Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Two police checkpoints near Whangārei to replace northern Covid boundary during festive season

Two short-term police checkpoints south of Whangārei will replace the northern Covid boundary next Wednesday.

The 24/7 Northland operation will include 74 police officers and will take effect on Wednesday December 15, when all the borders around Auckland are lifted.

Northland District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said the move follows discussions with iwi and the community to manage the spread of Delta.

These checkpoints would be located on State Highway 1 at Uretiti and the second on SH12 near Manugaturoto. It will focus on northbound traffic only, Hill said.

"This means travellers into the region will need to show proof of vacccination status or a negative Covid test.

"The rules around this are on the Covid-19 website for travel at the red and orange settings under the Covid-19 Protection Framework," he said.

People travelling to Northland during the festive season could expect delays, Hill said.

"We are mindful that traffic through this region is normally busy at this time of year and motorists will know they need to plan their trip to be prepared."

These checkpoints would operate 24/7 short term before police move to a new model which will involve random checkpoints and spot checks across the district to check that people were complying with the travel restrictions, Hill said.

"In total, police will have 74 staff working on a roster to operate the checkpoints on a 24/7 basis," Hill said.

He said the checkpoints would not be stopping every car and would not hold up traffic "unnecessarily" but travellers should be prepared to be stopped.