David Seymour on vaccine mandate and Groundswell protest

Act Party leader David Seymour. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Act Party is calling for regular testing as an alternative for those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Act leader David Seymour is not a fan of the Government's vaccine mandate which starts today.

Under the mandate, teachers and other education staff, as well as those in the health and disability sectors, must have had at least one dose and be fully vaccinated by January 1.

Although he opposed the plan, Seymour told The Country's Jamie Mackay he was not an anti-vaxxer.

"I'm quite the opposite. I often have to restrain my frustration with people who won't just take the miracle of science."

The rapid development of the mRNA vaccine "to solve one of the world's biggest problems," should be championed rather than avoided, Seymour said.

"Anyone who believes in freedom should be celebrating that - I was certainly happy to get vaccinated."

The main problem the Government had was trying to find a solution that would suit everybody, Seymour said.

"All politics is ultimately about finding ways for people to live together peacefully, and right now we've got … a relatively small group … of people who are totally resistant to the idea of being vaccinated."

Some of this group were essential workers, such as teachers, midwives and mental health staff, Seymour said.

Personally, he preferred that people in the workplace were vaccinated.

"Certainly all of Act's Caucus are and Act's staff are too – that's our view and that's our position."

However, this was not always the case in other sectors, Seymour said.

"But let's be realistic. They've just had to put the firefighters back two weeks because too many of them aren't vaccinated to have a secure fire service."

He said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern should look to Denmark for inspiration on how to keep people safe from Covid-19.

"They've got an app where you have to show that you're either tested within the last three days or vaccinated, or actually that you've recently recovered from Covid."

The purpose of the app was to show that someone was safe to others, rather than that they were vaccinated, Seymour said.

He thought Ardern should ask the Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen to share the technology.

"Jacinda's not picking up the phone."

Listen below:

Meanwhile, Seymour said he'd be in Canterbury on November 21 and would aim to attend Groundswell's "Mother of all Protests".

"We'll certainly be there with the Act bus, wherever we join it and offering our support."

While the Government had been "contemptuous" of New Zealand's farmers, Seymour believed city people would also turn up to the protest.

"I would say that the government's done one thing. They've actually managed to unite rural and urban New Zealand.

"I actually get a better reception as an Aucklander out around the sticks than ever before.

"It's rural and urban united against Government and I don't think that's the worst thing."

Also in today's interview: Seymour discussed Judith Collin's leadership chances with the National Party.