February 21 2022
PM Jacinda Ardern has provided details on the conditions under which vaccination mandates could be eased as protests continue around Parliament's grounds.
A Bay of Plenty MP has called for a "very explicit plan" for a return to normality, including when vaccine passes would no longer be used.
But another says easing Covid health measures and restrictions as early as March was "concerning".
Meanwhile, members of the public say vaccine mandates have"been going on for long enough" and restrictions should ease because they were "too tough on small businesses".
The comments come after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday the most stringent Covid settings would begin to ease as soon as next month. This would begin the process of a gradual easing of Covid health measures, which would include the eventual end of some vaccination mandates, she said.
Ardern did not give any firm date for ending restrictions, saying it would only come once the country was on the other side of the peak in Omicron cases which was likely to happen "roughly mid to late March, only three to six weeks away".
She said once that happened the traffic light settings would change, given the threat to hospitals and the health system had passed.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the peak of Omicron was likely to happen in March. Photo / NZME
"We'll be able to look at moving back through the traffic lights," Ardern said, noting gathering limits would ease.
Ardern said the Government would look to "ease mandates in places where they are less likely to impact vulnerable people," although she added that mandates would "remain important in some areas for some time".
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller said, in his view, the Prime Minister had been "pressured" by the community and National leader Chris Luxon into giving a signal that mandates were going to change in the future.
"I'm welcoming the fact that there is some high-level signalling, but frankly that's no cover for a full plan.
"What we need is a very explicit plan which explains to people, not only those who are struggling with vaccine mandates ... particularly our local retailers, when can we return to normal?"
This included when hospitality venues could have more than 100 people and when vaccine passes would no longer be necessary.
"All she's done is signalled that sometime in the future she'll give an announcement about it and people want a whole lot more detail and plan than that."
In response to Muller's comments, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said: "As with all things Covid providing a specific timeframe is impossible, but the peak could be three to six weeks away."
"The Prime Minister clearly set out that changes to our current Covid protections would occur once New Zealand had passed a peak in Omicron cases and hospitalisations had normalised. At that point, we will look to move out of the red setting and review the ongoing use of vaccine passes and some mandates.
"Our direction of travel is clear, we will continue to remove restrictions once they no longer serve the purpose they were put in place for, as we have already done by no longer using lockdowns and reopening our border in the coming weeks.
"2022 is about moving forward. We all want to go back to the way life was and that may not be that far away."
Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi. Photo / George Novak
Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi said the idea to gradually ease Covid health measures and restrictions potentially in March was "a concerning whakaaro" [consideration].
He said Māori made up the highest percentage of all hospitalised cases in Aotearoa at 37 per cent and tangata whenua were the "most at-risk group" for Covid.
"Omicron has not long been in Aotearoa and we are experiencing the highest number of Covid cases daily than ever before in this country.
"My concern is for the suggested removal of health measures as we approach the cold winter months ahead and the reality of what this will mean for our whānau in the Waiariki. Many of whom due to Covid, will be extra worried about keeping their families healthy, warm and with kai on the table this winter.
"The removal of these health measures too soon could be detrimental for our people - the storm before the calm should not have to be weathered by Māori."
Waititi said the Te Pāti Māori's [the Māori Party] Covid-19 pandemic response plan policy had "always been opposed to government vaccine mandates".
"We have always believed that the emphasis should be on uplifting community-led tikanga."
The Bay of Plenty Times spoke to people in Mount Maunganui about their views on the Prime Minister's announcement.
Tien Rutten believes the international borders should now be open. Photo / Megan Wilson
Tien Rutten said the vaccine mandates had "been going on for long enough now" and they should no longer be in place. He also believed the international borders should be open.
Businesses were at risk of "going under" and orchards were "crying out" for workers, he said.
"I think we have to live with this ... As far as the people who don't want to be vaccinated, I think everybody has a choice."
Margaret Houghton said restrictions should ease because they were "too tough on small businesses".
"I think they're doing it really tough ... a lot of businesses don't get any support."
Peter Scott says the general public are feeling "very frustrated". Photo / Megan Wilson
Peter Scott said while the Government had done some "great things" in response to Covid, the general public was "very frustrated" and a lot of businesses and people were "suffering".
Tauranga-based Labour list MP Jan Tinetti said mandates and vaccine passes "were always going to go".
"They're doing their duty at the moment because we're hitting that peak and we're going through that peak, but then once we know that it's safe we'll be able to take that off again and free them up more.
"The whole idea around the management of Covid is to have as least restrictions on people's daily lives while keeping people safe and also looking at the rebuild of the economy at the same time."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said the business community wanted to know what metrics the Government would use to determine when restrictions would ease.
"It is becoming more obvious that Tauranga residents are making their own decisions about managing the virus where Government restrictions are perceived to be too stringent for the risk."
