New Zealand PM Ardern urges unity on COVID on Waitangi Day

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders on Sunday to unite in their battle against COVID-19, as the pandemic forced the country to celebrate its national Waitangi Day online. A growing outbreak of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has pushed all commemorations online, prompting Ardern to urge vaccinations. 'We all have a duty to do everything we can to protect our communities with all the tools that science and medicine have given us,' Ardern said in a pre-recorded speech. 'Togetherness is something we have shown throughout the last few years. I know it hasn't always been easy ... But together we have, and we continue to, overcome.'