Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins says Kiwis need to realise that the virus will not be kept in Auckland forever.

He told media on Wednesday that the Government was not committed to keeping the virus locked up in the city endlessly, so it would likely reach much of the country in coming months.

“I think that there are pockets of people who have formed the view that Covid is not going to affect them and they are wrong.

“Covid-19 is not going to remain contained in Auckland ... We are reaching the point where Covid-19 will spread and it will find unvaccinated people, that has been the international experience.”

He said Kiwis in other areas should prepare by getting vaccinated.

“But we are not going to keep Auckland locked down. The prime minister has indicated that we actually want them to be able to travel for the summer holidays – so that does just reiterate the urgency for people around the rest of the country to get vaccinated – because Covid is coming.”

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Hipkins later repeated this message in Parliament, suggesting the Government has made a decision to firmly warn Kiwis about the virus.

Auckland has seen higher vaccination rates than many other rural areas such as Tairāwhiti or Northland.

National Party MP and Covid-19 spokesman Chris Bishop said it was good to see the Government being realistic about the move from an elimination to suppression strategy but the message should come from the prime minister.

“He is acknowledging the reality: Which is that once you do a suppression strategy – which we are now doing, whether by accident or design – it is going to make its way to other parts of the country,” Bishop said.

“I think it is very interesting that it is him being forward-leaning on it rather than the prime minister. There is probably a case for the prime minister having a frank and upfront discussion with the public about the pivot away from elimination to suppression.”

He noted that small cases of Covid-19 getting to other centres had encouraged vaccine uptake in those areas.

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said she found the language concerning because so many communities still had low vaccination rates.

“I am really concerned about unleashing Aucklanders on to lower-vaccinated regions. Hokianga and the East Coast, for example, are really having a hard time trying to get vaccination rates up and I am concerned about that hospital infrastructure.”

Davidson said it was likely that iwi would set up more checkpoints as they did last year if Covid-19 got loose around the country.

The Government has struggled to articulate how exactly it will allow vaccinated Aucklanders to leave the city over the summer break.