The levels at which different parts of New Zealand will move forward into the COVID-19 Protection Framework on Friday 3 December have been announced.
- Northland, Auckland, Taupō and Rotorua Lakes Districts, Kawerau, Whakatane, Ōpōtiki Districts, Gisborne District, Wairoa District, Rangitikei, Whanganui and Ruapehu Districts will move in at Red
- The rest of the North Island will move in at Orange
- The whole of the South Island will move in at Orange
No regions are moving to Green immediately while the aim is to continue to get vaccination rates up and transition the country to the new framework. The factors considered when setting the colours in each region include vaccination, the state of the health system, testing, contact tracing and case management capacity, as well as the rate and effect of COVID-19 transmission.
Cabinet will review settings and provide an update on Monday 13 December. The next update by Ministers will be on Monday 17 January, and will continue on a fortnightly basis.