Omicron has ripped through the Australian states despite high vaccination rates, exposing testing regimes, and decimating supply chains. So what lies ahead for New Zealand?

As Omicron cases rise, it is likely more people will isolate at home. Here are some items to have on hand in a Covid-19 care kit.

Lengthy delays in getting ambulances to people in need are being investigated by St John, as demand on its service and staff shortages begin to burn.

The government has clarified the settings where face masks will and won't be required as the country navigates through a Covid-19 Omicron outbreak.

A group of young kayakers are "buzzing" after an unexpected summer holiday close encounter with orca in Ligar Bay in the Tasman region.

Residents, bach owners and farmers are being told to vacate properties and move stock behind an exclusion zone as urgent repairs are done to the Maui gas pipeline in Taranaki over the weekend.

A man in his 70s has died after a water-related incident at a beach in Waipu, Northland.

There are 105 new community cases of Covid-19 today, with the total number of Omicron cases reported in the community also now at 105.

A man who had not returned home since morning bike ride in Christchurch has now been found safe and well, police say.

The death of a man whose body was found in a parked car in Raglan is being treated as a homicide.

There are no new cases of Covid-19 in Nelson, but an exposure event has been identified at Motueka Kindergarten.

Auckland's long awaited light rail project will run from Wynyard Quarter to Mt Roskill before surfacing and running alongside SH20 to the airport.

A man has died after a water incident at Te Puia Springs in Kawhia, north of Gisborne.

A major rowing championship in Twizel will be positive for businesses but some locals are anxious about the risk of spreading Omicron in the area, the district mayor says.

Covid-19 testing laboratories can only cope with peak demand for nasal PCR Covid tests for a couple of weeks before the system will be overloaded.

Suspected Omicron cases were among a large number of people who went to a polo event in Tauranga on Saturday and attendees are asked to stay alert for symptoms.

Police say State Highway 1 has reopened south of Foxton following a crash on the Manawatū River bridge.

All staff, patients and visitors to Southern DHB facilities will need to wear a medical grade face mask from now on.