The Transport Minister says some extra delays heading out of Auckland at Christmas are a small price to pay for getting safety measures in place.
Michael Wood says the police will make the decision about how to run spot checks to make sure everyone leaving the city meets the requirements.
He told Morning Report the intention is for everything to flow as smoothly as possible, and for travel outside of Auckland to be safe.
He said the border around Auckland was never meant to be permanent.
"It was an important thing to put in place, while we were managing the outbreak in its initial phases, but we never had any expectation that would be there permanently. This is about how we transition in make sure that we have as much safety and protection built in as possible."
He said drivers should prepare for a little extra time spent in the car but noted there is usually a lot of traffic on the road around that time of year.
"I would advise people just to plan for a little bit more time for your journeys, bearing in mind that a lot of Aucklanders are going to want to get out as well.
"So, plan for a bit more time, be patient, put some snacks in the back seat for the kids, and just relax. You will get to your destination, but it is important that we have these measures to give people as much assurance as possible."
