New Zealand is heading into lockdown. As of Tuesday it is level three - mass gatherings are banned, public venues including cinemas, libraries, restaurants and bars will be shut and there'll be no school for most children.

Former Tai Tokerau (Northland) MP Hone Harawira is planning to block tourists from entering the Far North to protect locals from the spread of coronavirus.

Harawira said the steps to protect the vulnerable by raising New Zealand to Covid-19 alert level four from 11.59pm on Wednesday have come "too little too late".

It's a call many other iwi are making in a bid to protect their people, and their resources, before the country heads into a month-long shut down on Thursday.

With support from iwi leaders and Far North Mayor John Carter, checkpoints will be put in place on SH1 Whakapara and SH12 Waipoua from 12pm on Wednesday, with further checkpoints to be organised for the Kerikeri area.

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"Tai Tokerau will suffer from government allowing tens of thousands of tourists into the country before closing the border last week," Harawira said.

"Thousands of them [have been] roaming freely across the north without being tested, without self-isolating for 14 days, and without giving a damn for us."

The plan is to turn back tourists heading north and ask those already in the area to head south, he said.

Arrangements would be made for locals coming home to be tested, while ensuring a "free flow" to those who provided emergency services, food and medical supplies.

123RF The Waikaremoana Great Walk in Te Urewera is popular among tourists.

He was also planning to distribute a flyer at checkpoints, with an explanation on the blockades, medical tips and advice for tourists and locals.

Dr Lance O'Sullivan, who was named New Zealander of the Year in 2014 for making basic healthcare more accessible for people in the Far North, had agreed to support the checkpoints by organising test kits, protective gear and caravans.

"We've received hundreds of messages of thanks and offers of support over the last 24 hours, and we have talked to Whānau-a-Apanui, police, the mayor, iwi, and health authorities," Harawira said.

He admitted that by setting up the checkpoints the group were putting themselves at risk of contracting coronavirus, but said "we have no choice".

"The country is moving to a war footing and we aim to ensure Tai Tokerau is ready to defend its territory and its people from Covid-19."

The blockades would continue until he's "convinced government is throwing the necessary resources into turning this threat around".

CAMERON BURNELL/STUFF Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira will set up a blockade for tourists heading to the Far North (file photo).

"We ask whānau to be safe, take care of your kaumatua and kuia, and find ways to keep your kids active and happy in these times of crisis."

And it's not only healthcare iwi are concerned about.

In a small Māori community in Taupō, a rāhui has been placed on the local foreshore and river.

Waitahanui, which has a population of about 500, has banned fishing, hunting, gathering, swimming, and overnight camping in their area, including all waterways and reserves.

"We are encouraging everyone who does not live in this village to remain home and self-isolate," Ngāti Tūwharetoa member Janice Wall said.

"Do your part to stop the spread. This is also to encourage self-isolation.

Our mokopuna (grandchildren) are at the forefront of all our decisions in our village."

In Te Urewera, in the Bay of Plenty, all huts, campgrounds and walks, including the popular Waikaremoana Great Walk, will be closed to the public in preparation for the country moving to level four alert for Covid-19.

Ngāi Tūhoe members will also be manning the area to ensure the guidelines are adhered to, which is what they've been doing for the past few days, Te Urewera Board chairman Tāmati Kruger said.

"The entire population of the country is now in self-isolation.

"We must emphasise that Te Urewera is not suitable for self-isolation ... we see Te Urewera as a single living system, and tangata whenua and manuhiri have a special place in it.

"Our role as kaitiaki in this case means keeping people safe and ensuring this closure is respected."

HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY IMAGES Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced New Zealand was at Covid-19 alert level three on Monday, and would progress to level four at 11.59pm on Wednesday.

The iwi is also planning to limit areas available to visiting hunters in what is called the "roar season" as its where many iwi members gather food.

The roar season is where stag are hunted, running for about four weeks from the end of March.

All hut and camp bookings to June 30 will also be cancelled.

In the East Cape, road blocks and checkpoints have also been planned.

Residents of Wharekahika will be stationed at Te Araroa Road between 8am and 6pm, from Wednesday 25 March to Wednesday 8 April.

Longtime Hicks Bay community member Ani Pahiru Huriwai, of Te Puna Manaaki a Ruataupare, said volunteers were planning to set up checkpoints to stop campervans and other unfamiliar vehicles at Te Araroa and Wharekahika (Hicks Bay).

"We're a long way from anywhere. We're 180km away from our nearest hospital. We have no GPs here," Huriwai said.

"A high percentage of our community would be immunocompromised, a high number of our people have diabetes, respiratory problems, or are cancer patients.

"We really don't want visitors coming to our area, who may have come from overseas, we don't know, or who may not have been abiding by the 14-day self-isolation."

Volunteers for the checkpoint will attend a five-hour training session on Tuesday.

"We will be going through protocols for the checkpoint and for keeping ourselves safe from Covid-19."

Dozens of marae across the country have also closed their doors, even for tangihanga, including several from Te Arawa, around the Rotorua/Bay of Plenty area, and even further south including Te Toke Marae, 23km from Taupō.

Aotearoa Fisheries Limited, the largest Māori-owned seafood company in New Zealand, has long supplied fish for tangihanga at Te Arawa marae.

Because of the closures, they decided to allocate 10kg of fish to tangi not held at the marae, a spokesman said.