Additional parts of New Zealand are waking up to lockdown as Jacinda Ardern‘s government mulls its next COVID-19 move.

On Monday, health officials reported 29 new community cases – showing the outbreak is far from over.

The seven-day rolling daily case average is 26, with 30 Kiwis in hospital with the virus.

The long-running Delta outbreak spread into the Waikato region on the weekend, with new cases found in Hamilton and the surf town of Raglan.

The government responded by placing much of the region – about 200,000 Kiwis – into lockdown at the same alert level as adjoining Auckland.

The 1.7 million residents of the Auckland region have been in lockdown for 48 days, following the discovery of community cases on August 17.

Prior to the spread into the Waikato, Ms Ardern said repeatedly she believed the outbreak was largely contained.

Later on Monday, the prime minister will announce cabinet’s call on Auckland’s lockdown, with most experts believing an extension is essential.

Any lengthening of the alert level three restrictions will see it become New Zealand’s longest lockdown of the pandemic.

“We do need to take a cautious approach,” Ms Ardern told Radio NZ.

“(We are) looking across the board at all of the restrictions, and whether or not there are some restrictions that are lower risk that we could ease to support Aucklanders.”

Central to the decision will be the government’s appetite for risk, and the major factor driving down risk is vaccination rates.

Ms Ardern set Aucklanders a public challenge to have 90 per cent of the city’s eligible population partially vaccinated by Monday.

Aucklanders didn’t get there, with vax rates at 84 per cent.

Until the 90 per cent rate is reached – which includes additional thresholds of 90 per cent for Maori and Pacific populations – Ms Ardern says NZ will keep using lockdowns.

“We are in a transition period,” she explained.

“We still don’t want a widespread outbreak with exponential growth because we continue to vaccinate people.”

National vaccine rates trail Auckland, with 77 per cent of the eligible population partially vaccinated and 46 per cent double-jabbed.

Ms Ardern is under increasing political pressure to give Kiwis a route away from the dreaded lockdowns.

She has resisted calls to publish an Australian-style roadmap, with vaccination targets that ease restrictions.

Last week, the opposition National party put out its own plan, with an appealing promise to allow international travel for vaccinated Kiwis by Christmas.

Ms Ardern appears to be changing tack, saying on Monday morning her cabinet will be discussing “a roadmap of sorts” for Auckland.

“What I’ll signal today is how we can work over time as we vaccinate,” she said.

On Monday morning, health officials confirmed a genomic link between the Waikato cases and the Auckland outbreak, as well as positive results from household members of the Raglan case.

A newborn baby has also tested positive for COVID-19 in an Auckland hospital.

AAP

Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.