Mayor Lyn Riesterer on day one at Alert Level 4

Well done everyone. We are halfway through the first full day at Level 4 alert in our national fight against COVID-19.

New Zealand has thrown everything at this - full shutdown, testing stations, ramped up heath facilities, financial support and wage subsidies, a national emergency and many other actions big and small.

I appreciate that for many people, the concept of a national emergency is a bit scary. But I want to reassure you that having those emergency powers is to keep us all safe and to be able to move quickly and powerfully when we need to. We have done it before for local civil defence emergencies when we have needed to get quick access to supplies, close roads, and so on. This is the same thing at a national level.

There is a really good list on the council website which explains what you can expect from us in the coming weeks - what it means for rubbish and recycling, water and wastewater and even things like public toilets.

We'll keep in touch through Facebook and our website. We can also update you through newspapers and the radio as well if we need to. We are still open' but by phone and email. But we are focussed on our vital services so may take a while to respond to non-urgent matters, bear with us as we all work our way through these unusual times.

Doing isolation right REALLY matters, so please, follow the self-isolation rules and keep the whole community safe. All the information you need is on the government's website www.covid19.govt.nz