Labour’s response to Covid has left a long tail of division and resentment. Many New Zealanders are hurt that they were ostracised by a Government that turned its back on them.

Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins’ answer to Covid was that everyone must get vaccinated. They used exclusion to get as many people vaccinated as possible.

Whole professions were mandated. Gathering in groups was mandated. Everyday activities were mandated.

It was the most divisive way of resolving the conflict between people who wanted to get vaccinated and those who didn’t.

ACT’s answer was very different.

  • We voted against the legislation introducing vaccine mandates.
  • We proposed regular testing as a substitute for vaccination.
  • We said that each business should be able to make its own vaccination policy, based on the level of risk and the wishes of the people involved.
  • We said in March 2022 that doctors should be able to use their professional judgement to grant exemptions.
  • We said 1 December 2021 should be Freedom Day. Once everyone had the opportunity to be vaccinated, it was time to get on with life and lift all restrictions.
  • ACT put forward a more civil vaccine policy that wouldn’t have led to the kind of ostracism and division we’ve seen tear this country apart.

ACT has been calling for the politics to be taken out of the Royal Commission into the Covid-19 response by allowing all New Zealanders to have their say on what should be investigated.

New Zealanders should have had their voices heard as part of the Royal Commission, and there will now be opportunity for the public to provide input from November 2023.

The current terms of reference were decided by the same Government responsible for the Covid-19 response and they place significant limits on what the inquiry can investigate.

ACT says that’s wrong. We would reopen the terms of reference, give all New Zealanders a say on them, and change them based on the feedback, so all concerns are heard.