Government backs down on Auckland time slots proposal

The Government remains “committed” to ensuring Aucklanders are able to leave the city for Christmas and the summer holidays, NZ Herald reports. Earlier on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson walked back the suggestion that Aucklanders could be allocated specific times to leave over the summer holidays – following a public outcry. However, Hipkins added, “At the same time, we need to do what we can for the rest of the country to try and ensure it is people, and not the virus, that moves beyond the Auckland boundary.”