Greta Thunberg, the originator of the global School Strike for Climate movement, has taken a fresh swipe at New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for a lack of action over climate change.

In an interview with The Guardian, Ms Thunberg said she can't think of any politician who has impressed her.

When asked about Ms Ardern, Ms Thunberg said New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions haven't fallen.

READ MORE: Morrison responds to France criticism as he confirms climate commitment

"It's funny that people believe Jacinda Ardern and people like that are climate leaders. That just tells you how little people know about the climate crisis," she said.

"Obviously the emissions haven't fallen. It goes without saying that these people are not doing anything."

In December, Thunberg took to Twitter alluding to New Zealand's commitment to reduce 1 per cent of emissions by 2025 was "nothing unique to any nation".

New Zealand's emissions grew in 2019 – our pollution went up, but we also changed the way we count them.

The country's greenhouse gas emissions fell 4.5 per cent in the year to the end of March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But emissions resumed a slow upward trend towards the end of the recorded year.

Ms Ardern referred to the Climate Commission report as a "life or death situation" in June.

From 2022 onwards, the Climate Commission wants New Zealand to meet a shrinking "carbon budget", which is essentially the amount of greenhouse gas the country is allowed to "spend" each year.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw said Ms Thunberg is correct to say New Zealand's emissions haven't yet decreased.

READ MORE: COVID-19 vaccine boosters could mean billions for drug makers

"That is why the work our Government is doing is so important – and clearly we have a lot of work to do," Mr Shaw told Stuff on Sunday.

"This is a marathon effort involving every minister and every part of Government."

Mr Shaw said a detailed plan to bring down emissions would be presented in 2022.

"We will also confirm ahead of the global climate talks in November an enhanced contribution towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement," he said.

That contribution would ensure New Zealand is playing its part to cut global emissions in half by 2030, Mr Shaw said.

Back in December, the Prime Minister responded to Ms Thunberg's initial Twitter comments by saying New Zealand had bigger goals than one target.

"If that was the sum ambition of any government, then that would be worthy of criticism; it is not our sum ambition and it is not the totality of our plans on climate change," Ms Ardern said.

"But again, I think that it is actually for us just to get on with the business of fulfilling our obligations and expectations."

This article first appeared on Stuff. It has been republished with permission.

The two women missing in Auckland’s Hunua Ranges have been located safe, well and uninjured. The 27-year-old Mikayla Taiapo and 29-year-old Ngahuia (Huia) Flavell were last seen around 11am on Saturday. The pair planned to go for…

Three people are dead after an Amtrak train derailed in Montana on Saturday afternoon, the Liberty County Sheriff's office said in a statement to CNN.

Authorities would not speak on the number of injured or the extent of their injuries.

Seven cars from Amtrak's Empire Builder train 7/27 derailed near Joplin, Montana, injuring an undisclosed number of passengers, Amtrak said in a statement.

READ MORE: COVID-19 vaccine boosters could mean billions for drug makers

The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars.

The incident occurred around 4pm local time, and there were approximately 146 passengers and 16 crew members on board, Amtrak said in an additional statement Saturday night.

"Amtrak is working with the local authorities to transport injured passengers, and safely evacuate all other passengers," the railway added.

"Additional details will be provided as available."

READ MORE: Brian Laundrie left home without phone or wallet

Individuals with questions about their friends and family aboard the train should call 800-523-9101, the railway said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a "Go Team" to investigate, the agency said Saturday night.

The Empire Builder travels between Chicago-St.Paul/Minneapolis-Spokane-Portland/Seattle, according to Amtrak's website, and offers passengers a chance to "experience the rugged splendor of the American West.

"Traveling between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest along major portions of the Lewis and Clark Trail, the mighty Empire Builder takes you on an exciting adventure through majestic wilderness, following in the footsteps of early pioneers," the website adds.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

A second person who took to the streets of Melbourne CBD to protest last week has been confirmed as having COVID-19.

The discovery comes after a person who was hospitalised with the virus on Thursday was found to have participated in the illegal demonstration on Wednesday.

COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said a man in his 30s in Geelong had since tested positive to COVID-19 after attending the protests in Melbourne CBD on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Police forced into isolation after Melbourne protester contracts virus

"He turned positive a couple of days ago. He was in the day before yesterday's numbers."

Mr Weimar said there was a "flurry of activity going on" around the man to determine potential transmission.

Mr Weimar said the stage of the man's infection meant it was unlikely he caught the virus at the protest, but that he "would have been at that protest during his infectious period".

Mr Weimar said the first protester with COVID-19 who authorities were aware of was still being treated at St Vincent's Hospital and contact tracers had not yet found any other cases of the virus directly linked to the protester.

READ MORE: More than 200 arrests made on third day of Melbourne protests

A number of police officers who were forced into isolation following the discovery of the infection have all returned negative test results.

He said the protests had absolutely posed a high risk of the virus spreading the virus.

"When you see such a large number of people all out on the street together, all doing the things which are in breach of directions, regardless of why you're there, that is an absolute risk. If you're gonna hang around in a crowd of 500 people, then if there are COVID-positive people, and the chances are this is where you'll see spread."

Mr Weimar said it was unknown how either of the two protesters had caught COVID-19.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Melbourne's CBD on Tuesday, while hundreds convened in crowds on Wednesday.

Restrictions are set to ease across Victoria from 11.59pm on Tuesday, when at least 80 per cent of the state's eligible population is expected to have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.

The Premier has announced the change to restrictions after Victoria recorded another 779 new local COVID-19 cases overnight and another two deaths.

"I'm very pleased to be able to announce that it is estimated on Tuesday we will reach that 80% single-dose number," Daniel Andrews said.

READ MORE: Victoria records 847 new local COVID-19 cases, one death

https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1441898920729186306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

"That means we can be very confident about reaching 80 per cent double-dose on the time lines we have outlined."

Mr Andrews said the "fantastic achievement" could only bring around modest changes to restrictions.

From 11.59pm on Tuesday, in regional Victoria the outdoor venue cap will increase from 20 to 30 and there will be some changes in hair and beauty and personal care.

READ MORE: Unvaccinated residents likely to be blocked from freedoms in NSW

In Metropolitan Melbourne and in regional areas that are locked down, outdoor recreational activities, such as boating, tennis, golf will be allowed.

However Mr Andrews said the activities would come with new restrictions.

"It will look different, won't be the same as pre-COVID, there will be rules."

The travel limit for exercise and shopping will also increase from 10km to 15km.

Outdoor personal training for up to five people will also be allowed if all participants and the trainer are fully vaccinated.

Restrictions around playgrounds will also be lifted.

READ MORE: This country claims it hasn't had a single COVID-19 case

Today's new cases

Today's 779 new COVID-19 cases take the state's total number of active cases to 8,011 active cases.

More than half of the cases – 417 – are in Melbourne's northern suburbs, while 20 of the cases are in regional Victoria.

The results come from more than 46,000 tests, while 34,000 vaccines were administered.

The state has recorded another two deaths from the virus in Melbourne's north – a man in his 80s from Moreland and a man in his 70s from Hume.

There are 325 people in Victoria in hospital with the virus, including 73 in intensive care.

Mr Andrews said four people in their 20s were in intensive care, all on a ventilator, while eight people in their 30s were in ICU.

Vaccinated economy trials

The Premier also announced plans for "a series of vaccinated economy trials in regional Victoria".

Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula said the trials were expected to start from 11 October at 20 trial sites in Buloke, Pyrenees, Bass Coast, Greater Bendigo, East Gippsland and Warrnambool – all LGAs with low case numbers and high vaccination rates.

"It is about seeing how our vaccinated economy system might work and we will trial that with higher patron numbers and crowds with everyone on site being confirmed as fully vaccinated," he said.

Mr Pakula said nominated trial venues would be allowed to operate at 70 per cent capacity threshold number with fully vaccinated customers.

Mr Pakula said the trials would also establish the best way for people to prove their vaccination status.

READ MORE: NSW records 1007 new local cases, 11 more deaths

Regional lockdowns

Greater Geelong and the Surf Coast LGA will exit lockdown at 11.59pm tonight, ending a seven-day snap lockdown.

However, Mitchell Shire is set to remain in lockdown.

Test your brains with the Herald’s afternoon quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz for the morning quiz tomorrow. To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

Over two decades ago a hyperactive, eastern barred bandicoot made its way into the virtual world, today Crash Bandicoot is a household name.

Originally created by the team at gaming studio Naughty Dog (The Last of Us), Crash Bandicoot was brought to life on the original PlayStation console in 1996.

The success of the Crash Bandicoot game saw him become, at one point, the official mascot for Sony PlayStation, selling almost seven million copies.

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The original Crash game is set in a group of islands off the west coast of Tasmania.

That being said, Aussies could almost call this little orange marsupial their own. Crash Bandicoot is now in the hands of Toys for Bob, the studio that remastered the original trilogy in 2017 and brought back Spyro the Dragon.

9News caught up with the Creative Director and Co-Studio Head at Toys for Bob, Paul Yan, to help celebrate.

And while Paul wasn't there when Crash was imagined, he has a history with the marsupial spanning back to Crash's first appearance in the Skylanders series.

"We very recently were reminiscing about when we were greenlit to guest star Crash Bandicoot and Neo Cortex in Skylanders Imaginators," Mr Yan said.

"It was a small but important step toward convincing ourselves (and gauging public appetite) that a standalone game might be successful enough to pursue in the future.

"Vicarious Visions did a great job with the Thumpin' Wumpa Islands expansion and later went on to lead the N.Sane Trilogy and the rest is history!"

Mr Yan was reminiscent of the original game 25 years on, reflecting on his first time playing it at a friend's house – which I'm sure we can all relate to.

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"We'd pass the controller back and forth between lives to cooperatively get through the levels and I remember feeling so smug whenever I got to hold onto that controller over multiple levels," he said.

Incredibly, 25 years on, Crash Bandicoot and other characters such as Spyro the Dragon are widely celebrated by gamers of all ages.

"We are absolutely thrilled that these characters and games still resonate with players today and we are so honoured to be a part of their legacy," Mr Yan said.

"The world could use some more colourful games."

Mr Yan told 9News the latest game in the franchise, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, almost went down a different path, initially toying with an open-world adventure.

"We certainly entertained the idea early on but very quickly decided to stay authentic to the classic experience." he said.

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"One of the things that sets Crash apart is how dense and focused the action in the levels are. Each obstacle is very meticulously placed and we wanted to make sure the player would be able to achieve a certain kind of rhythm as they learned how to most optimally navigate the path."

When asked about the future of Crash Bandicoot and if we'll see another game in the future Mr Yan told 9News he couldn't confirm or deny.

"But what I will say is that I'm very excited for Crash's future. Stay tuned!" he said.

Greater Geelong and the Surf Coast LGA will exit lockdown at 11.59pm tonight while lockdown in Mitchell Shire has been extended indefinitely.

The decisions come as the LGAs have continued to record new COVID-19 cases.

Six of today's new 779 COVID-19 cases are in Geelong, while one is in the Surf Coast.

READ MORE: Restrictions set to ease on Tuesday after Victoria records 779 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths

There are five new cases in Mitchell Shire.

Deputy Chief Health Officer Deb Friedman said a number of factors had gone into deciding to end the lockdown in Geelong and Surf Coast, including that most of the cases in the LGAs were linked to other known cases and that there were no major exposure sites.

"We also look at high testing rates, vaccination rates and also any changes to policy that can limit further growth in the short term, and this includes things like no travel between Melbourne and regional Victoria for construction," she said.

READ MORE: Another three LGAs in regional Victoria to go into snap lockdown

Dr Friedman said Mitchell Shire was next to some LGAs that had the highest rates of COVID-19 anywhere in Australia, making it particularly vulnerable to acquiring cases of the virus.

"And that's what we are seeing regularly, pretty much on a daily basis," she said.

An end date has not been announced for lockdown in Mitchell Shire.

Greater Geelong, Surf Coast LGA and Mitchell Shire were all sent into what was intended to be a snap seven-day lockdown a week ago.

New South Wales has recorded 961 new local COVID-19 cases in the last day and another nine deaths.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian fronted the media today, saying that she is pleased by the speed of the state's vaccine uptake, with more than 85 per cent of residents now having received a single dose.

Almost 60 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, with that milestone expected to be hit later today.

READ MORE: Unvaccinated residents could be blocked from freedoms in NSW until state reaches 90 per cent double-doses

https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1441930744394227712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

"Very pleasingly, NSW has passed the 85 per cent figure, that is an outstanding result and as we literally gallop towards that 70 per cent double dose," Ms Berejiklian said.

"It's very pleasing to see that number go up and I would love to see us said that 90 per cent figure in the near future.

"In terms of second doses, we're just shy of 60 per cent, 59.25 per cent today."

Ms Berejiklian said that case numbers in south-western and Western Sydney continue to trend down, but at the Illawarra and Central Coast, case numbers are higher than health authorities would like.

"So, can we asked those communities to remain vigilant," she said.

EXPLAINED: What can you do once NSW hits a rate of 70 per cent fully vaccinated?

She said that the final plan revealing the freedoms vaccinated residents can expect at 80 per cent vaccination coverage is very close to being finished.

The first restrictions are set to ease for the fully vaccinated on October 11, when NSW is predicted to hit the 70 per cent mark double-dose milestone.

More than 9,600,000 vaccinations have now been administered across the state.

November has been flagged by the premier as a month people can expect to travel within the state, with holidays during the Christmas period also expected set to return.

"I know that everybody is keen to book their holiday," Ms Berejiklian said.

READ MORE: This country claims it hasn't had a single COVID-19 case

"In NSW, it is definitely safe to book for Christmas, to think ahead to the future.

"But also…to definitely look at November to start planning a trip that you may not have been able to have within NSW for a very long time."

Dr Jeremy McAnulty said now the focus must be on the state's young people to come forward for a jab.

"We would like to push the 16 to 39-year-old people to come forward with as well," he said.

"It's important we all come together to raise levels, and younger people need to come forward to get vaccinated, help protect yourself and your loved ones."

There are currently 1146 patients being treated in hospital with the coronavirus, 222 people in the ICU, 117 of whom require ventilation.

Over 106,000 tests were conducted yesterday.

One person in their 40s, two in their 60s, two in their 70s, and four people in their 80s make up the states new deaths.

There have been 297 COVID-related deaths in NSW since the start of the Delta outbreak in June, and 353 in total since the start of the pandemic.

A Kawerau man has been charged with murder after a woman died from critical injuries yesterday afternoon. The man, 20, has been arrested and will be appearing at Whakatāne District Court tomorrow morning, charged with murder…