RNZ understands positive Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Wellington.
Wellington Central Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
These would be the first positive community cases in this latest outbreak outside of Auckland and Coromandel.
The Ministry of Health has declined to comment at this stage.
A ministry spokesperson says all confirmed cases of Covid-19 will be announced "as soon as practicable".
The government is due to announce any changes to the lockdown at 3pm.
In Auckland, there are 22 active cases of Covid-19 in the community.
The outbreak has been linked to a person who travelled to New Zealand from NSW on 7 August and transferred to hospital on 16 August.
Locations of interest can be found on the Ministry of Health website as they become available.
Wellington Mayor Andy Foster said he was aware of media commentary and was seeking more information from health authorities.
An extra testing facility had already been set up at Hataitai Park, and a vaccination centre would open at the Michael Fowler Centre in the central city tomorrow, he said.
There was capacity to stand up further testing and vaccination facilities as required.
"The commentary confirms the decision to go hard and fast with lockdown was absolutely the correct one.
"It also confirms the importance of every one of us doing our part - staying home, staying separate, wearing a mask if going to the supermarket or medical facility, contact tracing, good hygiene protocols, and getting vaccinated."
Epidemiologist Michael Baker told Midday Report the government obviously considered further spread in the community when they put the whole country in lockdown.
New cases in Wellington made it almost certain the lockdown would be extended, he said.
Prof Baker says it was good the country was in lockdown as chains of transmission will gradually disappear, but a case of Delta could potentially infect everyone in a household quickly.
There was a real challenge with having regional lockdowns rather than a national one, he said.
New Zealanders show a high level of commitment in lockdown, as unlike in other countries they had not been stuck in lockdown for a year, but challenge this time is the virus is being spread in young people, who perhaps don't feel as threatened by it, he said.
