Luke Kirkness: How New Zealand has changed for the worse in 2021

The New Zealand of today is a whole lot different from that of the start of the year.

For most of the past 11 months and six days we were free of Covid-19 in the community. But the year will be remembered for the painful resurgence of the virus in its Delta variant form.

The first case was identified in mid-August after a Devonport man tested positive, sparking a snap lockdown.

As the weeks passed, everyone but those in Auckland moved down alert levels to 2. Our biggest city spent more than 100 days in levels 4 and 3.

The fear of another lockdown many of us felt as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern fronted a press conference in August was quickly replaced by angst in the following weeks.

Vaccine mandates and Covid passports have only added fuel to the fire — though in many cases are essential to keeping us out of another lockdown.

We've left the alert level system but Covid-19 response Minister Chris Hipkins has made it clear if a new variant overwhelmed the country and the traffic light system we moved to on Friday can't contain it, we'd revert to the alert level system.

The Freedoms and Rights coalition protest march on Broadway, Newmarket. Photo / Michael Craig

Protests have sprouted throughout the country over the past few months, some led by the Freedoms and Rights coalition. On Saturday, they were at it again.

In Auckland, a group of up to 2000 anti-mandate protesters marched down Broadway in Newmarket. A business leader called them "dickheads" for ruining one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The group reportedly gathered at Auckland Domain earlier and forced young cricketers to abandon their match.

Similar protests have taken place in the Bay of Plenty, including over the weekend. Last month, more than 100 people rallied on one of Tauranga's main thoroughfares to challenge the mandates and virus restrictions.

Emotions are high among New Zealanders, not only those compelled to take action and protest but those who are pro-vaccine and pro-mandate.

There are tales - some unsubstantiated - of people being told they are not welcome at medical centres, bars, and even at the family Christmas lunch depending on their vaccine viewpoint.

Now is the time we need to support one another, not turn our backs on each other because we all have different viewpoints. One might hope in a time of great unknown, we'd help each other but that hasn't been the case in 2021.

The virus is still all around us and people could be in harm's way.

We need to put our differences aside and respect one another, regardless of their decisions.

We were a team of five million last year but now we're divided with no reprieve in sight.

However, any solution starts from within.