• Blame and fear for the team of five million, as PM pleads for compliance
• Two new community COVID cases, Auckland going to alert level 3 for seven days, rest of country going to level 2
• David Seymour says Government has 'attitude problem' after latest lockdown
• One year since New Zealand recorded first case of coronavirus

Manukau ward councillor Alf Filipaina said there has been a mood change among the way the south Auckland community was responding to the latest cases.

“It’s changed to the extent that this could have been avoidable. And that’s where the change has come. They should have been in self-isolation.”

But Filipaina said people were airing their views and getting on with looking after their families.

There has been many calls made to Auckland Council to see what was being done to support people – especially elderly.

Filipaina said it was “pointless moaning and pointing fingers” at people – it was positive news that the latest cases had been linked to the current cluster.

But he didn’t understand why the person had not been in isolation given the rules had been clearly laid out.

“That's why our community has expressed their disappointment but again, they have chosen to air it and said ‘right, let’s move on’.”

Fellow Manukau ward councillor Efeso Collins agreed families were expressing frustrations.

When the news came out on Saturday night, Collins said the initial calls and texts he received showed annoyance, unlike previous Covid-19 outbreaks where people were worried and anxious.

Collins put this change down to people thinking Case M had acted irresponsibly by not self-isolating as was expected after a Covid-19 test.

But once people had had a chance to reflect and pause, there was a sense of calm, he said.

Collins said he had been annoyed himself as his daughter was meant to be going on camp this week. But plans like that could be rescheduled, he said.

Filipaina said he had been asking questions about when south Auckland would be vaccinated – and believed it should be soon after frontline workers and their families.

He said it was important to shut down cases in his community and to protect its vulnerable members.

On Sunday, National Party leader Judith Collins told TVNZ that for a number of reasons, south Auckland should be moved up the queue – ahead of elderly people in other parts of the country.

In Sunday's press conference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said South Auckland would be prioritised when the vaccination roll-out began in the general population mid-year, due to the higher risk factors.

Seventy-five per cent of frontline workers coming forward for vaccinations were coming from the Counties Manukau DHB area which in a roundabout way, was “significantly reducing” the risk to the community, she said.

Efeso Collins agreed – saying south Auckland should be a priority group, after frontline workers, given it was where outbreaks were happening.

“Not withstanding that, I think Auckland should be a priority city because we haven't had this level of exposure in any other part of New Zealand. It’s always Auckland that is going to level 3.”

Papatoetoe High School principal, Vaughan Couillault, whose school has been at the centre of the outbreak, said feedback he had had directly was also of frustration with Case M not following the rules.

Couillault said this was understandable, and he was acutely aware that people were sharing the same feelings as Ardern.

If Auckland had not gone into alert level 3, Papatoetoe High School would have been able to reopen as normal on Monday, he said.

Now, it would only be taking students of essential workers as other schools were.

Couillault said he had issued a notice to the entire school community just to remind everyone what the rules at level 3 are and what is required by people.