Jan Tinetti Labour MP

New Zealand has left the full lockdown of Alert Level 4 behind. Hooray! If everyone in our team of five million continues to be careful and work within the rules, at every Alert Level from 4-1, hopefully we will never see that level of restriction again.

As the Prime Minister and health officials have said, this is a ‘marathon not a sprint'.

As we go into this weekend still at Alert Level 3 we must remain resolute and disciplined. Last weekend the Bay of Plenty region had one of the highest numbers of Level 3 breaches in the country. We don't want to see a repeat of this. We must not squander the amazing results we have achieved so far, so please stay faithful to your bubble, even if you expanded it a little. Work from home if you can, and practise physical distancing and other safety precautions if you're back at work. Keep your exercise safe and local. And, most importantly, take care.

Level 3 has meant the economy has started to open up again. Important sectors like construction and forestry are operating once more. Many of the Government's big infrastructure projects are on the move. Online retail is up and running again in all sectors.

Locally our catch cry is: stay local, shop local - and support our local businesses as they start operating again. They need us more than ever right now. So, if you feel a hankering for a scone, a coffee or a new pair of pants, please don't be shy. Give your favourite shop a call or head to their website and see if they can help you out. You'll be helping them out, too.

Next week we find out, if as a country, we move to Level 2. Until then Tauranga, stick to the rules of Level 3 - stay disciplined, stay focused and together we will get through this.