Premium debate: Groundswell Whanganui protests against farm regulation

A Groundswell protester in Whanganui on Sunday, November 21. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Groundswell Whanganui protests against farm regulation on the weekend.

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Everywhere democracy is using the ballot box to repeal environmental efforts.
A recent saying was "better dead than red" - better dead than submitting to the depraved regimes of communist societies.
As environmentally friendly societies are likely to be unfriendly to humans; democracy may decide "better dead than the alternative" whether indigenous romanticists agree or not. Under majority rule this would be a legitimate call. Yet extinguishing humanity in its entirety will not be democracy's finest hour.
No one will "proclaim" this decision, society will muddle its way to it.
-Ken M

Re: Nine nurses among Whanganui DHB staff stood down following vaccine mandate

No sympathy. Every choice has repercussions.
Claire A

Why not have separated hospital wards or wings where unvaccinated staff tend to unvaccinated patients?
Graeme D

Just have fully vaccinated staff who can tend to anyone that come through the doors, vaccinated or unvaccinated.
Jason P

So you allow 3 per cent of the staff to turn the hospital upside down.
Christine W

I'm fully vaccinated and waiting on my booster, but by doing this we are giving employment to everyone. There is a high probability our hospital numbers will increase vaccinated or not, as now being seen in US and Europe, it would be easier to start segregating treatment now. Not when it gets out of control.
Graeme D

Re: Ruapehu birthing unit closed after midwife stands down

It's a worry that people will need petrol vouchers or an ambulance to get to Whanganui (presumably because they cannot afford to pay to get there themselves). How are they going to be able to afford to raise the child they are having?
Greg T

A point: frontline healthcare staff (nurses, doctors, midwives etc) have always had mandates in place. Note that word...always. Mandates have always existed in hospital settings. No nurse, doctor, midwife etc is allowed to practice their craft without being vaccinated for a whole host of stuff. That rule existed long before covid entered the scene. It's nothing new. The new thing is that covid vaccination has been added to the list. It's beyond stupid to assume mankind has already identified every single disease and virus - past, present and future - to vaccinate against. Others will come.
Timothy T

Sad that the government has to impose a mandate for front line medical staff but really what is the alternative..? All NZers vaccinated or otherwise should be able to go their hospital confident that medical practioners are not going to infect them with a deadly and highly contagious virus. Europe and USA were at least 3 months ahead of us with the vaccine roll out and look at the dreadful situation they are in. More people in the US have lost their lives to Covid in 2021 than 2020. Very sadly most will have been unvaccinated, a huge unnecessary waste of human life attributable to dogma.
Laura H

Bullying people doesn't general get them to do what you want. I wonder how many people are refusing to get vaxxed because they see Govt as trying to bully them. I know of at least 5. I am not suggesting that this is the case here but if the Govt was truly interested in getting the whole population vaxxed they would be
1. Offering alternative types of vaccine to all NZers
2. Not threatening non vaxxed with sanctions.
3. Stopping the political spin and self promotion at things like the pulpit of truth and TV /radio interviews.
4. Have truly independent panel controlling/run the Covid response.
Guy M