Northland tourism operators remain hopeful the region will move from Red to Orange, as part of this afternoon's announcement. 

Riki Kinnaird - the co-owner of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel in the Bay of Islands - told Tim Dower the current restrictions are hitting them hard. 

“The Duke itself is about 35-40 percent down, and that’s partially down to the Red traffic light system and the optics of the borders.” 

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