China shipments cited in ‘mask shortage’

New Zealanders have been left short of masks and protective gear because shipments of the products were sent to China, it has been claimed.

Despite Government assurances that there is enough stock, shortages of masks and other protective gear have been reported around the country, by shoppers looking to purchase them and healthcare workers seeking extra protection.

In March, New Zealand Dental Association chief executive Dr David

Crum told Stuff it had between four and six weeks’ worth of surgical masks left.

A major supplier in this country said it was struggling to keep up with demand because delivery from manufacturers in China had been badly disrupted.

Staff at Hutt Hospital said they were given masks with crumbling elastic bands.

University of Canterbury professor Anne-Marie Brady said the shortage had been exacerbated by masks and other equipment being sent in their thousands from New Zealand to China by Chinese organisations based here.

‘‘While the New Zealand Ministry of Health have a stockpile of masks and other PPE which they say is sufficient for our hospitals, ordinary New Zealanders and non-health workers have missed out on access to masks which are normally available in our pharmacies and hardware stores, because our public supplies were bought up in bulk and sent out to China in an organised effort by Chinese Communist Party Government proxy groups, as well as by profiteers who are now selling New Zealand-origin masks on Taobao, and also by a few well-meaning individuals who wanted to support family and friends in China.

‘‘The Government’s reticence to endorse public mask-wearing in New Zealand reflects that health officials were well aware that there were none available to buy in New Zealand and that this had been the case since late January 2020. Now we are being told to make cloth masks, but we should not have these shortages if the Government had restricted the export of medical equipment and limited how many masks one individual could purchase — as Taiwan did.’’

Icehouse-backed Eden Ventures sent 960 medical gowns, 12,400 medical gloves and 100 pairs of protective goggles from Auckland-based Amtech to China in early March.

That followed an earlier shipment of face masks donated by Dawei Duan, chief financial officer of iFLYTEK, an investor and close partner of Eden Ventures in January, before a second shipment of medical gowns was sent directly to a hospital in Wuhan which was operating at critically low supply-levels.

Eden Ventures founder Jason Wang said that was when the issue was largely in China and frontline medical staff there were struggling.

‘‘The logic was if the virus is a fight for all humanity – and if we supported China to combat, we wouldn’t face it ourselves in New Zealand. Unfortunately, it now has become a global pandemic.’’

A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said there was no shortage of masks.

‘‘Providing and sourcing appropriate PPE continues to be a high priority for the Ministry of Health. We have more PPE arriving during April, and we are strengthening the processes for ensuring it gets to the right places. Responsible use of PPE in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines, which are available on our website, will mean we have enough now and throughout the response. In addition to extra PPE, which is arriving this month, it’s important to remember there is local production of facemasks continuing.’’

ManufacturingNZ executive director Catherine Beard said there was significant PPE manufacturing capability in this country. A register for manufacturers who can produce PPE had 184 entries on Thursday.

‘‘Providing and sourcing appropriate PPE continues to be a high priority.’’

Ministry of Health spokesman