Police and local iwi are planning checkpoints in Northland from 15 December, when the borders around Auckland open again.
Listen
Unvaccinated travellers who tried to head to Northland over summer would have "a pretty stink time", Tai Tokerau MP and Minister Kelvin Davis was warning.
From 15 December fully vaccinated people and unvaccinated people who returned a negative Covid test within 72 hours of travel could travel where they like.
Northland iwi leaders say unvaccinated people are not welcome and together with the region's DHB was urging the government to ban people who were not vaccinated from heading north.
The region was only 77 percent fully vaccinated. The Māori population there was only 64 percent double-dosed.
Despite iwi concerns, Davis stood by the government's decision.
"Unvaccinated visitors, if they head north they'll have a pretty stink time of it because they won't be allowed into any businesses, cafes, motor camps, restaurants, bars. So my advice to them is to stay home. But vaccinated people most certainly are welcome."
Police would be spot checking travellers at checkpoints, and if unvaccinated people without a recent Covid test were found, they risk getting a $1000 fine.
Davis said if unvaccinated people had a negative Covid test within 72 hours he did not see why they couldn't travel, as precautions like mask-wearing were still in place.
"And taking precautions, we're hopeful they can visit the family and relations and not take Covid with them.
"But again the message is get vaccinated. People have had long enough, everyone knows there's a global pandemic, everyone knows the right thing to do is get vaccinated.
"I've been meeting with iwi leaders for months now we have meetings basically every week via Zoom. Also iwi leaders not associated with the Iwi Leaders Forum, with Tāmaki Makaurau iwi leaders. They've had unprecedented access to ministers, [chief executives], officials. We have tried to work through all the issues with them. But at the end of the day, Auckland has been in lockdown for three months.
"What we've done with the traffic light system is made it so that people who aren't vaccinated have a number of freedoms and those who are unvaccinated will have limited opportunities.
"And if they go north unvaccinated and they haven't had a test, they'll most likely be stopped and turned around, and face a $1,000 fine."
The government had initially set a benchmark of 90 percent fully vaccinated for each district health board area, before regional travel would be allowed.
But Davis told Checkpoint enough time had been given for people to get vaccinated now.
"We just can't be locked down and put boundaries around everybody … We don't know how much time they're asking, and we just can't stay locked down or separated from the rest of the country for another six, nine, 12 months.
"These people who are resisting vaccinations and just downright saying no, we'll probably never get them over the line. So the rest of the country also has to be able to operate and we've heard the stories about people whose mental health isn't the flashest because of the lockdowns, businesses are going under. So there's a whole number of things that we've considered, and we have to try and get a balance somewhere.
Whangārei Hospital has said it was at 98 percent capacity, and was concerned at potentially 50,000 visitors going to Northland. Davis said it was a worry.
"I've got elderly parents up in the north there too. They're both double vaccinated. So of course, it's personal… What we've done is tried to strike a balance where we have some protections. In fact the red level is more stringent than the old level 2.
"Of course where we're all worried, I'm worried about my parents, I'm worried about my extended whānau, and even vaccinated people can get it, but what we have to do is try to strike a balance, and make sure that we have protected as many people as possible.
"There hasn't been a lack of opportunity for people to get vaccinated. But some people are just digging in the toes and they're the hardest ones to turn."