Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking grills PM Jacinda Ardern over Covid-19 testing in quarantine facilities. Audio / Newstalk ZB
Act party leader David Seymour has shared a bizarre criticism over Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, comparing her to a German guard from a WWII based television series.
In a statement and on social media, Seymour began by writing that the "the Dad's Army routine" we have seen at New Zealand borders show that our country got lucky all along with Covid-19.
Dad's Army is a BBC television series sitcom about the British militia called the Home Guard during the World War II.
The Home Guard consisted of local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, either because of age (hence the title Dad's Army) or by being in professions exempt from conscription.
"In light of the bungles at the border, it's become abundantly clear that we didn't beat Covid-19 with competence," he said.
"Testing was slow to ramp up, contact tracing was inadequate and needed an external audit, and the PPE situation was so bad it required an Auditor-General's investigation.
"Act was calling for the border to be closed in January and February, but it took the Government until March to act.
"New Zealand got lucky. We had advance warning of Covid-19 and we've been protected by our natural moat. The fact that the nine other countries that have beaten Covid-19 are all small island nations reinforces that fact."
Seymour added that the managed isolation and quarantine facilities have been run by a Dad's Army cast of character.
He branded Minister of Health David Clark as Major Disaster and called the Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfied as Brigadier Bloomfield and that he was "busy dry cleaning his uniform".
The Dad’s Army routine we’re seeing at the border shows New Zealand got lucky all along with Covid-19. In light of the...
However, Seymour likened Ardern to the character Sergeant Schultz from the television series Hogan's Heroes.
Schultz, who featured as a guard at the prisoner-of-war camp Stalag 13, was known to turn a blind eye to what the prisoners were doing.
Seymour referenced the character's catchline from the show, saying Ardern "sees and hears nothing".
"Meanwhile, Ardern continues to rewrite the history of her Covid-19 response by telling New Zealanders that Air Commodore Digby Webb has been brought in to manage the border when in fact he has been doing so all along," he continued.
"But good luck won't build smart borders, get the economy restarted, or pay back the debt. The Government needs to be clear whether its goal is complete eradication at any cost, or if it wants resilience in a post-Covid-19 world."
He added the Government should be sending commissioners to Taiwan to find out how that country managed to beat Covid-19 with so few cases, and that it needs a clear plan for restarting the economy.
"Borrowing billions and hoping for a vaccine won't cut it," he said.
He then wrote that the Government should consider his "comprehensive" 5-point plan to cut taxes and red tape, go for growth, create new job opportunities, have the smartest borders in the world, and take on less debt.
Last week it was announced that two new Covid-19 cases were granted an exemption to self-isolate in Wellington on compassionate grounds.
Ardern faced criticism from political leaders after learning that the women were not tested before leaving quarantine.
The Prime Minister said in a Facebook Live post last Tuesday evening that standards had not been met.
"This case is clear - our expectations have not been met in this instance," she said.
Clark said there would be consequences if it was found people had failed their duties.
Act party leader David Seymour's latest criticism of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has left some people baffled. Photo / Getty Images
"I am quite certain that people who have made this mistake will not be making it again."
This morning, Police Minister Stuart Nash told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking that someone needed to be held to account and called the blunder "unacceptable".
"To get this sort of ineptitude, man, it is unforgivable. As David [Clark] said, he's cancelled compassionate dispensation and there's a review of the system. Let's make sure it doesn't happen again."
The New Zealand border is still closed to those apart from New Zealand citizens and residents and some essential health workers.
After the incident, the Government decided that they would not be approving any exemptions from people travelling to New Zealand and that everyone in managed quarantine would be tested on day three.
Ardern has also pushed back on similar claims National made that the mismanagement of the country's borders will hit growth and cost jobs during the recovery from Covid-19.
She disagreed that the recent revelations about a slack approach to supervising managed isolation was costing the country jobs.
She said Covid-19 is still a pandemic that is growing internationally with eight million cases and over 100,000 cases emerging a day around the world.
"We have to continue to take a rigorous approach so I make no apology for that. Their calls for opening the borders and being more liberal at the borders - now is not the right time," she told Morning Report.
"Most countries continue domestically to battle this virus. We happen to be seeing it in our quarantine facilities as opposed to our general community, so we are in a privileged position."
As of today, there are 1513 confirmed and probable cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.
