Jacinda Ardern is giving a media conference.
From 11:59 pm tonight (19 march) closing border to all non-citizens or residents, including the Pacific (with exemptions for humanitarian reasons).
People involved in air and sea freight will still be able to come and go.
New Zealand citizens and permanent residents will be able to return.
Ardern said she is ‘increasingly concerned’ that visitors to NZ had not planned to self-isolate.
– https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19/coronavirus-update-inz-response
All cases so far identified are linked to people who have recently come into the country from other countries.
The aim is to slow down the spread and break it into “small waves”.
From today’s briefing:
Nationwide, there were eight new cases announced on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed cases to 28.
Ministry of Health Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said “these new cases all relate to overseas travel … at the moment we still don’t have any evidence of wider community transmission.”
Also today:
The New Zealand Government is advising New Zealanders not to travel overseas due to COVID-19, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.
The Government has reinforced its commitment to protecting the health of New Zealanders from COVID-19 through the cancellation of indoor events with more than 100 people.
Your NZ 
Pete George
/ 19th March 2020Australia is doing the same:
Patricia
/ 19th March 2020At last! Great news! We will get through this.
Gezza
/ 19th March 2020Incredible. It was a live, important press conference. Ardern then immediately took a number of very relevant, audible reporter’s questions for another 15 minutes or so, but as far as I could see, neither tv1 nor tv2 bothered to show more than the first 5 minutes of her announcement only. Filling up the time with prerecorded shite instead. Pathetic tv news coverage.
Gezza
/ 19th March 2020Stuff has a livestream replay
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/120423903/coronavirus-prime-minister-to-make-announcement-on-border-controls
Gerrit
/ 19th March 2020Means less aircraft coming into New Zealand hence air freight prices will sky rocket. Not only an increase in price but a down grading of the service exporters can offer.
A airmail courier parcel deposited at a suburban post shop in the morning was in Sydney the next morning and delivered to the customer 24 hours after that.
Now that delivery time is out to 7 working days.
Expect time sensitive exports like fresh flowers, herbs, fruit, fish, etc. to me greatly effected.
Without passengers to fly and justify the numerous flights around the globe, air freight is in dire straights as are those who need the fresh exports to bring in the taxable dollars.
Duker
/ 19th March 2020They will still fly planes with no passengers but full holds of freight as well as the dedicated freighters
Pete George
/ 19th March 2020artcroft
/ 20th March 2020Don’t panic people. That’s the government’s job.