Northland Age
  • Northland Age home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
  • Opinion
  • Kaitaia weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northland Age

Iwi checkpoints might be back

By Peter Jackson
Northland Age·
18 Aug, 2020 02:16 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Hone Harawira at a checkpoint on State Highway 1 south of Kawakawa in March. Photo / John Stone
Hone Harawira at a checkpoint on State Highway 1 south of Kawakawa in March. Photo / John Stone

Hone Harawira at a checkpoint on State Highway 1 south of Kawakawa in March. Photo / John Stone

Hone Harawira was alarmed by last week's Auckland police Covid-19 checkpoint figures of 50,000 vehicles stopped on the borders of the greater Auckland region and fewer than 700 turned back, as having no valid reason to leave the area.

"We're not panicking, but those statistics are frightening," he said. In response, Tai Tokerau Border Control crews had been briefed, talks had been had with Tai Tokerau Iwi, the police and health authorities, "and if we have to go, we're prepared."

Tai Tokerau Border Control had been to the police checkpoint at Te Hana, he said, and had found it "slack." According to the level 3 rules people were permitted to travel for medical reasons, if they were moving home, moving freight, or were an essential worker, "but they let people drop off furniture, go and visit people, drop people off, pick people up, go and see their animals, travel up from places south of Auckland - hell, they let one guy through on a house bus who'd driven all the way up from Invercargill, and then said he'd isolate for two weeks when he got to Whangarei.

"Police have been too accommodating. They haven't challenged strongly enough, and they've let people through who should've been turned back.

"One other thing - Billy TK and the NZPP (New Zealand Public Party) are saying Covid-19 is a hoax and that people should march against the lockdown, just like Trump supporters are saying in the southern United States," he added."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"My message is simple. There is no whanaungatanga in being separated from those going through the trauma of Covid-19. There is no mana in the desperate, clawing death of Covid-19. And there is no rangatiratanga in the lonely funeral of a Covid-19 case.

"Don't jeopardise the lives of your whānau. Covid-19 is a killer virus. It is not a hoax.

"To the Tai Tokerau Border Control crews - stay ready. If we go we'll go fast and hard. And to everyone else, if you see tourists, campers, boaties, or anyone in your area who shouldn't be there, let the iwi know, let the police know, or let us know (0800 TOKERAU) and we'll get someone round to check. If they've sneaked in, we'll help them sneak right back out again."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Tai Tokerau Border Control co-ordinator Rueben Taipari was also prepared. For now the group was only lending support at checkpoints north of Auckland, but could reinstate road blocks in Northland "if it goes beyond level 2 and we think there's a need." The police checkpoints on the main routes into and out of Auckland did not absolve iwi of responsibility.

If Auckland's level 3 lockdown lasted longer than three days - on Friday it was extended by another 12 days - the group would consider increasing its involvement, Taipari said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northland Age

Northland Age

'Disappointing': Historic Russell's te reo Māori name bid rejected

23 May 01:16 AM
Northland Age

Homicide investigation launched after man dies at Far North property

22 May 12:31 AM
Northland Age

Investigation under way after 'unexplained' death of 3-year-old girl

22 May 12:19 AM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio faces bankruptcy
Sport

Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio faces bankruptcy

23 May 03:01 AM
Afternoon quiz: What was the name of the horse Alexander the Great famously tamed and rode?
New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: What was the name of the horse Alexander the Great famously tamed and rode?

23 May 03:00 AM
Police 'urgently' seek ute driver after road-rage knife incident
Bay of Plenty Times

Police 'urgently' seek ute driver after road-rage knife incident

23 May 02:58 AM
'Serious health consequences': Kiwi athlete banned in doping case
Athletics

'Serious health consequences': Kiwi athlete banned in doping case

23 May 02:49 AM
Judge grants mercy for phone repairer who went viral trying to AirDrop intimate photo
Crime

Judge grants mercy for phone repairer who went viral trying to AirDrop intimate photo

23 May 02:25 AM

Latest from Northland Age

'Disappointing': Historic Russell's te reo Māori name bid rejected

'Disappointing': Historic Russell's te reo Māori name bid rejected

23 May 01:16 AM

The consultation saw 52% support the change and 48% oppose it.

Homicide investigation launched after man dies at Far North property

Homicide investigation launched after man dies at Far North property

22 May 12:31 AM
Investigation under way after 'unexplained' death of 3-year-old girl

Investigation under way after 'unexplained' death of 3-year-old girl

22 May 12:19 AM
'Nothing short of inspiring': Air NZ boosts Northland nature projects

'Nothing short of inspiring': Air NZ boosts Northland nature projects

20 May 11:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northland Age e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to The Northland Age
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northland Age
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search