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Northland will be in red from Friday - with the government saying those extra protections are needed to keep Covid-19 at bay.
The region has 76 percent of its population fully vaccinated, and just 63 percent of Māori.
Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai has told Checkpoint the red level of the traffic light system is not like alert level 2 as the prime minister indicated.
"It's quite different... We've been in a privileged position of level 2, and looking at the changes that the traffic light system brings, a lot of it is around restricting numbers into various events and that has definitely changed for us."
Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai Photo: Northern Advocate
Vaccinations will be the number one criteria to enable Northland to move through the traffic light system, she said.
Mai said the region was in good company with some other North Island regions also in red, and the framework was in place for good reason.
However, there would be a price to pay and the region needed to be aiming to move through the system to orange and then green, she said.
"We've got businesses who will hurt by having to put in place this new Covid protection framework regime."
It was out of the region's reach and would be "ridiculous" to consider any move to orange by Christmas, she said.
But Mai does have hope the region could move to orange at mid-January.
"I think when the vaccine pass requirement really comes into effect, and people see the restrictions that it creates on their lifestyle... maybe that will take them over the edge and get them to a vaccination queue. And that's where we want them."
For the moment Christmas parades and gatherings of more than 100 people are "off the radar".
"So that's a bit sad because we like to gather in large gatherings and actually celebrate the joy of the summer season so that's unfortunate."
The lifting of the border with Auckland on 15 December was welcome, however, while there would still be checks to ensure travellers had their vaccine passports or a negative test it would expose Northland to some risk, mainly because of its low vaccination rates.
Asked if some businesses may turn a blind eye to enforcing the use of vaccine certificates, Mai responded: "I jolly well hope not ....if you've had the vaccinations get that pass and that will be your key to the door.
"If people have not been vaccinated and they are restricted entry then that's for the right reasons, and yes, there will be some grumpy people but, boy oh boy, I do trust there won't be the nudge and a wink and the 'she'll be right' attitude."
When the vaccine pass requirement comes into effect and unvaccinated people see the restrictions they are facing, she is hopeful they will get themselves into the vaccination queues.
It will also "put a lot of stress and strain" onto police as they enforce the new system, she said.