IT'S MIDDAY. DAY ONE UNDER LEVEL 2 FOR WELLINGTON AS THE CITY BRACES FOR TEST RESULTS. THOSE IN THE CAPITAL TURN OUT IN MASS NUMBERS TO BE TESTED FOR COVID-19. 'PUT MY CONSERVATORS IN JAIL AND GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK.' POPSTAR BRITNEY SPEARS HAS HER DAY IN COURT TO SPEAK ABOUT THE WAY SHE'S BEING CONTROLLED. AND CELEBRATIONS IN SOUTHAMPTON. OUR BLACKCAPS CROWNED THE BEST IN THE WORLD, BEATING INDIA BY EIGHT WICKETS. CAPTIONS BY EMMA BARTOSZEWICZ POOLE AND JULIE TAYLOR. CAPTIONS WERE MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF NZ ON AIR. WWW.ABLE.CO.NZ COPYRIGHT ABLE 2021 KIA ORA, GOOD AFTERNOON. WELLINGTONIANS HAVE TURNED OUT IN FORCE FOR COVID TESTING THIS MORNING, WITH ONE CENTRAL STATION FULLY BOOKED BEFORE THEY'D EVEN OPENED THIS MORNING. GP CLINICS IN THE REGION ARE PREPARING TO SWAB EN MASS IN THE COMING DAYS AS OFFICIALS NERVOUSLY WAIT TO HEAR FROM SYDNEY WHETHER THE CASE THAT VISITED WELLINGTON OVER THE WEEKEND HAD THE HIGHLY INFECTIOUS DELTA VARIANT. ABBEY WAKEFIELD IS AT ONE OF THE TESTING STATIONS. ABBEY, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED THIS MORNING? WELLINGTONIAN'S HAVE COME OUT IN BIG NUMBERS TODAY. AND WE'VE JUST HEARD FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH WHO HAVE GIVEN US SOME UPDATES ON THOSE TESTING NUMBERS. 2100 OF THOSE TESTS CAME OUT OF THE WELLINGTON REGION. THAT IS FIVE TIMES THE NUMBER THE DAY BEFORE. HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE ADVISING THAT THEIR PRIORITY AT THE MOMENT IS TO TEST PEOPLE WHO ARE SYMPTOMATIC OR HAVE BEEN AT A LOCATION OF INTEREST AT A SPECIFIC TIME. TESTING STATIONS HAVEN'T SET UP IN WELLINGTON CENTRAL, UPPER HUTT, LOWER HUTT, KAPITI. I SPOKE TO SOME WELLINGTONIAN IS TODAY, AND WE JUST WANTED TO ASK THEM HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT ALERT LEVEL TWO. IT WAS QUIETER ON THE TRAIN, YEAH, YEAH. UNUSUALLY LOTS OF SPARE SEATS. IT'S A BIT SCARY, BUT, YOU KNOW, GOTTA BE SAFE ABOUT IT. I WOULD'VE LIKE TO WORK FROM HOME, BUT THE ROLE THAT I HAVE AT THE MOMENT, I HAVE TO BE AT WORK. NOW THE LATEST FROM THE COVID-19 RESPONSE MINISTER CHRIS HIPKINS IS THAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THIS CASE HAD THE DELTA VARIANT. OUR OFFICIALS ARE STILL WORKING WITH THE AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS TO WORK THAT OUT. THE LATEST UPDATE WILL BE AT 1PM. CARTERTON MAYOR GREG LANG SAYS OFFICIALS ARE ALREADY GIVING SOME THOUGHT AS TO HOW THE GREATER WELLINGTON REGION WOULD BE KEPT SEPARATE FROM THE REST OF THE COUNTRY IF IT WENT INTO LOCKDOWN. I WAS TALKING TO THE AREA POLICE COMMANDER YESTERDAY, AND HE WAS TALKING THAT IF WE HAVE TO MOVE UP THE LEVELS, THERE WOULD BE A ROAD BLOCK AROUND MT BRUCE, EKETAHUNA WAY. DATA MODELLER SHAUN HENDY SAYS A SHIFT TO ALERT LEVEL 2 IN WELLINGTON WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. PEOPLE WILL BE AWARE THAT WE'VE DEALT WITH CASES LIKE THIS BEFORE WITH CONTACT TRACING WITHOUT GOING TO LEVEL 2. BUT I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENCES THIS TIME ROUND. FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE VERY LIKELY DEALING WITH THE DELTA VARIANT. WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE AT THIS STAGE, BUT THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL LINKS IN SYDNEY TO THE BONDI CLUSTER, WHICH WE DO KNOW INVOLVES THE DELTA VARIANT, ARE QUITE STRONG, SO THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. AND I THINK ALSO IT'S A TEST FOR THE TRANS-TASMAN COOPERATION. THE CONFIRMED CASE IS BACK IN SYDNEY, AND SO WE'RE TESTING OUR SYSTEMS ` HOW RAPIDLY CAN WE EXCHANGE INFORMATION BACK AND FORTH WITH THE NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT? AND IN SYDNEY, THE COMMUNITY CLUSTER THERE IS NOW 31 CASES. BUT STATE PREMIER GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN'S STILL STEERING CLEAR OF A LOCKDOWN FOR THE CITY. LET'S CROSS TO OUR AUSTRALIA CORRESPONDENT ANDREW MACFARLANE FOR THE LATEST. ANDREW, SOME DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING HIGH-LEVEL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THIS MORNING. IT'S BEEN A VERY BUSY MORNING HERE IN SYDNEY, FACE MARKS ARE NOW MANDATORY. YESTERDAY WE HAD 16 CASES ANNOUNCED, WHICH WAS A BIT OF SURPRISE. AT THIS STAGE WE HAVE HEARD THIS MORNING THAT A NEW SOUTH WALES MINISTER HAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR THE BUYER'S, HE HAD BEEN IN ISOLATION SINCE TUESDAY. WE'VE HEARD THAT THE HEALTH MINISTER HAS ALSO BEEN LISTED OTHER POSSIBLE CONTACT. THAT CAUSED DISRUPTION FOR THE POLITICIANS THIS MORNING. THEY HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING WHETHER THE CITY SHOULD BE THROWN INTO A LOCKDOWN, THAT IS ON THE CARDS. THANKS, ANDREW. FIJI HAS REPORTED A WORRYING SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES ` 279 NEW CASES OVERNIGHT, THE HIGHEST DAILY COUNT SO FAR. IT BRINGS THE SEVEN-DAY ROLLING AVERAGE TO 166 CASES A DAY. OFFICIALS SAY THERE'S EVIDENCE OF WIDESPREAD COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION, WITH SEVERAL CLUSTERS. FOUR DEATHS WERE ALSO REPORTED. IT'S THE DELTA VARIANT THAT'S DRIVING UP CASES IN FIJI AND NEW SOUTH WALES. BUT EXPERTS AREN'T SURE WHETHER THE VIRUS IS SPREADING MORE EASILY IN CHILDREN. HERE'S ABC'S MICHAEL SLEZAK. WHEN SCIENTISTS FIRST STARTED LEARNING ABOUT COVID-19, ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION LET PARENTS BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF. WHAT WE SAW WAS THE ORIGINAL VARIANTS WAS A MUCH LOWER RISK OF INFECTION AND CERTAINLY A SYMPTOMATIC INFECTION IN CHILDREN. BUT 18 MONTHS LATER, THE VIRUS IS CHANGING. VARIANT... VARIANT... DELTA VARIANT. A NEW VARIANT. NEW VARIANTS SPREAD FASTER. THEY EVADE OUR IMMUNE SYSTEMS. WITH THE DELTA VARIANTS BECOMING THE DOMINANT STRAIN AROUND THE WORLD, SCIENTISTS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW IT MIGHT IMPACT KIDS. SO IN THE UK, THEY'VE HAD MULTIPLE OUTBREAKS IN SCHOOLS WITH THE DELTA VARIANT, AND THAT'S BEEN VERY CONCERNING WITH SOME OF THESE KIDS GETTING QUITE SICK. EVEN THOUGH WE'RE SEEING MORE KIDS INFECTED, THERE'S NOT YET ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO SAY WHETHER THE DELTA VARIANT HAS EVOLVED SPECIFICALLY TO INFECT CHILDREN MORE. IT COULD JUST BE THAT IT'S INFECTING EVERYBODY MORE. I THINK WE KNOW THAT THE VARIANT IS MORE TRANSMISSIBLE OVERALL, AND WE WOULD EXPECT THAT. IT MEANS IT'S MORE TRANSMISSIBLE AMONGST CHILDREN AS WELL. SO JUST HOW MUCH MORE TRANSMISSIBLE IS THE DELTA VARIANT? COMPARED TO THE ORIGINAL STRAIN FIRST SEEN IN WUHAN, THE FIRST VARIANT OF CONCERN, THE ALPHA, OR UK STRAIN, INFECTED ABOUT 30% MORE PEOPLE. ESTIMATES VARY, BUT THE DELTA VARIANT IS THOUGHT TO BE MUCH WORSE ` ROUGHLY TWICE AS INFECTIOUS AS THE ORIGINAL VIRUS. IN NEW SOUTH WALES, HEALTH AUTHORITIES HAVE EVEN SEEN EVIDENCE OF A FLEETING TRANSMISSION, SEEMINGLY SPREAD BY PEOPLE JUST PASSING EACH OTHER IN A SHOP. THESE NEW VARIANTS THAT ARE MORE INFECTIOUS, THE RISK OF THAT JUST GOES UP SLIGHTLY, AND COMBINE IT WITH SOMEONE WHO'S A VERY GOOD SHEDDER THE VIRUS, UNFORTUNATELY, THEN YOU'VE GOT THE MAGIC MIX. IN COUNTRIES LIKE THE U.S. AND ISRAEL, WHERE SCHOOL OUTBREAKS HAVE OCCURRED, THE ADULT POPULATION HAS BEEN WIDELY VACCINATED, SO INFECTIONS ARE MOST LIKELY AMONGST THE UNVACCINATED ` THE CHILDREN. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN HOSPITALISED WITH COVID HAS STAYED VERY LOW. BUT SOME REMAIN CONCERNED ABOUT THE WAY THINGS ARE HEADING. WE COULD SEE OUTBREAKS IN SCHOOLS, AND WE COULD SEE ADULTS GETTING INFECTED FROM CHILDREN. AND TURNING TO THE OTHER BIG STORY OF THE DAY ` NEW ZEALAND'S EPIC CRICKET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WIN IN SOUTHAMPTON. YES, THE BLACKCAPS CAN FINALLY CALL THEMSELVES THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT TEST CRICKET. WE'LL HAVE A FULL MATCH REPORT LATER IN SPORT, BUT FIRST LET'S RELIVE THAT SPECTACULAR WIN AT 5.30 THIS MORNING AND HEAR HOW FANS REACTED. HERE'S ZION DAYAL. IF THERE WERE ANY TWO PLAYERS TO GUIDE THE BLACKCAPS TO THEIR GREATEST EVER VICTORY... HOW APPROPRIATE THAT ROSS TAYLOR AND KANE WILLIAMSON ARE THERE. ...IT HAD TO BE TWO OF THE COUNTRY'S BEST. FOR THIS TEAM, IT'S A STORY THAT'S AKIN TO DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH. BUT KANE WILLIAMSON AND HIS TEAM NOW WORLD TEST CHAMPIONS. NEW ZEALAND ON TOP OF THE WORLD AND NOW IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN. THERE'S A LOT OF HEART IN THIS SIDE, AND THE GUYS THOROUGHLY ENJOY EACH OTHER'S COMPANY. AND WE DO A LOT FOR EACH OTHER. SO I THINK IT'S JUST SATISFYING NOW TO SIT BACK AND BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE WHAT WE'VE ACHIEVED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. THERE WAS A STRONG KIWI PRESENCE AROUND THE ROSE BOWL, DROWNING OUT THE FRUSTRATED INDIAN FANS. AND IF THE NOISE WASN'T COMING FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE BAT... HE FINDS THE GAP. ...IT WAS COMING FROM THE BARMY AND AT TIMES ANXIOUS KIWI CONTINGENT. WE DESERVED TO WIN THE LAST THREE YEARS, AND WE FINALLY GOT THE RESULT THAT EVERYONE DESERVES. IT'S A REDEMPTION. WE GOT HERE. WE'VE GOT HERE. WE'VE EARNED IT. AND WE'RE JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE. BOUGHT MY TICKET LAST NIGHT AT ABOUT 10pm, AND THEN DROVE DOWN FROM LONDON COS I KINDA HAD A FEELING SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN TODAY, SO, NO, IT WAS JUST CRAZY. KANE AND THE BOYS, THEY PUT THEIR HEART OUT THERE, AND, HONESTLY, EVERYTHING TO THEM. ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING GAME. NEW ZEALAND'S PACE ATTACK PUT THEIR SIDE IN A POSITION TO WIN. SKY HIGH. SHOULD BE GONE. OH, BRILLIANT. HENRY NICHOLS, IT IS. NEEDING TO CHASE 139 FOR VICTORY... PULLS IT AWAY OVER THE TOP OF THE MAN AT MIDWICKET. AWAY TO THE BOUNDARY FOR FOUR. HALF CENTURY FOR THE NEW ZEALAND SKIPPER. EACH BOUNDARY GETTING THE BLACKCAPS CLOSER AND CLOSER. WHIPS THAT ONE AWAY. CONGRATULATIONS TO KANE AND THE WHOLE TEAM. I THINK THEY SHOWED GREAT CONSISTENCY AND HEART OVER WHATEVER TIME WE HAD ON THE FIELD TO PULL OUT THE RESULT IN THREE DAYS. ALL RESULTS ARE ON THE TABLE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST GREAT. THE HEART THAT OUR TEAM SHOWED AS WELL TO GET ACROSS THE LINE. BUT A BRILLIANT TEST MATCH. AFTER TWO YEARS COMPETING IN THE WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP, THE BLACKCAPS NOW CROWNED KINGS OF TEST CRICKET. ZION DAYAL, 1 NEWS. MORE THAN 20 RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT AND TWO SHIPS ARE TARGETING A BRITISH WARSHIP SAILING NEAR CRIMEA. MOSCOW SAYS HMS DEFENDER ENTERED RUSSIAN WATERS. RUSSIA CLAIMS THE ILLEGALLY ANNEXED PENINSULA AND ITS WATERS ARE ITS TERRITORY. THE UK SAYS IT WAS PASSING THROUGH UKRAINE. BBC'S JONATHAN BEALE WITH THIS REPORT FROM ON BOARD. HANDS BACK TO STATIONS, HANDS BACK TO STATIONS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. COME IN, TAKE YOUR SEATS STRAIGHT AWAY. A BRITISH WARSHIP IN THE BLACK SEA ABOUT TO MAKE A POINT TO RUSSIA. SO WE'RE STRAIGHT INTO THE THICK OF IT. WE WERE GOING ACTION STATIONS NOW, JUST TO BRING US ON TO A HIGHER STATE OF READINESS. WELL, HMS DEFENDER HAS JUST LEFT THE PORT OF ODESSA, AND AS YOU CAN SEE JUST OVER THERE, WE'RE ALREADY BEING SHADOWED BY A RUSSIAN WARSHIP. WE HAVE TWO SUSPECTED AIRCRAFTS COMING IN. THEY'RE SOON TRACKING RUSSIAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT. WE'RE ALSO TRACKING THEM. IT IS A SLIGHTLY MORE INCREASED THREAT, I'D SAY, JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE OPERATING OUTSIDE OF NORMAL AREAS. AND YOU'RE BEING WATCHED BY THE RUSSIANS. THEY CAN SEE US, WE CAN SEE THEM. AS WE GET CLOSER TO CRIMEA THE TENSION RISES. HMS DEFENDER IS GOING TO SAIL WITHIN WHAT RUSSIA NOW CLAIMS IS ITS TERRITORIAL WATERS. AS HMS DEFENDER COMES WITHIN 12 MILES OF THE COAST, THE RUSSIAN COAST GUARD MAKE A DANGEROUS MOVE. THIS RUSSIAN COAST GUARD VESSEL COME UP RIGHT CLOSE TO THIS BRITISH WARSHIP AND IS TRYING NOW TO FORCE IT TO CHANGE COURSE. NOTHING ON THE BRIDGE. NOTHING ON THE BRIDGE! IF YOU CROSS THE DOTTED LINE, I WILL FIRE. IF YOU DON'T CHANGE COURSE, I WILL FIRE. DO YOU READ ME? OVER. THE CREW DON PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN CASE THAT THREAT'S FOLLOWED. SHOTS ARE FIRED, BUT THEY ARE WELL OUT OF RANGE. THROUGHOUT THE TRANSIT, HMS DEFENDER DETECTS AT LEAST 20 RUSSIAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT NEARBY, SOME FAR TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. THE RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY RELEASED THEIR OWN FOOTAGE OF THEIR JETS FLYING OVERHEAD, INCLUDING IMAGERY OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE BRITISH DESTROYER IN THEIR SIGHTS. REMEMBER, THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT MILITARY BRINKMANSHIP, IT'S ALSO ABOUT WHO CAN WIN THE INFORMATION WAR. WITH THE U.K. AND THE ROYAL NAVY DEPLOYMENT IS HERE TO MAINTAIN INTERNATIONAL ORDER AND UPHOLD THAT FOR THE GLOBAL PEACE AND SECURITY. THIS IS EVIDENCE THAT THE UK'S WILLING TO CHALLENGE RUSSIA TO UPHOLD INTERNATIONAL LAW, BUT IT IS A HIGH RISK STRATEGY. ALCOHOL HAS BEEN BANNED FROM VENUES AT NEXT MONTH'S OLYMPICS. ORGANISERS OF THE GAMES HAVE BEEN FORCED TO STOP THE SALE OF ALCOHOL AT VENUES AFTER PUBLIC BACKLASH. TOKYO STILL FACES RESTRICTIONS ON DRINKING BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. OFFICIALS SAY THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE TO ENSURE THE OLYMPICS ARE SAFE AND SECURE. IN THE U.S. FIVE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INJURED AFTER A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE COLLAPSED ON TO A HIGHWAY IN WASHINGTON DC. A TRUCK HIT THE BRIDGE CAUSING THE MASSIVE STRUCTURE TO COME LOOSE FROM ITS MOORINGS AND COLLAPSE. NONE OF THE INJURIES WERE DESCRIBED AS LIFE-THREATENING. OFFICIALS ARE STILL INVESTIGATING JUST HOW THE TRUCK MANAGED TO RAM INTO THE BRIDGE. POP SUPERSTAR BRITNEY SPEARS HAS FOR THE FIRST TIME SPOKEN OUT ABOUT THE LEGAL CONTROLS HER FATHER HAS OVER MUCH OF HER LIFE. THE 39-YEAR-OLD TOLD THE COURT SHE JUST WANTED HER LIFE BACK. THE ABC'S KAYLEE HARTUNG REPORTS. TONIGHT, BRITNEY SPEARS DROPPING A BOMBSHELL IN COURT, TELLING A JUDGE... SHE'S REQUESTING THE CONSERVATORSHIP THAT'S CONTROLLED HER LIFE AND FINANCES FOR 13 YEARS BE TERMINATED WITHOUT ANY FURTHER PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION. DURING A 30-MINUTE CALL INTO THE VIRTUAL STATUS HEARING, SPEARS DESCRIBED HOW HER COURT-APPOINTED CONSERVATORS, AS WELL AS HER FAMILY MEMBERS, HAVE EXPLOITED HER LIFE, TRAUMATISED HER AND EVEN FORCED HER INTO A CARE FACILITY AGAINST HER WILL. SPEARS SAYING AS SHE CRIED TO HER FATHER... TELLING THE JUDGE AT ONE POINT, HER THERAPIST PUT HER ON THE POWERFUL MEDICATION LITHIUM, MAKING HER FEEL DRUNK. BUT WHEN SHE TOLD HER PARENTS SHE WAS SCARED, SHE SAYS HER FAMILY DID NOTHING. SINCE SHE STOPPED PERFORMING, SPEARS HAS STAYED LARGELY SILENT UNTIL NOW. HER INSTAGRAM THE ONLY INSIGHT INTO HER WELL-BEING OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. AM I OK? YES, I'M TOTALLY FINE. BUT SPEARS SAYING TODAY... STILL TO COME ON MIDDAY ` THE FULL MATCH REPORT INTO THIS MORNING'S AWESOME BLACKCAPS WIN THAT MADE OUR CRICKETERS WORLD CHAMPIONS. AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE SHOW, THE BLACKCAPS HAVE CREATED HISTORY BY BEATING INDIA BY 8 WICKETS IN THE WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL. AT THE START OF THE DAY ANY ONE OF THREE RESULTS WERE ON THE TABLE, BUT NEW ZEALAND'S BOWLING ATTACK STRUCK EARLY FOLLOWED BY TWO OF NEW ZEALAND'S GREATEST BATSMEN CAPPING OFF A SPECIAL VICTORY. ZION DAYAL HAS THE ACTION. WHIPS THAT ONE AWAY AND HOW APPROPRIATE THAT ROSS TAYLOR AND KANE WILLIAMSON ARE THERE. ETCHED IN HISTORY FOREVER. THE BLACK CAPS ARE THE FIRST WORLD TEST CHAMPIONS. IT'S A STORY THAT'S AKIN TO DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH. ROSS TAYLOR SEALING THE BLACKCAPS' GREATEST EVER WIN AND DEFYING ALL ODDS OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS TO BECOME THE BEST IN THE WORLD. WOULD HAVE TO BE THE HIGHLIGHT TO, SAY, YOU'RE WORLD CHAMPIONS. AT THE START OF MY CAREER. YOU KNOW, WE PROBABLY DIDN'T THINK WE HAD THE SIDE THAT COULD DO THAT. BUT THE WAY THE TEAM IS BUILT OVER THE YEARS, STUCK TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY FOR THE FANS OVER THERE AND BACK HOME AS WELL, I THINK THEY'VE STUCK WITH US THROUGH THICK AND THIN. TWO YEARS AGO WHEN YOU STARTED OUT THIS JOURNEY AND TO BE SITTING HERE, I GUESS THE FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS IS PRETTY REWARDING. THERE'S A LOT OF HARD WORK THAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES, AND OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. AND TO BE SITTING HERE, IT'S A PRETTY SPECIAL MOMENT. THE KIWIS MAKING A NEAR PERFECT START IN THE MORNING, KYLE JAMIESON DISMISSING INDIA'S DANGERMAN BEFORE THE MOMENTUM SWUNG NEW ZEALAND'S WAY AS THE WICKETS STARTED TO FALL. SKY HIGH, SHOULD BE GONE. OH, BRILLIANT, HENRY NICHOLS, IT IS. THE BLACK CAPS ROLLING INDIA FOR 170 RUNS, GIVING THEM A REALISTIC CHANCE TO WIN THE GAME. MIGHT BE IN BUSINESS, TOO. LATHAM WAS UNDONE EARLY IN THE INNINGS BEFORE CONWAY TRAPPED LBW. THAT'S REALLY CLOSE, GOING ON TO HIT. BUT 95 RUNS FROM VICTORY, WHO ELSE BUT TWO OF NEW ZEALAND'S GREATEST BATSMEN TO GET THEIR COUNTRY OVER THE LINE. HE FINDS A GAP. I SAID THERE WASN'T ONE, YOU GOTTA BE CLASSY TO FIND IT AND KANE WILLIAMSON IS. WILLIAMSON'S HALF CENTURY AND ROSS TAYLOR'S 47 RUNS GUIDING IN NEW ZEALAND TO THEIR FIRST WORLD TITLE. THE BLOKES THAT WERE INVOLVED DIRECTLY IN THIS MATCH TO JUST GET ACROSS THE LINE, A SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT, ONE THAT WILL BE CELEBRATED AND REMEMBERED. A SPECIAL VICTORY, TOO, FOR ARGUABLY NEW ZEALAND'S GREATEST WICKETKEEPER, WHO'S CALLING TIME ON HIS CAREER. MY MUM'S BEEN A HUGE HELP TO ME. SHE'S PUSHED ME THROUGH SOME TOUGH TIMES. AND MY WIFE JESS AND MY TWO BOYS, MILLER AND HUDSON. YEAH. YEAH. I MEAN, I GUESS. YEAH, IT'S TOUGH BEING AWAY ALL THE TIME. NOW HE AND THE BLACKCAPS WILL HEAD HOME, PROVING THAT SOMETIMES NICE GUYS DO FINISH FIRST. ZION DAYAL, 1 NEWS. BLACK FERNS SEVENS CAPTAIN SARAH HIRINI AND ROWER HAMISH BOND HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS NEW ZEALAND'S FLAG BEARERS FOR THE TOKYO OLYMPICS. HIRINI WON A SILVER MEDAL AT THE 2016 RIO GAMES, SHE LED THE BLACK FERNS SEVENS TO A HALBERG TEAM OF THE YEAR CROWN AND BECAME A MEMBER OF THE NEW ZEALAND ORDER OF MERIT FOR SERVICES TO RUGBY. MEANWHILE, CO-FLAGBEARER BOND IS NO STRANGER TO AN OLYMPIC GAMES, HE WON BACK TO BACK GOLD MEDALS IN LONDON AND RIO. HE'LL COMPETE IN THE MEN'S EIGHT IN TOKYO. JUST SHOW THE COMMUNITY WHERE I'M FROM THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO REPRESENT YOUR COUNTRY DOING SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE, AND POTENTIALLY BEING A FLAGBEARER FOR NEW ZEALAND IS SOMETHING THAT I'LL DEFINITELY BE PASSING ON. STILL TO COME ON MIDDAY ` I'LL BE BACK WITH THE AFTERNOON WEATHER. - What if we gave you free power... to use however you like whenever you like, just for being a customer? TIME NOW TO TAKE A LOOK AT TODAY'S WEATHER. (BRINTENY SPEARS' 'OOPS I DID IT AGAIN') # BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I'M SERIOUS # BUT TO LOSE ALL OF MY SENSES # THAT IS JUST SO TYPICALLY ME # OOPS I DID IT AGAIN # OOPS, YOU THINK I'M IN LOVE THAT'S YOUR MIDDAY BULLETIN FOR THURDAY. SIMON WILL BE HERE IN HALF AN HOUR FOR THE 1pm COVID-19 PRESS CONFERENCE. GOOD AFTERNOON, NGA MIHI NUI. CAPTIONS BY EMMA BARTOSZEWICZ POOLE AND JULIE TAYLOR. CAPTIONS WERE MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF NZ ON AIR.