Dawn Chorus: MIQ stops taking bookings

TLDR & TLDL: The pressure on our borders is intensifying as we extend the level four lockdowns until at least Friday night nationwide and at least next Tuesday night in Auckland.

MBIE announced last night it was ‘temporarily pausing’ the release of new MIQ rooms and previously cancelled rooms due to the current delta outbreak. It later reiterated the ‘pause’ would be for a few days.

It’s possible that the increased risk of leaks from MIQ facilities (due to delta’s infectiousness) will mean even tighter border restrictions. For now, the release of new MIQ rooms has been ‘temporarily paused’. Photo: The Kaka

Elsewhere over the last 24 hours, economic data out of China, the United States and Australia was weaker than expected as the delta outbreaks overseas hammer consumer confidence, and as China’s internal push to slow steel production for climate reasons, hammers hard commodity prices.

So what? Our lockdowns are likely to last longer and be more painful than previous ones, and the borders are likely to be tightened even further, possibly including a full suspension of all international flights. Meanwhile, the slowing global and local economies is pushing the prospect for higher interest rates here further off into the distance. All that means low interest rates for longer, which is encouraging equity-rich home buyers to look at buying more and harder, estate agents now report.

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Scoops and news breaking this morning

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“Maybe 200 [cases] might be the best case scenario but it could go as high as 1000 [cases]. That's still a possibility.” Sean Henry.

newshub.co.nzCOVID-19: Disease modelling expert Shaun Hendy warns NZ outbreak could grow to 1000 cases“At the moment we don’t know how level four has been working for the Delta variant”.

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‘Official advice warned the waiver could threaten the intellectual property of strategic New Zealand businesses like Fisher & Paykel Healthcare when weighing up whether to support the waver.’

nzherald.co.nzCovid 19 Coronavirus: Property rights trumped pleas from the poor for cheap vaccines - NZ HeraldNew Zealand was worried our companies would lose access to their intellectual property.

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Where’s the beef, lamb and dairy?

rnz.co.nzUK releases NZ free trade negotiation details as agreement nearsThe UK Government has released more details of how negotiations are progressing, with Britain’s trade secretary saying teams are working around the clock to get the deal done.

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Should Aotearoa-NZ stick with our Pfizer-only strategy? via @FT-$$$

ft.comSubscribe to read | Financial TimesNews, analysis and comment from the Financial Times, the worldʼs leading global business publication

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Signs o’ the times news

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“It is very frustrating for exporters to see sports and entertainment travellers getting priority when the Government is also talking about an export led recovery.”

stuff.co.nzLockdown and MIQ criticised for putting future of export manufacturers at riskIndustry experts have warned that lockdown and a lack of space in managed isolation facilities are threatening the future of some Kiwi export manufacturers.

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More detailed push-back from the regions on Three Waters.

rnz.co.nzHawke’s Bay leaders write to Mahuta to rethink Three Waters modelLocal government leaders and iwi representatives in Hawke’s Bay say they are not convinced the government’s proposal for Three Waters reform is right for the region.

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$95-$110k for monitoring social media…

newshub.co.nzDepartment of Prime Minister and Cabinet seeks senior analyst to help curb spread of COVID-19 ‘disinformation’It’s an issue Jacinda Ardern expressed concern about a few weeks ago.

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Low hanging fruit.

smh.com.au‘Blistering temperatures’: Dark roofing banned on Sydney’s urban fringeMandatory lighter-coloured roofs in Sydney’s south-west growth area will stop the spread of Colorbond Ironstone that has long been synonymous with urban sprawl.

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Notable other views

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Rodney Jones: “Because we've succeeded twice before, we just think it’s going to happen again. We just have to realise we are flying headlong into the unknown. In my view there's been a bit too much optimism expressed.”

stuff.co.nzCovid-19 NZ: Multi-week lockdown ‘certain’ as NZ sees biggest day of cases since April 2020After biggest day of new cases since April of 2020, experts say a multi-week lockdown for Auckland is a certainty.

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Useful longer reads

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The debate is raging over in Australia

theguardian.comEnding lockdowns with 80% vaccinated could cause 25,000 Australian deaths, new modelling suggestsResearch warns there could be 10 times the number of deaths referenced in the Doherty Institute report which underpins four-phase reopening plan

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Worth keeping an eye on this debate.

smh.com.auScott Morrison insists he is right, so he should reveal more about whyScott Morrison thinks he has picked the national mood with a forceful message about the path out of lockdown and toward normal life. He should explain why,

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This is good from ⁦@paulkrugman⁩ via @nytopinion-$$$ on global trade and ideas. Includes a great quote from Keynes and a funny joke.

nytimes.comOpinion | Honey, Who Shrunk the World?Globalization and the power of ideas.

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A fun thing

Wildbaynz @WildBayNZ

There are bikes and then there is THIS BIKE gently travelling along through Lyall Bay this avo. Dad and younger child up high, 1 at the back whilst the other asleep in the middle. #Lyallbay #Lyallbaynz #Bike #Lockdown #Covid_19nz #Covid_19 #Day4

Ka kite ano

Bernard