What we know about how COVID-19 spread in New Zealand in 2020 and 2021.
Last updated 1pm 12 April 2022.
All data on this page relates to cases recorded prior to 11:59 pm 31 December 2021. For the current situation see the Current cases page.
Data is collected from the EpiSurv database (administered by ESR) unless otherwise stated.
On this page:
How COVID-19 spread in New Zealand in 2020 and 2021
| Number of cases | Percentage (%) of all NZ cases | |
|---|---|---|
| Imported case 1 | 2148 | 15% |
| Import-related case 2 | 490 | 3% |
| Locally acquired, linked 3 | 10525 | 74% |
| Locally acquired, unknown source 4 | 123 | 1% |
| Under investigation | 920 | 6% |
| Total | 14206 | 100% |
- International passengers and crew entering the country who caught COVID-19 overseas or during the journey
- People exposed to international returnees - includes close contacts, other returnees in managed isolation or quarantine, and staff working at the border or in managed facilities
- Caught COVID-19 from someone locally
- Caught COVID-19 within NZ (hadn't travelled overseas recently or been in close contact with someone who travelled recently) but source is unknown
Daily confirmed and probable cases by source
| Māori | Pacific peoples | Asian | Middle Eastern/Latin American/African | European/Other | Unknown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Import-related case | 67 | 14 | 53 | 10 | 346 | 0 |
| Imported case | 74 | 66 | 711 | 150 | 1146 | 1 |
| Locally acquired case, unknown source | 13 | 15 | 22 | 6 | 67 | 0 |
| Locally acquired, epidemiologically linked | 4574 | 3168 | 751 | 185 | 1847 | 0 |
Monitoring spread within clusters of cases
Clusters of cases are groups of ten or more people who likely caught the disease from one another.
Clusters generally start where people are together in one place. Examples include:
- a holiday or a special event (on a cruise ship, at a conference, attending weddings)
- in their community
- at care homes for the elderly
- at a school.
Clusters were investigated and managed by public health officials. This included confirmed and probable cases.
Cluster details*
| Cluster under investigation | Location | Total cases | Origin | Status** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2021 Community | Auckland | 10006 | Under investigation | Closed |
| Rio De La Plata Vessel | Tauranga | 11 | Under investigation | Closed |
| Lyttelton Mariner | Lyttelton | 16 | Under investigation | Closed |
| Mattina Vessel | Invercargill | 15 | Under investigation | Closed |
| Viking Bay Vessel | Wellington | 18 | Under investigation | Closed |
| Auckland February Cluster | Auckland | 15 | Under investigation | Closed |
| International Mariners | Christchurch | 33 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Auckland August Cluster | Auckland | 179 | Under investigation | Closed |
| Aged Residential Care Facility (2) | Auckland | 13 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Aged Residential Care Facility (1) | Auckland | 51 | Unknown | Closed |
| Aged Residential Care Facility (1) | Christchurch | 56 | Unknown | Closed |
| Aged Residential Care Facility (2) | Christchurch | 19 | Unknown | Closed |
| Private Function | Auckland | 40 | Unknown | Closed |
| Group travel to USA | Auckland | 16 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Ruby Princess Cruise Ship Cluster | Hawke's Bay | 25 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Community | Auckland | 30 | Unknown | Closed |
| Hospitality Venue | Matamata | 77 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Wedding | Bluff | 98 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Community | Christchurch | 14 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Marist College | Auckland | 96 | Unknown | Closed |
| World Hereford Conference | Queenstown | 39 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Aged Residential Care Facility | Waikato | 15 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Group Travel to USA | Wellington | 16 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
| Wedding | Wellington | 13 | Overseas exposure | Closed |
* Due to the demand of higher case numbers reported daily the number of cases linked to Omicron clusters is unable to be reported. However, we will continue to accurately report the total number of cases and provide a breakdown of the cases ethnicity, age and DHB location on Current cases page.