Testing for COVID-19
Information on lab testing and capacity and testing rates by ethnicity and district.
This data is updated weekly. All data on this page relates to tests recorded prior to 11:59 pm 15 December 2024.
Pātiki and Waharua Kōpito patterns
On this page
- Testing summary, status, and results
- Testing over the past 4 weeks
- Tests by ethnicity
- Total tests
- Testing rate and results by location and ethnicity
- Tests by ethnicity
- Testing rates per 1000 people by location and ethnicity
- Percentage of tests returning a positive result by district and ethnicity
- Testing rate and results by age and sex
Last updated 2pm 16 December 2024.
This data is updated weekly. All data on this page relates to tests recorded prior to 11:59pm 15 December 2024.
Testing data is collected from the Eclair database (administered by ESR) unless otherwise stated.
Testing summary, status, and results
COVID-19 testing
| Total | |
|---|---|
| PCR tests uploaded during past week | 2,092 |
| All COVID-19 viral tests administered | 8,386,088 |
| Testing kits in stock | 22,373 |
Testing results from 22 January 2020 to 16 December 2024
| Test results | In managed facilities | Within NZ communities | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tested positive for COVID-19 | 3,838 | 262,633 | 266,471 |
| Tested negative (no COVID-19) | 236,842 | 7,828,315 | 8,065,157 |
| Inconclusive result for COVID-19 | 190 | 54,270 | 54,460 |
| Total (all tests) | 240,870 | 8,145,218 | 8,386,088 |
Daily number of tests completed for COVID-19 (with seven-day rolling average)
Daily number of tests completed for COVID-19 (with seven-day rolling average)
Testing over the past 4 weeks
Tests at managed facilities and within the community in health districts
| Health district of residence | 19 Nov to 24 Nov | 26 Nov to 1 Dec | 3 Dec to 8 Dec | 10 Dec to 15 Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 204 | 285 | 228 | 200 |
| Bay of Plenty | 42 | 46 | 20 | 24 |
| Canterbury/West Coast | 54 | 53 | 56 | 64 |
| Capital & Coast/Hutt | 20 | 27 | 26 | 26 |
| Counties Manukau | 456 | 427 | 386 | 390 |
| Hawkes Bay | 152 | 129 | 159 | 136 |
| Lakes | 11 | 13 | 9 | 12 |
| MidCentral | 133 | 101 | 114 | 84 |
| Nelson Marlborough | 82 | 95 | 87 | 81 |
| Northland | 155 | 168 | 117 | 93 |
| South Canterbury | 15 | 23 | 18 | 23 |
| Southern | 192 | 205 | 204 | 216 |
| Tairawhiti | 10 | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| Taranaki | 68 | 88 | 78 | 79 |
| Waikato | 249 | 199 | 196 | 248 |
| Wairarapa | 28 | 41 | 41 | 20 |
| Waitemata | 401 | 410 | 343 | 366 |
| Whanganui | 14 | 9 | 10 | 13 |
| Unknown | 7 | 16 | 11 | 13 |
| Total | 2,293 | 2,347 | 2,110 | 2,092 |
Note: some people are tested more than once. We cannot give you detailed information about tests in your district, city or town, as we must protect the privacy of the people concerned.
Tests by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | 19 Nov to 24 Nov | 26 Nov to 1 Dec | 3 Dec to 8 Dec | 10 Dec to 15 Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Māori | 448 | 446 | 401 | 412 |
| Pacific Peoples | 296 | 296 | 244 | 273 |
| Asian | 299 | 277 | 252 | 246 |
| European or Other | 1,245 | 1,319 | 1,203 | 1,155 |
| Unknown | 5 | 9 | 10 | 6 |
| Total | 2,293 | 2,347 | 2,110 | 2,092 |
Total tests
| COVID-19 test result | 19 Nov to 24 Nov | 26 Nov to 1 Dec | 3 Dec to 8 Dec | 10 Dec to 15 Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested positive | 184 | 198 | 179 | 202 |
| Tested negative (no COVID-19) | 2,086 | 2,126 | 1,919 | 1,879 |
| Inconclusive result | 23 | 23 | 12 | 11 |
| Total | 2,293 | 2,347 | 2,110 | 2,092 |
Testing rate and results by location and ethnicity
All tests by district and in managed isolation and quarantine facilities from 22 January 2020 to 16 December 2024
| Location | Total tests | Tested positive (%) | Test rate per 1000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed isolation and quarantine facilities | 240,870 | 1.59% | NA |
| Auckland | 1,178,838 | 3.00% | 2,395.5 |
| Bay of Plenty | 300,052 | 2.75% | 1,157.8 |
| Canterbury/West Coast | 665,783 | 4.34% | 1,112.3 |
| Capital & Coast/Hutt | 527,175 | 3.27% | 1,120.0 |
| Counties Manukau | 1,568,254 | 3.48% | 2,647.1 |
| Hawkes Bay | 153,850 | 2.86% | 881.6 |
| Lakes | 132,929 | 2.24% | 1,161.7 |
| MidCentral | 148,771 | 3.30% | 818.4 |
| Nelson Marlborough | 149,918 | 3.49% | 951.7 |
| Northland | 282,686 | 2.42% | 1,461.2 |
| South Canterbury | 42,030 | 3.17% | 686.5 |
| Southern | 380,700 | 4.64% | 1,135.6 |
| Tairawhiti | 36,205 | 2.59% | 703.8 |
| Taranaki | 155,676 | 3.23% | 1,264.8 |
| Waikato | 703,545 | 3.12% | 1,635.0 |
| Wairarapa | 42,321 | 3.34% | 870.5 |
| Waitemata | 1,384,599 | 2.81% | 2,200.7 |
| Whanganui | 39,483 | 3.25% | 578.6 |
| Unknown | 252,403 | 2.18% | NA |
| Total | 8,386,088 | 3.18% | 1,677.1 |
Tests by ethnicity
Tests by ethnicity from 22 January 2020 to 16 December 2024
| Ethnicity* | Total test | Tested positive (%) | Test rate per 1000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Māori | 1,269,653 | 3.14% | 1,656.1 |
| Pacific Peoples | 981,886 | 5.02% | 2,668.9 |
| Asian | 1,364,440 | 2.93% | 1,857.1 |
| European or Other | 4,402,231 | 2.98% | 1,416.2 |
| Unknown | 367,878 | 1.67% | NA |
| Total | 8,386,088 | 3.18% | 1,677.1 |
*The prioritised ethnicity classification system is used in this table and below. This means each person is allocated to a single ethnic group, based on the ethnic groups they identify with. Where people identify with more than one group, they are assigned in this order of priority: Māori, Pacific Peoples, Asian, and European/Other. So, if a person identifies as being Māori and New Zealand European, the person is counted as Māori.
Ngā tapuae me ngā raraunga: Methods and data sources
The data categorized by ethnicity come from National Health Index (NHI) data collection, linked to data held in the EpiSurv database.
Testing rates per 1000 people by location and ethnicity
Percentage of tests returning a positive result by district and ethnicity from 22 January 2020 to 16 December 2024
| Location | Māori | Pacific peoples | Asian | European/Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 3,015.8 | 2,826.8 | 2,051.4 | 2,283.2 |
| Bay of Plenty | 1,232.5 | 2,200.9 | 1,439.8 | 1,070.2 |
| Canterbury/West Coast | 1,202.1 | 1,372.1 | 1,239.4 | 1,046.3 |
| Capital & Coast/Hutt | 1,155.3 | 1,284.6 | 1,048.7 | 1,099.2 |
| Counties Manukau | 2,871.6 | 3,272.6 | 2,289.7 | 2,327.6 |
| Hawkes Bay | 838.6 | 1,871.6 | 1,031.0 | 810.6 |
| Lakes | 1,311.7 | 1,500.2 | 1,446.8 | 1,014.8 |
| MidCentral | 919.6 | 1,069.2 | 856.2 | 764.5 |
| Nelson Marlborough | 1,024.6 | 2,655.4 | 1,097.5 | 880.7 |
| Northland | 1,534.9 | 1,847.3 | 1,407.5 | 1,399.2 |
| South Canterbury | 841.4 | 1,352.5 | 782.2 | 637.5 |
| Southern | 1,216.7 | 1,753.4 | 1,287.8 | 1,088.0 |
| Tairawhiti | 728.5 | 1,109.8 | 952.7 | 623.2 |
| Taranaki | 1,442.0 | 1,679.5 | 1,617.4 | 1,187.4 |
| Waikato | 1,910.5 | 2,161.7 | 1,827.3 | 1,501.0 |
| Wairarapa | 958.2 | 1,127.7 | 966.7 | 833.7 |
| Waitemata | 2,701.9 | 2,851.6 | 1,849.3 | 2,175.0 |
| Whanganui | 584.8 | 708.0 | 665.4 | 559.2 |
Note: some people are tested more than once. We cannot give you detailed information about tests in your district, city or town, as we must protect the privacy of the people concerned.
Percentage of tests returning a positive result by district and ethnicity
Percentage of tests returning a positive result by district and ethnicity from 22 January 2020 to 16 December 2024
| Location | Māori | Pacific peoples | Asian | European/Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 3.24% | 5.09% | 2.80% | 2.56% |
| Bay of Plenty | 2.88% | 4.56% | 3.19% | 2.55% |
| Canterbury/West Coast | 4.02% | 5.69% | 3.40% | 4.57% |
| Capital & Coast/Hutt | 3.11% | 4.92% | 2.94% | 3.16% |
| Counties Manukau | 3.40% | 5.29% | 2.75% | 2.17% |
| Hawkes Bay | 2.66% | 3.07% | 3.46% | 2.90% |
| Lakes | 2.15% | 2.95% | 1.72% | 2.36% |
| MidCentral | 2.75% | 5.49% | 2.93% | 3.42% |
| Nelson Marlborough | 3.46% | 4.59% | 4.53% | 3.42% |
| Northland | 2.44% | 2.76% | 2.12% | 2.41% |
| South Canterbury | 2.29% | 4.56% | 2.94% | 3.28% |
| Southern | 4.10% | 5.13% | 5.41% | 4.62% |
| Tairawhiti | 2.25% | 3.85% | 1.95% | 3.05% |
| Taranaki | 3.40% | 3.94% | 3.21% | 3.19% |
| Waikato | 3.45% | 5.24% | 3.74% | 2.72% |
| Wairarapa | 3.14% | 4.50% | 3.45% | 3.35% |
| Waitemata | 3.08% | 4.59% | 2.77% | 2.48% |
| Whanganui | 3.46% | 4.75% | 2.45% | 3.16% |
Note: we cannot give the total number of people testing positive per district and ethnicity for privacy reasons.
Testing rate and results by age and sex
Tests by age group from 22 January 2020 to 16 December 2024
| Age group | Total people tested | Tested positive (%) | Test rate per 1000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 9 | 616,228 | 3.66% | 943.4 |
| 10 to 19 | 689,011 | 3.80% | 1,075.6 |
| 20 to 29 | 1,508,657 | 2.72% | 2,237.7 |
| 30 to 39 | 1,544,046 | 2.49% | 2,240.7 |
| 40 to 49 | 1,194,749 | 2.39% | 1,904.2 |
| 50 to 59 | 1,190,896 | 2.40% | 1,861.5 |
| 60 to 69 | 871,904 | 3.06% | 1,630.5 |
| 70 to 79 | 450,698 | 5.49% | 1,258.5 |
| 80+ | 315,234 | 9.26% | 1,719.5 |
| Unknown | 4,665 | 8.75% | NA |
| Total | 8,386,088 | 3.18% | 1,677.1 |
Tests by sex from 22 January 2020 to 16 December 2024
| Sex | Total people tested | Tested positive (%) | Test rate per 1000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 4,103,061 | 3.26% | 1,609.0 |
| Male | 4,031,414 | 3.18% | 1,646.4 |
| Unknown | 251,613 | 1.81% | NA |
| Total | 8,386,088 | 3.18% | 1,677.1 |
Note: On 4 January 2022, the Ministry of Health started reporting testing rates using the Ministry's HSU population estimate.