Global travel restrictions forced by Covid remain a fact of life.

It doesn't take long for things to unravel when the public gets a whiff of incompetence. This week the breakdown between Health Minister David Clark and Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield coincided with a One News Colmar Brunton poll. RNZ political reporter Jo Moir reports.

A border botch-up this week saw two Covid-19 cases slip through the cracks, shattering public confidence in the quarantine scheme. It sent the Government scrambling to patch the holes in the supposedly "watertight" system and prompted renewed calls for the Health Minister's head. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch reports.

New Zealand has averted a health crisis but now heads for an economic downturn.

Focus on politics looks at coalition wrangling as the election draws nearer.

New National leader Todd Muller talks about the leadership spill, his caucus and the upcoming election.

"In unprecedented times, you make unprecedented decisions" - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern New Zealand has closed its borders. Mass gatherings have been banned. Travelling Kiwis have been told to come home and stay put. And the Government has rolled out "the most significant peace-time economic plan in modern New Zealand history". RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch wraps up an unprecedented week.

The global coronavirus outbreak has continued to escalate this week with the World Health Organisation officially declaring Covid-19 a pandemic. But at home, where the number of cases still sits in single digits, the focus has turned to the economic turmoil being wrought. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch assesses the damage and considers the Government's response.

New Zealand has moved into a new phase of its coronavirus response with the first cases of Covid-19 being confirmed in the country. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch looks at the Government's response on the health and economic fronts so far.

The world has reacted with alarm as the coronavirus causes increasing disruption to individuals and companies around the globe, and is now putting pressure on international economies.