Two areas in Auckland will continue to be the focus of contact tracing and COVID-19 testing as cases keep rising in multiple households.
Health officials will continue hunting for the virus in southeast Auckland and west Auckland - two sub-clusters that have only been identified in recent days.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says there are five affected households in the southeast Auckland sub-cluster while the west Auckland sub-cluster is also seeing a rise in infections.
Other previously identified sub-clusters have revealed no cases in the past few days, he says.
"It's those two clusters which are really giving rise to the new cases at the moment," Dr Bloomfield told reporters.
It appears both of the sub-clusters are linked to already existing sub-clusters, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern added.
She noted there had been "volatility" in COVID-19 cases numbers in recent days; 19 on Thursday and 45 on Wednesday - up from just eight on Tuesday.
"This is an important time to remind people that this is not an outbreak that is in one part of Tāmaki Makaurau… that's why we need everyone on high alert but with a particular focus on the new, additional suburbs; Henderson and Papakura," Ardern said.
"We're asking people with even mild symptoms in those areas to be tested but, again, across all of New Zealand, if you have symptoms please be tested.
"Aucklanders have turned out in force to get vaccinated and they've done a brilliant job, but there is still some way to go. We need everyone to be double vaccinated."
