Palmerston North City Council is reassuring residents that all water and kerbside rubbish and recycling services will continue to operate while the country is in lockdown.
Under level 4 restrictions, which come into force overnight on Wednesday to prevent the spread of Covid-19, only essential services are allowed to operate.
Council chief executive Heather Shotter says a team of council employees have been fine-tuning business continuity plans for the past 10 days to ensure the city can maintain the operation of the city's vital services.
Those services include: water operations and maintenance, urgent road repairs, kerbside rubbish and recycling collections, the cemetery and council's call centre.
The essential services that will continue to operate:
Three Waters operations and maintenance (drinking water, wastewater and stormwater);
Civil Defence and Emergency Management, rubbish and recycling collections, cleaning,
IT, communications, Contact Centre, crematorium, Animal Control, finance, urgent roading maintenance, Social Housing and Tenancy support and Iwi Liaison.
Shotter says council staff will continue to work during the lockdown.
"Every day our team works to serve our community, and that won't change.
"Our employees will continue to work, either from home or at our critical work sites.
"Our team is also stepping up to the challenge, with some non-critical staff being redeployed to help other council teams."
Council staff will continue to be paid.
Shotter is calling on Palmerston North residents to strictly adhere to the Government's lockdown guidelines.
"We have a strong and connected community, and I have no doubt that after this, we will be stronger than ever.
"But, we need to take this very seriously.
"This is unknown territory for all of us, but we'll navigate it together.
"Please look after yourselves, and your family- they are the most important thing right now."
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website