia on 13 April, Beck said.

Pūhoi Road closure – nightworks NX2 advises people travelling through the Pūhoi area that a small section of Pūhoi Road will be closed at night to allow our team to undertake pavement works. For safety reasons and to minimise the disruption to the travelling public, the work will be carried out at night. A small section of Pūhoi Road will be closed for five nights on Sunday 27 March to Thursday 31 March 2022 between 9:30pm to 4:00am. The dates are weather dependent and may be postponed if necessary.Signposted detours and traffic management will be in place. As the detours will add a considerable amount of time to journeys, NX2 encourages road users to plan their travel for outside the closure hours, where possible. To help plan for peak time travel, visit the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency journey planner at www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed Cabinet's decisions about when and how Covid-19 restrictions will be eased.Watch the announcement here:Ardern says the traffic light system will remain help manage any future outbreaks.However, she says things have changed since the system was introduced: we're now dealing with Omicron, rather than Delta; we have more data now and are better able to identify which environments are high risk; and we have high rates of vaccination coverage.With that in mind, Ardern says she is announcing that all outdoor gathering limits will be removed from the traffic light system.She says indoor gathering limits will increase from 100 to 200 under the red light setting.Ardern says data shows hospitality had a relatively low secondary attack rate of 6.7 percent, which is backed up by other research.She says it's the view of public health officials hospitality gathering limits can be increased in the red setting from 100 to 200 without having a significant impact on the health system, particularly when retaining the seated and separated rules.She is also announcing that vaccine passes will no longer be required from 11.59pm on 4 April.Businesses and events will still be able to use them, if they choose to do so, but they will no longer be mandated, she says.Ardern says masks are vital, and while people do not like them - for good reason - a study from the British Medical Journal late last year showed mask wearing reduced new cases by 53 percent.In Orange, outdoor events will also be limitless. Close contact is higher risk for indoor events however so organisers of events over 500 people are encouraged to either add extra capacity or provide seating.Green will not have restrictions but there will be guidance, and will not change."These changes are based on the best available evidence we have right now in real time. We believe they will make the Covid Protection Framework easier to maintain while also still being very effective," Ardern says.She says the changes can be made almost immediately and will come into effect at 11.59pm on 25 March.The next review of the traffic light settings and which setting the country sits in will happen on 4 April.On mandates and vaccine passes, Ardern says she was initially not in favour of their use but after months of Delta it became clear that mandates were needed to achieve vaccination levels required for safe reopening, and passes had a role to play too.She says these were undoubtedly one of the reasons we reached 95 percent of the eligible population vaccinated, and achieved the near elimination of Delta over summer, but Omicron has changed things.Almost all of New Zealand's more than 500,000 cases of Covid-19 have been in the Omicron wave, she says. Many cases do not show symptoms and testing does not catch every case, so modellers expect total cases now could be as high as 1.7 million.For the unvaccinated, the illness can be severe, she says.Ardern says these people will have built some immunity from the illness itself, and as we come down off the peak the need for passes changes.The isolation period for household contacts remains at seven days, Ardern says.On QR codes, she says there is no plan for us to contact trace more widely with the exception of high-risk environments like aged care facilities or residential facilities for the vulnerable.From this weekend people will no longer be required to scan everywhere they go, and businesses are no longer required to provide the means to do so.Ardern says businesses should stand ready to stand up QR codes again and people should not yet delete the app from their phone, in case of a new variant that evades vaccines or is more deadly, in which case contact tracing would provide again a more critical role."Scanning has been a really important part of what we've achieved, so thank you for everyone for playing your part."Finally, Cabinet has also reviewed the role of vaccine mandates. As rates increased, they sought advice from professor David Skegg, who said the case for or against was now more finely balanced.Skegg said: "Because of our relatively high vaccination coverage and increasing natural immunity as well as the apparent lowering of vaccine effectiveness of the Omicron variant, while vaccination remains critically important in protecting New Zealanders from Covid-19 we believe that several of the vaccine mandates could be dropped once the Omicron peak has passed."The government will no longer require mandates for education, police and defence workforces and businesses operating vaccine passes from 11.59pm on 4 April. They will continue to be used in health, aged care, corrections staff and border and MIQ workers.Ardern says the government has also asked whether the mandates in the health sector could be narrowed, and expects to provide more updates on advice to the private sector on their use more broadly.However, she asks that people still get vaccinated and boosted, saying it will continue to be central to the stability and strength of New Zealand's recovery.Looking backArdern says after two long years of living in a pandemic it's easy to lose sight of how far New Zealand has come."This exact day two years ago, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announced from over at the Ministry of Health that we had 36 new cases of Covid-19. Half at that time were from overseas travel, with the exception of the Queenstown World Hereford Cattle conference ... we could contact trace 50 new cases a day back then. We hadn't locked down yet, but the early signs were there."She says two new community cases were announced on 23 March 2020, one in Wairarapa with no link to the border.Within days New Zealand was in a nationwide lockdown, a decision Ardern says was not a hard one."We had no other defence, no other way to protect each other. There was no vaccine, no antiviral medicines, there was very little data to tell us which public health restrictions worked and which did not, so we built our own defences and we hunkered down."The transition has not been easy but it has worked, she says. New Zealand successfully eliminated the first wave and recorded the lowest number of deaths in the OECD for two years in a row.She says the response was also the best economic response, but while we've been successful "it was also bloody hard ... everyone has had to give up something to make this work and some more than others".She says she imagines every family will have had a difficult conversation about vaccines, mandates or passes but among the different opinions there is also fatigue.Ardern says we are now able to keep moving forward safely, but we have to keep in mind that Covid is here to stay.Ardern says for most people now symptoms are minor and they've recovered well at home, but others less able to fight the virus it meant a threat to their lives. Experts believe the case numbers have peaked in Auckland now, and the rest of the country is expected to follow in the next couple of weeks.She says after the peak we will fall back to a steady rolling baseline of potentially several thousand cases a day, and there are likely to be spikes particularly over winter."We need to continue to use tools that can keep our vulnerable community safe, such as those who are immunocompromised and those with disabilities ... there are ways we can do that while continuing to move forward."Cabinet has been seeking advice on the vaccine mandates, passes, the traffic light system, and all Covid-19 restrictions now that New Zealand appears to be nearing or passing the peak of Omicron cases, and made decisions in their Monday meeting.