Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that Auckland will move into Alert Level 2 from Thursday, September 24 and rest of NZ to move into Alert Level 1 on Tuesday, September 22.
Auckland's level 2 status will be in place for 14 days, with Cabinet set to review those settings again on 5 October.
This announcement was made post-cabinet meeting earlier on Monday morning, September 21, and after Dr Ashley Bloomfield made gave an update on new Covid cases in NZ.
No new cases were reported in New Zealand in the last 24 hours.
"If we remain on track it would then be our intention to consider moving alert levels from 7 October, again this is all conditional on us continuing as we are now," Ardern said.
Ardern acknowledged deaths of two brothers of Covid-19. "These deaths are a reminder of just how serious this virus is."
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said earlier there were no new cases of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand today.
Dr Bloomfield said the case over the weekend of the returnee who tested positive after being released from managed isolation should be commended for his actions for remaining alert to his health and self-isolating.
"This is exactly the sort of vigilance that will help us keep ahead of the virus."
Yesterday there were four new cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand - two in the community and two imported cases. The two community cases are connected to a returnee who was identified on Saturday. The person was diagnosed after completing the 14-day managed isolation.
Dr Bloomfield said the origin of the man's infection was still being investigated.
Three neighbours of the man - who were identified as closed contacts - have so far tested negative, he says.
There were 86 people on the charter flight the man took from Christchurch to Auckland - all were returnees who had completed their managed isolation period. They are being contacted and reassessed. Those who sat in the first nine rows, nearest to the man, have been asked to self-isolate, and testing for those people is underway.
There are 40 people now isolating in Auckland quarantine - 17 are cases of Covid-19 with the remainder being household contacts. There are three people in hospital with Covid-19 - one each in Middlemore, North Shore and Auckland.
Experts differ on whether Auckland should move down an alert level. However, professors Michael Baker and Shaun Hendy both agree that there should be additional testing after leaving managed isolation facilities.
Auckland has been at a bolstered alert level 2, with extra restrictions placed on social gatherings, funerals and tangihanga.
Cabinet had agreed in principle to ease the city's rules on gatherings at 11.59 pm on Wednesday 23 September, subject to confirmation today.
For the rest of the country, the provisional decision was to move down to level 1 from midnight tonight.
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