"Border control" volunteer Shane Williams talks to a motorist at the Waitangi checkpoint. Photo / Peter de Graaf
"Border control" volunteer Shane Williams talks to a motorist at the Waitangi checkpoint. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Roadblocks at all entrances to Waitangi aim to protect elderly residents from people breaching the lockdown, the group behind the checkpoints says.
For the past two weeks volunteers of ''Tai Tokerau Border Control'' have closed Te Karuwha Parade, Te Kemara Ave and Waitangi Bridge to all but local or essential traffic. A volunteer is also stationed on the beach.
Co-ordinator Sharee Tito said locals set up the checkpoints on day seven of the Covid-19 lockdown in response to large numbers of people visiting Waitangi.
As a result elderly residents, who were most vulnerable to the virus, were unable to come out of their homes for exercise.
''One day we counted 59 people coming in to Waitangi. They were walking, driving, swimming, biking, all sorts. There were even still campervans coming into town.''
''We are trying to protect our kaumātua, kuia and tamariki. There's not a lot of elderly people left around here so the ones we have are precious and need to be looked after.''
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The number of people trying to visit Waitangi had fallen as word spread and lockdown compliance improved.
Some people responded aggressively when told they couldn't enter but the majority had been understanding.
''It's not to block but to educate, to get people to understand why they need to go home ... It's about the Māori concept of kaitiakitanga, or guardianship.''
Tito said police did not have the resources to staff multiple checkpoints around the district.
''So we're doing the mahi that people would expect to be done by the police. We're doing it for our whānau.''
Essential workers were allowed through and got a wave as they passed by, she said.
Volunteers ran a Covid-19 checkpoint on board the Hokianga ferry during Easter. Photo / supplied
Meanwhile, volunteers also ran a Covid-19 checkpoint on the Hokianga ferry over Easter.
Co-ordinator Richard Nahi said Kohukohu residents had been concerned that a combination of the long weekend and free ferry transport during the lockdown could lead to an influx of visitors from South Hokianga.
No tourists were identified but a few people tried to cross the harbour to visit family members.
Nahi said the checkpoint volunteers had no power to turn people around so they informed the ferry crew who ''did their job well''.
The main role of the checkpoint was to offer information about travel restrictions, testing stations and Covid-19 symptoms.
The volunteers, a mix of Māori and Pākehā, were supplied with proper protective gear. Further checkpoints were planned but they would be at random times and locations.
The Kohukohu area had a high proportion of elderly people who were particularly vulnerable to the virus, Nahi said.
"Stay home, stay well" sign at the Waitangi checkpoint. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Tito said low infection numbers in places like Northland and Tairawhiti showed iwi checkpoints were working.
Other iwi-led checkpoints are operating in places such as Kaikohe, Te Hapua and Hokianga. In other areas, such as Whananaki and Russell, locals of all ethnicities have set up roadblocks to keep non-residents out.
