Taipa is in alert level 3 due to two Covid cases nearby that are unlinked to any other known cases. Photo / Myjanne Jensen.
An unexpected shift of Covid alert level in part of the Far North has been greeted with disappointment, but acceptance that it was the right thing to do.
Part of the Far North woke up today in Covid alert level 3, with the area shifting up a level just before midnight after fears of undetected community transmission of Covid-19.
Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins said despite extensive contact tracing, no epidemiological link had been found in the new cases in Northland in Taipa.
The two new cases had not been near other locations where cases were, or come into contact with any other cases.
He said that meant there was a possibility of an undetected link in the chain of transmission. Most of the previous northern cases were around Omapere, and there was no contact between those cases and the new Taipa cases.
To minimise disruption a boundary would be erected through the Hokianga Harbour across to Kaeo, Hipkins said.
Hipkins said it was a reminder to those in other parts of New Zealand of the need to get vaccinated rather than assume it would be contained to Auckland.
Asked when Northland might get near 90 per cent double dosed, Hipkins said that would depend on human behaviour. He said there was the capacity for vaccinations - but "it could be some time" before Northland reached that target on current rates.
Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the boundary was set by the Prime Minister's office in consultation with locals and local iwi.
Bloomfield said Rawene and South Hokianga were outside the area - it would not be a hard boundary but would be policed.
Hipkins said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was not in the region affected by the lockdown - she was further south. Ardern visited vaccination centres in Rawene, Taheke and Kawakawa.
Far North mayor John Carter said the announcement was no surprise to Northlanders in the affected areas.
"The community are quite scared actually so the decision to put safety first, even though it will cause challenges for businesses in the interim, is the right way to go."
Carter admitted it was going to be tough for Far North residents and the support from the remainder of Northland would be key.
"Just be mindful of the fact this is a challenge for all of us. Be supportive, be kind, don't be angry or upset and give support where you can," he said.
"We have Covid fatigue which is going to make this difficult but we will stand up and work together as a district and a region and get through this."
He was hoping Monday's review would bring progress on the health front.
He also believed the Far North would cope in terms of supply meeting the demand on amenities in the communities.
"As far as I'm aware our food supplies are confident that we will be able to cope - we will just have to manage and monitor it as we go."
Carter urged Northlanders to stick with all the health measures - such as wearing masks, scanning QR codes, social distancing - to keep one another safe.
But most importantly get vaccinated, he said.
"Far North leaders, iwi, business leaders, sporting leaders, local Government are all saying please, please get vaccinated."
Locals have been hearing the plea as the last two to three days saw an "incredible" response to both vaccination and testing rates, Carter said.
"A lot of people are now changing their mind since there have been cases in the Far North and are getting vaccinated."
He said Northlanders were realising it wasn't just about their own personal safety but that of their whanau and community.
Kaitaia Business Association chairwoman Andrea Panther said the move to level 3 was gutting, but the right thing to do.
''Our businesses have been struggling because of the lockdowns and this is just another hard announcement for us. However, because of our geography, everybody knows each other, and with the lack of locations of interest there's been a lot of fear and panic up here this week,'' Panther said.
''People have been cancelling hair dresser and other appointments and lots of people know people who have said they've come into contact with the (two Far North) cases so it's probably a good call (to move the area to level 3). It's very disappointing, but it's the right move.''
She said the Far North's low vaccination rates were one of the main reasons the alert level move had been announced was due to the area's low vaccination rates.
''Just with these two cases our poor health system and hospital is under real pressure so I'd hate to imagine what it would be like if we had many more cases. The queues at the testing stations have been down the road and there's a lot of fear up here.''
Panther said if Far North folk wanted to prevent further lockdowns they should get vaccinated.
Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai said she supported the move, but she felt for people and businesses in the parts of the Far North affected.
''I'm pleased to see they've put that border in across the Far North and not lifted the whole of the region (to level 3). They've have been liaising closely with the Far North Mayor John Carter and iwi and health authorities, and I'm pretty impressed with that.
''It's the right thing to do and I support the move, but I feel for the businesses and people of the Far North that are impacted by this move.''
Far north iwi groups such as Ngāpuhi and Ngati Kuri are urging those in the far north to get tested and regularly check the Ministry of Health website as more locations of interest are expected in the coming days.
NZ FIrst Leader Winston Peters said lockdowns whether they be in Auckland or Northland are "wrecking" the lives of business people.
Peters believes the decision to plunge the Far North into a snap lockdown is not "appropriate".
"The reality is what you have got to be concerned about is 'how many in hospital and how many in ICU' those are the stats that matter because [of] vaccination rates because a lot of people who are getting it just like the common flu," he said.
A second case of Covid 19 emerged north of Kaitaia. The Pukenui-based partner of the initial Covid-19 positive case has also tested positive for the virus, taking identified cases in Northland to 14.
It was now understood that cases in the Far North included a cluster at Mangamuka, 30 minutes north of Kaikohe, along with cases at Ōmāpere and Rawene on the Hokianga Harbour and the cases in the wider Kaitaia area encompassing Pukenui.
Case numbers for Northland also include those isolating at Kaiwaka, just north of the Auckland-Northland border.
The initial case in the wider Kaitaia area was a man whose former partner and children lived at Pukenui. Northland District Health Board's morning briefing said the partner had also tested positive.
Pukenui School had closed for a maximum of 72 hours as a precaution because of its connection to a "close contact" of the initial case.
Errol Murray, general manager at Whakawhiti Ora Pai Community Health and Social Services, said the local cases had led to surge in people getting tested at Te Kao.
The health provider was having its regular testing day at Pukenui tomorrow where a similar high level of interest was expected and would put on an extra day if needed.
It was also planning a sequel to "Super Saturday" for this weekend offering vaccinations and second jabs as a follow up to the recent national event.
While it was troubling the virus had entered the Far North, Murray said there was an added sense of purpose. "Once it's in, you know where to respond and how to respond."
Northland District Health Board said yesterday it had been less specific about cases in small towns, such as Ōmāpere, because its size made patient privacy difficult. It said it was able to name Kaitaia because it was larger, and included Pukenui - 40 minutes' drive north - as it was considered in the wider town area.
There are now four confirmed Locations of Interest related to the Kaitaia cases.
They are:
■ The Manaaki on 25 cafe, Kaitaia, on October 29, from 8am - 8.45am
■ Farmers, Kaitaia, on October 29, from 12.21 pm - 1.30 pm .
■ Bells Produce, Kaitaia, on October 30, from 11.55 am - 12.05 pm.
■ Awanui Hotel, on October 31, from 5.30 pm - 7.30 pm
Emergency services were called to the scene about 5.15pm