Emergency status not necessary: controller

DISAPPOINTED: Matakaoa Covid-19 response spokeswoman Ani Pahuru-Huriwai (pictured) says Ngati Porou hapu are disappointed the region's emergency management controller and the Acting Minister for Emergency Management see no need to declare a local emergency on the East Coast. But they intend to push on with their request.Picture by Paul Rickard

Authorities will not declare a local emergency on the East Coast as requested by hapu of Ngati Porou.

The call for emergency status, in part to enable static police checkpoints at the northern and southern boundaries of Ngati Porou rohe, does not have support from the region's emergency management controller.

Acting Minister for Emergency Management Kris Faafoi, whose approval is needed for a local emergency declaration stemming from Covid-19, also does not support the request.

Representatives of the hapu say they are disappointed but have no plans to give up.

It comes as Northland police yesterday announced it would set up three traffic checkpoints to stop and question motorists entering the region.

Gisborne District Council emergency management controller David Wilson said there had been no cases of Covid-19 in the Tairawhiti community and there were no traces of the virus in the wastewater.

“The whole country is in Level 4 and this is the appropriate level of response for our community,” he said.

“As group controller I do not believe the emergency threshold has been met with the current Covid-19 resurgence.

“Declaring a local state of emergency will not change our level or our response.”

Police had the ability and mandate to ensure people were complying with the lockdown rules and the responsibility for compliance sat with them, Mr Wilson said.

A spokesman for Minister Faafoi said he was aware of the letter making the request but he shared the view of the controller.

Matakaoa Covid-19 response spokeswoman Ani Pahuru-Huriwai said the response was disappointing but they would keep pushing.

“We are disappointed with Minister Faafoi's response and even more disappointed that the emergency management controller did not support the request of the people he is here to serve.

“It flies in the face of what the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said over this past year about the importance of centring decisions within communities.

“This was the dominant theme of this year's NEMA conference,” she said.

Ms Pahuru-Huriwai said one week into Level 4 lockdown and they were still seeing large numbers of outsiders and tourists moving through the East Coast.

This was causing anxiety in the community.

Gisborne police have been running “mobile checkpoints” to ensure the correct movement of people under Alert Level 4 regulations.

Gisborne area police commander inspector Sam Aberahama said they had 50 to 60 staff patrolling Tairawhiti.

The district council said the Ministry for Social Development was the lead welfare agency and was supporting the Tairawhiti community where needed.

The council's civil defence team were supporting the Ministry to ensure that if the community needed help then it would be readily available.

East Coast MP Kiri Allan was approached for comment.