Northland iwi say setting up road blocks in partnership with police is crucial to help protect Māori communities in preparation for the Auckland borders opening up.

Under the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act people, such as iwi representatives or community patrollers who are authorised by the Director-General of Health, are allowed to run checkpoints under the supervision of a police constable.

The ACT party leader David Seymour however is criticising the amendments to the law.

He told Māni Dunlop that authorised enforcement officers in these cases were thugs.