PM Chris Hipkins set to be asked about cyclone response, Health NZ head Rob Campbell’s future after criticism of National

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said feedback from authorities indicated there hadn’t been a significant increase of Covid-19 cases in cyclone-hit areas of the North Island.

He said there was a health concern about handling flood waste and silt.

Fifteen households were evacuated in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay last night after new flooding and there could be more, he said, but had gone to friends and family rather than Civil Defence centres.

Focusing on Auckland, Hipkins said he visited the Muriwai community on the weekend, who were grieving the loss of two volunteer firefighters after the cyclone.

“The Muriwai community have more uncertainty ahead of them, and I want to acknowledge that. There will be some that want to return, there will be some who might not want to.”

Regarding Health NZ chair Rob Campbell, Hipkins said the relevant ministers were going through a process of deciding how to respond to the political comments he made.

Hipkins said he didn’t want to speculate the causes of an increase in violent threats towards politicians in New Zealand.

He said it was part of a broader international trend of increasing political polarisation.

Hipkins is in Auckland for the day, checking in on a courier company in the aftermath of the flooding and cyclone after attending the opening of Ngakoroa School in Karaka this morning.

It comes as pressure continues to be piled on for Te Whatu Ora - Health NZ chair Campbell to be sacked for a blunt critique of National Party leader Christopher Luxon and National’s new water policy on LinkedIn over the weekend.

Hipkins has said those comments were “inappropriate” for someone in Campbell’s position, and that Campbell had met with Health Minister Ayesha Verrall and Environment Minister David Parker. Campbell is also chair of the Environment Protection Agency.

However, he told Mike Hosking that due process had to be followed in the case.

Act leader David Seymour this morning called for Campbell to be sacked for a breach of political neutrality, saying Hipkins should not be a “doormat for the badly behaved.

“There was a time when such a person would resign out of a sense of honour, but Mr Campbell insists he’s done nothing wrong. He won’t jump so it’s time for the Prime Minister and Minister of Health to push him.”

National has also cried foul but has so far stopped short of calling for him to be sacked.

Campbell this morning told the NZ Herald he could not comment while in talks with ministers after yesterday saying he stood by his criticism of the Three Waters policy and told Newshub there was “a big difference between being ‘politically impartial’ and being ‘politically neutered’”.

Campbell on LinkedIn slammed National’s Three Waters policy, accusing the party of blowing the “dog whistle on co-governance”.

He also wrote “Christopher Luxon might be able to rescue his party from stupidity on climate change but rescuing this from a well he has dug himself might be harder.”

Crown Entity board members are bound by a code of conduct which requires them to act in a politically neutral way, which would not prejudice them from working with future governments.

Hipkins week is otherwise centred on the response to Cyclone Gabrielle. Further wet weather hit Gisborne and Napier overnight and Hipkins is expected to return to Hawke’s Bay in the coming days to follow up on the cyclone response. A funding package for the Maori response is expected soon as well as more details on restoring key transport links and bridges.

Yesterday the national state of emergency was renewed for those regions affected.

Hipkins also announced a Cyclone Recovery Appeal was being set up to get donations to help rebuild community facilities that were not part of the core infrastructure rebuild.