In the absence of any significant air travel happening, Aviation Security Service (Avsec) staff are now assisting police in making sure Kiwis are following the lockdown rules.
Non-essential travel is banned under the current pandemic alert level 4 rules, in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus behind COVID-19.
New Zealand has managed to avoid the kind of exponential growth seen in case numbers overseas, and only two of the 101,000 recorded deaths worldwide have happened here.
About 270 Avsec officers from Dunedin, Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland have joined police in "reassurance patrols" at supermarkets and checking on hotels where quarantined international travellers are staying before they're allowed to go home.
"The officers help ensure that only essential businesses are open and that people who are outside their home are observing the rules around physical distancing and only going out for essential services," said Police Minister Stuart Nash.
"All Avsec officers are experienced, uniformed security officers. They are used to face-to-face interactions with the public and explaining and enforcing the law.
"Their powers are more limited than those of sworn police officers, but they can be called on to assist constables if required."
This will free up uniformed police to attend to other duties only they can do, Nash said, "such as crime prevention, enforcement and prosecution".
"Avsec officers will not be deployed in situations that may put their safety at risk," said Transport Minister Phil Twyford. "Before they are deployed they take part in a special induction programme complemented by on-site and pre-deployment briefings. They also have access to personal protective equipment when needed."
The lockdown is due to end on April 22. Whether it does finish or goes on for longer to ensure the virus can be stamped out, will be revealed by the Government on April 20.
New Zealand has had 1283 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the majority either brought in from overseas by returning Kiwis or linked to such cases.
