COVID-19 Lockdowns

COVID-19 Lockdowns

The global COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lockdown restrictions with significant economic consequences. These were due to restrictions of movement, exchanging of goods and spending, as well as changes in behavioural patterns (such as working from home or shopping locally) and the restriction imposed on tourism. Restrictions and lockdowns until April 2022 resulted in an extended drop in visitor numbers and spending for the Auckland Region. The dates of key restrictions are summarised in Table 5.

Table 5: Summary of lockdowns for Auckland Region during 2021 to 2022

Date 14 February 2021 – 17 February 2021

28 February 2021 –7 March 2021 17 August 2021 –21 September 2021

22 September 2021 –2 December 2021

2 December 2021 – 30 December 2021

30 December 2021 –23 January 2022

23 January 2022 –13 April 2022 Description Restrictions Alert Level 3 • Travel restricted • Only those who cannot work from home can return to businesses • Gatherings restricted to 10 people

Alert Level 4 • No travel • All public and education facilities close • Businesses must close except for necessities (e.g. supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations) • No gatherings

Alert Level 3

• Travel restricted • Only those who cannot work from home can return to businesses • Gatherings restricted to 10 people Red light setting • Domestic travel permitted • Public facilities, education and businesses open with capacity limits based on 1m distancing • Working from home if practical

Orange light setting

• Domestic travel permitted • Public facilities, education and businesses open with capacity limits based on 1m distancing • Workplaces open Red light setting • Domestic travel permitted • Public facilities, education and businesses open with capacity limits based on 1m distancing • Working from home if practical

The impact of the lockdown restrictions has had major negative impacts on consumer spending within the Te Wai Horotiu area, causing financial stress on local businesses.

Page 16 | 2021-2022 SIBD Annual Report - Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea)

Construction Impacts During the Level 4 lockdown Link Alliance was required to cease on site operations and the majority of the workers shifted to remote working where possible. The exception to this was the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) which is not designed to be stationary for extended periods and received special exemption to continue operating 24/7.

The site was able to restart once Auckland moved to Alert Level 3 and construction sites remained open during the red traffic light setting. However, there are broader, ongoing impacts as a result of the pandemic including resourcing and labour shortages and supply chain constraints.

Working and studying remotely During Level 3 and Level 4 lockdowns many people were required to work and study from home. Even once public facilities, education and businesses were open under the traffic light settings, advice was still for people to work and study from home where possible. Hence, those who usually worked in the city were not there. Restrictions on movement meant people were also unable to travel for recreation or other purposes. This also meant that for residents near the Te Wai Horotiu Station people who previously may have been at their normal place of employment or study during the day were at home. Key locations of residential properties in the vicinity of the Te Wai Horotiu Station works include the Manhattan Apartments at 105 Albert Street and apartment block at 203 Federal Street. Visitor numbers

During 2021 New Zealand’s borders remained closed to international tourists. Only returning citizens and permanent residents and some visa class holders could enter through the Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) system. MIQ spots were limited and both tourism and immigration were heavily impacted. Data from Heart of the City Pedestrian counts7 for 2021/22 showed a significant decrease in foot traffic around the Te Wai Horotiu site during those periods of restrictions in 2021 (see Figure 2). This is in the context of a general reduction in visitors, namely due to the lack of tourists both international and domestic visiting the city centre as a result of COVID restrictions.

7 https://www.hotcity.co.nz/city-centre/results-and-statistics/pedestrian-counts Page 17 | 2021-2022 SIBD Annual Report - Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea)