Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Government responds to calls for Northland checkpoints

Police at last year's checkpoint in Maungatūroto. Photo / Tania Whyte

The Government has dismissed a challenge laid down by Tai Tokerau Border Control to reinstate checkpoints at Northland's gateways.

The call for checkpoints at Uretiti and Maungatūroto was top of Tai Tokerau Border Control (TTBC) founder and former MP Hone Harawira's Government to-do list as Omicron cases grow in the region.

"So what can government do? I'll say it again ... re-stand checkpoints at Uretiti and Maungatūroto to limit the spread of Omicron while we do our best to get Taitokerau Māori to the 90 [per cent]."

The police and iwi checkpoints were first introduced on December 16 last year to ensure Aucklanders had either proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test before entering Northland.

Their debut created a wave of controversy as they threatened to burden the region's struggling tourism operators further throughout the peak summer period.

As well as checkpoints, Harawira also wanted to see the region stay in red until the vaccination milestone for Māori was surpassed.

According to Ministry of Health data, Northland is 5237 doses away from having 90 per cent of its eligible Māori population double-dosed.

So far, 80 per cent of the 50,488 eligible Māori have had two doses of the vaccine, and 85 per cent are partially vaccinated.

Eleven per cent of the 10,478 eligible Māori children in Tai Tokerau, aged 5-11, have received their first dose.

Harawira's list of actions the Government should take included an education campaign targeting high-needs Māori whānau and communities; more medical personnel to assist with vaccinations, testing, and isolation procedures; additional vaccination and testing centres; and "immediate" back-up for "critical services in Taitokerau when they become "under pressure".

"...[the] Government put the whole of Aotearoa back into red when they realised what we already knew – Omicron is here already and if we don't do something about it quick, half the country will get it by Easter," he said.

Yesterday, the Northland District Health Board announced Omicron had replaced Delta as the dominant variant of Covid-19 in Tai Tokerau.

Twenty-one new cases were recorded in Northland on Friday, setting a new record for daily case numbers in the region.

Twelve of the cases were located in Kerikeri - with the Macbeth cluster having grown from 11 to about 20 people. The Hokianga recorded five of the cases, four were in Whangārei.

There are currently 63 active cases in Northland from a total of 184 since October 22.

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TTBC regional co-ordinator Rueben Taipari said a green light from the Government would allow police to establish checkpoints that iwi are able to support.

"It comes down to the legal status as we wouldn't be able to station ourselves on public highways without them [police]."

The Advocate has previously reported how the legal powers of police to enforce Covid restrictions – such as borders or checkpoints - centres on health orders issued under the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 by the Ministry of Health.

Taipari said they themselves had not had any official response from the Government over their calls.

However, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said there was no "current consideration being given to reinstating border controls under the red setting".

Kiwis are able to travel anywhere in the country under the red setting, with the Covid-19 website stating: "There are no boundaries under the traffic lights."