Straight from city council A personal view, by Councillor Steve Morris

Before lockdown, New Zealand's daily percentage increase of COVID-19 cases was higher than both Italy and Spain. Just five weeks later, we've all but eliminated the disease from our shores. In the words of the prime minister: 'we've done this together” and I think we can be tremendously proud of ourselves.

Because of what you have done, the discipline of each of us staying at home, making space for one another when out walking, giving up our freedoms, staying physically distant from friends and loved ones – without these sacrifices we would have lost a number of people in our Tauranga community over the last five weeks.

They are here today because of you – each of us – really are life savers.

But there are still casualties in this war against COVID-19. Apart from those that have lost loved ones, our fellow Kiwis have lost jobs, sacrificed their businesses, had reduced incomes or been reliant on the wage subsidy. More local businesses are open in level 3 and they need our support, now more than any time since WW2.

My fellow Mount-Papamoa ward councillor, Dawn Kiddie and I have set up an online Mount-Papamoa ‘open for business' directory for those small businesses restarting and offering contactless click/phone/email and collect or delivery.

Go to: www.bit.ly/openlevel3 for a variety of local goods and services or visit: www.facebook.com/openlevel3

You can also see businesses that are trading close to home on your phone by downloading Sun Media's ‘Tauranga City App' for your mobile phone.