The decision to move to Alert Level 3 has been met with mixed reactions.
One of the main concerns is ensuring New Zealand's contact tracing is up to scratch.
Some experts say the country is tracking well, but there's more to be done.
Infectious disease physician Dr Ayesha Verall says contact tracing needs to be improved as social interaction increases.
"When we come down to Level 3 and 2 that will be a wider group of people," says Dr Verall.
Dr Verall says New Zealand needs a threefold increase in its public health unit capacity to trace 1000 contacts per day.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says elimination is an ongoing effort.
"It's been down to a really small number of cases and knowing where they are all coming from," Dr Bloomfield said.
Schools and early childhood centres are preparing to open up next week once the country moves into Alert Level 3.
Perry Rush, New Zealand Principal's Federation President, says it won't be easy but it's up for the challenge.
"It is not a responsibility that can be impossible and I think that's the key point, it's really important that this is achievable."
Michael Baker from Otago University says it would be good if the country could stay in lockdown "for a couple more weeks just to really improve our chance of wiping out the virus."
"But we have to get people back in work and there's a lot of people suffering really badly, they've lost their livelihood, we know unemployment is bad for health," Mr Baker said.
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