The issue between the Auckland-Waikato boundary, why it matters and why and how it should be addressed.
There are lots of issues that have been uncovered during and after the second lockdown in New Zealand, and we have learnt from many things as well that is related to it. The boundary confusion between Auckland and Waikato is one of them.
On the 13th of August, the entire of the Auckland region went into an Alert level 3 lockdown after 4 household cases of an unknown cause and origin were discovered (which has now led to what is known as the Auckland — August Cluster). As a result, businesses could only operate by click and collect, restaurants could only serve takeaways and non essential facilities were closed. And because it affected the entire region of Auckland, police checkpoints were set up, where police patrolled the boundaries between Auckland and Northland, and Auckland and Waikato — to make sure no one enters Auckland from Northland or the Waikato (including the Corommandel), or no Auckland resident leaves Auckland without a valid reason, such as to do essential work.
This has lead to many problems. Already, Auckland being a region in lockdown is actually a major problem in itself in terms of geography — as people from Waikato and Northland cannot travel to the opposite region without taking a flight. It also means that Northland is cut off from the rest of New Zealand, bringing Northland into a what would be defined as a “border lockdown” but with normal Level 2 restrictions. Additionally, Corommandel ferries to Auckland would have been suspended during that time, as Corommandel is in Waikato. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the borders add to more problems arising from the August lockdown.
The boundary line between Auckland and Waikato is not straight, it crosses through several towns such as Pukekohe and Buckland — and actually cuts through some roads even, and furthermore, you don’t even know that you are actually in Waikato rather than Auckland in some places. To only add to the confusion, what was was South East Auckland (which was considered part of the Franklin district) is now in the Waikato district (which now covers a part of the Hunua ranges also, although the town Hunua itself is in Auckland). Furthermore, the Hunua Ranges is believed to be under the Auckland Council administration, but most of the area is in the Waikato region — confusing, right? People living on this boundary line have been left frustrated, trying to figure out how to comply with Auckland’s Level 3 restrictions and rules. Some people in the Waikato have also ended up being included in Auckland’s Level 3 restrictions as a result of this. Also, on the Eastern Coast road that goes from Kawakawa Bay/Orere in Auckland — to Thames in the Waikato, there is a “boundary bridge”*, which further adds to the confusion, as there are no signs indicating that you have crossed the border into Auckland or Waikato.
There is also that issue of towns in northern Waikato having to venture out far to do essential business, such as normal grocery shopping. People in areas such as Pokeno and Tuakau have had to go as far as Huntly to go to buy groceries. People in Kaiaua would have had to go to Thames, rather than Clevedon. Also, as said above, as the Corommandel is part of Waikato, the ferry services to and from Corommandel would have been suspended at that time in order to comply with Level 3 restrictions (even though Corommandel is not at Alert Level 3 at that time). This would have created headaches for Corommandel residents as well, for those who need to go to Auckland to carry out essential business.
As a matter of fact, this is actually the most difficult and complicated border to deal with in New Zealand — along with Manawatu -Wanganui, according to a source. But not impossible, however.
What could be done about this issue?
There are ways to fix this issue. Some of the ways include:
- Redefining what is part of Auckland and what is part of the Waikato
- Changing the boundary border
- Renaming the “boundary bridge” to something more suitable for the area, OR adding signs to indicate that the area is part of the Hauraki district (or Waikato if the boundaries aren’t amended)
- Consider including and redefining the whole of the Corommandel as a part of Auckland, so that the ferry can operate as usual if Auckland goes into lockdown as a region.
- Fixing the boundary borders so that the border does not cut through residential areas, towns, or suburban roads.
OR, if this is easier said than done:
NOTE: This applies to pandemic times (some of these points can also apply to other disasters or acts of terrorism as well in some cases), and these should only be a temporary fix — not a permanent one.
- Include the Waikato in the lockdown as well (Especially that Aucklanders travel to that region a lot, and Waikato has had cases of coronavirus stemming from the Auckland August Cluster). If Northland has cases that have resulted from the virus spilling over from Auckland, they should be in lockdown as well.
- Amend the police checkpoints to include all or part of Waikato
- Consider suburban or local lockdowns (lockdowns by province, small town or postcode) in the entire of NZ rather than a whole region or the whole country.
- Consider lockdowns by apartments, or buildings, if there is an outbreak there.
- In addition to the first point in this section, for the duration of Auckland’s lockdown — merge Auckland and Waikato together to avoid extra checkpoints, as well as making it easier for residents of both regions to carry out essential business.
It is clear that the Auckland — Waikato boundary is outdated — and confusing. It can also have negative impacts on people, businesses and the economy— physically, mentally and legally. Those who unwittingly violate Auckland’s alert level 3 rules (if ever, Auckland gets back into that position, something that we hope will never happen again) by crossing the street on their own road, for example without realizing they have crossed from Auckland to Waikato (or vice versa) could face a fine, or worse, be prosecuted for it — and may end up with a conviction for it, which will not be a good look on their record. Also, this could apply to convicted criminals who are banned from entering Auckland — they think they are still in Waikato, but they have unwittingly breached parole conditions. This border also can cause the closure of businesses in the Waikato if Auckland is plunged back into another lockdown — as employees may live on the Auckland side of the border. This can cause financial harm, which can destroy people’s livelihoods and mental health, leading to other problems such as drug and alcohol addiction. Mental health problems can also lead to physical health issues as well.
If the government and the governing bodies of both Auckland and Waikato care about people, their health and their lives, they need to fix the problem that is causing headaches, anxiety and frustration for people at this border. Until we see change, this will be a vicious cycle of confusion, economic loss, mental and physical health issues and legal trouble, should there ever be another lockdown for Auckland — let’s hope there will never be one again.
*There is no photo of the bridge provided, as a google search produces no results of the bridge. This bridge is one of the many small or “mini” bridges along the Eastern Coastal Road, which leads from KawaKawa bay/Orere right through to Thames. I will update this when and if I manage to get a photo of the bridge.
