Auckland

Rain started falling in Auckland this morning, the first time there's been more than 1mm of rain in 47 days.

Metservice meteorologist Andy Best said there was 7mm in Lincoln Park in Massey, 8.8mm in the Waitakere Ranges and 12mm at Piha this morning.

"The front is expected to move just to the east of Auckland this afternoon and then away this evening," he said.

"Just the fact that rain has fallen in excess of 1mm, making it a 'rain day' officially, doesn't mean we've had enough, by any means."

Festival director Torise Flay says the festival stage will complement the programmes that the 11 Pasifika Villages are providing.

She said, there will be a new feature, the Festival stage, that will feature headline acts performing on Saturday and Sunday.

"Also new to the programme is Pasifika Strong that will include Pasifika Strong, Pasifika strength athletes that'll be represented in five different Pacific islands."

Pasifika Festival at Western Springs in Auckland takes place March 14 and 15.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the person showing the symptoms was in Auckland Hospital and "being managed appropriately".

"The normal management of someone who is a suspected case of an infectious disease like this is that they have a special isolation room in the hospital and it has what's called negative pressure ventilation and that basically stops the possibility of the virus being carried out in the air, and the staff looking after that person follow very strict requirements around personal protection."

SkyCity has decided to evacuate its entire Auckland precinct, because of smoke from the fire.

That means people will need to leave the Sky Tower, casino, all SkyCity hotels and restaurants and corporate offices.

The company said police were onsite to help with evacuations.

People who were intending to visit SkyCity venues this evening - including restaurants on Federal Street - should make alternative arrangements.

The drink - an earthy-tasting ground root which numbs muscles and has been used to treat anxiety and stress - has been used widely across the Pacific and among its diaspora for centuries.

But the West, commercial traction has been held back by a lack of education around Pacific culture and limited research into its effects, experts say. Although legal in New Zealand, kava imports been restricted in many Western jurisdictions, including parts of Australia.

After some confusion on Wednesday, John also confirmed he has changed the dates of three of his concerts in this country "due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict".

The new and third Auckland show will be at Mt Smart Stadium on February 20, 2020. Tickets for that show will go on sale on May 22.

The dates for John's other two Auckland shows, and for the second of his shows at Mission Estate Winery in Hawke's Bay, have been delayed by a week.

The event will take place between 21 September and 5 October.
 
During the Draw, OFC Competitions Director Chris Kemp was assisted by Rajesh Patel, the President of the Fiji Football Association, who are the hosts of this year’s tournament.
 
Fiji will be joined by seven other Member Associations with the winner securing the rights to represent OFC at the Men’s Olympic Tournament at the Tokyo Games in 2020.
 

With the cancellation of Pasifika and the final day of Polyfest last month, organisers say Saturday's Path to the Pacific Trade Show may well be the only Pasifika event pre-Easter that incorporates business, entertainment, seminars and food.

The Path to the Pacific will feature Fiji ginger that's making waves worldwide, organic jams and coconut soap from Fiji; rare gems and stunning handicrafts from the Solomon Islands and Pacific fashion, bilum weavers, coffee and baskets from Papua New Guinea.

All flights into Auckland Airport are being diverted because of debris on the main runway caused by strong winds.

The airport said flights were either being returned to their originating airport or Christchurch.

There is no estimated time for when the runway will reopen, it said.

MetService said the winds have eased but would remain strong overnight in Auckland, Coromandel and Waikato.

Civil Defence said it was not activating or mobilising but were standing by to monitor the response.

Festival organisers this year are wanting to focus the two-day event on connecting with village co-ordinators and Pacific communities.

Twenty six years ago the festival began as a joint initiative between community leaders and the council to bring Pasifika communities together.

It is also an opportunity to celebrate and share Pacific Island cultures with the wider Auckland community.

The event now attracts over 60,000 visitors over the two day festival.