The Ministry of Health is investigating two Covid-19 cases discovered in Christchurch last night.
Officials were notified of the two cases from the same household, where one member had recently returned to Christchurch from Auckland.
The local public health unit is gathering information from the cases to identify close contacts and exposure events, including any locations of interest. The Ministry will undertake a public health risk assessment of the situation this morning and a further update will be provided.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told TVNZ's Breakfast show this morning that the case who travelled to Auckland has potentially been back in Christchurch for about a week and has been unwell for much of that time.
He says both cases are unvaccinated and haven't been good users of the Covid Tracer App.
At least one other household is being investigated as a place of close contact with the cases.
More details will be released by the Ministry at 1pm.