November 18, 2021
Border opening no Christmas treat for Taitokerau
The organiser of iwi Covid checkpoints in the north says moving Christmas makes more sense than opening the border with Auckland.
Former MP Hone Harawira says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision to open up on December 15, by which time 90 percent of Aucklanders should be fully vaccinated, is about shoring up her polls.
He says vaccination rates in Taitokerau aren’t high enough to manage the increased risk, and the region should also be at 90 percent.
“We won’t get there probably until January 15, hence my reasons for suggesting Christmas be deferred until January 25, 2022, when chances are we will be ready, but right now we are not,” Mr Harawira says.
He expects once the borders are open there will be a higher level of aggression at the checkpoints which will still be needed to run spot checks on people’s vaccination status.