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Have they been fair, honest, ethical and kept their promises? Voters must scrutinise government’s record closely before November election

By
Kalino Latu
-

COMMENTARY: His Majesty King Tupou VI has called on voters to elect the best MPs to Parliament.

How are they to ensure this happens?

In this critical time before the general election next month, voters should ask whether their leaders have been honest, fair, ethical and kept the promises during the last election. The people need an honest government that distributes development projects fairly and makes sure their benefits last a long time.

PM Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva News)

Voters should scrutinise the candidates for election closely to make sure they elect the best people to Parliament this coming election, as the king wishes.

Taxpayers and donors’ money

They must also be aware that they pay part of the costs of the government’s projects through their taxes. The rest comes from overseas aid. The controversial road construction programmes that have been carried out have been funded by the people’s tax money and overseas donors. They were not personally paid for by the Prime Minister or the MPs and Cabinet Ministers whose constituencies have been favoured with the work.

Voters should also understand that the weaving houses,  toilets, bridges, wharves and upgrades for local airports, including the recently announced multi-million pa’anga upgrade for Vava’u International airport were not paid for out of the Prime Minister’s pocket.

They were paid for by the taxes people paid and overseas grants and aid.

It’s election and campaign times

Voters must understand that any project or significant event or ministerial campaign that is staged by the government from now until the election are government’s duties, not special  things that have been funded by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers for the benefit of the voters.

If politicians, especially the government ministers, have visited your houses recently – especially in the outer islands – and met your elders you should ask why they are visiting now when it is close to the election and why they did not come last year or the year before.

Voters should understand that it is the responsibility of the government to build and repair roads, wharves and bridges and meet the people’s urgent needs through local  development projects such as constituency and local wardens fundings.

Government must be fair, ethical and honest

Government MPs and Ministers have this power. What voters need are Parliamentarians who can do it more fairly and more honestly than Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa’s government. Having said that, we acknowledge that some people have said they are happy the government has built toilets and weaving houses for them and repaired roads. This is why they will still vote for them despite the many accusations which laid against the government.

However, we would urge these people – and every voter in this election –  to subject this government to the closest possible scrutiny. Have they really done such a good job? Have they kept their promises? Have they treated everybody fairly and distributed improvement projects equally?

This government’s failures

This government might fail such close scrutiny. The Prime Minster has been accused of abusing his power and lying to the public. He has been accused of staging a national fasting programme to allow him and his Cabinet Ministers to tour the outer islands at the same time they and their wives were being paid travel allowances from the government’s coffers.

Democrat supporters have long complained about the roading programme, which has been mired in controversy since it was revealed that contracts have gone to friends of the government, including Tu’i’onetoa’s People’s Party (PAK – Paati ‘A e Kakai) bigwig and convicted criminal ‘Etuate Lavulavu. The only constituencies that are regarded as a priority for the roading project are those which voted for the PAK.

The  control and manipulation of information has worsened under Prime Minister Tu’i’onetoa.

They were elected to Parl’t under PTOA banner

PM Tu’i’onetoa, MP Vātau Hui and MP Poasi Tei breached their promise to the people that they were with the PTOA Party in the last snap election. When Democrat leader ‘Akilisi Pōhiva died they defected and joined the Noble MPs in a premiership election in which voters did not have a say.

It is important for voters to confirm in this upcoming election where they want their MPs to stand in terms of party line and political blocs.

If the people can bring pressure to bear on their MPs to vote for the Prime Minister of their choice then we will truly have a chance to elect the best people to Parliament.

 

 

Covid-19 update: 102 community cases in NZ today

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

The number of new community cases has reached triple figures for the first time, with 102 cases reported today.

Test for coronavirus Covid-19. Female doctor or nurse doing lab analysis of a nasal swab in a hospital laboratory. Medical technologist holding a COVID-19 smear kit, wearing protective gloves from

Photo: 123RF

The Health Ministry said 94 of the cases were in Auckland and eight in Waikato. Thirty of the cases are household contacts.

Forty of the new cases remain unlinked and there are 199 unlinked cases in the past 14 days.

There were 60 new community cases yesterday.

The Ministry said all of the Waikato cases were in the Te Awamutu area. Seven have already been linked to known cases.

One of the Waikato cases travelled to Hawke’s Bay last Friday, but returned to Te Awamutu before testing positive.

At today’s media conference, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed there were no known positive cases in Hawke’s Bay.

People in the Te Awamutu are being urged to get tested if they or anyone in their household has symptoms, or if they have travelled out of Te Awamutu over the past week for work or other activities.

Dr Bloomfield asked for more people to come forward for testing in Waikato, as only 3000 swabs were taken yesterday.

There are 46 people in hospital with Covid-19, including seven in intensive care.

Two cases were reported at the border, including one historical case.

There have been 2260 cases in the current community outbreak and 4956 since the pandemic began.

Dr Bloomfield said the harms for Covid-19 fall much more on those who are unimmunised

“UK data shows that of 40,000 patients hospitalised in the six months to the middle of this year in the UK, 84 percent of those people hospitalised hadn’t been vaccinated and only 3 percent of cases in hospital were fully vaccinated.”

He said the data for New Zealand was similar.

Dr Bloomfield updated guidance for allied health professionals working in settings outside district health boards and hospitals clarifies that they can provide services under alert level 3. This will enable about 2000 people in Auckland alone such as psychotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors to provide services to those who need it.

They will continue to provide tele-health services where that is most appropriate, he said.

This week is also infection prevention control week, and Dr Bloomfield acknowledges the “huge dedication and effort” of IPC professionals working on the front line.

Follow all the latest Covid-19 developments with RNZ’s blog

Auckland hotel to allow only fully vaccinated guests

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Amy Williams of RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

An Auckland inner city hotel and restaurant operator has decided it will take only guests who are fully vaccinated from November.

The Hotel Britomart, including its restaurant Kingi, is introducing a vaccine mandate ahead of any government licence to do so.

The hotel’s owner also operates The Landing, a luxury holiday accommodation in the Bay of Islands, which is also part of the vaccine mandate.

Its general manager Clinton Farley said they were taking the position to keep their staff and guests safe.

“We’ve decided to take a stance on mandating vaccines across our entire team,” he said.

“We’re mandating that all our suppliers and contractors and visitors whether they be guests or restaurant patrons also are double dosed and able to provide evidence of that before setting foot on our property.”

He said the legal ramifications have been considered and the decision to introduce a vaccine mandate was not taken lightly.

Farley said anyone who could not prove their vaccine status would be turned away.

“Prior to arriving at the hotel we send out a number of communications, whether that be on our website or booking engines, and we also ask people to confirm that they have been double dosed vaccinated,” he said.

“If they arrive at the hotel or restaurant without evidence of such we will not be able to check them into the hotel or allow them to dine at our restaurant.”

Other businesses are not so bold.

The hotel sector is urging the government to pave the way for its members to require both staff and guests to be fully vaccinated.

The Hotel Council Aotearoa has formally asked the ministers of tourism and finance to pass legislation to make vaccine mandates legal in the hotel and hospitality sectors.

Its strategic director James Doolan said many business owners do not want to carry the legal risk and are waiting on government advice.

“I’m hearing from members that they would like to introduce vaccine mandates but it’s important that the government takes the lead and passes legislation confirming vaccine mandates by hotels and other hospitality venues would be legal,” he said.

“Earlier on in the fight against Covid the government passed legislation confirming that the lockdowns were legal and I think it’s perfectly reasonable for hotels and hospitality venues to ask the government to pass similar legislation confirming that vaccine mandates are legal too.”

Doolan said he hoped the government’s announcement on Friday would include a vaccine mandate for the hotel and hospitality sectors.

Early easing of Covid restrictions could be lethal for Maori/Pasifika

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

A Pacific public health expert says a premature transition of Covid-19 restrictions in New Zealand could be lethal for Maori and Pasifika communities.

The government is under increasing pressure to ease restrictions in Auckland with National saying it would set a six-week deadline for ending lockdowns and that a target of 85-90 percent vaccination rates were ‘do-able’ within that timeframe.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday revealed the city would remain in alert level 3, step 1 and signalled the government would reveal a Covid-19 protection plan on Friday.

But Auckland University public health associate professor, Collin Tukuitonga, says easing restrictions before vaccination rates among the most at risk communities of Maori and Pasifika are high, could be a death sentence.

“It is abundantly clear that Maori and Pasifika people will have more infections, more of them will go to hospital and more of them will die,” he said.

“Fortunately we haven’t had the deaths here that has been apparent in other countries. But clearly if we move prematurely the people at risk will pay the price.”

Covid-19 update: 60 new community cases reported today

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

The number of new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand has dropped from yesterday’s record high, with 60 new cases reported today.

No caption
Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas

The Ministry of Health said 56 of today’s cases were in Auckland and four were in Waikato.

Yesterday the ministry reported 94 new community cases, the highest number since the pandemic began.

There were also two cases reported at the border today.

Twenty-two of today’s 60 cases are yet to be linked to earlier cases. There are 166 unlinked cases from the past 14 days.

There are 43 people in hospital, including five in intensive care.

The number of community cases connected to the current outbreak is now 2158 and there have now been 4854 cases in this country since the pandemic began.

In announcing today’s new Covid-19 case numbers, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said infections were still expected to rise and daily numbers would bounce around.

He continued to encourage New Zealanders to get tested for the virus.

“Of the four new cases today in Waikato, two of those are close household contacts who were already in a quarantine facility and the other two were also known to have likely links to existing cases.”

The total number of cases in Waikato is now 56, 10 of whom have now recovered.

Dr Bloomfield again urged people in Waikato to get tested

“Yesterday, New Lynn’s Shadbolt Park was classified as a location of interest. It’s now been reclassified as an exposure event and has been taken down from the Ministry of Health website. Having looked further into the event, which was being managed by a PHU elsewhere in the country it is now being assessed as an exposure event with a small number of people who are contacts. They are all known, have all been contacted and are now isolating.”

There were 42,809 vaccine doses given yesterday – 10,392 first doses and 32,417 second doses.

He said health teams in Auckland had moved away from using suburbs of interest as part of their testing regime because the infections are widespread across the city. Testing instead is going to be focused in areas where there is a higher test-positivity rate, where the risk of unidentified cases is considered potentially higher.

“People with symptoms and even if they are mild symptoms, even if you are vaccinated in New Lynn and the North Shore suburbs of Rosedale, Redvale and Bayswater please do go and get tested as soon as possible,” Bloomfield said.

He said it was important to determine whether there were undetected cases in those communities.

Dr Bloomfield also said from Thursday healthcare employees working into quarantine and isolation facilities would be allowed to work in other healthcare facilities without the need for a 48-hour stand-down period and negative test requirement.

“This will allow greater flexibility in using that MIQ workforce and of others being able to supplement that workforce and reduce some of the real pressure that is under that workforce,” he said.

He said information was going up on the Health Ministry’s website soon relating to the third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for immuno-compromised people. It would include the inclusion criteria, including how this small group of people would be identified and when they would receive their third vaccination.

“You will not be able to book a third vaccine on the Book My Vaccine website … details will be up on the website later this afternoon,” he said.

Immigration lawyer calls for Covid-19 vaccination to be a condition of visas

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Gill Bonnet of RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

An immigration lawyer is calling on the government to boost Covid-19 vaccinations by granting visas only to those who get inoculated, and offering an amnesty to overstayers who are double-jabbed.

Richard Small said with a record 165,000 new residents expected next year, making vaccinations a condition of visas would increase immunity levels in hard-to-reach communities.

Allowing visas for overstayers was an idea proposed by the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA), which also called for a clear pathway to residency for people from the Pacific Islands.

The government’s broad residency announcement a fortnight ago will be enacted next year] but the estimated 14,000 people on expired visas were not included.

“The reason I would support vaccination as a condition for section 61 (visas for unlawful people) is that at least for our client base this is one of the most at-risk communities and potentially with relatively high levels of non-vaccination,” Small said.

“With Delta we cannot afford to leave anyone behind. A visa is the one thing that would overcome isolation and anti-vax preaching that a lot of these people are receiving within their isolated settings by fundamentalist US-leaning churches.”

Small, who runs Pacific Legal immigration lawyers, said visas for hard-to-fill jobs such as fruit picking could be followed up with residence through Pacific Island quota visas not used during the pandemic.

“There may be an argument to also allow equivalent visas in the aged care industry which is crying out for staff,” he said. “Allowing caregiver visas for a certain number of applicants who are looking after vulnerable relatives provided there is clear evidence of their sponsorship and support. Again this would be subject to vaccination.

“We have 20 to 30 per cent of our long-term overstaying clients, particularly women, who have stayed single and are cultural caregivers full-time to New Zealand resident or citizen elders with multiple co-morbidities. They are saving the health system many millions of dollars and are liable for deportation for their efforts.”

Vaccinations could be added to the full medical test and would be subject to medical exemptions and waivers.

A temporary visa for overstayers could be followed by the opportunity to apply for residence, he said, pointing to an amnesty in the early 2000s.

“Lives were transformed, children have gone on to become doctors lawyers, leaders in creative fields,” he said. “I think the community would be surprised to learn the breadth and depth of gratitude and achievement that has come back from several thousand families who eventually gained residence after a two-and-a-half year probation.”

The EMA are among those who support the amnesty idea as its members seek solutions for New Zealand’s skills and labour shortage, saying it should have accompanied the government’s Dawn Raids apology.

Immigration minister Kris Faafoi said in a statement an amnesty was not considered as part of the one-off residence work. “That is something that would involve a number of broader considerations,” he said. “A vaccination requirement was also not considered as part of the one-off residence work.”

Pacific reset

Government overstayer estimates suggest overstayers from Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu make up 48 percent of the total numbers.

Professor Paul Spoonley, who researches migration and settlement and is looking at the level of cohesion about the government’s Covid-19 measures, said an amnesty would be a positive step. While RSE workers were being let in, backpackers who would also normally do orchard and vineyard work were not, so there would still be a shortfall in seasonal labour.

“We’ve offered an amnesty to people who are here illegally and wouldn’t it be a good idea to try and consider who they are and where they are, subject to health and character requirements.

“I’m a great fan of requiring anything that you might do to show signs that you’ve been vaccinated. I think that we should attach to the rights to come to this country the requirement that you should be vaccinated and tested. What’s disappointing to me is that very often, it’s down to “rights”, and the right not to be vaccinated. Whereas I think there’s a “public good” right, which is that we should have communities that are vaccinated, unless there are very good reasons why you shouldn’t be.”

The Pacific reset announced by the previous Labour-New Zealand First coalition proposed changes to Pacific immigration.

The work focused on ensuring that residence policies, including family categories, were “accessible; that people’s settlement needs are being met; policy settings minimise the risk of migrant exploitation; and that existing immigration policies recognise climate change displacement in the Pacific where appropriate.”

A Cabinet paper showed reviews of the seasonal RSE scheme and Pacific-focused residence categories were being carried out to ensure they supported good settlement outcomes. The Samoan Quota and the Pacific Access Category programmes allow approximately 1750 people to be granted residence in New Zealand annually. Previous criticism has pointed to how difficult it is for successful ballot applicants to obtain job offers, meaning places have not always been filled.

The Ministry of Education signalled its interest in the work, particularly overstayers and the potential impact on outcomes for their children’s outcomes, including transition from secondary to tertiary education.

The Cabinet paper showed then-Foreign Affairs minister Winston Peters had put forward an action plan on Pacific climate change-related displacement and migration to investigate changes to visas, which it suggested may be implemented after 2024.

A petition by the Pacific Leadership Forum last year called for residency for Pacific Islanders stranded here during the pandemic and evidence it gave to Parliament suggested overstayers contribute $124 million in taxes to New Zealand every year.

Lord Fohe fined $500 over resident assault

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Lord Fohe, who attacked a tenant who lived in his estate was fined TOP$500 after admitting assault and pleading guilty.

Lord Fohe. Photo/Screenshot

The incident happened in Puke when the king’s noble arrived at Tasimani Fa’s residence and assaulted him.

The court was told Lord Fohe was not happy after Fa challenged him during a meeting in December 2020 .

In court, Lord Fohe was apologetic and asked Justice Langi for mercy.

READ MORE:

The judge discharged him without conviction, which has spared him a criminal record.

The court reminded  Lord Fohe his responsibility to keep a good record because of his hereditary title and avoid assaulting people.

Lord Fohe’s fine came after the New Zealand High Court ordered that the former Governor of Vava’u, Lord Fulivai and his wife repay a New Zealand businessman $253,370.60.

It said the Fulivais must repay the  money paid to them by company director Christopher Barrett to make land available to him, together with interest dating to January 1, 2018; repayment of loans with interests and costs for the entire proceedings.

 

Housing density to increase across New Zealand under rare bipartisan solution

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

National and the government have worked together to design new housing density rules that would allow three homes three storeys tall without a consent.

Watch the media conference here:

In a rare show of bipartisanship, Labour government ministers Megan Woods and David Parker shared the podium with National’s leader Judith Collins and housing spokesperson Nicola Willis to announce the changes at midday.

The parties worked together on the new Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, which aims to make it easier to build houses.

It includes new intensification rules allowing up to three homes three storeys high to be built on most sites without resource consent, a change from district plans which typically only allow for one home of up to two storeys.

This would apply in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, and Christchurch, where councils would be required to adopt medium-density residential standards.

No caption

Photo: New Zealand Government

Councils could choose to make the proposed standards more permissive to builders, and developers could apply for a resource consent to go further than what the standards would allow.

“Exemptions for certain circumstances such as natural hazards or where a site has heritage value will be maintained,” Parker said.

The government said modelling by PwC predicted the new rules were predicted to result in about 48,200 to 105,500 new homes being built in the next five to eight years.

Collins said she had written to the environment minister in the last Parliamentary term, offering to work together on RMA reform, and the Bill was the result of work over the past year.

“They welcomed National’s contribution to further development of policy to allow a serious uplift in new housing in urban areas … National has appreciated the opportunity to contribute constructively to this development process.”

Woods said it made sense to work together where there was a consensus.

“Having broad political consensus on these changes gives homeowners, councils, investors and developers greater certainty. We are pleased to have National’s support in enabling New Zealanders to have access to modernising our cities in this way.”

“New Zealand has a serious housing shortage, and has simply not built enough homes to meet the needs of New Zealanders. This is making housing increasingly unaffordable with its effects felt most strongly by New Zealand’s poorest, most vulnerable and youngest generations.”

The bill would also bring the National Policy Statement on Urban Development forward by one year, so councils in metropolitan areas would need intensification policies in place by August 2023, after notifying plan changes by August 2022.

Parker said the workload for councils would also be reduced by removing some of the existing complexities in the policy statement, which would make it simpler to implement.

Collins said rolling back consenting rules was key to addressing the housing shortage.

“It is crazy to me that existing planning rules in New Zealand actually make it harder to get houses built, harder and more expensive … in April I took the step of introducing my own member’s bill and writing to all party leaders asking for their support. Our housing emergency is an absolute crisis.

“Housing is an issue that touches all Kiwis … we see young families forced to save for a decade to build a deposit and putting off decisions because of that lack of certainty.

“National supports this policy because it focuses on supply. Rather than making life harder for property owners, this policy tells them that you have the right to build.”

Local government plans to change housing rules have spurred debate Wellington and Auckland over protection for heritage areas and which suburbs to open up to higher-density zoning.

Collins made an impassioned argument against those who worried reduced regulation would mean a community losing its character.

“To those… I say this: Our communities lose their character when people can’t afford to own their own home.

“Stronger communities are formed when families can own their home and it is in the interests of all Kiwis to live in a property-owning community, where people put down anchors in their community and have a stake in local affairs; where kids get to stay at the same school; where the politics of envy aren’t fuelled by rapidly rising house prices; where our children can afford to buy a home and start a family and growing up in a property-owning democracy.”

Willis said New Zealand had some of the most unaffordable housing in the world.

“And Kiwis expect MPs to take action to address it. Homeowners and non-homeowners all know that the property ladder has simply been pulled out of reach of too many people. Our housing shortage is fuelling inequality and robbing younger New Zealanders of hope.”

Housing Minister Megan Woods, left, National MP Nicola Willis, with National Party leader Judith Collins. The parties worked together on a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act making it easier to build houses.

National’s housing spokesperson Nicola Willis alongside Woods and Collins. Photo: Pool / Stuff / Robert Kitchin

She said homeowners who preferred to live in a one-storey home with a large garden should take comfort in the knowledge they would not be forced to demolish their existing home and many such homes would remain, while those desperately seeking smaller housing would welcome far more of such housing stock.

“These measures are not about a one-time increase in housing stock, but a permanent shift in the flexibility of the supply of housing and over time it will deliver more affordable housing.”

She thanked Woods and Parker for engaging with National.

Woods said she hoped the new bill would be the death of nimbyism.

“This has been an incredibly fraught and difficult issue for so many councils in different parts of the country … when there is a housing crisis that you need to lay aside some of your differences.

“We do need to step up, take that leadership, and that we do need to help our councils work through these issues with their local communities.”

The legislation being introduced today will have first reading next Tuesday 26 October, followed by a three-week submission period, aiming to be passed in the last week of Parliament for this year by 16 December.

Covid-19 Delta outbreak: 94 cases today, including seven in Waikato

By
Kalino Latu
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare are encouraging people to continue to go out and get vaccinated.

Today there are 94 new community cases of Covid-19 in the country.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says 84 cases in Auckland across 55 households are isolating at home.

Criteria for isolating at home is based on a public health and clinical risk assessment and take into consideration factors such as whether someone lives in a place which allows them and their household to isolate safely away from others, that there’s good phone and internet access, their own transport for testing and that they are happy and comfortable, including having the supplies they need.

Based on the latest data, five people who are pregnant have been hospitalised during this outbreak, Bloomfield says.

He says vaccination is safe and highly protective for pregnant people.

Ardern says the highs and lows of case numbers is particularly hard on people.

“The cases we are seeing right now are not confined to one part of Auckland, they are across 124 suburbs.”

“The rules matter for everyone,” she says.

“This morning in our briefing a particular focus from our public health team on the fact that they have a positivity rate, so the amount of testing relative to the number of positives coming back that is of concern to them, on the North Shore. So if you are on the North Shore, experiencing any symptoms, even if you have been vaccinated, please go and get a test.”

“Please remember, this outbreak is not in one part of Auckland.”

Ardern says the highest number of cases today are across the three age ranges least vaccinated – 39 years and under.

She says of course, under 12s are unable to be vaccinated.

“If you are young, you’re sadly not invincible. Twelve of our current hospitalisations are under 39 years of age.”

Ardern asks all Aucklanders to please get vaccinated.

She also urges people to get their second dose as soon as possible, three weeks after the first dose.

She urges people to stick with the rules, “I know it’s hard but we are so so close.”

Today’s cases include people who were non-compliant with the rules, she says.

Bloomfield says region-wide testing in Waikato is very important and will help inform decisions later in the week.

“If you have not been vaccinated yet, today is the day to do it,” he says.

Bloomfield says the Covid-19 technical advisory group has recommended individuals aged 12 and older who have a compromised immune system should receive a third primary dose of the vaccine.

This is different to a booster shot for the general population, he says.

The group includes some people with chronic diseases and people who are taking immunosuppressive therapies before or after their second dose of the vaccine.

Further advice will be provided on wider booster doses and an update will be provided next week.

‘Covid-19 is on the doorstep of your houses’ – Peeni Henare

Minister Peeni Henare thanks all Māori providers, iwi, hapū, practitioners, vaccinators and DHB staff.

“You’re efforts are indeed seen,” he says.

Henare says over the past two weeks, prior to Super Saturday, he travelled to a number of DHBs and saw great work but identified a number of challenges.

He asks those who aren’t onboard for their help. “Our whānau need you and to many of them you are the trusted person that will be key to them making an informed decision about the vaccination.”

Significant funding has already been provided to Hauora Māori to support and build capability for the vaccine programme, he says.

He says if you need support to make your decision, get your information from official sources or you can speak to kaumātua and kuia who are currently leading vaccination rates amongst Māori communities.

An announcement will be made later in the week regarding support for the Māori vaccination effort.

“We’ve seen the threat that this current Covid-19 outbreak is to the wellbeing of Māori communities with a total of 560 Māori cases recorded. In the last two weeks, Māori have made up 45.7 percent of total cases vs 28 percent throughout the entire outbreak. Although sobering, these number reinforce why vaccinating our communities is so important.”

“So I say to the Māori people, Covid-19 is on the doorstep of your houses, do not let it enter and the best course of protection still remains for us to vaccinate our people.”

Ardern says they’ve always been concerned with creating a space where it can be interpreted that there’s room for people to be left behind. They’ve been thinking about Māori vaccination rates in the work they are doing ahead of Friday.

She says the work going on right now with Māori providers, and the government needing to make sure it provides all the resources required, is critical.

“Regardless that needs to continue until we reach everyone.”

Henare says vaccination is key not just for the community in Tāmaki Makaurau but everywhere.

Ardern says rates for older Māori are high. But there is a group of, particularly young people and certain parts of the country, who don’t think it’s real or it effects them.

Henare says he spoke to a number of PHO and GP clinics were who were focusing on the day to day work in their clinics rather than the vaccination numbers and it is them he implores to them continue to help drive up the numbers. But he acknowledges a number he met with were heavily involved in the vaccination effort.

There is an R value of between 1.2 and 1.3, Ardern says.

She doesn’t want people to rely on vaccination at this stage, “The rules also need to be followed.”

Henare says some of the challenges are around funding distribution and the speed it is being put out to Māori health providers.

“I’ve also noticed a lack of strong leadership amongst the community, including the DHB with respect to what’s required for the vaccine rollout.”

“In Taranaki, for example, we heard from Māori health providers and iwi that they were dissatisfied with the job that the DHB was doing. We met with the DHB and can now confirm that 16 hapū in the DHB are working together to continue to rollout the vaccine in that community. Only two hapū have decided not to be involved with that but the door will continue to be open to them.”

Henare says it’s “proved problematic” the second round of funding was put out through the DHB, the first round was direct funding to Māori health providers.

Ardern says it’s not fair to say they haven’t focused on this issue.

She says at every point they’ve tried to ensure they have had an equitable rollout of the vaccine programme.

Aked if it’s good enough community leaders felt the need to fundraise for a vaccine cline, Henare says he doesn’t think so at all.

The gap was not raised with him on Thursday when he sat with Māori health providers, he says.

Ardern says everyone has the same goal “but this is actually really hard work now, because now we are needing to go out street by street, town by town and have direct conversations.”

In February the cool store requirements were different than they are now, Henare says.

There was really constrained supply when the rollout began, Ardern says.

There wasn’t the ability to do what is being done now, she says. “The strong public health advice was we needed to focus in on those who were confronting Covid at the border, those who had comorbidities, those who were in our older age brackets and we also pritoritised Counties Manukau.”

Asked if the government’s response breaches the Treaty of Waitangi, the prime minister says “no”.

Asked the same, Henare says he has been quite clear, Te Tiriti was kept at the forefront of the way decisions were made “And I’m quite comfortable with that”.

Earlier today, Ardern told Morning Report people who are not vaccinated will miss out on doing everyday things when the new Covid-19 response framework is rolled out.

A new Covid-19 response framework is being finalised and will be released on Friday.

Everyday activities won’t be available to the unvaccinated – Jacinda Ardern

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz.

If you are not vaccinated, there will be everyday things you will miss out on, the prime minister says.

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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the framework will provide people with greater clarity moving forward. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

A new Covid-19 response framework is being finalised and will be released on Friday, providing people with greater clarity, Jacinda Ardern said.

“It will become very clear to people that if you are not vaccinated there will be things that you miss out on, everyday things that you will miss out on,” Ardern told Morning Report.

“It’s about both rewarding people who have gone out and done the right thing but also keeping away people who are less safe.”

She said by the time the framework is ready to move to, the government is confident vaccine certificates will be ready.

It’s like an alert level system, she said.

“We’ve always said once we’re vaccinated it will be different, so we need to therefore design what that looks like.”

Ardern said the government is drawing some distinctions though, they don’t want an environment where people can’t access necessary goods and services to maintain their lives.

“We can’t say someone can’t get health services, medical needs, pharmacies, food.”

The government is supporting providers who are providing incentives for people to get vaccinated, she said.

“Anything that they identify will work for their community has our backing.”

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Ardern said domestic travel is being looked at separately from the framework to be announced Friday, and work is being down to see if there is a way to safely allow movement.

“But that would have a number of checks around it – is there a way that we can use vaccine certificates but also acknowledge that even if you’re vaccinated it is still possible for you to have asymptotic Covid.”

The border is putting a lot of strain on Auckland the more time is it needed, she said.

“At the same time, the rest of New Zealand wants to remain… Covid free or be in the position to extinguish Covid cases as they arrive. So we’ve got to balance those two needs.”

Epidemiologist Rod Jackson told Morning Report the government needs to go hard on those who just haven’t yet got around to getting a vaccine – “With no jab, no job, no fun”.

The second group of people who aren’t vaccinated however, don’t trust the system, he said.

“And for those we have to find the people that they trust.

“The only game in town is to buy time until we get everyone vaccinated.”

The government has signalled a vaccination target will be part of the soon to be announced framework.

Jackson says if 95 percent of the population is vaccinated, there will be death, disease and hospitalisations for the last five percent.

“Those were the 5 percent who were the first to get Covid in Europe last year, those are where most of the deaths are, those are where most of the hospitalisations are…For the rest of us, we’re all going to get Covid again.

He said people don’t realise that.

“There’s two ways to get vaccinated. You either get vaccinated by the virus, and that’s brutal, one in 10 hospitalisations in this latest outbreak. If you get Covid after you’ve been vaccinated it will happen slowly because the vaccine is fantastic for dealing with severe disease but it only slows down infection.”

Slowing down infection is the key problem a vaccinated population faces, he said.

“Because Covid spreads so rapidly, even if the vaccine has reduced your risk of going to hospital from one in 10 to one in 100. That is still one in 100 of a lot of people if Covid is spreading rapidly.”

A flexible approach is needed, he said.

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