Ngāti Whātua is defending the management of the border between Te Tai Tokerau and Tāmaki Makaurau.
Northland will drop down to alert level 2 at midnight, following a Covid scare in which a woman who later tested positive crossed the border using fake documents.
That's raised concerns that poor controls could see more cases sneak through.
But those on the frontlines say the strict set up is running as it should.
Sam Olley was there today.
