Rotorua will move to orange under the Covid-19 traffic light system at midnight on December 30. Photo / Getty Image
Rotorua city leaders have mixed emotions about the move to the orange traffic light setting at the end of this month.
Cabinet announced yesterday that the Lakes district would move to orange at 11.59pm on Thursday, December 30. Taupō, Kawerau, Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki will also shift to this setting on the same day.
Cabinet undertook its first review of the new Covid-19 framework, Ardern said at a press conference, and it had been encouraging to see a decline in cases.
The next full review of the traffic lights will be on January 17.
Brew co-owner Paul Croucher had mixed emotions about the move but said operating the Rotorua bar at the red traffic light had been "fairly restrictive".
He said it was important to ensure the safety of both staff and customers.
"Town has felt quieter since we have been at red," he said.
"The scaredy-cat part of me feels like it is too early. And the bullish business part of me can't wait for us to be able to trade a little bit more freely."
He said typically the Christmas and New Year period were "crucial" to the business's success.
"Christmas and New Year trading hours are very important to us.
"It gives us the opportunity for a big New Year's Eve, but we don't know whether or not people have given up on us because they choose not to come to somewhere in the red light setting for their holiday. There are lots of unknowns."
Rotorua Economic Development chief executive Andrew Wilson said the "positive" announcement provided certainty for local businesses, which could now prepare for the move to orange settings later this month.
"While an immediate shift to orange would have been preferred, businesses can now prepare for the return of visitors over the busy summer holiday period with fewer restrictions."
WIlson said accommodation bookings continued to look "solid" between Christmas and New Year, but have not been building as fast for the rest of January as they would have liked.
"This could be down to a wait-and-see approach being adopted by a decent number of travellers. We're hoping for a rise in last-minute bookings once Aucklanders are out and about and now that the orange light has been announced for Rotorua."
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said he was feeling a "mixture of relief", with a "little bit of frustration" about the shift to Orange.
"We are going to miss part of the all-critical Christmas period for the tourism and hospitality trade."
He said the red setting had prevented visitors from coming to town with a visible reduction in foot traffic.
"It is the stigma of being in red that makes a lot of people cautious. There is a visible slowing in business since we went to red in the last review.
We are dead keen to get back where we can be a little more normal. Roll on the 30th."
Rotorua MP Todd McClay described the move as a "relief" for local businesses but he did not understand the timeframe around the decision.
He believed the city should move into orange now rather than waiting until December 30. Small businesses were finding it "very, very hard" operating at red.
"We have very low numbers of cases in Rotorua, they are linked. It is not clear why the Prime Minister believes there is more risk next week than there will be in two weeks' time.
"Many of them are still losing money, they desperately need to get to orange with a signal of under what conditions and when we will move to green."
Te Arawa Covid Hub co-chairman Monty Morrison said he was "absolutely frustrated" that the Lakes district has been "lumped in" with other regions that were behind in regard to vaccination rates.
He said regions at red all had "different risks" and were managing them differently.
"I can't follow the Government's logic in the announcement."
Te Arawa Covid Hub had put in an "amazing effort" to lift vaccination rates to ensure a move to orange before Christmas, he said.
"It is good news that we have got it but I am disappointed it has not come sooner.
"We put in many hours of work, seven days a week, to get our vaccination rates up so that we could have a better Christmas."
Rotorua Treewalk director Bruce Thomasen said it was "really positive news" that tourism operators would be able lift capacity numbers at their venues. It provided hope that they could have a "solid domestic summer", he said.
"One of my biggest wishes was that today we get the announcement for orange. It would have been a horror story to still be at red."
Thomasen said the summer period was "essential" and they were looking forward to hosting visitors from across the country.
"That last week of December to the end of January is a third of the industry's turnover. The summer holidays are a critical time for us, especially the unknown of 2022 and when international borders can open up.
"I'm really encouraged to see that we are moving to orange. It does give a big nod to hope that the vaccination rates appear to be working in terms of slowing transmission in Auckland."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick described the move as a "relief" to those working in hospitality and tourism.
"It means a lot. Boy, we need those extra two weeks before January 15."
Chadwick reminded residents about the importance of getting vaccinated to ensure everyone remained safe following the move to orange.
The Black Barn Lake Tarawera co-owner Glenn Barbour felt December 30 was the "right time" for the move to orange.
It would benefit those who had weddings booked in for after the New Year as it had a seated capacity of 150 guests. They could host even more guests at their outdoor events.
Whakatāne mayor Judy Turner said she was "surprised" by the news due to the town's vaccination rate. She expected the town would be "held to account" at the red setting a while longer.
But all in all she said it was "quite exciting" and would help provide a boost to the town's visitor economy.
"This is a chance for our businesses who have done it hard. I am really pleased to think that they may get some more visitors.
"But we need to be cautious that it is not over. Our numbers still aren't as flash as they need to be. We need to not drop the ball."
Ministry of Health data showed as of Sunday, 91 per cent of the eligible Lakes District Health Board population had received one dose, and 84 per cent were fully vaccinated.
There were no new cases in the Lakes region yesterday, with one case of Covid-19 reported in Tauranga.
'This decision has not been made lightly'.