All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • 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 / New Zealand

Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Relocating Auckland couple left confused by lack of Government communication

By Zoe Holland
Social Media and Trending reporter, NZ Herald·NZ Herald·
27 Sep, 2021 08:54 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

Focus: NZ Delta Outbreak | Monday 27 Sept Wrap
12 new Covid-19 community cases were announced on Monday with PM Jacinda Ardern outlining a self-isolation trial for international travellers and the RSE travel bubble for the Pacific to resume. Video / NZ Herald ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      20 arrests and $1.5m assets seized from Greazy Dogs gang

      UP NEXT:

      Autoplay in
      3
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      12 new Covid-19 community cases were announced on Monday with PM Jacinda Ardern outlining a self-isolation trial for international travellers and the RSE travel bubble for the Pacific to resume. Video / NZ Herald
      NOW PLAYING • Focus: NZ Delta Outbreak | Monday 27 Sept Wrap
      12 new Covid-19 community cases were announced on Monday with PM Jacinda Ardern outlining a self-isolation trial for international travellers and the RSE travel bubble for the Pacific to resume. Video / NZ Herald ...

      An Auckland couple who sold their home have been left "homeless" after level 3 restrictions halted their plans of moving to their new hometown of Whangārei.

      Heather and Gordon Law were looking for a new start, so they quit their jobs and decided to buy a motel in Whangārei.

      "We decided we would move up there to sort of just do something different and get out of the rat race of Auckland."

      Heather and Gordon Law hope they will be living in Whangarei sooner rather than later. Photo / Supplied
      Heather and Gordon Law hope they will be living in Whangarei sooner rather than later. Photo / Supplied
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      They had expected to move on September 6, however Auckland was at the time in level 4 restrictions.

      New homeowners moved into their former Waimauku home on Friday, leaving the couple scrambling for accommodation.

      "That left us effectively homeless," Heather Law said.

      The couple, who are in their 50s, and their dog are living in an Auckland Airbnb until they are able to move.

      Under Level 3, people can move house within a region if moving or relocating permanently. However, Auckland residents cannot move houses if their new location is out of the city.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Confusion over when that may change has left the couple "frustrated".

      "Unfortunately I can't play netball, otherwise I'd be able to cross the border. And unfortunately I'm not a criminal, or I'd be able to cross the border."

      When Auckland moved into level 3 last Wednesday, Law and her husband applied for a travel exemption and took Covid-19 tests, which were negative.

      Read More

      • Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Rule-breaking Aucklanders urged to follow level 3 restrict...
      • Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Concern Aucklanders are breaking rules on first level 3 we...
      • Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Level 3 in Auckland - What it means for schools - NZ Herald
      • Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Business groups welcome Level 3 in Auckland - NZ Herald

      "Finally Wednesday at 5 o'clock they said we would need an exemption. We had already applied for that in anticipation that was probably going to happen and then they declined us," she said.

      Discover more

      Lifestyle

      End in sight? When life will get 'back to normal'

      27 Sep 06:01 PM
      Freight and logistics

      Glimpse into Auckland's future: $133m regeneration plans

      28 Sep 04:33 AM
      New Zealand

      'No compassion': Man barred from returning to witness birth of triplets

      28 Sep 05:22 AM

      The Auckland couple are fully vaccinated.

      Cabinet today met and discussed possibly broadening the range of reasons of why people can cross the border.

      In anticipation that an announcement would be made this afternoon, Law and her husband got a second Covid-19 test.

      However, they were shocked when they did not hear the issue brought up at the 4pm press conference until a question was asked by a reporter.

      Covid

      "Cabinet made decisions today, orders need to be drafted so we'll be making announcements on that tomorrow and give people that certainty within the next 24 hours," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said when asked.

      Law hopes the Government will soon allow Aucklanders moving out of the region to cross the border.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New Zealand

      'You’re going to need somewhere': Boy racers call for change

      24 Jun 08:19 AM
      Crime

      'Significant amount of blood:' Paramedics recount grisly scene in Wellington murder trial

      24 Jun 08:00 AM
      Premium
      Opinion

      Audrey Young: Rating David Seymour as Acting Prime Minister

      24 Jun 07:58 AM

      Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      'You’re going to need somewhere': Boy racers call for change
      New Zealand

      'You’re going to need somewhere': Boy racers call for change

      24 Jun 08:19 AM
      Israel vows to strike 'heart of Tehran' as Iran denies firing missile
      World

      Israel vows to strike 'heart of Tehran' as Iran denies firing missile

      24 Jun 08:01 AM
      Why Noosa is the perfect blend of nature, luxury and adventure
      Travel

      Why Noosa is the perfect blend of nature, luxury and adventure

      24 Jun 08:00 AM
      'Significant amount of blood:' Paramedics recount grisly scene in Wellington murder trial
      Crime

      'Significant amount of blood:' Paramedics recount grisly scene in Wellington murder trial

      24 Jun 08:00 AM
      Kosi on wing as ankle injury sidelines Watene-Zelezniak
      Warriors

      Kosi on wing as ankle injury sidelines Watene-Zelezniak

      24 Jun 07:04 AM

      Latest from New Zealand

      'You’re going to need somewhere': Boy racers call for change

      'You’re going to need somewhere': Boy racers call for change

      24 Jun 08:19 AM

      Police faced dangerous driving, fireworks and unlawful assembly perils at a Levin event.

      'Significant amount of blood:' Paramedics recount grisly scene in Wellington murder trial

      'Significant amount of blood:' Paramedics recount grisly scene in Wellington murder trial

      24 Jun 08:00 AM
      Premium
      Audrey Young: Rating David Seymour as Acting Prime Minister

      Audrey Young: Rating David Seymour as Acting Prime Minister

      24 Jun 07:58 AM
      Act leader David Seymour  on his Regulatory Standards Bill

      Act leader David Seymour on his Regulatory Standards Bill

      Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
      sponsored

      Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

      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
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search