The country will move to Alert Level 1 and Auckland will drop to level 2 on Sunday at 6am. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the change after five days of no cases of community transmission. 

"COVID has taken a toll on so many in so many ways but it will get better," Jacinda said.

She indicated in the coming weeks she would lay out the Governtment's plan for the COVID response for the rest of 2021.

Auckland will move to level 2 at 6am Sunday and is likely to remain there for a week when Cabinet will review whether to move to level 1 at the start of the following weekend.

Cabinet met at 2pm after the Ministry of Health revealed for the fifth day in a row there were no new cases of community transmission.

There were also no new cases in managed isolation facilities today.

The alert levels have been in place since 6am on Sunday and were scheduled to last for seven days.

Ardern says she spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron this morning, and the COVID-19 response was discussed.

Adding to hopes the nation can move out of alert levels was the latest negative results from wastewater testing.

Samples taken on Wednesday from three Auckland sites, including Papatoetoe, have all come back negative for the virus. An additional sample was taken from a site closer to Papatoetoe on the same day and it also tested negative.

Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said Cabinet would consider up-to-the minute test results including the remaining tests from the likes of gym members connected to the latest cluster.

When asked why Auckland was still in lockdown after five days of zero cases, she said: "It's important we took all of the health advice into account at the time when we went into lockdown. Remember there was a series of high-risk exposures we had to deal with."