South Auckland

The occupants of a home in South Auckland made the grisly discovery after unpacking the purchased items at their residence.

Police authorities have launched a homicide investigation and are trying to identify the remains.

The family is believed not to have been involved in the incident.

It is understood that the family had gone to the storage unit and purchased a trailer-load of goods - which included the suitcases - from a local storage company last Thursday.

Eleven Pacific designers will display their work in a show that celebrates culture and diversity on St George Street in Papatoetoe.

The show's founder and director Nora Swann says the use of a road as a runway is unprecedented.

"This year our creative director is Sammy Salsa and he's confirmed that he hasn't seen anyone have a fashion show on the street so heaps of red tape around it but together with council and Auckland Transport, they've made that process so much easier."

The storm lifted roofs, toppled trees, shattered windows, downed powerlines and sent trampolines flying in the suburb of Papatoetoe at around 8:30am.

RNZ reports a worker was killed when the tornado struck a freight container hub in Wiri Station Road.

The deceased is a former Fijian who moved to New Zealand in 2014.

Two other workers who were taken to Middlemore Hospital - one is in a moderate condition and the other has minor injuries.

Several containers were toppled by the strong wind.

Yesterday, a student considered a casual plus contact was confirmed to have the coronavirus and last night, two siblings, a teenager and an infant, also tested positive.

The teenager recently finished school and had been working at Kmart Botany. They were at work on Friday 19 February and Saturday 20 February between 4pm and 10pm. People who visited the store during those times are being asked to isolate and call Healthline.

Three cases of coronavirus were confirmed over the weekend, plunging Auckland into Level 3 lockdown and the rest of New Zealand into Level 2 until midnight Wednesday, 17 February.

Panmure-Otahuhu's Labour MP Jenny Salesa is reminding constituents that they defeated the virus last year by pulling together.

She wants to avoid any bullying or harrassment of sufferers.

"Targeting those particular families. And so, it was really just a reminder to our people in South Auckland that we have addressed Covid-19 successfully in the past," said Salesa.

Ministry of Health guidelines restrict testing to those with at least one symptom of infection, or where there has been a cluster, or an outbreak in a vulnerable facility. Officials have maintained there is no need to expand the testing definition.

But at a community testing centre in Otara, managed by South Seas Healthcare, anyone living in a crowded home or with a pre-existing health condition can be tested, according to South Seas GP Andrew Chan Mow.

The university is establishing a stand alone facility in Manukau to better cater for local communities, where a large percentage of New Zealand's Pacific population lives.

It has ended its association with the Manukau Institute of Technology and will soon have a facility which Pro Vice-Chancellor Damon Salesa said was designed for 21st century engagement with a critical community.

Dr Salesa said that would include teacher education.

In a close ceremony with family and friends of the great man present, a church minister officially blessed Jonah Lomu Drive.

Lomu’s wife, Nadene was present with their two boys Dhyreille and Brayley, and she had this to say of the honour: “Jonah was a very big but humble person. I think he would probably be quite shy of something like this, but I think it’s very deserving and most humbling to see.