The border group, founded by Harawira, said the checkpoints were in response to the Northland community case and two cases in Auckland that emerged in recent days. This morning Harawira said the latest outbreak of the South African variant posed a fatal threat to many in Northland communities who were already marginalised by poverty and ill health. "South African Covid-19 might be new, but we already know its 50 per cent more contagious than Covid-19, less responsive to vaccines, and is responsible for the huge surge in South African cases from 2000 a day to 18,000 a day in just two months. The group was providing information on testing facilities and medical hotline numbers in Northland. "And yet with all that going on, somebody still had time to order police to stop the only checkpoint providing information on testing facilities and medical hotline numbers in Northland."

Source: New Zealand Herald January 28, 2021 18:45 UTC