Lockdowns Ngā noho rāhui

Many people shared positive stories of their household’s lockdown experiences. People often talked about lockdown as a time of calmness and enjoyment, where they could appreciate more quality time with family and use digital tools to connect with others outside their ‘bubble’.

“I feel a little guilty, but lockdown was wonderful. We are a neurodivergent family with various mental and sensory needs, and we are outside of Auckland, so our lockdown only went on for seven weeks.

Unexpectedly, being outside of the constant rush and stress did wonders for all of us. I’d say it was the last time all of us were happy at the same time.

We knew how many cases were in the country and where they were, so we weren’t worried about the virus. My job was able to continue paying us, so we were okay for money.

The lack of noise in the city was frankly amazing. I would walk the dog and have long conversations with neighbours at a distance instead of dashing past nodding at each other.

Once lockdown ended things mostly went back to normal.”

45–54-year-old Pākehā, gender diverse person

For many others though, lockdowns posed significant challenges and we also heard a wide range of negative experiences. People shared stories of feeling confined or restricted; unable to go out and enjoy activities that usually helped their mental and physical health, like playing sport or going to the beach.

“My relationship with my partner was strained due to inability to get space from each other. This lingers.”

Pākehā female, Auckland

People who had a difficult relationship with someone in their bubble talked about feeling trapped or not being able to have their own space, which made lockdown life hard. Others reported lockdown creating, or exacerbating, marital/relationship problems.

Not having enough personal space or living in a house that was cramped or crowded was also difficult for some, particularly people in small houses or apartments, or without any outdoor space.

“I was living in a flatting situation where my flatmate turned very nasty and it was a very difficult living situation with nowhere to go. I made actions to leave once the levels moved.”

35–44-year-old female, Hawke’s Bay

Some people described difficult housing situations that made lockdown challenging, such as having to move.

The ‘bubble’ concept did not work for everyone; different living circumstances meant that for some households and families, following the lockdown bubble rules was hard or impractical, and forced people to make some difficult decisions about who to include or exclude.

People liked having the opportunity to spend time on their hobbies or exercising, including enjoying walks around their neighbourhood – especially while there was less traffic, less pollution and less noise. Lockdown, for some, was a period where they experienced reduced day-to-day stress, and was a time to reflect on what was really important to them.

“My daughter was living with a man who became violent during lockdown. As a result, she broke the guidelines and evacuated herself and her children to us. If she hadn’t done that, I don’t know what would have happened.”

65–74-year-old, Auckland

People described personal experiences of feeling unsafe at home, or concern at the prospect of people in ‘bubbles’ fearing for their personal safety.

These comments came from people who were themselves living in an unsafe home environment, as well as from people who had general concerns for the safety of others but were not personally impacted.

“I was very concerned about families in lockdown under very stressful conditions, and the potential for domestic violence to increase. I am privileged to be in a safe household, but it was very worrying thinking of families where this was not the case and how they could be identified and supported.”

Clinical psychologist, Canterbury

“I feel gratitude to the Aucklanders who endured longer periods of lockdown, which gave more freedom to the rest of us.”

65–74-year-old Pākehā female, Waikato

Only a very small number of people wrote about the Auckland lockdowns in a positive way. These people felt the Auckland lockdowns were a challenge, but considered them important and necessary. Others were grateful for the protections that lockdown offered the region or described having an overall positive experience in lockdown.

People based in other parts of the country also expressed their appreciation for the freedom that the localised lockdowns allowed them and acknowledged the sacrifice Aucklanders made.

“The extended lockdowns in Auckland were particularly crippling (on so many levels) and the "will they? won't they?" of watching the daily broadcasts to see whether we might be allowed to leave our homes (Alert Level 4) was distressing and farcical.”

35–44-year-old Pākehā male from Auckland

However, many more people were critical of the Auckland lockdowns. These people felt that the region was locked down for too long, and that it suffered significant social and economic impacts as a result.

People often talked about the mental health impacts of the extended lockdowns, especially on children and older people.

Aucklanders reported finding it difficult not knowing how long the lockdowns would last, and feeling disconnected from the rest of the country.

“The lockdowns were not easy for us. The isolation and anxiety took a toll physically, emotionally and socially. We live and work in the Auckland CBD, in close proximity to several MIQ sites and testing stations, and in the vicinity of numerous positive-case hot spots. Unlike some parts of the country where life continued relatively unaffected for long periods, residents of Central Auckland never had the luxury of pretending nothing out of the ordinary was happening. The pandemic was never something we could ignore, and the risk of COVID-19 always felt very real and present.

The details of how our lives were impacted were fairly typical. Suffice it to say almost no aspect of our daily lives was unaffected. Difficult as it was, I firmly believe it was worth it.”

45–54-year-old essential worker, Auckland

Some told us how Northland became cut off from the rest of the country by the Auckland-Northland border and reported feeling forgotten or overlooked during this time.

“The Auckland lockdowns were a bit more of a problem for us in the North as it cut us off from the rest of the country. My partner's mother was dying during this period, and it was not possible to go and see her. However, while there was no vaccine available this was also the right thing to do in my opinion.”

65–74-year-old Pākehā male, Northland

“Went for a walk and got arrested. Police were intense at making people [stay] inside.”

Māori New Zealander

Some people felt that lockdown rules weren’t enforced strongly enough. These people commented that this led people to ignore the rules, putting others at risk and potentially extending lockdowns by increasing community spread.

Others, though, told us they thought lockdowns were enforced too strictly, and that the Police abused their power, which made people feel scared or threatened.

“We went into lockdown swiftly and averted a health crisis that would have been catastrophic.”

65–74-year-old female, Hawke’s Bay

People praised the Government’s quick and decisive action in locking down, noting that the same thing should be done in any future pandemic.

Some people, though, felt that Aotearoa New Zealand went into lockdown too slowly, and in future we should lock down faster.