Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard
Question No. 2—Prime Minister
2. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government’s statements and actions?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes. In particular I stand by our approach to COVID, which has always been to take cautious steps forward, to let systems bed in, and to ensure as much certainty and safety as possible for New Zealanders. Because of these actions, we have seen Auckland case numbers and hospitalisations continue to decline while we have steadily lifted restrictions. We’re continuing this move forward with almost all of the country moving into orange on 11.59 p.m. on 30 December. This will follow two weeks after boundary restrictions are removed to give us greater certainty as we move forward. There are alternatives to our confident but cautious plan. There are those who will call to move faster, to abandon protections, and to hastily lift restrictions. We know from international experience that those who have done that have had to re-impose restrictions. Our plan seeks to move forward carefully but also to make progress.
Christopher Luxon: What is her expectation about the level of disruption Aucklanders can expect to face when driving out of the city this summer?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Ultimately, it will be the police who will determine how they manage compliance checks, in the same way as it’s up to the police to manage other checks they undertake for road policing such as, for instance, drunk driving. I’ve seen statements made by the police saying that they will be very mindful of traffic flows as they undertake the checks at their discretion.
Christopher Luxon: Does she stand by her statement yesterday that she’d been given an implication from police that not every car driving north would be stopped, and how many cars in fact will be stopped?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The indication was from a press statement that the police released. In particular, the Northland District Commander, Superintendent Tony Hill, in his statement said police will be very mindful of traffic flows; the public can expect they may be stopped and spoken to by police to ensure they’re abiding by the requirements of the public health order. Of course, by implication I assume the member would have rather had an alternative where there was no requirement on the Auckland public to do anything to ensure the ongoing safety of New Zealanders, that they simply lift the border and let it go. Our view has always been transition safely; reduce the chances of other cases being seeded. Yes, we know we will see some movement, but reducing it down as much as possible reduces the impact on vulnerable communities and our health system.
Christopher Luxon: Isn’t it correct that her Government decided to allow checkpoints, and why won’t she take responsibility and tell Kiwis travelling this summer what the impacts of this decision will be?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: This Government’s decision is not to just let COVID rip. If you’re going to take that decision, then naturally you place some expectation on those who are travelling. That expectation is quite a simple one. The vast bulk of Aucklanders are vaccinated, and by simply carrying their vaccine pass, they are meeting the requirement. For those who are not vaccinated, a simple rapid antigen test at a pharmacy will do as proof of travel. We’re leaving it up to the police as to how they undertake compliance, but, of course, as they’ve said themselves, they will be mindful of traffic flows.
Christopher Luxon: Don’t Aucklanders, after 15 weeks in lockdown, deserve at least some idea of how long they’ll have to sit in traffic to get a summer holiday, and why hasn’t she required this to be made public?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We actually did talk openly about the decision that we made. We have said that not every vehicle will be checked because, of course, that would cause a significant delay, because tens of thousands of Aucklanders move over the summer period. We have set a requirement. There will be compliance checks at the police’s discretion. In the same way that I cannot tell the public how long they may have to wait if there is a drunk driving test on a Saturday night, it will be up to the police to determine how they undertake these checks. Again, I come back to the alternative. Some people are uncomfortable about the changes at the Auckland boundary. This is a balanced approach that ensures Aucklanders can rightly move, because they deserve to, but ensures that we maintain extra precautions as we transition.
Christopher Luxon: Is it fair that Aucklanders have done everything they’ve been asked to during 15 weeks of lockdown, and even now you’re keeping them at red, against health advice?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No, the public health advice actually was to keep them at red. But I would again come back to the alternative that the member seems to be advocating. In fact, I’ve seen a statement from him that says, “Frankly, we don’t support the traffic light system. Our view is very clear, that when we can get to a high level of double vaccination we’re good to go, and we have to open up the country and get going.” The Opposition doesn’t support public health protections, they don’t support a boundary at Auckland, they don’t support any international boundary. That is a recipe for what we have seen in Europe.
Christopher Luxon: How many more businesses does she expect to fail as a result of the Government’s decision to keep Auckland at red for the rest of the year?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The decision was taken on the basis of public health advice. Our view is that if we take a cautious approach—
Hon Kiritapu Allan: How many people do you want to kill, mate?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: —we’re more likely to see businesses be able to continue to operate. Of course, the member will be aware that we have worked very hard to support businesses all the way through COVID-19 and, indeed, the transition. I again would just use this as an opportunity to remind those who may be affected by that transition of the transition support payment that opened on 10 December. Like the resurgence support payment, it offers up to $24,000 to support businesses.
Christopher Luxon: What does she say to the staff and owners of Auckland’s bars and restaurants who are stuck at red until the end of the year, by which time Auckland will have emptied out for summer and their businesses will be struggling to survive?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That I know it’s been tough, but, despite a global pandemic, where in some parts of the world hospitality has remained closed for the better part of a year, we’ve designed a framework to try and ensure that they can remain open. Of course, they are able to open—a hundred indoor, seated and separated, and also if they have outdoor space, they’re able to occupy that too. That’s a level of certainty many countries cannot offer right now.
