Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had not even finished her press conference announcing a move to the red traffic light setting before long queues at some Auckland supermarkets began.
Images of shoppers with trolleys full to the brim in New World in the Auckland suburb of New Lynn show Kiwis stocking up ahead of the country moving into red at 11.59pm tonight.
There was also a long queue at queue Auckland's Westmere Butcher as the red light setting was announced.