1. Surveys show New Zealanders are confident of moving to Level 1 status.

Emanuel Kalafatelis of Managing partner or Research NZ reported today on Radio New Zealand's morning program their ninth weekly survey of the impact of COVID-19 and how New Zealanders feel about progress, safety, and economy.

"Prudent optimism is our understanding of the results," Kalafatelis said.

"To be precise, 61% of the interviewees feel confident----to be honest, this is not a great result. If we are absolutely optimistic, I hope the result will be at least 70% or 75%. "

"The facts of 61% show that people are still very worried about being infected with the virus and getting sick----currently 80%". Kalafatelis said, "The ability of economic recovery is still highly concerned. 92% of people are worried about this. "

Therefore, despite people's cautious and optimistic attitude, we will soon reach the level 1 warning line instead of retreating. Kalafatelis said that this has brought worries to the economy.

The survey was based on New Zealanders over the age of 18 and was carried out on the eve of the level 2 alarm.

2. The COVID-19 crisis may be a major setback to progress in eliminating plastics.

Ian Proudfoot, head of KPMG's global agricultural integration business, said at the webinar that people's desire for health and hygiene can easily overcome environmental concerns about plastics.

Now, it's easy for people to regard plastic-packaged food as clean and safe food, and they can start to insist on using it, which leads to the revival of plastic use.

"We make a lot of trees, we make wool, we make fiber products, and we make a whole bunch of biomass from the products we grow, which are basically useless before." These materials can be used to make biodegradable packaging and contribute to the environment and New Zealand's economy, according to Proudfoot.

3. Professional Tennis Tournament to Resume Work ；New Zealand to Hold Local Tournament

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, professional tennis has been suspended for more than two months. Many competitions, including Grand Slam tournaments, have been affected. On May 25, local time, the New Zealand Tennis Association announced the resumption of professional tennis tournament next month, which will be the first professional sports competition in the southern hemisphere since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic. New Zealand plans to host a top-level tournament in Auckland, with 24 players forming three teams to compete.

4. New Zealand media giant MediaWorks announced 130 job cuts

MediaWorks has announced that it will cut 130 employees in its broadcasting and sales teams.  The media company has three TV stations and Bravo TV channels as well as The Edge, The Rock, More FM, and Breeze broadcasting networks.

Anderson said in an email to employees, "As you know, the COVID-19 epidemic has changed the world and affected our business in ways we cannot predict or prepare."

"Starting today, we must begin to scale down our business. Now we are entering the reorganization process. MediaWorks must be a different enterprise to operate in a changing world. "

In April this year, Anderson asked employees to voluntarily cut their salaries by 15% for six months.

5. Bloomfield: New Zealanders, be patient!

According to Newshub, Health Director-General Ashley Bloomfield said New Zealanders were becoming increasingly impatient with the alert level restrictions and he called on the public to be more forward-looking. Broomfield warned that while the world continues to fight against the COVID-19, New Zealand cannot be complacent. He said that we should not underestimate the global threat of the virus: "We must remember that the epidemic is still raging outside New Zealand."

"The key risk is gathering. When we entered a state of level 2 alarm we pointed out that if you enter the dance hall, everyone may not know each other, so there is a risk. We are trying to reduce such risks so that we will not lose the achievements we have already made. "

6. New Zealand government launches unemployment allowance for 12 weeks again

Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni jointly launched a press release on Monday (May 25) morning. The contents of the release include:

People who have lost their jobs due to the influence of COVID-19 since March 1 will be paid 12 weeks' salary by the government from June 8. Unemployed full-time workers will get $490 a week and part-time workers $250 a week. This income will not be taxed

The 12-week plan is expected to cost about 570 million New Zealand dollars.

7. New Zealand Parliament Resumes Normal Operation

Chris Hipkins, the speaker of parliament, announced that Epidemic Response Committee (ERS) successfully completed its duties on Tuesday (May 27).

The Committee was established on March 25 by agreement of the parliament and is responsible for reviewing the government and its actions while ensuring public safety during the levels 4 and level 3 lockdown.

The Committee is free to invite expert witnesses from all walks of life. Government ministers and public sector chief executives are required to be accountable for their decisions and actions. The committee also reviewed petitions and bills related to the COVID-19 emergency.

8. There were no new cases in New Zealand for several consecutive days New Zealand is going to further ease restrictions

Data from New Zealand's Ministry of Health on the 26th showed that there had been no new confirmed cases in the country for 4 consecutive days. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on the 25th that New Zealand will further loosen the measures to prevent and control the epidemic. Starting from noon on the 29th, the maximum number of public gatherings will be raised from the current 10 to 100.

Ardern also said that before June 22, the cabinet will not discuss whether to further reduce the COVID-19 epidemic response level, that is, New Zealand will maintain the current level of secondary epidemic response which for nearly a month.

Retail stores, restaurants, and cinemas in New Zealand have resumed operations since the 14th of this month. As restrictions are further loosened, some large public places such as museums and public libraries are also expected to reopen in the near future.

9. New Zealand joins global COVID-19 vaccine program

The New Zealand government announced a COVID-19 vaccine strategy on the 26th, which will enable New Zealand’s scientists to contribute to the global research of the COVID-19 vaccine and explore the potential of vaccine production capacity. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods and Health Secretary David Clarke jointly announced the news.

David Clarke said: "the development of safe and effective vaccines is a key tool to control global COVID-19, and efforts are being made to develop and test various candidate vaccines worldwide."

10. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa reopened 68 days after it closed

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa reopened on the morning of the 28th after closing for 68 days.

There is a conspicuous social distance sign at the entrance of the museum, and the social distance requirement has been shortened from 2 meters to 1 meter. After entering the hall, visitors should register their personal details first. According to the government's COVID-19 tracking software, visitors can scan the code with their mobile phones and fill in the form online. After submitting the form, they can enter the museum with a green code.

The museum has set a ceiling of 500 people for the building. Once the number of visitors in the museum reached 500, other visitors will have to wait in line outside the museum.

Kourtney Johnston, Chief Operating Officer of the museum, said: "The visit experience will be different now. We are trying to re-operate the museum in the safest way. This is the starting point for people to reestablish social contact. "