Covid 19 coronavirus: Business owners in Northland slam continued border closure

Inderpreet Singh of Minhas Grocers is among hundreds of Northland businessmen struggling to get supplies from Auckland. Photo / Imran Ali

Delays and higher costs in getting goods through borders are frustrating small grocery traders in Northland as the government decided against changing alert levels throughout New Zealand for at least another week.

One food mart owner is even calling on the Government to allow those who have had two Covid vaccinations to travel around New Zealand, including to Auckland.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday announced Auckland would remain in alert level 3 and the rest of Auckland in level two, with a three-step plan to transition "safely and carefully" for the former over the coming weeks.

From midnight tonight, Aucklanders will be able to connect with loved ones outdoors with no more than two households at a time, up to a maximum of 10 people; early childhood education will return for all and people can move around for recreation such as beach visits and hunting.

But with borders remaining shut, travel to and from Northland through Auckland is still not permitted.

Manager of Minhas Grocers in Kensington, Whangārei, Inderpreet Singh said with the Auckland/Northland border shut, getting mostly frozen goods have become utterly problematic.

"Before lockdown, we were able to go down to Auckland every second week and get stuff but now, we have to arrange pellets and pay for freight. Just the other day, two pellets of onions and potatoes on a truck was turned around at the border and we eventually got the supplies four days later.

"They can keep the border shut but I think for people who have had both jabs of the Covid vaccination, they should be allowed to travel anywhere in New Zealand. That way, those not vaccinated will be motivated to get the jabs."

Singh said his stock started running low in two weeks and by the time certain frozen vegetables like okra and egg plants arrived in his food mart, they started decaying.
Those vegetables typically arrived five days after their due date, he said.

Karandeep Singh, manager of Four Square in Rawene, said he was forced to source supplies from throughout Northland, including major supermarkets Pak'nSave and Countdown.

"Then there are issues around delay and shortages. Major supermarkets have limits so there's only so many you can get whereas there are no cat food biscuits available anywhere."

Even though Singh gets a small number of items like toys and dog roll from Auckland, he says they are important to keep his business going.

Business Paihia chairman Charles Parker said the continued closure of the Auckland border was disappointing.

"The Auckland borders need to reopen for businesses in Paihia and in other parts of Northland that have been strangled due to a lack of customers. Some businesses in Paihia are teetering on the brink, which is sad to see," he said.

Kaitaia Business Association chairwoman Andrea Panther echoed similar sentiments, saying getting goods to the northern-most town in New Zealand was costly and difficult.

"Things businesses up here were supposed to get in October/November, now they are being told they'll get them around February. There's no one industry that seems to be affected the most, it's across the board.

"With borders open and with delays in international shipping, we can get stuff from further afield of Auckland but with the way things are, there are so many businesses that are teetering, unable to pull through," she said.

Andrea Panther says getting goods from Auckland and further down south to Kaitaia during border closures was costly and difficult. Photo / Supplied

NorthChamber chief executive Stephen Smith was expecting some sort of a corridor to be open through Auckland for Northland businesses to get revenue streams flowing back again.

"It's going to be a huge blow if the tourism and the hospitality sectors are unable to make the best use of the opportunity. A lack of clarity and transparency in government's action is a major contributor to people's stress levels," he said.

Smith said the Government should at least set a date on when the Auckland/Northland borders would reopen, which would also encourage people to get vaccinated.

Whangārei mayor Sheryl Mai is pleased Northland is Covid-free and while she understood people would be frustrated at being unable to travel outside the region, she hoped most of the people understood government's decision on alert levels.

A Northland District Health Board mobile vaccination team will be outside The Hikurangi Doctors' Surgery, 57 King St, from 10am to 12pm today.

Te Hiku Hauora will carry out a walk-in vaccination drive at 49 Redan Rd in Kaitaia from 3pm to 6pm today.

Mobile vaccinations will also take place on Thursday in the Far North. Vaccinators will be at the Taemaro Hub from 9am to 10am, Hihi beach carpark (10.30am to 11.30am), Taupō Bay beach carpark (12pm to 1pm), and Aukiwa Hub (1.30pm to 2.30pm).

The prime minister would set out a plan for the rest of the vaccination rollout today, and a testing plan would follow later in the week.

She said even with high vaccine rates, the goal would be to control the virus and stamp out outbreaks. However, she said the vaccines gave more options to do that.

New cases in Auckland included a taxi driver who may have been infectious for two days while driving passengers, a baby who tested positive at North Shore Hospital, and the parent of a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Auckland Hospital.