NZ hits new daily record of 94 COVID cases

Tuesday's community case count has exceeded the previous high of 89 in April 2020 and is a marker of worse to come.

The rolling seven-day daily case average is 62, and the government predicts daily tallies of about 140 by month's end.

"I know the highs and lows of cases is incredibly hard on people," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

"But we're not powerless. We do have the ability to help keep cases as low as we can. Please do get vaccinated ... and I will again reiterate the call to ask people to please follow the rules."

There are 38 Kiwis in hospital, up eight from Monday.

Younger New Zealanders - who were left last in the government's COVID-19 vaccine rollout - are also being hit.

Ms Ardern reported the highest number of cases were under 39, and dozen of those in hospital were in the same age bracket.

"If you are young, you are sadly not invincible," Ms Ardern said.

Of Tuesday's cases, 87 are in Auckland and seven in the Waikato.

Health officials report widespread transmission across Auckland, including a growing number on the North Shore.

There were 180 cases found in the past fortnight unlinked to the outbreak, a sign of uncontrolled transmission.

NZ's biggest city will spend at least 11 weeks in lockdown following an extension announced on Monday. The next review is due on November 1.

As fears grow that Auckland's Delta outbreak will spiral, Ms Ardern says Australian lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne are guiding her approach.

"I remember looking at those graphs in NSW and Victoria saying, 'What happened there?'," she told TVNZ.

"I could see there came a point where both states where it really took off ... my assumption is that it just got hard for people.

"That's why we said, 'You can meet another household outside, because by being outside we can do that safely'. It was a way to just get humans to connect again."

NZ will adopt an official vaccination target and reconnection plan on Friday.

Opposition leader Judith Collins said if the government had set a target, Ms Ardern should release it immediately.

"She's treating New Zealanders - all of us - like children, instructing us to be patient as we wait for our presents," she said.

Ms Ardern has given hints at part of the plan, saying she would like to see vaccination rates rise high enough so the border around Auckland could be dismantled by Christmas.

"That's what we're all working towards ... that would be our hope on current trends," she told Three.

She also laid out the tantalising hope that Kiwis based overseas may be able to return to spend Christmas with loved ones.

Like Australians, New Zealanders abroad wishing to return home must compete to secure a highly-prized place in quarantine, with demand far outstripping supply.

The government's current reopening plan, released in August, allows the fully-vaccinated to isolate at home from some time in the first quarter of 2022.

Ms Ardern said the Delta outbreak "had sped up some of that work".

"We've always been looking at home isolation. We're piloting that (soon)," she said.

"Shortened (quarantine) is an option as well in a new environment where we have vaccinated individuals and some countries that we consider lower risk."

Australian Associated Press