Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has admitted that New Zealand's widely praised "Covid zero" strategy had failed to halt a stubborn outbreak in Auckland and said a new approach was needed.
The hardline elimination policy had largely protected the country from the pandemic, with residents enjoying a near-normal domestic life alongside tight restrictions on international borders.
But an August outbreak prompted a seven-week lockdown in its main population centre that has failed to curb infection rates.
Ms Ardern said the highly transmissible Delta variant had proved a "game-changer" that could not be eliminated. "Even with the long-term restrictions we've had, we patently haven't reached zero," she added.