"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
Iwi-run Covid-19 checkpoints at all three entry points to Waitangi will stay in place as long as the country remains at Alert Level 4, organisers say.
For almost two weeks volunteers from ''Tai Tokerau Border Control'' have closed Te Karuwha Parade at the Puketona Rd roundabout to all but local or essential traffic.
Checkpoints have also been set up at Waitangi's other entry points on Te Kemara Ave and at Waitangi Bridge. Another volunteer is stationed on the beach.
Coordinator Sharee Tito said local residents set up the checkpoints on day seven of the Covid-19 lockdown in response to large numbers of people continuing to visit Waitangi.
As a result elderly residents, who were most vulnerable to the virus, were unable to come out of their houses for exercise, she said.
''One day we counted 59 people coming in to Waitangi. They were walking, driving, swimming, biking, all sorts. There were even still campervans coming in to town.''
''We are trying to protect our kaumatua, kuia and tamariki. There's not a lot of elderly people left around here so the ones we have are precious and need to looked after.''
Ihapera Faigama'a guards beach access to Waitangi. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Tito said volunteers were kept busy for the first few days but the number of people trying to visit Waitangi had fallen as word spread and compliance with the lockdown improved.
Some people responded aggressively when told they couldn't enter but the majority of people had been understanding.
''It's not to block but to educate, to get people to understand why they need to go home. We have a discussion and come to an understanding. It's about the Māori concept of kaitiakitanga of guardianship.''
The self-declared Tai Tokerau Border Control, which is operating checkpoints at various locations around the Far North, has been criticised for taking the law into its own hands.
Officially only a controlling authority, such as NZTA or a council, can give permission to close a public road. Police or Civil Defence officials also have power to close roads if needed.
However, Tito said police did not have the time or resources to staff multiple checkpoints around the district, expect for short periods such as Easter weekend.
''So we're doing the mahi that people would expect to be done by the police. We're doing it for our whānau.''
"Stay home, stay well" sign at the Waitangi checkpoint. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Essential workers were allowed through and all got a wave as they passed by, she said. The Waitangi checkpoints were manned by three crews, who kept to separate ''bubbles'', and did shifts of four hours each.
They would stay as long as they needed to, probably until the Covid-19 alert dropped to Level 3.
Deputy Police Commissioner Wally Haumaha earlier told media that the blockades were technically illegal but the police were supporting them nonetheless.
"These are unprecedented times and we are working with communities across the country to restrict the spread of this virus. We are working with iwi who are taking the lead to ensure rural communities that don't have immediate access to support services are well protected," Haumaha said.
"We are all coming to this kaupapa from the same place — out of a need to protect the most vulnerable in the community."
Tito said low infection numbers in places like Northland and Tairawhiti — which as of Wednesday morning still had only three cases — showed that iwi checkpoints were working.
Other iwi-led checkpoints are operating in places such as Te Hapua, Kaikohe and Hokianga. In other places, such as Whananaki and Russell, locals of all ethnicities have set up roadblocks to keep non-residents out.
