No ‘non-essential’ online shopping

Consumers will only be able to shop online for essential goods such as ‘‘food, beverages, health and sanitation products and toiletries’’ during the coronavirus lockdown, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has decided.

‘‘Couriers will only be delivering essential items. We are asking customers to commit to only purchasing essential items at this time,’’ a spokeswoman said.

Mobile phone repairers and computer repairers were considered an essential service and could continue to operate but must – where possible – do so from home, she said.

‘‘If they must work from their premises they must minimise personal interactions, amongst staff and with customers.’’

Vodafone NZ spokeswoman Nicky Preston said it had approval to sell mobile phones and Sim cards through its website.

It and other telcos will also provide a repair service, via courier or drop-off store.

It is not yet clear whether or how other near-essential items such as cookers and fridges could be repaired if they broke down.

MBIE said earlier it was looking at ways to get people items such as fridges and washing machines if they need one, with contactless delivery.

Gary Bigwood, chief executive of electronics chain PB Tech, said it had been asked to continue supplying computer equipment to a wide range of essential services.

Like many other Kiwi businesses in that position, it was going through a formal approval process with MBIE.

There seemed to be a clear message coming from the Government that the ‘‘only activity’’ was around essential services.

‘‘There doesn’t appear to be any other activity [allowed] at all,’’ he said.

Some food and drinks businesses remained confused about what products they could deliver.

Paul Baker, co-owner of Vivace Espresso in Wellington, said he had still been unable to find out if his business would be allowed to deliver bags of coffee to customers’ homes.

He believed some competition might be needed to supermarket chains Foodstuffs and Countdown to ‘‘keep them honest’’, saying there might otherwise be a risk of pricegouging.

‘‘We are asking customers to commit to only purchasing essential items at this time.’’ MBIE spokeswoman