Updated March 29, 2020 14:57:43

New Zealand has recorded its first death related to the new coronavirus.

The 75-year-old woman was from the country's West Coast region.

She was initially thought to have the flu, along with an underlying health condition, and was in hospital for two or three days before being tested for COVID-19.

The country's director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said the 21 staff who treated the woman have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

"There was a period when staff treating the woman were using protective equipment suitable for influenza, but not for COVID-19," he said.

Dr Bloomfield said New Zealand had sufficient hospital capacity to manage the current and projected cases.

Breaking down the latest news and research to understand how the world is living through an epidemic, this is the ABC's Coronacast podcast.

There have now been 514 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand, up by 63 cases from yesterday.

During a press conference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said older people in the country were most at risk and asked people to practise social distancing to protect them.

"Today's death is a reminder of the fight that we have on our hands and it's a reminder of why it's so important," she said.

"Everyone can play their part through the simplest of tasks by not having contact with people outside of your bubble.

"Stay at home, break the chain and save lives."

Photo: The 21 staff who treated the woman have been asked to self-isolate. (AP: Mark Baker)

New Zealand went into a complete lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak this week.

All non-essential businesses have been ordered to close and people must stay home for at least four weeks.

Topics: health, diseases-and-disorders, covid-19, new-zealand

First posted March 29, 2020 12:08:44