Parts of Waikato will remain in alert level 3 for the next six days, after the region recorded eight new cases of Covid-19 earlier today. Based on the latest public health information, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said…

A new Queensland local COVID-19 case is 'seriously unwell' and was potentially infectious in the community for up to 10 days, sparking fears of transmission on the Gold Coast.

The man from Broadbeach was not vaccinated and has potentially been infectious in the community for up to 10 days.

He has been hospitalised and is currently so unwell that he has been unable to disclose his recent movements with health authorities.

READ MORE: Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian will front ICAC next week

"We don't have any venues at this stage because as I said he is so sick that he's having difficulty communicating with us and difficulty remembering," Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.

"This is very difficult for him, but it's also very difficult for the Gold Coast community because I can't give you those areas he's been to."

It was reported by Queensland health authorities that the man was a driver for rideshare company Uber. However an Uber spokesperson told 2GB he has not driven for the platform since September 19.

An Uber spokesperson said the company is working with public health authorities in each state and "have processes in place to temporarily remove an individual's access to the Uber app if authorities report an infection".

LIVE UPDATES: New COVID-19 case on Gold Coast

"We may also limit other individuals' access to the app if health authorities advise there is a risk," the spokesperson said.

"The well-being of those who use the Uber platform is a key priority for us, and we have a dedicated team working around the clock to support them the very best we can."

READ MORE: Human remains found in search for Gabby Petito's missing fiancé

Investigations are continuing into the positive case, but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it's believed he was from interstate. She has ruled out a lockdown.

"We are a little bit concerned about this person," Ms Palaszczuk said.

She called it "a wake up call for the Gold Coast".

"Gold Coast residents, if you have any concerns or any symptoms please go and get tested," she said.

https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1450981424165638154

Ms Palaszczuk said she was not inclined to lock down the Gold Coast as vaccination rates there were "quite good".

She said the case should serve as a warning to the unvaccinated.

"You don't want to end up like this young man in hospital, extremely ill," said Ms Palaszczuk.

https://omny.fm/shows/the-9news-lunch-podcast/oct-21-the-new-coronavirus-inspectors-to-swarm-mel/embed?style=cover

What we know so far about Queensland's new positive case

Dr Young said the man lived in a resort apartment complex in Broadbeach and we understand that he was in Melbourne on October 10".

READ MORE: Why tent zipper position is key clue in search for missing WA girl

"We are getting all of that clarified at the moment, but that is our understanding. He then came back into Queensland."

She said the man's COVID-19 symptoms were so severe that communicating with him was proving difficult.

He began to develop symptoms on October 11, meaning he was infectious from October 9.

He is currently in Gold Coast University Hospital.

Dr Young warned anyone who has been to Broadbeach that they are at risk.

Vaccine blitz continues

Ms Palaszczuk also announced a new vaccination blitz in the state.

The "Super Saturday" initiative will see over 100 schools across the state open from 8am to 2pm for people to get vaccinated.

"It's absolutely critical that people come out and get vaccinated," Ms Palaszczuk said.

She also slammed comments made by federal government backbencher George Christensen.

In a Facebook post, Mr Christensen outlined his campaign "against vaccine apartheid" and has condemned vaccination passports.

"We do not need reckless comments by politicians that are putting our community's life at risk," said Ms Palaszczuk.

"He's telling people not to get vaccinated."

A “once in a lifetime” coastal Wellington apartment could become the capital’s most expensive property sale, with an asking price of $6.25m. Listed today, the Oriental Bay apartment is owned by New Zealand art collector and philanthropist…

The Christchurch City Council will stop paying a performer known as The Wizard $16,000 a year after more than two decades on the public payroll to "provide acts of wizardry" for the city.

The Wizard of New Zealand, also known as Ian Brackenbury Channell, said the council had decided to stop paying him because he did not fit with the modern image of the city.

Over his 23 years on the payroll, the council has paid him a total of $368,000.

READ MORE: Victoria's coronavirus cases spike to 2232 on last day of lockdown

"They are a bunch of bureaucrats who have no imagination,'' he said.

"They are not thinking of ways to promote Christchurch overseas.

"They are just projecting an image of bureaucrats drinking lattes on the boulevard.

"Their image of Christchurch is nothing to do with the authentic heritage of the city. I am the original image of Christchurch."

Council assistant chief executive Lynn McClelland said the final payment under the contract with The Wizard, which started in 1998, would be made in December.

"The council has met with The Wizard and sent him a letter thanking him for his services to Christchurch over the past decades, and informing him that we are bringing our formal contractual arrangement to a close."

She said it was a "difficult decision to end this contract".

"The promotional landscape in Ōtautahi Christchurch is changing, with new and different promotional programmes that will increasingly reflect our diverse communities and showcase a vibrant, diverse, modern city that is attractive to residents, domestic and international visitors, new businesses, and skilled migrant workers."

READ MORE: Australia to allow flights from New Zealand's South Island

The council's contract with The Wizard called for him "to provide acts of wizardry and other wizard-like-services – as part of promotional work for the city of Christchurch".

"Since 2017, this contract has been administered by ChristchurchNZ, when it took over city promotional work from the council."

The Wizard said he would keep up his regular appearances at Christchurch's Arts Centre, chatting to tourists and locals.

"It makes no difference. I will still keep going. They will have to kill me to stop me."

He said he was disappointed that he was no longer being used to help promote the city.

"I would like to know what the reason is for it.

"They are not making use of my worldwide fame. I am disappointed they haven't made use of The Wizard as part of the promotion of Christchurch.

"I don't like being cancelled."

The Wizard moved to Christchurch from Australia in 1974 and almost immediately attracted headlines for his appearances in full costume in Cathedral Square and his eccentric publicity stunts.

After the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, he played a prominent role in the wave of protest that greeted the demolition of hundreds of heritage buildings.

An exhibition of his life and work opens at the Arts Centre on Saturday.

Ironically, the exhibition is supported by a council grant.

This story originally appeared on stuff.co.nz and has been republished with permission.

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An alligator named Kanye at the Australian Reptile Park has been placed in isolation after displaying hostile behaviour as the weather got warmer.

Head of Reptiles at the park, Daniel Rumsey said Kanye is one of the biggest American alligators they have.

Mr Rumsey said the over 400 kilogram alligator had been charging keepers and was aggressive towards the other 54 alligators.

READ MORE: Human remains found in search for Gabby Petito's missing fiancé

Australian Reptile Park Director Tim Faulkner said the lagoon where the alligators were kept was normally quiet with no serious altercations between the alligators.

"Kanye has come out of hibernation explosive, therefore, a danger to himself, to the other alligators and staff."

"Kanye has made the other alligators very tense.

"He's a young bloke, full of testosterone and he's raising havoc right now, so the best thing to do is to send him to the naughty corner for some quiet time out."

But it was no easy feat.

It took a highly skilled team of over a dozen keepers to catch and move the almost four-metre-long alligator.

READ MORE: Gold Coast teenager allegedly fired from Pizza shop for receiving vaccine

"American alligators have one of the strongest jaw pressures of any animal and one bite can be life-threatening, so our amazing team had to take extreme care during the removal," Mr Faulkner said.

Kanye will spend around a month in an isolation area until the peak mating season is over.

A lone butterfly has been filmed resting on a leaf of the Coffs Harbour Butterfly House after a freak hail storm blew through northern NSW yesterday.

The attraction has lost 90 per cent of its animals, 9News can confirm.

The animals were either killed outright or escaped after hailstones the size of grapefruits pelted through the enclosure.

READ MORE: Human remains found in search for Gabby Petito's missing fiancé

Coffs Harbour SES Commander Jeannie Veitch said the storm led to a "record-breaking" 800 calls for help.

The owner of the tourist attraction has grave fears for the escaped butterflies as they can only survive in a tropical environment.

A number of threatened and endangered species were housed at the attraction including, the Ulysses butterfly and the wanderer, or monarch, butterfly.

Miley is 18 months old – but she has never met her grandparents on her mother's side because they've been banned from travelling to Australia for her whole life.

But finally, Miley's grandmother, Karen Capon, 57, is able to make plans to take the long flight to Sydney from London in November, thanks to a rule change expats in Australia have long been campaigning for.

Last week the Prime Minister announced parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents will be classed as 'immediate family' and can visit from overseas.

LIVE UPDATES: Uber driver diagnosed with COVID-19 in Queensland

The update came as relief for millions of Aussies – and Miley's mum Emily said she cried when she heard the news.

"I just get along with things but my mum's just so upset all the time," she told 9news.com.au.

READ MORE: Human remains found in search for Gabby Petito's missing fiancé

"Every time I speak to her she says, 'I've found a flight', but I say 'you can't get into the country."

The 30-year-old mother, who also has Leo, three, with Aussie partner Mitch Blenkhorn, hasn't seen her parents since February 2020 when she was pregnant with Miley who was born last May.

READ MORE: No way home for stranded Aussies with unrecognised vaccines

As Ms Capon has permanent residency she has been banned from leaving the country to visit her parents too.

She said she can't wait to introduce her mum to Miley and for her to see Leo, who was a baby when they last met.

"Nobody's met her at all," she said.

The family are awaiting further details about what exactly they need to do now.

With a third of Aussies born overseas, the change will affects millions of people.

READ MORE: 'I cannot leave him to die alone': Aussie teacher torn

https://twitter.com/ParentsFamily/status/1448923644877438983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Defacto partners, spouses and dependant children have been allowed into Australia alongside citizens and PRs since the borders closed in March 2020 – if they could get a severely limited flight and do 14-days hotel quarantine – parents have not.

While exemptions can be applied for, they're hard to get even in cases of death or serious illness.

READ MORE: Gold Coast teenager allegedly fired from Pizza shop for receiving vaccine

Mrs Capon said expats have been upset to see many celebs allowed into Australia over the past year and a half – but their parents were barred.

A petition to make parents 'immediate family' gathered over 70,000 signatures and was presented by Sydney MP, Zali Steggall in June.

The new rule comes into place on November 1 for the whole nation.

However, it will initially mainly allow reunifications for families in NSW and the ACT as it will remain hard for parents who want to go to other states to travel, as they will be subject to those states' travel rules, even if they get a flight to Sydney.

Neither NSW nor ACT will have any quarantine for international flights, just proof of a negative COVID-19. Flight caps will also be dropped.

READ MORE: 'No end goal': Expats' heartbreak over COVID-19 border closures

Parents must also be vaccinated with a TGA recognised jab, which will mean those who have had those not on the list will remain locked out.

Foreign workers living here who don't have PR won't be able to get their parents over under the new rule either.

READ MORE: How to get your International COVID Vaccination Passport

However, with the travel ban ending for all jurisdictions on November 1, citizens and PRs will be allowed to leave the country to see family overseas without permission – but will be subject to state and territory rules flying back.

Temporary residents or other visa holders remain locked out of Australia if they leave.

When he announced the move last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it would be, "welcome news to Australians right across the country who were hoping to be reunited with their family members, their parents who are overseas.

"Now, in New South Wales's case, that means that those family members will be able to come into Sydney if they are vaccinated and not have to quarantine," he added.

READ MORE: Why tent zipper position is key clue in search for missing WA girl

Simone Holmes, a spokesperson for campaign group Parents are Immediate Family, said they were "relieved" at the news but need to know how it will be implemented and what will happen for states other than NSW.

"The general concern now is, unless people live in NSW there will still be no reunion with our parents," Ms Holmes said.

Contact journalist Sarah Swain: ss****@******om.au

Australian diplomats have called out China's "trade disruptive measures" against the country during an international meeting overnight.

In a hard-hitting statement to the World Trade Organisation, Australia's ambassador George Mina said punitive Chinese trade sanctions were "motivated by political considerations".

Australian exports to China, including wine, barley, coal and seafood, have been hit with punitive measures over the past 18 months amid worsening relations between the two countries.

READ MORE: Human remains found in search for Gabby Petito's missing fiancé

The Federal Government's statement to the WTO in Geneva said Beijing's policies had ramifications beyond icy relations with Australia.

"The implications of China's actions go beyond their impact on Australian exporters, they rise the risk and uncertainty of the China market for the global business community," Mr Mina said in the statement.

"By undermining agreed trade rules, China also undermines the multilateral trading system on which all WTO members apply.

"China says these actions reflect legitimate concerns; but there is a growing body of information that demonstrates China's actions are motivated by political considerations."

https://twitter.com/AusWTO/status/1450752226482339840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The Australian Government's statement to the WTO was included in an appraisal of China's trading policies.

Meanwhile, the impact of harsh Chinese tariffs on Australian wine exports has been revealed in a new report.

Industry body Wine Australia says global wine exports dropped by 24 per cent in the year to September 30.

The fall was driven by the collapse of the biggest market — China — which slapped tariffs on Australian wine 12 months ago.

In the year to September 2021, exports to China fell by 77 per cent to $274 million, down from the previous average of $1 billion a year.

READ MORE: Gold Coast teenager allegedly fired from Pizza shop for receiving vaccine

Chinese officials inflicted further economic pain for Aussie winegrowers when in March they declared tariffs of nearly 220 per cent would be extended for the next five years.

But producers of wines costing more than $200 have successfully diversified, increasing sales to South East Asia and Europe, including the UK, the report said.

Reporters and producers from Nine News, A Current Affair, TODAY and 60 Minutes have been recognised for their work with a string of nominations in the prestigious Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism.

All three finalists in the Television/News reporting category are Nine News reporters, with Amelia Adams recognised for her coverage of the Capitol attacks, Tim Arvier nominated for his reporting of ambulance delays in Queensland and Peter Fegan for his investigation into Australian politician Andrew Laming.

Christine Ahern is a finalist in the Television/Video Current Affairs Short category for her coverage of the Epping Gardens aged care facility COVID-19 outbreak for A Current Affair and TODAY, as carers at the centre broke their silence over the deadly tragedy.

Meanwhile, Nick McKenzie and Joel Tozer's investigation into 'Nazis Next Door' has been recognised in two categories – Television /Video Current Affair Long and Investigative Journalism.

Reporters from Nine, including Nine newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the AFR, received 21 nominations in total. The Awards take place in February in Tamworth, NSW.