NZ Covid outbreak ‘like nothing we’ve experienced’, Ardern says, as cases skyrocket

Virus-free for much of the pandemic, New Zealand is now reporting near-daily record case numbers

• See all our coronavirus coverage

New Zealand's prime minister has warned that the country is entering a new phase of its pandemic response that is like nothing we've experienced to date", as case numbers begin to explode.

We are embarking for the first time in the two years since the start of the outbreak into a period where New Zealanders will see more Covid in the community," Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.