Aucklanders vent frustrations at extension of Level 3
By the time the next decision is made for the region, Aucklanders will have spent 11 weeks in either Level 3 or 4. The Level 3 and 4 lockdown between March and May last year was 52 days long. When Auckland's current restrictions are reconsidered by the Government in a fortnight, it'll be 76 days. There's little agreement on what should happen next from those in the city. "She's sort of between a rock and a hard place," cafe owner Fraser said. "Me personally, I'd have gone two weeks of Level 4 to try get [case numbers] down." "They're doing all of this from their ivory towers in Wellington. I don't think they have any idea what it's like to be locked up like this," Jo said. "Kids need to be in school... It's no good," Awan said. "I think it's the right decision. We've come so far. It's a bit disappointing - I'm quite bored and my business is suffering," said Anna. There have been 386 cases of Covid-19 in the community in the last week alone, and around 150,000 eligible Aucklanders are still not vaccinated at all against the disease. One man, Alastair, was okay with the decision to keep the status quo but he wanted to see a plan - with incentives. "I want to see people rewarded for being vaccinated. [The government's] got to move forward. We cannot keep having it moved forward... with no end point." Cafe manager Fraser said compliance was seriously falling off. "I don't think we can stay here [at Level 3] much longer. At the weekend we went for a drive, and there's a lot of people giving up paying attention now. Everyone's just doing their own thing. "If we're still shut down at Christmas, I think it's going to start getting a little bit more serious than just ignoring what we're told to do." The Government has repeatedly said high vaccination and testing rates would help towards easing restrictions. If 90 per cent double-vaccinated is what's wanted for Auckland, that could be weeks away. Auckland is 18,000 people short of 90 per cent first doses and even if all of these were vaccinated today, they would have to wait three weeks for their next one and two more weeks for full immunity. One woman Jo, who is double-vaccinated, said the extension of alert level 3 was causing resentment. "I don't think they really comprehend what it's like for the ordinary, everyday person who's caught like this, just can't do anything," she said. "Most of the people, in fact everybody I talk to, are all getting angry." On Friday the government will reveal the next phase of a Covid-19 protection plan for New Zealand with a 90 percent vaccination rate featuring prominently.
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Auckland's alert level will be reassessed by Cabinet on 1 November.
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Christmas gifts stolen from parked car prompts warning over holiday break-ins
An Auckland man whose Christmas presents were stolen from his car on a quiet street is warning others not to repeat his mistake.
Police and the AA say opportunistic thieves are breaking into cars more frequently during the Christmas period.
Jeremy Rees, an RNZ staff member in Auckland, had packed his car full of gifts when he decided to visit a friend.
“Everyone had handed over presents and we had a couple of bags full of presents sitting in the back of the car,” he said.
“I decided it would be great to go around and see a friend, drop off some presents and say hello. My wife said to me, ‘Are you sure we should be taking this car?’ I said, ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine’.
“I think it was only 20 minutes outside their house, a very quiet street. It was light [outside]. We came out and my wife pointed out that someone had smashed the rear window, reached in and grabbed the presents, and headed away.
“It was a shock. It was a shock partly because of the Christmas presents and partly because my wife had been telling me, ‘Don’t do that’.”
AA Insurance head of motor claims Beau Paparoa said roadside staff were responding to smashed windows more often.
“We definitely see car break-ins starting to occur a lot more around this time of year. We’re often hearing from customers and some of our roadside teams that there’s definitely a bit more opportunistic theft happening,” he said.
“We’re putting that down to it being a busy time of year. Everyone’s out doing their Christmas shopping and there’s much more presence of gifts and valuables being visible in the car.”
He encouraged people to be careful and make sure valuables were hidden from view.
“In terms of any valuables, if you’ve done some Christmas shopping, or if generally you’ve got valuables in your car, try [to] keep them locked away or out of sight – in your boot if you can,” he said.
“Where you’re parking is possibly a good thing to think about. If you can afford to, don’t park on the street, but if you have to park on-street, make sure you park in well-lit areas.”
Police said it was not uncommon for Christmas presents to be stolen.
“The key is to remove any opportunity. This includes taking valuables or documents out of vehicles wherever possible,” a spokesperson said.
Rees said he wished he had followed that advice.
“I feel a bit stupid, to be absolutely honest. I read all of the things from police saying ‘don’t do this, don’t pack your car, don’t just leave it on the street’, and I did exactly the opposite and I paid the price.”
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Auckland Harbour Bridge summer works
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is carrying out essential maintenance on the Auckland Harbour Bridge this December and January. The southbound clip-on lanes will be closed (24/7) from 26 December to 5 January for road resurfacing. Night-time lane restrictions will be in place throughout the summer for recoating work on the bridge. Traffic will still be able to travel in both directions at all times.
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