By RNZ Massey University’s aviation school is warning people to stop shining lasers into planes at night because it could cause a pilot to crash.School of Aviation chief executive Ashok Poduval said the lasers could cause temporary…

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A shark has been filmed swimming near the shore off Waiheke Island. A local resident filmed what appears to be a medium-size bronze whaler, about two metres long, near Matiatia wharf. In the video the shark can be seen swimming…

The largest indigenous film festival in the Southern Hemisphere, the Māoriland Film Festival held in Ōtaki, launched its programme on Waitangi Day.The eighth annual film festival will present 120 films and 50 events from…

Developers of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine expect to have a modified jab to cope with the South African coronavirus variant by the northern hemisphere autumn, the vaccine's lead researcher said Sunday.

Health officials in Britain are trying to contain the spread of the variant first identified in South Africa amid concerns that it is more contagious or resistant to existing vaccines.

More than 100 cases of the South African variant have been found in the United Kingdom.

READ MORE: UK vaccine gambles paid off, while EU caution slowed it down

Sarah Gilbert, lead researcher for the Oxford team, told the BBC on Sunday that "we have a version with the South African spike sequence in the works."

"It looks very likely that we can have a new version ready to use in the autumn," she added.

Her comments came as Oxford University said that early data from a small study suggested that the AstraZeneca vaccine offers only "minimal protection" against mild disease caused by the South Africa variant.

The study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, involved 2,000 people, most of whom were young and healthy. The volunteers' average age was 31.

"Protection against moderate-severe disease, hospitalisation or death could not be assessed in this study as the target population were at such low risk," Oxford University said.

Robin Shattock, a scientist who is leading the coronavirus vaccine research at Imperial College London, urged caution about the study's early findings. But he said it was "concerning to some extent that we're seeing that it's not effective against mild or moderate disease."

READ MORE: Emirates to resume UK flights after 'indefinite' suspension

Authorities in England last week went house-to-house to administer COVID-19 testing in eight areas where the South African variant is believed to be spreading, after a handful of cases were found in people who had no contact with the country or anyone who travelled there.

The testing blitz is a bid to snuff out the variant before it spreads widely and undermines the UK's vaccination rollout. Public health officials are concerned about the South African variant because it contains a mutation of the virus' characteristic spike protein, which is targeted by existing vaccines.

Britain has seen Europe's deadliest coronavirus outbreak, with over 112,000 confirmed deaths, but it has embarked on a speedier vaccination plan than the neighbouring European Union. So far the UK has given a first coronavirus vaccine jab to about 11.5-million people.

A hotel quarantine worker in Melbourne has tested positive to coronavirus.

The woman works as an authorised officer at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport, Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services said.

She was tested at end of her shift on Thursday, February 4, and returned a negative result.

READ MORE: Returned traveller in NSW tests positive after 14-day hotel quarantine

She returned to work on Sunday morning and later developed symptoms.

She was tested and has subsequently returned a positive result.

The individual was interviewed and a full public health response has commenced.

If you have been at any of these exposure sites in the specified times, you are required to immediately isolate, get tested and remain isolated for 14 days:

Friday, February 5

• Marciano's Cakes: Maidstone – 9:45am – 10:25am
• Dan Murphy's: Sunshine – 5:50pm – 6:30pm

Saturday, February 6

• Off Ya Tree Watergardens: Taylors Lakes – 1:17pm – 1:52pm
• Dan Murphy's: Sunshine – 6:50pm – 7:30pm

The DHHS said it would provide updates "as soon as possible" with locations visited by the woman to be listed here: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/case-locations-and-outbreaks-covid-19

Testing capacity near exposure sites will be scaled up from today, with increased opening hours, additional staff and pop-up sites to be confirmed, DHHS said.

https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1358397250410598400

For more information on where to get tested, call the 24-hour Coronavirus Hotline at 1800 675 398 or visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria website.

It comes as an additional 230 Defence Force troops are being sent to Victoria to help with the coronavirus response.

They will more than double the number of troops working 12 quarantine hotels as the program expands up to 22 facilities.

They'll manage baggage, check-in and staff temperature checks, leaving security to Victoria Police.

Apart from the Holiday Inn worker, no new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Victoria since Wednesday when it was revealed a worker at the Grand Hyatt's quarantine tested positive for the UK strain of the virus.

Nearly half of women who gave birth during lockdown at a major DHB left hospital sooner than they wanted – fuelling a rise in those readmitted with complications.”I felt alienated. Depressed and stressed,” one new mother told Waitematā…

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Low GDP begins with inefficiency When reviewing the economy, commentators, business leaders and economists often target the country’s low productivity as the fundamental factor restraining the growth of GDP. It is not.The root…

Our cartoonist Guy Body shares his view on current events.