Covid-19: Why are people being stopped on the way in to Auckland? Hours-long delays into the night
Auckland reporters:
People should be able to freely enter Auckland under alert level 3 lockdown, instead of waiting up to six hours just to get home, ACT leader David Seymour says.
Some people have had to be rescued from the long queues in the heat by ambulance, Seymour said. People have been toileting on the side of the road.
Police checkpoints returned to the borders when the region plunged back to level 3 at 6am on Sunday as authorities try to trace the origin of infection for the latest community case.
Seymour said it does not make sense to have restrictions for people coming from a lower-risk area and entering Auckland.
“If the Government believes there’s a risk of people outside of Auckland bringing Covid into Auckland, then they would have to put the rest of the country into a higher alert level.”
Seymour said he had been contacted by numerous people on Sunday complaining about the wait and the distress it caused, with some waiting up to six hours, 45 minutes.
There should be strict control of people leaving Auckland, but there was no need to have the same control on people entering, especially after Aucklanders had been away for a busy weekend, he said.
“Covid is bad and we need to maintain eradication but kids and elderly people stuck in hot cars can lead to serious problems too.”
Aucklander Fernanda Leone said it took her five-and-a-half hours to go through the check point at State Highway 1 at Mercer, after leaving Hamilton at midday on Sunday.
The trip usually take 90 minutes and, before she left, Google Maps said the trip would take two hours, 20 minutes.
“There are lots of cars with people with kids and animals in it, and I’m pretty sure – just like us – they didn’t know it would take this long so didn't come prepared.”
Leone had been in Hamilton for the Six60 concert and is travelling to her home in West Auckland.
Another Aucklander said she was in Hastings for the Good Vibes Summer Festival.
After 90 minutes at a standstill, she was unsure how much longer it will be until she reached the checkpoint.
“We're watching people going to the toilet on the side of the road. It’s really hot and people have kids and animals – they look really bothered.”
At Auckland's northern border, the wait is about two hours heading into Auckland, with no queue into Northland.
Were you stuck in traffic queues driving back to Auckland?
If so, how long did you have to queue?
How long did your trip back home take you?
What was it like being stuck in your car?
*Please put NFP if you do not want your comments used by Stuff.
Cost of living: How to get $110 off your electricity bill through Power Credits Scheme
Some Kiwis can expect their power bill to rise this month for the third year in a row as the low-user charge is phased out – but there's a payment available for people who are struggling.
It's the third year in a row that low-power users are facing increasing fixed costs as the low-power users scheme is phased out.
To help the industry set up the $5 million Power Credits Scheme which means eligible households can access credit during the transition.
The phase out which began in 2022 will see fixed costs for low users rise every april for five years.
The scheme means households who are supplied by Contact, Meridian, Mercury, Genesis, Nova, Wise, Globug, Powershop, Frank or Toast Electric can access a $110 payment if they’re in hardship. So far $1.4 million has been paid out.
The scheme is run by the Electricity Retailers’ Association of New Zealand. Chief executive Bridget Abernethy told Consumer NZ households showing signs of energy hardship can get the payment. But Abernethy said each power company will have its own criteria for what energy hardship looks like.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said removing the "low Fixed Charge Tariff regulations is essential for creating a fairer playing field for all New Zealand households".
However, the MBIE website acknowledged the phase-out could be challenging for some households.
"While all households are expected to benefit in the long term from the regulations being removed, some households may face higher power bills," the website said.
The credit can help households adjust, it added.
The decision to remove the low user charge was made by the then Labour Government in 2021 who called it "poorly targeted".
Then Energy Minister Megan Woods said it would mean three in five households could benefit from lower power bills.
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