New Zealand has 50 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, bringing the total to 205.
Government officials are giving an update on the the Covid-19 national response, the latest health update, border issues and an essential services update.
Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there have been a total of 9780 tests undertaken so far.
Dr Bloomfield said there were five confirmed cases "within the community in one school" - Marist School in the Auckland suburb of Mount Albert.
The school has been closed all week and a number of staff have gone into isolation.
Six people are in hospital throughout the country. All are in a stable condition, none of them are in ICU. Three of those people are in Wellington hospital.
Dr Bloomfield says the he expects the numbers to increase for at least the next 10 days.
The country is preparing to go into a full lockdown for alert level 4 from 11.59 p.m. tonight, for a minimum of four weeks.
Civil Defence Emergency Management director general Sarah Stuart-Black said a state of national emergency was declared at 12.21pm, and applied
Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Immigration NZ national manager Peter Elms and MBIE deputy chief executive Paul Stocks.
Speakers at today's media conference include; Director-General of Civil Defence Emergency Management Sarah Stuart-Black, Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Immigration NZ national manager Peter Elms and MBIE deputy chief executive Paul Stocks.