More than 300 vehicles have been stopped at checkpoints around Auckland's boundaries in a 19-hour period since the city went into Alert Level 3.
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In a statement this afternoon, Police Minister Stuart Nash said officers had stopped about 17,000 vehicles, as of 7am.
Of those, 312 were turned around.
"Police advise that most people were co-operative and responded positively to requests," Mr Nash said.
Meanwhile, in the greater Auckland region police carried out 852 Covid-19 patrols and checks.
"These included reassurance patrols at essential businesses like supermarkets, responses to complaints about potential breaches, and checks on other businesses," Mr Nash said.
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"Reports from the first day of Alert Level 3 indicate the vast majority of residents in our largest city have responded well to the new restrictions."
"Police enforcement of both Alert Levels 3 and 2 follows the same pattern as our earlier lockdown. Police take a graduated approach where they engage, encourage and educate people about the Covid restrictions, before moving to more formal warnings or even arrests."
