March 21 2022
PM Jacinda Ardern has announced a further $5 million in assistance to Ukraine to help it during the invasion from Russia. Ardern confirmed that Cabinet has signed off on decisions on vaccine mandates, certificates and the traffic light system.
The Prime Minister has announced a further $5 million in assistance to Ukraine to help it during the invasion from Russia but has stopped short of sending weapons to the embattled European nation.
Jacinda Ardern revealed the move when fronting the post-Cabinet press conference at 3pm alongside the Chief of Defence Force Kevin Short.
Ardern has confirmed that Cabinet has signed off on decisions on vaccine mandates, certificates and the traffic light system.
She will outline them on Wednesday, once a bit of further work is done. She said 48 hours were needed to finalise the advice and consider any knock-on effects.
She said changes were not immediate, and the extra 48 hours would not make any difference to when the decisions took effect.
"We will be casting forward, so nobody is any worse off from us taking the extra 48 hours."
For those who were worried about vaccine passes and mandates being removed - such as the immunocompromised - she said a number of the unvaccinated will have had Covid-19 in the Omicron outbreak and that meant the vaccine passes were less useful.
On the decision to allow unvaccinated New Zealanders to return without isolation periods, Ardern said the numbers were relatively small because many other countries and airlines had vaccination requirements.
She said the decision to allow unvaccinated New Zealanders back in was made at the time the other border decisions were made. There was "a range of advice, including health advice". But would not specifically say whether there was legal advice on it.
Ardern said there had always been concern about vulnerable communities when restrictions were eased, and ways were being looked at to mitigate the risk.
"We have said there will be some areas where mandates still apply, particularly with those working in our vulnerable communities."
The switch from humanitarian aid to military help
Ardern said some of the $5m would go to Nato in the form of non-lethal military assistance, such as body armour and other pieces of equipment. The equipment included 1066 body armour items 473 helmets and 571 camouflage vests.
Asked what prompted the switch to military aid rather than humanitarian, Ardern said it had been considered for some time. "It's not a decision we take lightly, but we consider what is happening in Ukraine is a massive disruption to the rules-based order."
She said people were already arriving in New Zealand from Ukraine.
There had been 314 sponsorship requests for the new visa for family members, and 33 visa applications.
Asked about further discussions on taking refugees above the current quota, Ardern said there had been no request yet from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
If there was such a request it would be considered, but Ardern said refugees required a lot of support and the Government could not make any commitments. In the meantime the family visa was the best option, she said.
Sanctions being imposed from around the world were having an effect, and New Zealand would continue to play its role, she said.
Asked if she thought Putin had committed war crimes, Ardern said these acts should be scrutinised "and he should be held to account" but it was up to international judicial bodies to determine that.
Chief of Defence Air Marshal Kevin Short. Photo / Pool
With the war nearing four months, Ardern said the way out continued to be negotiations, to avoid more deaths.
On her call with the Ukraine PM call, Ardern said he was "absolutely focused" and she could not imagine what it would be like to be in his position.
"That strength and courage, that's what I saw in this leader."
She said she got a request for a call and wanted to time it at a point it would be helpful.
Short said the equipment being provided was in response to a direct request from Ukraine.
Short said it was likely NZDF transport would be used to get it to Ukraine - the equipment in question was already on the shelves. He said New Zealand would also talk to Australia to potentially tie in with them.
Ukraine had sought lethal aid - such as weapons - as well, and that was being provided by other countries. "We haven't yet made the decision to add those forms of support, It hasn't been removed from the table, but it would be a change in approach."
New Zealand had "very small numbers" of missiles it could send over if required, but more could not be procured quickly, Short said. He said even the amount of equipment New Zealand was able to offer had been too small for Ukraine to consider earlier, but it had since requested whatever could be sent.
She said New Zealand did not have a large supply for the weapons Ukraine was asking for, and the lead time to get them was years rather than weeks.
Short said they had received a request a few weeks ago, but Ukraine had said they needed more - that had changed recently when Ukraine asked for it to be sent over immediately.
On New Zealanders going to Ukraine to fight, Ardern said she did not believe it would be against any law in New Zealand - but it would be against advice not to travel to the region.
"But to the best of my knowledge, there would not be a legal impediment."
Short said the equipment being sent was not in large quantities, but Ukraine had advised that every little bit helped. It was partly available because New Zealand was replacing old kit.
"Even if it is kit that has been used before, it is better than no kit at all," Ardern said.
The Prime Minister and Short did not know how old the equipment was.
Asked if the Russian Government had fed back its views on New Zealand's support for Ukraine, Ardern said she had not yet seen a read-out on the reaction to New Zealand specifically, but Russia had imposed travel and other restrictions on other countries and their leaders which were assisting Ukraine.
"It will not be a surprise to me if we are added onto those lists. I'm not intending to travel to Russia at any point soon anyway."
On the inquiry into Parliament's protest, Ardern said they were waiting for confirmation on what the Independent Police Conduct Authority intended to do - and that was expected to be this week. She said she understood it would be a separate review to the investigations into specific complaints lodged over the protest.
Hundreds of police officers were at Parliament during their operation to end the 23-day long Covid-19 Convoy protest. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Asked why she was not ordering an independent inquiry into it, she said the IPCA was independent.
On flooding of her house during the wild weather in Auckland today, Ardern said "there was a lot of water. But I believe it's fine."
The Prime Minister's street in one of Auckland's central suburbs has been hit by today's flooding.
Photos seen by the Herald show surface water swamping the street.
Earlier
It comes as Russia's war on Ukraine approaches a month in duration, with thousands of casualties and an estimated 10 million people displaced.
Already 3.4 million Ukrainians have fled for safety across the border into Europe.
So far New Zealand has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine, announced a new visa system to allow about 4000 Ukrainians into the country to join family members, implemented travel bans and passed a bespoke law to apply sanctions on Russia and anyone supporting the war effort.
The Government has imposed its first tranche of sanctions, targeting Russia's President Vladimir Putin, and 12 other senior figures.
"This first tranche of sanctions designates an additional 364 political and military individuals to our travel ban list, and places sanctions on Russian Leader Vladimir Putin and the 12 members of his Security Council, one bank and 18 other entities," Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Friday.
She said the sanctions prevent New Zealand individuals, assets and financial institutions from having dealings with those listed and prohibits their vessels and aircraft from entering New Zealand.
However, none of those targeted so far have assets here.
Trade Minister Damien O'Connor said he supported the move and welcomed the "solidarity of New Zealand businesses who oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine".
Another nine people were reported to have died from Covid-19 today, including a person in their 20s - the second-youngest death in the pandemic.
The total number of publicly reported Covid-related deaths was now 184.
There were 14,463 new community cases of Covid-19 reported and 1000 people in hospital, including 33 in intensive care.
The seven-day rolling average of community cases is 17,124.
The Omicron wave continued to trend downwards, with experts saying the outbreak had peaked in Auckland, and likely also in other parts of the country.
Ardern has said as the outbreak comes more under control certain protections measures, including requirements around vaccine passes and mandates, would be relaxed.
Otago University epidemiologist Michael Baker said while there was a case to scale those back once the Omicron peak passed, the Government should continue its cautious approach given the long tail of the outbreak, with smaller waves of cases and new variants on the horizon.
