New Zealand

The men were charged with breaching the country's tough COVID-19 rules.

Under Auckland's strict Level 4 lockdown, all restaurants, including take-away services, remain closed.

Police said the men, aged 23 and 30, had travelled from Hamilton, about 75 miles south of Auckland.

A police spokesperson told the BBC that officers made the arrest after they noticed a suspicious looking vehicle travelling on a gravel road on the outskirts of the city.

Greenpeace Aotearoa made the criticism after the vote at the International Union for Conservation of Nature's World Congress last week.

The motion received support from most countries, but Greenpeace Aotearoa seabed mining campaigner James Hita said New Zealand's government continued to fall behind the rest of the world in preserving oceans.

Delegates at this year's congress also voted overwhelmingly for reform of the International Seabed Authority, the UN-mandated body tasked with regulating this activity

Geonet says the quake was centred 5km north of the town at a depth of 36km.

It occurred just before 5pm (local time).

Within 15 minutes more than 6000 people had registered their ratings of the quake on the Geonet website.

The government has suggested if it runs out of spaces people may have to isolate at home.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins yesterday said they can cope with the number of COVID-19 cases New Zealand is seeing over the next week or so but if it continues beyond that decisions will need to be made.

He said that could include investigating whether people who are in New Zealand and get COVID-19 should isolate at home rather than in MIQ facilities.

The total number of cases in the community jumped by 62 yesterday to reach 210.

COVID-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said the variant "changes the game considerably" and makes existing protections "look less adequate".

It comes as the country announced a further 21 confirmed cases in the latest outbreak of the virus.

New Zealand had quashed earlier COVID outbreaks with rapid, strict lockdowns.

The country was praised for its efforts, which effectively stopped the spread of the virus. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly referred to New Zealand as "our team of five million".

It is understood she was accompanied by police on the flight that touched down in New Zealand yesterday morning.

Exclusive pictures show the plane that brought Aden back to New Zealand landing this morning.

In a statement, police told 1 NEWS it was “one of a number of government agencies that have been working for some time on a plan for the family’s return”.

“As this is an operational matter, police will not comment on the timings or arrangements for their return.”

It was confirmed last month that Aden would be returning to New Zealand from Turkey.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said there were now 31 cases associated with the current Auckland community outbreak.

"All cases have or are being transferred safely to a managed isolation facility, under strict infection prevention and control procedures, including the use of full PPE."

The ministry said the three in Wellington had recently travelled to Auckland and visited a location of interest there.

There are 10 cases in the community and almost 70 locations of interest in Auckland and Coromandel.

Shopping malls, bars and cinemas across Auckland have been added to the Ministry of Health list of locations of interest meaning potentially thousands of people are now considered contacts.

Last night, malls in Albany and New Lynn, and supermarkets in different parts of Auckland were added.

So far, the earliest potential exposure site dates back two weeks to 3 August.

Jacinda Ardern said that genome sequencing has detected the Delta strain, and that it originated in NSW.

"We are dealing with the Delta variant ... our case has originated in Australia."

"Now the job is to work out how and when it got here,” Ms Ardern said.

The NZ Government will examine whether the positive case leaked from one of the country's managed isolation facilities

New Zealand has detected an additional two COVID cases, bringing the total in the current outbreak to seven.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told RNZ's Morning Report one of the new cases is a nurse at Auckland Hospital.

"The health workforce are very well versed and mapping these issues and have done in the past.

We have had COVID-positive cases in our health workforce before. What's different on this occasion is that we have this individual who is fully vaccinated."

Ardern said the four new cases were the workmate of the 58-year-old Devonport man and the workmate's close or household contacts.