An 11-day lockdown was imposed in Northland last year, after women who crossed the border from Auckland tested positive for Covid-19. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd
Northland businesses are angry and feel deceived after new details about the lead up to an 11-day lockdown in the region show Covid-19 positive visitors from Auckland had the correct documents.
At the time rumours swirled about what the three women travelling together were up to, and they were strongly condemned by various figures. But now Police information requested by RNZ has showed that after they were denied permission to enter Northland from Auckland by one government department, their application to a second department was accepted, and police did not find evidence of any wrong-doing that warranted a prosecuted.
Former Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins today addressed the decision to call the 11-day Covid-19 lockdown for Northland, and said the region had low vaccination rates at the time, and the measure was needed because of the presence of the virus, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the women crossing the border.
But Northland Chamber of Commerce president Tim Robinson told Checkpoint that now more detail had emerged about what actually happened, local businesses were frustrated at the way things were handled, and the disruption to their businesses - but were even more galled by the government's stance on the matter now.
"It was quite bitter disappointment, people are going: 'That's a bit of a bummer - we probably endured a lockdown we didn't have to because of human error'," Robinson said.
Part of the problem was the continuing lack of accountability, he said. "They absolutely are [angry], it's that refusal to take any responsibility and to just simply to acknowledge and to apologise."
"There's probably been a bit of a hardening attitude when there hasn't actually been any acknowledgement that in fact: yes it was a mistake, and yes we didn't fess up to it at the time and try and make good on the mistake that had been made."
Northland Chamber of Commerce president Tim Robinson in his Bernina store with his wife and coowner Sandy Robinson. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Olley
Robinson said an independent inquiry into the events should be held immediately, to stop similar problems in case future outbreaks brought the need for border and lockdown restrictions.
"We need to take the learnings here and make sure we are far better prepared in the future."
He said the events themselves were less of a problem than the government's reactions to what was revealed.
"The point that's been made several times throughout the day by various people I've spoken to is that... businesses will generally forgive and forget and move on if somebody's made a mistake [if they] say: 'Look sorry, got that wrong, here's what should have happened' and apologise.
"What's actually happened here is there's been an awful lot of doubling down, particularly from the political people... and in essence it's almost like a whole lot of: 'We were simply doing what we thought was right at the time', and there's no need to apologise or acknowledge that the mistake created absolute havoc for the business community and for the whole community'.
"I think that's the part that as the day has worn on people have got a little bit hot under the collar about."