Minister of Health Dr David Clark uses hand sanitiser as he arrives at a pre-budget announcement at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Minister of Health Dr David Clark uses hand sanitiser as he arrives at a pre-budget announcement at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell
As New Zealand prepared to enter an unprecedented four-week period in its modern history, the Covid-19 lockdown, the country's top ministers appeared to be busy briefing the private sector on details of their plans.
The diaries of key Covid-19 ministers – that is, ministers who were part of the Government'sCovid-19 response – reveal who they were speaking to before, and during the lockdown period.
Some meetings were not unexpected. For example, Health Minister David Clark met with, via video link, director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield 40 times in March and April.
But some meetings were perhaps a little more curious – like when Ethnic Communities and Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa had a phone meeting with church and ethnic community faith leaders in the middle of the lockdown.
Clark was joined by his Associate Health Ministers Salesa and Peeni Henare. Bloomfield was also at the meeting and he and Clark continued their briefing after the Associate Health Ministers had left.
The pair would go on to meet numerous times in February, as the Government attempted to understand the gravity of the situation.
As the Covid-19 situation became more pressing in New Zealand, Clark's diary started to become much more chaotic.
On March 3, he had a call with Australian's Minister of Health, Greg Hunt, followed by the New South Wales Minister of Health and Medical Research, Brad Hazzard. The next day, Clark was again on the phone with Hunt.
Clark was demoted in the Cabinet rankings after he revealed he took a 40km round trip to the beach with his family during the first weekend of lockdown.
His diary, which shows his work meetings and events, does not detail the trip – but there is a gap between March 27 and 29.
The Health Minister was also in hot water over moving house before lockdown began. His diary shows he was busy with Covid-19 meetings – including one with the Prime Minister – that morning.
As Clark met with top officials, his associates met with health-related members of the private sector.
On March 18, Salesa had a phone call with New Zealand Aged Care Association chief executive Simon Wallace.
A week later she spoke with the head of the New Zealand Disability Support Network. She also met with the Cancer Society, the Heart Foundation and a number of university health departments.
Meanwhile, other Covid-19 ministers appeared to be briefing top industry and company leaders about the Government's response to the virus.
In his capacity as Small Business Minister, Nash met with a number of businesses officials and business representatives.
For example, on March 5 he met with Xero's managing director, Craig Hudson, along with Finance Minister Grant Robertson.
Transport Minister Phil Twyford
A week later, he met with the CEO of Retail New Zealand at the Beehive – Robertson was also there.
In the lead-up to the lockdown, and the closure of New Zealand's borders, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis' diary shows a flurry of activity.
On March 2, Davis met with Tourism Export Council chief executive Lynda Keene, followed by a meeting with Air New Zealand's top brass: Chief executive Greg Foran, chairwoman Dame Therese Walsh, and head of corporate affairs Andrew Kirton.
On the first day of lockdown, March 26, Davis had a call with SkyCity chief executive Graeme Stephens.
Soon after, he talked to Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) general manager Nick Hill and then Tourism Holdings boss Grant Webster.
He also met a number of times with representatives from Tourism NZ and tourism lobby group Tourism Industry Aotearoa.
As well as tourism bosses, Davis also met with the chief executives of major New Zealand airports, including Auckland and Queenstown.
Keeping New Zealand's airports up to speed with the Government's Covid-19 plans was not just a job for Davis.
In mid-March – four days before New Zealand shut down its borders to non-citizens – Transport Minister Phil Twyford spent the afternoon meeting with airline and airport bosses.
His diary shows he talked to:
• Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood • Wellington Airport chief executive Steve Sanderson • Christchurch International Airport chief executive Malcolm Johns • Airports Association chief executive Kevin Wards • Board of Airline Representatives NZ executive director Justin Tighe-Umbers • Airline Pilots' Association president Andrew Ridling • Qantas executive manager Rohan Garnett • Aviation NZ chief executive John Nicholson.
Twyford spoke to each person for 15 minutes – the phone calls were all back-to-back.
Two days later – now just two days before the border closure – he spoke to them all again; again for 15 minutes each and again back-to-back.
