In the red corner
Kiwis have made enormous sacrifices over the last few years. Everyone has had to give something up to make our Covid response work, and not everyone has agreedwith the choices and trade-offs that have been made.
Sometimes that’s had a knock-on effect – I’m sure lots of Kiwis have had difficult conversationswith someone in their lives about Covid, vaccines, mandates or passes.
But among the different perspectives, there has been at least one unifying factor: everyone has been safer.
By working together to protect one another, we have saved lives and prevented the absolute devastation that we have seen in other parts of the world.
Our strong health response has also meant that businesses and the economy are set to bounce back faster than almost anywhere else in the world. There’s no question that we are now feeling global headwinds, but our comparatively low debt, record low unemployment and record investments in infrastructure and skills development will all help support our recovery. The sacrifices and hardwork have brought us to where we are now, and with more tools and with one of the most highly vaccinated populations in the world, we are able to keep moving forward safely. We’re able to welcome back family, friends and tourists, and take the next steps on our journey of reopening and recovery.
Covid will undoubtedly throw more challenges our way, but there is reason to feel hopeful and to come together as we move forward as a country.
Lastweek saw traffic light settings simplified, with changes such as capacity limits on outdoor events being removed. From 4 April, vaccine passeswill no longer be required. To keep people safe, we still need mandates for health and disability, aged care, corrections and border workforces. But other Government requiredmandates will be removed, and those imposed by private businesses are a decision for them to work through.
With cases coming down, we can take these new steps with confidence in the collective immunity and protectionswe have built up. These new settings support greater economic activity, while also continuing to manage Covid and provide protection for those who need it most.
I know Covid restrictions have been tough, but they have delivered a strong foundation for us tomove forward safety.
Will slight divisions remain? Probably. But if there’s one thing we know by now, it’s that, overwhelmingly, Kiwis can pull together.