By RNZ and Scoop
National Leader Judith Collins says the September 19 election should be pushed back due to the new covid-19 infections.
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She expressed her
disappointment Auckland is now in level 3 and the rest of
New Zealand is in level 2.
Collins said she had asked for a meeting today with the electoral commission, saying it would not be possible to have a free and fair election.
"We are calling on the Prime Minister ... to shift out the election date to a date later in November."
She said if that was not possible, the Prime Minister could instead defer the election to next year.
Their statement comes after four new cases of Covid-19 in the community were identified last night, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announcing increased Covid-19 alert levels across the country.
The four cases were members of the same family, and Ardern revealed this morning that one of them had travelled to Rotorua while symptomatic.
The Auckland region moved to level 3 at midday today, with the rest of New Zealand moving to level 2 simultaneously. The increased levels will remain for three days until midday Friday, when alert levels will be reassessed.