Up to 10,000 New Zealanders abroad were expected to return home over the next five days, and Ardern said authorities expected “several thousand” more cases to be confirmed before strict self-isolation rules began to “flatten the curve” of new infections.

A NEW NORMAL

The crisis has plunged New Zealand into a state of uncertainty, with many people fearing job losses, income instability and significant impact to their daily lives as they adjust to a new routine.

Fine Lavoni Koloamatangi, 31, a graduate teaching assistant, said she would be working from home, a period she expected to be difficult given she lived in a household of eight people.

“My parents will be working from home and it’ll be interesting to see how it works out – my mum works as an interpreter in the hospital, so most of her interpreting will be conducted over the telephone,” said Koloamatangi, a New Zealander of Tongan descent.

The Auckland resident said with three generations living under the same roof, her family had been taking heightened precautions, “including wearing masks and carrying hand sanitisers around”.

Dixon Cheng, a freelance web developer, said these were “tough times” for gig workers such as him and his wife, a graphic designer. He had a contract with a client that was due to end in May, and “there’s a bit of uncertainty around whether there’s still work available then”.

“My wife’s design work … has been extremely quiet the past couple of weeks, with lots of leads and projects put on hold,” the 39-year-old said. “A long-term client of hers is suffering majorly due to the fact that their core business is to provide sales training, and they’re obviously unable to hold any workshops in person under the current circumstances.”

Cheng said balancing childcare while working from home was also challenging.

“We have two children, ages six and two, who were attending school and kindergarten prior to the shutdown and are now both at home,” he said. “It has been chaotic trying to juggle work and kids at the same time – with us having to find new and creative ways to entertain them during the day.”

Although worried about his income prospects, the Auckland homeowner said the slowdown represented opportunity. “We are trying to remain hopeful there’ll still be work in the digital space as people are coming up with creative ways to still operate their business online during this time.”

FEARS FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS

As the country’s alert level escalated, concerns mounted about the impact on at-risk populations, including people sleeping rough who were unable to access secure, hygienic accommodation for self-isolation.

According to the 2013 census, some 41,000 people were either homeless or did not have secure, long-term or adequate accommodation.

The Lifewise Merge Cafe in Auckland, an NGO that supports homeless and low-income residents, was among the thousands of non-essential businesses which had to close by Wednesday. However, it said it was working to support the most urgent cases, with 15 people placed in emergency accommodation on Wednesday.

The organisation was also delivering grocery packs to rough sleepers and those who had been housed in motels.

“We were able to house a number of people yesterday, including a family that had been living in a tent,” said Zoe Truell, Lifewise manager of practice and development. “There continues to be a need for more accommodation to ensure our most vulnerable have somewhere to stay.”

Police and crisis services were also bracing themselves for a surge in people needing support for domestic violence.

Acknowledging the difficulties an extended stay-home period may create for some, the police on Wednesday urged men to think twice and seek help via a special hotline before harming a loved one.

New Zealand has the highest rate of family and intimate-partner violence in the developed world, with police receiving one report of abuse every four minutes on average.

Justice Minister Andrew Little last week said the pandemic response had “the potential to put a lot more stress on … families, and we know when that happens there’s usually an increase in violence in the home”, local media reported.

Shine, a domestic abuse charity, said reports overseas showed a rise in abuse during times of crisis, and that it was working with the Women’s Refuge to increase support for victims.

“We’ve seen in China that family violence skyrocketed in the provinces hardest hit by Covid-19,” Holly Carrington, Shine’s policy adviser, told The Spinoff news website. “Based on that, we are expecting an increase in physical violence here.”

“Not all homes are safe places. Quarantine or self-isolation at home will put many women and children at risk,” she said in a speech on Wednesday.

TOURISTS STRANDED

Meanwhile, thousands of tourists caught out by this week’s self-isolation rules and lockdown in New Zealand also faced a challenge to adapt.

Kenny Mah, a Malaysian traveller stuck in New Zealand, was left in a bind after his hotel announced it would shut down at noon on Wednesday.

“Many travellers have maxed out their credit cards and severely strained their resources in such situations,” he wrote in an article in the Malay Mail.

Mah said after liaising with several parties, including the Malaysian High Commission and the volunteer NZ Malaysia Business Association, he managed to secure a place to stay in Auckland “in the nick of time”.

LIFE GOES ON

For other New Zealanders, being cooped up at home was an opportunity to be creative and spend more time with their loved ones.

Carl Non, a 35-year-old IT worker, said: “Churches have been closed, which is tough, but some of the local churches are streaming services online which we can tune into so our Sunday routine remains the same.”

He said the coronavirus outbreak was not going to get in the way of his regular game night.

“Where my friends and I would previously meet and hang out to play [card game] Magic: The Gathering, we’ve had to now get creative and set up video conferences to both keep the hobby alive, and also have that level of social interaction,” Non said.

University tutor Koloamatangi said the unprecedented lockdown had created anxiety but had an upside.

“At least this gives us some time to spend with our families, rest and reflect on our lives,” she said. “There’s always a silver lining to everything.”