Sir Ashley Bloomfield quickly became a household name during the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Here are a few of his more memorable public moments. Video / NZ Herald
Opinion by Steve Braunias
Steve Braunias is a senior writer for the New Zealand Herald.
I think the only thing you could say in his favour is thathe showed up for work, but even then he showed up a bit too often. He attended more Cabinet meetings than most Cabinet ministers and ended up making decisions on defence spending and roading.
I think it's fair to say he wasn't the sort of person who inspired trust. How well did he really know his subject? A lot of us saw through him right from the start. He overplayed his hand, and it wasn't as though he was dealing with issues of life and death.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield
It's been an honour to serve.
Judith Collins
His craving for power was obvious. He did anything to claw his way to the top, and once he was there, he knifed everyone in the back. He was petty and incompetent and critical. He made it all about himself. His vanity was there for all to see. The public turned against him. Did he quit, or was he pushed? I think we all know the answer. You only get one shot, and he was found severely wanting. Well, he's gone now, and no one will remember him.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced his resignation this week and said it's been an honour to serve. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Mike Hosking
In a way, you can't blame him, and yet you can. Because one thing's for sure. He didn't come up with a cure for Covid.
Has he done a good job? Sometimes yes, other times he was a public menace. I interviewed him many times, and through good times and bad times, one thought never really let go: I couldn't trust him.
Was he Jacinda Ardern's puppet, or was he Jacinda Ardern's muppet? We'll never know. He's left the spotlight, which he absolutely loved. At the end of the day, he was a fame junkie. His contribution to our lives was pretty minimal beyond his celebrity, but you could say the same of John Campbell, the week's other big quitter.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield
It's been an honour to serve.
Michael Morrah
As an investigative journalist with Newshub, I once asked him at a 1pm press conference, "Given the repeated failures of the testing system under your leadership, shouldn't you take some responsibility and offer your resignation?"
But most people didn't want to hear a bad word against him. I got a lot of flak for that. No one trusts the media.
David Clark
As the former health minister, when push came to shove, I saw a bus headed my way, and the only thing I could do was push and shove him under it. He'd have done the same to me. I never really trusted him.
As the current health minister, I'd like to thank him for his contribution to the Ash and Chippy 1pm news conference show! But nothing lasts forever! Forever lasts, nothing! Some people have the stamina for it – and some people don't! What can I say! Quite a lot, and in all sorts of ways, with the same degree of effervescence, without ever saying anything! It's a knack – and after a while, Ashley got the hang of it! He learned from the best! From the best, he learned!
Dr Ashley Bloomfield
It's been an honour to serve.
Jacinda Ardern
It's been an honour to serve with him.
David Seymour
Oh and the other thing is that he very often seemed to say the first thing that came to mind, and much of it was a desperate cry for attention. Whenever his popularity was slipping, he'd find a way of appealing to the lowest common denominator. I don't think you can trust people like that.
