New Zealand

The Manuma Samoa spent 14 days in isolation after arriving in Auckland on 16 March, following their Rapid Rugby match in Perth, but had to remain at the hostel after being caught in the national lockdown.

Seventeen players and six management staff boarded the first repatriation flight from New Zealand today.

Pacific Rugby Players association board member and former Manu Samoa player, Seilala Mapusua, said the team was relieved to return to their families.

"It's been a long couple of months for them...there's some pretty happy boys right now.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there are only eight active cases in the country and there is still nobody receiving hospital care for the coronavirus.

The eight active cases include five in Waitematā, two in Auckland, and one in Counties Manukau District Health Boards.

Dr Bloomfield said the death toll now included Eileen Hunter, a resident of St Margaret's rest home who died on Sunday and whose family believed had died of Covid-19, despite her having been considered recovered.

The 5.8 quake was centred 30km north-west of Levin, GeoNet said, and was 37km deep. GeoNet had initially assessed the quake as 5.9.

More than 36,000 people, from the Far North to Dunedin, reported feeling the quake.

Trains in the Greater Wellington region are suspended while crews are doing the visual inspection of the full rail network. MetLink said this would cause significant delays this morning at least.

Buses and trains were being held at their nearest station.

There have been no immediate reports of damage.

Pacific peoples minister Aupito William Sio said the money will help with the recovery and rebuild from Covid-19, with the Pacific community among the hardest hit.

$80 million has been set aside for yet-to-be-announced education iniatives, while more than $30 million will go expanding skills, employment and education programmes that already exist.

$40 million will be spent on improving housing for Pacific families, and money has also been budgeted for culture and heritage funds, community content and the construction of a Fale Malae in Wellington.

George Faktaufon said Pacific airlines are not going to be able to count on national government support for handouts to keep them afloat, and the clock is already ticking for some airlines.

"It's very hard to plan for something that you are not quite sure when it's going to happen, because we have always planned for something that is certain, but the plan is depending on when Australia and New Zealand are opening up," he said.

Air New Zealand has confirmed the Apia flight will collect Auckland bound passengers and deliver essential supplies to Samoa.

The Auckland to Apia leg departs at midday New Zealand time and returning to Auckland at 5:45pm Samoa time the same day.

Passengers should contact Air New Zealand for details.

The country says it has stopped community transmission of Covid-19, effectively eliminating the virus.

Lowering its alert level from four to three means that some non-essential business, healthcare and schools were able to resume this morning.

Around 400,000 people headed back to work, some schools and childcare facilities are open, and people are allowed to get takeout food again.

New Zealand, partly thanks to its isolation and easily-closed borders, managed to contain the virus early on.

Jacinda Ardern said the new arrivals will need to go into either quarantine or "managed isolation" at an approved facility for a minimum of 14 days.

"Our borders are our biggest risk," she said.

She said even one person slipping through the cracks and bringing the virus in could see an explosion of cases.

Ardern said everyone arriving will go into a managed facility that is provided by the government."

She said the tighter controls could not have been done in the beginning but "we can and are now".

Restrictions imposed by the Samoan government mean there are no commercial flights in or out of the country.

Elisapeta Westerlund went to Samoa for her grandfather's funeral last month.

She went to the airport before flights stopped to try to book a seat to get home but was turned away and has been asking the New Zealand High Commission in Apia for help since.

"My eldest daughter is the one who is still working, she is now the surrogate mother, she goes out when she can, gets the shopping done and makes sure the kids are fed," Westerlund said.

“There are millions of people around the world stranded by COVID-19 and we are continuing to do our part to help them get home,” Mr Peters said. “Accordingly, Cabinet agreed yesterday that New Zealand would seek reciprocal transit arrangements with a number of countries to enable our citizens to transit each other’s airports.

“One barrier to New Zealanders getting home at present is the transit restrictions imposed by a number of countries. We continue to seek assistance from these countries to enable New Zealanders to transit through their airports in order to come home.