Let’s put aside the rage many Aucklanders feel at this never ending cavalcade of blunders and missteps in South Auckland.
Yes, we have all sacrificed to stay Covid free, yes it is enraging that people were not self isolating and going to work at Kmart and KFC, yes it is angering that contact took so long.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Sure, I get it. I’m moving this weekend, the last fucking thing I need is for us to be plunged into another fucking lockdown!
B-U-T.
If we want to remain Covid free, we need to start adapting the message to different communities and quite frankly relying on phone calls rather than actually knocking on the door seems incredibly irresponsible of the Auckland DHB.
There are a multitude of different issues here when it comes to South Auckland.
Poverty and the need to pay the bills drives more concern than a virus that isn’t understood.
The deep distrust of any Pakeha organisations doesn’t help alongside the truth that many Pacific families know someone who is an overstayer which creates its own curtain of fear when dealing with officials.
So.
- We need to immediately declare an amnesty for all Overstayers so that fear is removed.
- We need to bring in the South Auckland Community Leaders to run the messaging because they don’t trust Pakeha.
- We should consider compensation payments for anyone who can’t work at home and is asked to self isolate.
We need to adapt our communication methods and allow for different communities to have the agency to have their own communication styles. I support Māori roadblocks because they remember the mass graves from the 1918 epidemic and refuse point blank to rely on Pakeha to save them.
We need to include our different communities, not shun or publicly shame them because that ultimately drives them further away from that messaging.
What is being exposed here is the inequalities Covid throws up and the deep distrust the Government has with those communities. Don’t treat people like crap for decades and then get shitty when they won’t respond to an emergency.
We are all in this together comrades.
UPDATE: Thank the baby Jesus I moved a day earlier than I needed, because screw moving house during a Level 3 lockdown!
So we are plunged into Lockdown again Comrades. The anger and boiling fury at the foolish actions of a few mustn’t explode out of control, these are our brothers and sisters and online lynch mobs only lead to people recoiling from telling the truth when the truth is urgently needed.
This will hurt. No question. But we are far stronger than this.
Kia Kaha.
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Not explained was this:
The latest person to go to work instead of self isolating may have done so because they had no sick leave or their employer, KFC, made that persons minimum wage job even more untenable than it already was if they did a no show.
If you have to “voluntarily” stay at home, who pays?
Does that patient have a home to self isolate? Remember we are living the housing crisis dream nowadays and our PM certainly does not want to upset investors and home owners capital gain by fixing it.
Does anyone form the Ministry of Health bother asking such questions? I mean it has yet to occur to anyone at the Ministry to go to a at risk persons home to notify them they are at risk when they don’t pick up the phone. Morons.
Do our equally simple minded politicians think everyone has money to burn like them and can skip work for fortnight?
Does anyone from the PM down actually plan ahead with Covid, because each new fuck up seems to scream they don’t, or do they spend their days not looking where they’re going, walking into walls and falling over furniture and wondering why?
And if there are systems in place to address the above, then why the hell isn’t this mysterious Section 70 the PM speaks of invoked automatically rather than kinda hoping she’ll be right?
I’m left thinking our Covid status is running on blind luck more than anything.
And I too support iwi road blocks because under our current police Commissioners dithering approach of waiting for consent, police may as well not bother.
XRAY: “And I too support iwi road blocks….”
I’m pakeha, and I live in one of the multiplicity of private roads in Wellington.
Is it ok for us and our neighbours to run a roadblock at the entrance to it?
PS. We’re old: bang in the middle of the cohort considered to be at particular risk.
Bet you a penny to a five pound note that the police’d take a dim view of any such proposal.
I agree
XRAY: except for the bit about roadblocks, I agree with pretty much everything you say.
Correction.
There is a payment for those who go into self isolation but it appears complex, reliant on your employer cooperating and good luck if your manager is minimum wage and has no training in such niceties as dealing with WINZ and other admin. Then it’s negotiating with WINZ. Again, good luck.
Seems going to work for some of these people was the preferable option.
Our outbreaks are similar to Oz, they take in our numbers and also have airline staff/airport risks.
Chris Hedges talked of sacrifice zones -areas that have been made poor and are kept poor, and are inhabited by people no power and little hope, so that other areas can prosper (in the short term).
What was beautiful countryside with market gardens 50 years ago has been turned into a squalid, toxic, motor-vehicle-dependent mess by ‘town planners’. And Auckland is now reaping the consequences of decades of dysfunctional policy.
The consequences of dreadful policies implemented from Muldoon on will get far worse, Covid or no Covid. Covid was just the agent that exposed the rottenness of the system and its road-to-nowhere* policies.
I hope you are moving somewhere sensible, like Otorahunga, or Takaka, or Karamea.
* It can easily be argued that government and council polices haven’t been a road to nowhere but have been a road to a bubble economy, followed by destitution, followed by extinction, and that we are well along that road.
‘A failure of complexity’
‘…. The received wisdom is that this disintegration is a temporary phenomenon, and that recovery will be rapid once the pandemic has been brought to an end. With the vaccines being rolled out, and with massive pent-up demand in the economy – aided by trillions of dollars, pounds and euros in stimulus – we will soon be commuting back to our old offices once more.
The trouble is that the trends which have become apparent in the course of the last year predate SARS-CoV-2. Human faeces was piling up on the pavements in San Francisco several years ago, even as a plague of rats was gnawing its way through the computer and electric cables beneath the floors of plush Los Angeles office blocks. Victorian diseases like typhus were rife among America’s growing army of homeless people long before the salaried class developed the vapours in response to Covid. And in the Brexit/Trump voting wastelands beyond the city walls, collapse and decay had been a way of life for decades.
It is common for people to view the process of collapse through a moral lens; pointing to the lack of fairness perceived in the situation. The rich have indeed, done very well out of the pandemic, even as the poor have become poorer. It is the small shops, cafes and guest houses which have entered bankruptcy first, even as the big corporate outlets have been allowed to escape restrictions and lockdowns imposed by governments. This, in turn, leads people into endless unresolvable arguments about the relative merits of the political red and blue teams in the mistaken belief that either even understands the process; still less offers a solution to it. But what we are living through is something far more visceral – and a process that every human civilisation before us also lived – and died – through.
People often mistake complexity for “complicated.” So that, for example, the murmurations of flocks of starlings will be described as complex. But complexity involves structural diversity – the moving parts, if you will, are all different – and integration and control to generate the system’s behaviour. A murmuration of starlings has neither of these: like formation dancers or parade ground soldiers, the moving parts are the same. A body or a modern car, by contrast, has both. Your body has a series of distinct parts each working together under the largely autonomous control of those parts of your brain that you are not conscious of. In the same way, a car comprises a series of discrete moving parts under the control of a central processing unit which only partially responds to the inputs that a driver makes via the foot pedals and steering column.
A city takes complexity to levels that tower over a mere human body or modern vehicle. The modern global city stands at the apex of complexity….’
https://consciousnessofsheep.co.uk/2021/02/15/a-failure-of-complexity/
Complexity and complicated are different parts of speech, and both come from the same stem word(s). You might be pushing that precious distinction a little too far.
Sorry – there is a distinction in stem words, but I doubt that it matters in most readers’ minds. Such is modern literacy.
South Aucklanders have been enslaved by Jacinda with these ridiculous house prices she caused by saying investors would never pay a CGT and that she will make house prices continue to go up modestly? This has pushed South Auckland homes up and trapped many Islanders in eternal slavery to their landlords. They have to work 15 hours a day just to pay the Landlord. They have no freedom and no future. They pack the houses full of people to survive. They can’t even rest when they reach retirement because they will still have to pay rent to the rich landlords.
I do not blame the Islanders for not trusting the government and I do not blame them for feeling that they are not part of the 5 million because in reality the government does not care for them. Jacinda simply sees them as fodder needed to keep her parasitic landlords happy. She knows that most Islanders don’t vote so are nothing to her, she has more than proven that fact. The Islanders probably think Jacinda would use them to test the vaccine on. Unbelievably (to myself), even I would not put it past this government now. I have lost ALL trust. They have betrayed the poor so viciously and blatantly this time that I will never trust this government again.
The media needs to start providing a mainstream voice to the suffering Jacinda is causing in South Auckland and now in many towns all over the country. The media must stop pandering to the rich elites who pay to advertise on their portals. The poor people need a voice. There is real pain out there and its not being seen. Jacinda is destroying the fabric of NZ. John Key was the worst destroyer of the poor I have ever witnessed…. then this smiling, caring, furrowed browed, tilty headed false prophet came along and hell was unleashed on the poor, whilst at the same time vast riches were bestowed on the wealthy?
It’s the hypocrisy of her and this govt and their refusal to do ANYTHING meaningful. She is the biggest faker of kindness.
Correct, too many are focussing on her Covid-19 response whilst turning their heads away from the utter disaster she is willfully ignoring around her.
Whether by blind ambition and ego, or simply by training and drinking the Koolaid without question, the end result has pretty much been the same: Transformation and Kindness has become little more than a Comms and Marketing exercise – which of course has always been a major part of the cult of neo-liberalism. Even David Lange knew that when he called for a cup of tea and a lay down.
Like you, I’m an ex Labour Party suppota, and I suspect things are going to have to get worse before they can get better. Or maybe it’ll have to just self-destruct – but whatever, the sooner, the better.
Sure as shit though, they’ve now frittered almost all of what the boffins and pontificators label ‘political capital’ in this space, going forward rhubarb rhubarb.
Not to say though that I wouldn’t give an electorate vote to one or two of them if I lived in the area. I’m pretty sure most of them haven’t yet grasped the pickle they could be in in 2023 – if not 2026 for sure, if they carry on as they are at present.
Who set up and facilitated the house price avalanche. It wasn’t this Labour govt.
Answers to it have to be draconian and Kiwis won’t accept that or a drop in the price of their house/es.
A stronger socialist ethic is needed to move to a better place.
If you don’t accept that the look internationally to see how its done rather than be a gutless grump opposing it because you have unquestionably absorbed propaganda about the term “Socialist”
Look to NZ 1930 and the benefits gained.
I can understand why anyone living close to poverty doesn’t isolate. Extraordinary indeed that doors were not knocked on and they couldn’t find the person. Such first world thinking beggars belief or have these people forgotten that many people in South Auckland live day to day because they earn or receive so little to live on.
Michal: “…many people in South Auckland live day to day because they earn or receive so little to live on.”
Michal, I suspect that the people making these decisions haven’t – recently or perhaps ever – worked in that area. So they have absolutely no idea at all of how many people live.
Those of us who have are only too well-aware of the extent to which adjurations to South Aucklanders to isolate are the counsel of perfection.
You first, professor! as Bill Bryson famously said, dismissing expert advice on what to do if one met a black bear on the Appalachian Trail.
Let’s not forget this ‘gem’ of wisdom from our former PM/Money Hoarder;
“Prime Minister John Key says beneficiaries who resort to food banks do so out of their own “poor choices” rather than because they cannot afford food.
Mr Key made the comment when asked in Parliament yesterday about poverty levels.
When Labour’s social development spokeswoman Annette King asked about Salvation Army reports of high demand for food parcels, Mr Key responded by saying it was true that the global recession meant more people were on benefits.
“But it is also true that anyone on a benefit actually has a lifestyle choice. If one budgets properly, one can pay one’s bills.
“And that is true because the bulk of New Zealanders on a benefit do actually pay for food, their rent and other things. Now some make poor choices and they don’t have money left.”
Ref: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/food-parcel-families-made-poor-choices-says-key/KDI3II47PEO6BANHQID5QWI2TA/
“amnesty for all Overstayers” = a lot more one-way ticket purchases towards New Zealand. Fortunately, our infrastructure and housing situation is more than up for a massive surge in overstayers, so bring ’em on!. Oh wait.
Great racist dog-whistle Nitrium. Sad that you would rather be part of the problem than part of the solution. Enjoying the new restrictions that have taken effect this morming?
Nothing to do with overstayers. NZ needs to shut the border down completely except for emergencies. Every ticket out of NZ should be one-way until the pandemic is over.
Kiwis should always have the right to return home, they hold NZ passports end of story.
Michal: “Kiwis should always have the right to return home, they hold NZ passports end of story.”
Agree.
Disgaree. Every Kiwi abroad has had ample time to return home. We’re almost a year into this thing now! And if you voluntarily decide (i.e. non-emergency) to leave this country at this stage, I don’t think New Zealand has any obligation to take you back at her expense.
Who said New Zealand is feminine?
AOM…I didn’t see any reference at all to race in Nitrium’s post??? An ‘overstayer’ is not defined by race but by action. But no, you just have to be outraged by Nitrium’s comments, you’ve just gotta be hyper woke, which more woke than uber woke. That’s how this whole cancel culture thrives…hyper-uber-woke-everything-is-racist-outrage-on-social-media, finding anything, the smallest thing, and immediately re-classifying it as racist and turning into a huge drama.
I was going to mention the same thing but thought better of it: i.e. that the very notion that “overstayers” are automatically assumed to be of a certain race is in itself extremely racist.
Methinks thou dost protest too much.
That and the fact that its teenagers (herding cats).
Parents working multiple jobs are not often at home (to receive phone calls or visits).
They need the schools email contact/phone (parents and teens). Text alerts to the teens phones.
PS Once the government has their phone information, it can track location of those isolating …
So we are a police state now? Why dont they just weld their doors shut?
It’s either self isolation with phone tracking or into managed isolation (not enough spaces for contacts) if you want to avoid the lockdown cost.
Love to hear your thoughts on National’s phone tracking lite alternative.
Covid is overblown…. it terms of deaths it’s maybe a little worse than a bad flu season.. for proof go to ourworldindata or euromomo or Google many other data websites… the response is crazy… yes we should be slowing down the economy and sharing the resources better, but not locking down to prevent spread of a virus that will get into every country eventually and can’t be stopped by masks and we shouldn’t be giving any fucking money to big pharma for their fucking vaccines that good old Ashley says will give 2 months…at least… woopdy fucking do… then line up for your quarterly or annual or whatever booster…the amount of money spent on this nonsense could have be used for a thousand better health or inequality initiatives.
You and Billy TK Jnr should hook up and make babies. You could be very happy together. (Not that I’m trying to play cupid, and I don’t know where you stand on the spectrum)
I’d rather just tell Big Pharma they aren’t the masters of the universe they think they are and that the IP they’ve built up (often using research and development subsidised by various states) is public ‘property’ and WILL be used for the public good.
I defer to your better judgement of course because coming up with the best of conspiracies tells us ALL you’re considerably, considerably smarter than the best scientists and inquiring minds our dying world has been able to produce.
By the way – did you hear the one about the latest flu vaccine? Apparently the same results can be delivered via some sort of vibratory apparatus that you can wear around your neck, driven by a bunch of primitive electronics. What’s even better is that it is independent of any G, 2G, 3G, 4G and dare I say it – 5G network. Google it! You’ll see. It’s truly spooky. And the big question is – WHY WEREN’T WE TOLD? Surely that’s the big question. You and I might really really need to isolate
What drivel… i am not anti vaccine against serious illness that will beat many/most immune systems. I am not for vaccines for illnesses that a good immune system can deal with such as flu and covid. Most flu vaccines are about 50% effective so not much good. Vaccines have aluminium and other nasties in them so should be used sparingly. Pharma have given up the “first do no harm” principle in favour of profits. Many clinical trials are a sham these days. I know very little about Billy tk and don’t care about him. I used to vote labour ..then labour/green…in 2020 voted green/green once JA ruled out a tax on the rich. I hoped greens would have balance of power to get rich taxed…once they didn’t I hoped they would be opposition..like Martyn said they greedily took the baubles…my wish for a fairer system has nothing to do with my position on covid…so many of you on here are so blind that you think a person has to have certain views if they have an opinion against your own about a specific issue. Frank…Oncewastim … and now have to add Bert to the list…grow up…open your eyes…JA is doing what she is doing on covid because she is told to by the intl community…same as with the neoliberal economic policies…and because the nz public are afraid of the virus so it gets her votes…eventually people may learn but I am not holding my breath…
You are the one who is crazy. You have to be a right wing conspiracist and a Natz or Act voter. Check up on Billy TK he must be on the you tube and facebook you watch.
The latest outbreak suggests someone in South Auckland got infected. That started the latest episode.
So how did they get infected? Because they worked in a place where it was possible to get infected? Because they ‘bumped into’ someone who worked somewhere?
Maybe next time we have a pandemic we should only employ people in MIQ facilities and at our border who live and shop in St Heliers or Remuera. Then we might have to ask the question: “Does the latest outbreak suggest we are getting it wrong in Auckland City east?”
This situation shows how out of touch Jacinda is with the real world that these people live in .Those working at KFC and KMART would be on low wages and most liking on call so by not turning up,when asked puts you down the list the next time they need staff.
For this system to work a worker should be able to ring up,quote IRD number and recieve money from the state to cover the lose of wages .
Agree with Trevor on this, have been saying to everyone in my circles–that with personal absence for COVID related reasons, let individuals have a go at handling it and organise direct payments through IRD. Company wide issues, such as downturns, layoffs, the employer can handle it. If a few did take advantage it would hopefully be worth it in the Public Health long run. Enough employers have shown already what they think of Mr Robertson’s “high trust” model! Though a number of prominent employers seem to have taken it more seriously as time goes on.
The NZCTU needs to be firmer too, and make it clear that employees disadvantaged for COVID related absences will be protected, by action if need be, given how clogged the Mediation Service and Employment Court currently is.
@ Trevor, Yep, maybe if the government bothered to stop the ability for companies to make people redundant willy nilly (aka making a compulsory pay out based on time spent working) then workers might feel more secure and not be turning up to work instead of isolating.
Also clean up the ability and ease of corporations to go into liquidation and not pay workers, shareholders etc… For a start the directors should have to stand down for 2 years if they are involved in a liquidation… the no fault seems to be driving certain behaviour, greed and recklessness in business here.
Smiths City advertises for new staff days after making 115 redundant
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/121625411/smiths-city-advertises-for-new-staff-days-after-making-115-redundant
Also leading to constant job insecurity in NZ for workers.
“Axed over the Christmas break, told to be out by lunchtime after 50 years’ loyalty – this is redundancy in New Zealand, where there’s no mandatory notice period or compensation payments and little support for those searching for new work.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/365540/why-being-made-redundant-in-nz-is-so-tough
A business journalist also analysed why Cadbury had to make the workers redundant and financial engineering aka loading up the company with debt, from a global multinational owner, that led to Cadbury’s demise.
Similar with Rio Tinto, it produces some of the highest quality aluminium in the world, but the part of the process that the Invercargill plant plays in the supply chain makes it lose money and they use this to make the NZ government subsidise their power for years (driving up power costs for consumers). But even when Rio Tinto move the plant, they still will have the losses of that part of the supply chain.
Given the latest lockdown news, one can only say – we need to name, shame and prosecute those who are either ignorantly or wilfully not following the rules. Pleading human error is just not good enough.
Those that broke the rules are all young . I hope you followed the rules when you were young eg your first drink first fag sex driving drunk taking a drug stealing from the the shop. Add to that the fact they would be a minium wage and only call contract say no and you go to the bottom of the heap. Try living in their world and stop be judge and jury
If, as has been proven with rampant house and rent prices, “the rules” are only put in place just to keep the rich on top why should we follow “the rules”? Maybe it is time the ignored and oppressed underclass made our own rules that finally tilts the playing field in our favour for once.
Martin,
You are so right. If you are told to self isolate for 2 weeks – no problem if you own your own home or two in Auckland – but if you are living hand to mouth then two weeks of instant noodles and rent arrears are not exactly appealing. Supporting these people has got to be cheaper than lockdown.
Come on.
The error is with the govt action…not with people making a living to pay the bills
Meanwhile the PM, members of parliament and bureaucrats don’t suffer at all. They keep their pay and lurks and perks while the masses are thrown into chaos losing their lives, homes, and businesses. Being controlled by the elites, it’s about time the masses said we are not going to take it anymore. Pandemic my arse, it’s all about control. People need to stop watching the 6 o’clock News, it’s brain washing hour.
We will never get rid of Covid-19. We need to change tack, regularly vaccinate against the various strains, look after our elderly and most vulnerable and come up with a plan to live with it. Covid-19 is going nowhere. We can’t stay scared and frightened forever.
“We need to change tack, ”
That’s a foolish comment.
All the measures you then go on to list are well and good, but until we have completed a national vaccination programme and we have immunity levels consistent with a herd immunity and global infection rates are better controlled, we will have to continue with the isolation and eradication strategy.
Instead of a knee jerk change of tack current measures must be subjected to improved levels of implementation and education.
Yes, but keeping the masses terrified keeps them also controlled
Meaning?
Truism alert, we are on this tack because its the best option till there is vaccination.
Why are you all so willing to allow big pharma and govt to regularly stick needles in your arm?
Oh look, a conspiracy fantyasist/covid denier. How cute…
Oh a moron, how cute. It is nothing to do with conspiracy. What do people with money and organisations do with opportunities? THEY SEIZE THEM. That is what is happening here. More power being seized by govt and big pharma, banks etc. The haves wont stop till they have it all. And like AFKTT says, by then it will too late for everyone and we will all have nothing. This latest move by JA is an abuse of power. It is a punishment for a couple of people breaking the guidelines and punishment for the masses who didnt troop off to the testing centre yesterday. Noone in NZ is even in hospital with covid. How much will a week of lockdown cost? 1/2 a billion? How many houses could that produce, or benefit increases? Why do you people on this blog on the left criticise the govt generally, but give them a pass with anything related to covid? Soon you will be getting out the pitchforks and going down to KFC Botany. I spoke to someone the other day who had been sacked from his job because he stayed home for a runny nose and a covid test. Do you think JA is going to help him? We are all being duped, and Frank, fuck you.
Bang on!
“Big pharma”?
Does that include pharmaceutical companies in Cuba, which are State owned?
Whatever faults “Big Pharma” have (and they are legion), they are one of the few things that stand between pandemics and us.
And at least Oxford AstraZeneca will be providing their vaccine at cost. For many developing countries, this will be a godsend. Not that privileged people in the West knows what it meands to go without lifesaving medicines because of inabilioty to pay.
ref: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/nov/23/oxford-astrazeneca-results-covid-vaccine-developing-countries
“I spoke to someone the other day who had been sacked from his job because he stayed home for a runny nose and a covid test.”
Best thing about anecdotes? No evidence required.
“…and Frank, fuck you.”
No thanks. My partner wouldn’t approve. Can I suggest blowupfriends.co.nz?
So one state owned pharma and one that is doing at cost, for now, at least, makes it all okay? Do you think those that run these big pharma are completely distinct from other sections of power? They all can and do play the long game because they have deep pockets. Giving up some profits for awhile to get them some brownie points, big deal. And yes, some of them might be lovely people, even as nice as you Frank. It doesnt mean their organisations dont lie and cheat as part of their regular business. So i dont have proof of my anecdote, it is true nonetheless. It was just an example of what people can experience when they are vulnerable. Do you think it couldnt be true Frank?
You wouldnt be woke by any chance, Frank? You sound a bit guilty.
Don’t waste your breathe @ Frank. None so blind as those that cannot (and even choose not) ………..
The more their following, the smarter they be
Brilliant response Frank.
There is also this from the angry ant…
“Noone in NZ is even in hospital with covid
I wonder whether it crossed their minds that there is a reason for that? Possibly incredibly good management of covid.
“Overblown” Not to those that have died or been affected by this.
“Brilliant response…” ? you are easily pleased… no one being in hospital out of the 50 I think positive cases does not show it is good management… the small number of cases shows good management, but at what cost to other negative health outcomes..e.g. missed cancer treatments etc… no, zero hospitalizations out of 50 cases points to this strain not being the plague it is being made out to be.
Love to know where you are finding all these missed cancer treatments. Not apparent in Wellington. How does treatment within 12 hours of detection sound? Numerous patients rock up every day for their ongoing treatment and it looks as though the facilities could accommodate a few more if necessary.
It seems there are a few urban myths floating around to keep the denialists happy.
The economic cost of a lockdown is not the same amount as income or business tax received by government.
‘Big’ para.
Oh Frank, the irony of a russiagater calling others conspiracy fantasists.
?
How do we even know this new case is true…the 6 o’clock news had the govt bleating that no one was getting tested today…then hey presto a new positive case to put the frighteners on everyone again…the poor sap might not even have it… they changed everyone that had been at Kmart from Casual to Close with no explanation, the other day… and those poor people are told to do 14 days at home isolation from family in room on their own…this is people with no symptoms..who had been in and out if Kmart for as little as 5 minutes…this is a fact and it is outrageous… you are not going to post my comment but why don’t you email me to explain why not
You are offended when Frank call you a conspiracy theorist then you come up with this is it real. You sound like that other loser Mr Trump.
Your previous question about big pharmac . Well I rely on big pharmac to supply the 15 grubs I take to stay alive and they have done well at that for 9 years. There needles stopped me getting the flu and their blood tests found out my faulty kidney needed attention. Being a boomer I saw the effect of polio on school mates big pharmac helped eliminate that problem world wide except for the 3 countries where religion keeps people uneducated and afraid much like yourself
Do we know for sure it is a Pacifica or Maori family?
During the August outbreak min of health said there was high buy in from the Pacifica cmty.
I think the country returned to level 1 too early before we were more certain the outbreak was contained.
The 20 year old who had a covid test then went to the gym shouldn’t have done that……I have a relative around that age who got symptoms had a test and seriously isolated till he returned a negative test. This was when there was no outbreak.
“We need to immediately declare an amnesty for all Overstayers so that fear is removed.”
The amnesty strategy has been tried before, many years ago and for different reasons. It didn’t work then and it’s unlikely to work now. People are overstayers – or protect them – largely for economic reasons. Which is why people come here from the Pacific and elsewhere in the first place. The risk is worth it to them. No government will ever again try the dawn raids tactic, I’m guessing.
“We need to bring in the South Auckland Community Leaders to run the messaging because they don’t trust Pakeha.”
I spent most of my career working in that area, and other low-income areas. For all of that time, we struggled to get health messages across to, and understood by, that community. What you suggest here has already been tried in other contexts. Largely unsuccessfully.
In my experience, it isn’t necessarily a case of not trusting pakeha. And given who staffs much of the health system nowadays, that couldn’t be so. This story illustrates both the problem with which we constantly wrestled (failure to keep follow-up appointments or to attend outpatient clinics) and the fact that beating the we-don’t-trust-pakeha drum is disingenuous at best:
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/115930211/new-research-reveals-heartbreaking-cost-of-meth-and-a-growing-problem
The take-home message for me, out of all those years, is that frequently (but not always) it’s human groupishness at play. We like to get professional services from people who look and talk like us, who share our cultural mores.
This can be difficult for pakeha using health services nowadays, as doubtless you’ve noticed.
And there’s a subset for whom it’s just prejudice: they are bigoted against pakeha. I ran up against this attitude from time to time.
“We should consider compensation payments for anyone who can’t work at home and is asked to self isolate.”
This is a good suggestion. Lockdowns and quarantines are very hard on people whose income is low to begin with, and who have few reserves to come and go on.
“I support Māori roadblocks because they remember the mass graves from the 1918 epidemic…”
I don’t. The history of the 1918 epidemic is much more conditional than modern accounts suggest. Maori aren’t disproportionately at risk now: nor were they in 1918. There were particular reasons why many died in some areas and not in others. I recommend reading about it. I think Te Ara has a good account.
My view about what’s happening in South Auckland is that for most people, the virus either doesn’t make them very sick, or it doesn’t make them sick at all. And they fail to see why they should be forced to jump through all these hoops, and suffer economic loss, just on account of a not-particularly-nasty bug.
I can understand that way of thinking.
I note that tonight the PM has announced that, yet again, alert levels are going up. We have family in Auckland: unsurprisingly, they’re done with this malarkey.
And I’m done with the bloody PM making a piece of political drama out of this. The Beehive theatre or wherever it is, and the mobile phone alerts: anybody’d think there’d been an earthquake, with a tsunami on the way. Just send out a press release already: stop politicising it!
I somewhat agree with you. A press release, a banner across the bottom of every tv channel and radio announcements, would be better than the usual look at me press conference. People are getting sick of it, you’re right it is highly political.
“My view about what’s happening in South Auckland is that for most people, the virus either doesn’t make them very sick, or it doesn’t make them sick at all. And they fail to see why they should be forced to jump through all these hoops, and suffer economic loss, just on account of a not-particularly-nasty bug”.
I suspect this is the sentiment everywhere D’Esterre, particularly among certain demographics. It need not be South Auckland. In Holland there are protests about freedoms being curtailed. A German-born acquaintance (in his late 30’s) told me that a good many Germans back home are over it, based on the observation that indeed the virus doesn’t make most people very sick and some don’t even get sick at all. The science tells a different story however– or so we are led to believe since in many cases data comes with a narrative, and that is true also for the discourse around Covid 19. But on the face of it, its highly infectious- with new strains becoming even more infectious; it is deadly for the frail and immune compromised; and appears quite randomly to have very poor outcomes for a minority who are otherwise healthy. It may be perceived by some as a not-a-particularly–nasty bug but in a word, its disruptive. For personal lives, business, health care systems, just about everything. And that’s without lockdowns.
I guess some people just don’t get it.
Bozo: “….a good many Germans back home are over it, based on the observation that indeed the virus doesn’t make most people very sick and some don’t even get sick at all.”
Yup. We have extended family in that part of the world: we’ve heard the same sort of thing from them. They tell us what’s happening, and make it clear that they don’t like it at all. It’s been a real trial for them, to be cooped up in the middle of winter. The lockdowns apparently haven’t reduced cases or deaths, at least where they are. Although they apparently don’t know anyone affected.
We keep an eye on Queensland stats (we have family there and we wish to go there). It’s instructive to note how low case numbers and deaths are: maybe evidence in support of the theory that exposure to sunlight keeps infections low. That may also explain the lowish numbers here, and in Oz generally. Queensland has land borders with NSW, SA and NT. And despite that, its numbers remain low.
The science says that young people are relatively unaffected; given this fact, nobody should be surprised that south Auckland teenagers wouldn’t follow the rules. Besides, they’re teenagers: as I recall only too well, that’s just the group that will kick over the traces.
“….it is deadly for the frail and immune compromised; and appears quite randomly to have very poor outcomes for a minority who are otherwise healthy.”
Indeed. Hence the need to protect the elderly in particular.
Influenza can also be deadly for relatively young and otherwise healthy people. Which is why vaccination is recommended. And actual influenza (as opposed to circulating winter viruses) is bloody awful, as I can attest. So I make sure to have the vaccination every year.
“…but in a word, its disruptive.”
Countries’ response to it is causing disruption. Queensland again: we have heard from family there that the lockdown was very much less restrictive than here and elsewhere. Yet cases remain very low; and six deaths since early last year. That hasn’t changed in all the time that we’ve been checking.
“I guess some people just don’t get it.”
I think that some people struggle to accept what the health authorities are telling them is happening, when they can’t themselves see evidence of it. Yet they can see it being politicised by the government.
And as many of us have pointed out, the south Auckland cases are teenagers.
Can you not also see that countries like Germany are in their inferior condition because they were not able to do what we did? Not saying they were incompetent, just that we had that great opportunity to act faster, close borders, and go hard and fast. We were lucky to be able to do so, and it has given us a great advantage.
The fact that some Germans who are not personally over-affected by Covid say it is OK to let it happen does not seem to me a good reason for us to give up our relatively Covid-free status.
subset
D’estere you’re a bigot and a racist
here’s another example of your convoluted attempts at racism
‘ the inoffensive sector of the citizenry
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/03/26/hating-the-nz-police-state-while-demanding-it-in-an-age-of-pandemic-solidarity/#comment-497028
the only subset is you
Hemi, when everything is bigoted and racist then nothing is bigoted and racist. 1984 was not supposed to be a lefty playbook.
not everything is , racist and bigoted
just the dickheads that condone it – Off white
no lefty playbook required , to tell you that .
Hemi: “D’estere you’re a bigot and a racist”
Oh dear…so: no actual counter-argument, then? Just insult and epithets? And wrong spelling of my nom de guerre (or plume) by the way.
I’m a bit surprised that you linked those comments.
The inoffensive sector of the citizenry? What’s in that for you to be offended at? Have you been stewing away all this time about that comment thread? Or had you just forgotten what was in it?
The only other thing I can think of is that you’re assuming that inoffensive citizens are exclusively white. Or that you’re imputing this assumption to me.
How very strange. Is that what you really think?
nothing strange about it .
it would come as no surprise to you at all .
you’ve denied nothing .
no , have not been stewing about the comment all this time .
i doubt you’re using a nom de plume .
Hemi, you’re speaking in parables here – as an old friend was given to saying about unintelligible comments.
I have no idea what your comment means.
my comments are fairly straight forward , not unintelligible like yours .
you can understand them D’Esterre
‘ exclusively white – also your words not mine .
“And I’m done with the bloody PM making a piece of political drama out of this. The Beehive theatre or wherever it is, and the mobile phone alerts: anybody’d think there’d been an earthquake, with a tsunami on the way. Just send out a press release already: stop politicising it!”
Here’s a suggestion… DON’T WATCH IT THEN!
The P.M. is a wife and mother also and may I suggest she’d rather be at home on a Saturday night/Sunday afternoon than having to go through all this again. The problem is those with a dislike of her personally or the Labour party would complain if she didn’t front, along the lines of “where is she, she’s ineffective”!
Bert: “Here’s a suggestion… DON’T WATCH IT THEN!”
You’re missing the point. Regardless of whether I watched it (I didn’t), it was interpolated into mid-evening TV programming. There’s no need for this sort of approach: it’s politicising the situation.
Difficult to avoid the bloody phone blaring at us. This isn’t either an earthquake or WW3: save that sort of thing for those circumstances, say I.
MickeyBoyle: “We need to change tack…”
I agree: all the strategies you suggest.
In my view, if there’d been a good-sized outbreak here, we’d have been forced to adopt coping mechanisms of that sort. And it would have been no bad thing: especially if it spared us the PM making a big song and dance about it on TV, every time there was another case.
“We can’t stay scared and frightened forever.”
Hear hear!
You appear to advocate throwing in the towel too soon.
The time to “change tack” is when the current isolate and eradicate strategy has demonstrably failed, not at every alarm or hiccup in the utilisation of the current approach.
Change tack, sure, when it’s appropriate.
People Want a change of tack so they can then complain that the government had it wrong.
CovidCard.
(You can’t rush genius… but incompetence sure does take a long time.)
Martyn, you talk about poverty and distrust in South Auckland but you forgot to mention stupidity. Both of the former are derived from this.
Andrew, yep, that’s the reason for poverty. Especially your great grandparents.
If you can respond avoiding the Catch 22 you’re not stupid.
Neoliberalism and globalism is not working. Capitalists and big business and industry are increasingly putting all their mistakes onto the state and taxpayers to pay for, that is why inequality is increasing and standards are decreasing.
Big business can essentially ‘buy’ politicians and media corporations and combine lobbying policy and controlling discourses around the world, to support big business and essentially brainwash the majority of people.
Big businesses via government inaction are leading bad decisions on policy like climate change, pollution and water and the culture and attitude of people in NZ changing to the point where we are going to get major problems that we didn’t used to get, but now do (terrorism, wage theft as norm, exploitation of workers through ‘loopholes’ the norm, price fixing, money laundering etc).
The system is broken as we can’t even build a hospital anymore without major cost overruns and faults that exist even before the hospital is opened! Not good, in the age of Covid.
Hundreds of hot water valves to be repaired at new Christchurch hospital
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/437310/hundreds-of-hot-water-valves-to-be-repaired-at-new-christchurch-hospital?fbclid=IwAR0VkhCegqk3iWP0Uh-hCJJ3FdUmWsvkgKJjpQCJAIkZIsSpfC-xAZYKJuA
Taxpayers paying millions of dollar for private healthcare – study
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/437072/taxpayers-paying-millions-of-dollar-for-private-healthcare-study
Executive capitalists also can’t learn from mistakes in NZ – increasingly bovine executives do not think quality is not important in NZ, and risk controls are not on their radar (because end use is not part of their equations normally short term bonuses about gaming the balance sheet).
More Chinese trains to be bought despite asbestos headache
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/308206/more-chinese-trains-to-be-bought-despite-asbestos-headache
(Remember the movies about Soviet Russia when radioactive clothing protection did not work in the event of a nuclear incident and the Geiger counters were such low standards they couldn’t actually read high levels – people of NZ – we are already going there with toxic waste from Rio Tinto in towns for years, PPE failing, high lead and nitrate levels in water supply ignored, new hospitals and buildings no longer working as labour and materials are faulty!)
‘Beggars belief’ that PPE would fail – Waitemata DHB nurse
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/415623/beggars-belief-that-ppe-would-fail-waitemata-dhb-nurse
(not just NZ)
Hospital leaders hit out at government as PPE shortage row escalates
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/19/hospital-leaders-hit-out-government-ppe-shortage-row-escalates-nhs
High levels of lead in Dunedin water samples first picked up six months ago
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/high-levels-lead-in-dunedin-water-samples-first-picked-up-six-months-ago
Sewage fine these days for people, keep giving business more contracts so they expand their polluting practises and drive out compliant competition while the council sit on their arses working out how to make money!
We might solve Covid, but more and more problems around NZ and the world are happening that affect public/planet health.
Whanganui’s South Beach sea had 8 times allowed faecal bacteria
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/437151/whanganui-s-south-beach-sea-had-8-times-allowed-faecal-bacteria
[Comment declined for publication. Offensive trolling. – Scarletmod]
Didna realize there was moderation here! You do it like good bouncers, lightly.
What has happened shows how we are moving into ‘Third World’ country status.
Living in China during the SARS outbreak I observed at first hand how people in working class sections of Beijing did not follow quarantine rules and report illness for the simple reason that they would be deprived of their living if they did.
No work equals no pay and they know that promises of government income support are empty because corrupt officials divert such funds into their own pockets.
I have seen MSD in action and know their people will go to great lengths to deny those in need their proper benefits. People in South Auckland know they cannot live on promises.
What? Calling the PM a drama queen and telling her to resign is offensive and trolling lol what a crock.
Agreed! John Key was a big drama queen!
With your medical background I would have thought you could have added some qualified opinion about how this government is handling this threat. However you use it to make a point about a politician that has been off the scene for 5 years now and has no imputed into policy .
Trevor can I suggest your response be directed to Tuibelles post unless you fully support embarrassing comments. My medical background suggests to you that the government’s handling of coronavirus is one of the best in the world. Can it be improved , only hindsight can tell us that. When you hold responsibility for the decision making, that is one thing, when you make insults as above or uneducated opinions without responsibility that’s stupidity.
History does not hold Key in a good light, the Christ church it quake recovery was evidence of this.
As an expat Kiwi it amazes me how you are suffering this fool of a socialist PM while she is ripping our beautiful country apart, both socially and economically. She is a pest, her background alludes to that. Poor country NZ.
Shes not a socialist. Everything else you say is spot on.
When Jacinda takes the housing crisis seriously I will take COVID seriously. She wants me to take a financial hit to stop rich boomers getting sick but she won’t let rich boomers take a hit to let me have a future. She just wants to protect the rich at all costs. She has let me down more than I can ever say. Total traitor to the poor and young.
Same here mate, I locked down with the FAKE TEAM last time and was rewarded with being thrown out of my rental because the landlord wanted to take advantage of Jacindas new tax free wealth grab profits. I am now living with a friend and my life is a mess. I trusted Jacinda that she was going to do something about house prices. I don’t want to have the insecurity of renting forever. She has divided society into the haves and the have nots more than ever. She now wants us have-nots to sacrifice everything again for the haves….. I ask you Jacinda, why should we, you obviously have total contempt for us poor, why should we do anything for you and you rich best friends?
1 Jake
1 Carol
Hear hear
damn straight
The thing we, or more Jacinda and her fluffy Gang, are getting totally and utterly wrong is this whole woke pussyfooting ‘Be Kind’ thing.
She (and by default Coster) simply does not have the backbone to pick up an iron rod and say: “See this folks? You fuck with the rules and you’re getting it!” That is what is needed most under these dangerous circumstances. But the masses just laugh her off and say “yeah whatever’.
No respect – that’s what is happening there Jacinda. You’re now reaping what you sowed long ago Jacinda – hope you are happy!
Ah – the old ‘bash the shit out of them with and iron rod to teach them some respect’ line again. Sure doesn’t seem to have done you much good Jaspinda! You seem to be displaying much respect for anyone with your comment.
Aaah, AOM still smarting because I called you out on being outraged and woke at Nitrium’s non-racist post? I get it.
Seriously the world is messed up! Covid is just a symptom of bad people led by lazy, bought politicians gaining control of the world and inflicting massive human rights abuses before our eyes, who escape censor and punishment.
Dissidents ‘shocked’ Saudi heir avoids sanctions over Khashoggi murder
Saudi exiles say crown prince Mohammed bin Salman should have been punished after US declared he ‘approved’ killing of journalist
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/27/dissidents-shocked-saudi-heir-avoids-sanctions-over-khashoggi
Also look at this in the context of most of the September 11 bombers were from Saudi!
Some countries get a free ride from the west just by shady money deals which ensure they are above international law, while countries are increasingly led by bovine politicians in the west who are given bad advice from morally corrupt officials and now live in fear because they can’t get a new iPhone or cheap part if they part ways.
Remember how our politicians rushed to fly dual resident Chinese out of Wuhan! First thought was to risk bringing Covid to NZ by saving high worth Chinese residents who bought their way into NZ.
In addition China escapes zero censorship for Covid and Saars, Hong Kong, Tibet, Taiwan and the Uighers! What do we get, bad overpriced PPE and faulty materials in exchange? Crazy!
Is it really worth destroying the world for cheap electronics while propping up human rights abusers as our business partners?
Where is the US demand for extradition for crown prince Mohammed bin Salman to face trial, like Julian Assange, Edward Snowdon and Dotcom? Obviously arranging the murder and torture of a journalist in an embassy that shocked the world is ok – as long as the person the US thinks is behind it, has money and power.
Don’t insult Snowden and Assange by comparing Dotcom to them. He made millions paying people for pirate content for his servers. Once the money runs out the lawyers will abandon him and he will get his just deserve.
ds – the comparison is that they are are facing bogus extradition by the US, while those who murder/torture are not, not the merits of their character.
Also @ Ds – you might like to look at the
Viacom International Inc. v. YouTube, Inc. on wiki.
“Viacom International, Inc. v. YouTube, Inc., No. 07 Civ. 2103, is a U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York case in which Viacom sued YouTube, a video-sharing site owned by Google, alleging that YouTube had engaged in “brazen” and “massive” copyright infringement by allowing users to upload and view hundreds of thousands of videos owned by Viacom without permission.”
The case has already been tried in the US, and You Tube won. File sharing is not illegal, and that is why it is a farce with Dotcom aka Hollywood is getting NZ taxpayers to pay for their legal action rather than competing and innovating like Apple and the music industry did.
As for tax evasion, money laundering, etc, Hollywood should be the first to be audited by world wide governments as should their tax breaks and unlimited corporate welfare in NZ be examined!
Who could argue about “Seriously the world is messed up!” when people get all upset because the leader of the country says that people should be nice.
Let’s have a real leader shall we, one who tells everyone to be nasty, or one who doesn’t care about people’s attitudes. How would that go?
The people of South Auckland are just as pissed off as everyone else. They’re not stupid, and most people are following the messaging. They don’t need condescension from the white bourgeois liberal left. If they weren’t following guidelines these flare ups would be a hell of a lot worse. Marae have been looking after their communities, Sikh temples have been sending out food parcels for months, the Pacific leaders forum are pushing testing and vaccines hard – what more do you want? Don’t confuse individuals with the entire community.
Nice one Populuxe1 🙂
Some just like to generalise, especially when it supports their beliefs.
The liberal left can’t help themselves, unfortunately. They are the self appointed moral authority looking down their noses at everyone.
” ……Marae have been looking after their communities, Sikh temples have been sending out food parcels for months, the Pacific leaders forum are pushing testing and vaccines hard …… ”
Yep indeed. And they’ve been doing it without looking for fame or reward.
And they’ve been doing it all over lil ‘ole NuZull that punches above its weight for along time.
Sure – there are one or two within each of the institutions you mention who seize on the opportunity to advance their individual egos and agendas, but it’s by no means the majority or the intent of what they’re doing.
The most sensible comment I have read on these many comments. There have been many assumptions made on this page which are disappointing on a so called left wing page. Covid 19 is a virus that does not discriminate rich, poor young and old no matter who you are or where you live , just have a look around the world . A virus has only one concern in its life and that is to replicate. Just for once let’s just get on with it , support each other and for goodness sake let’s just stop the moaning, conspiracy making and just beat this thing the best we can together.
Hey Newsflash!!! Arden says Covid kills. Well, who knew?!
She is coming across like a kindergarten teacher who’s lost control of her class.
Maybe she just realising the audience include many who are like a kindergarteners. Some want independence to make their own decisions and want Ardern and co. to butt out. Dictatorship is anathema.
As soon as the wheels fall off they want her and co. to be decisive and authoritarian. Mostly in others.
“Victoria University psychology professor Marc Wilson said Ardern’s positivity had gone on too long for it to be an act: Ardern’s positivity was seemingly who she was and maybe even played a part in last year’s landslide election win for Labour.”
I’ll take expert advice over your non de plume every day of the week.
News flash…YOU DON’T LIKE JACINDA!
Bert: “I’ll take expert advice over your non de plume every day of the week.”
Still unable to spell, I see. And still missing the point. This whole situation has been politicised up the wazoo.
It doesn’t matter what experts say: that doesn’t change anything.
Oh dear , spelling may not be a strength but rationale is certainly not yours You expect your opinion not to be challenged then you clearly miss the point. If you want to see this situation politicised, then listen to Seymour try to be relevant.
Bert: News flash…YOU DON’T LIKE JACINDA!
Jaspinda: Really??? I never!!! I don’t like any PM who does nothing. Doesn’t matter what party. And you should also demand more, instead of simply hero worshipping.
Jaspinda, most of our population are alive not because the PM did nothing. Tell me what she’s done to upset and any evidence to support this? As for worshipping, I”ll leave that to you to make your mind up. The rest of the world may disagree with you.
You are offended when Frank call you a conspiracy theorist then you come up with this is it real. You sound like that other loser Mr Trump.
Your previous question about big pharmac . Well I rely on big pharmac to supply the 15 grubs I take to stay alive and they have done well at that for 9 years. There needles stopped me getting the flu and their blood tests found out my faulty kidney needed attention. Being a boomer I saw the effect of polio on school mates big pharmac helped eliminate that problem world wide except for the 3 countries where religion keeps people uneducated and afraid much like yourself
OK boomer keep taking your drugs I hope you voted yes for cannabis
Go take your own,… L0L0L0L !
Definitely a Trumpeter Trevor judging by that response.
Soon as family ties change. Im movin to Dunedin.
Fuck Auckland, fuck its John Key cheap labour immigration settings and fuck its obsession with road works. If I dont get to see another orange road cone for the rest of my life Ill be happy.
Auckland, and its political football status can go to blazes.
Lynyrd Skynyrd-All I Can Do Is Write About It
https://youtu.be/IQNtYI7YU0I?t=26
Auckland?… you’re a bore.
‘Soon as family ties change. Im movin to Dunedin’
May I suggest you move before the stampede commences.
As for Dunedin, remember it’s bloody cold in the winter; anywhere south of Kiapoi is. And remember Dunedin council is not good at organising water supplies, or telling the public when the water supplies are contaminated. Also, Dunedin is very vulnerable to sea level rise.
Well said, Martyn.
Dear Government,
‘You had one job’
Dear government,
‘you had one job’
Government doubles down on what aboutism and scapegoating individuals for the government own failings and loss of nerve.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/police-to-get-involved-against-suspected-isolation-rulebreakers-offenders-could-be-charged/ar-BB1e5iut?pfr=1&c=11113330407344418807&mkt=en-us
If you are counting on the vagaries of human nature to contain the spread of the pandemic, you might as well admit that you have given up.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/121178650/lockdown-breaches-quickly-rising-as-total-nears-4000-people
The fact of the matter is, if the gym where the person the PM has lambasted for going to while they were supposed to be self isolating had been closed, (as it would have been had the level 3 lockdown had been maintained), then this individual would not have been in the position to spread the virus.
Make no mistake this is not about the personal failings of some or other individuals.
This is a massive failure of leadership by the government.
Patrick O’Dea: “If you are counting on the vagaries of human nature to contain the spread of the pandemic, you might as well admit that you have given up.”
I read that link you posted earlier. I note mention of police involvement and people being prosecuted for criminal nuisance.
I am very dubious about this proposal. It’s all very well for sundry talking heads to pontificate about what the rest of us should be doing, or not. But they’re not the ones having to do it – or wrangle their recalcitrant teens into doing it. Especially when one must work multiple low-paid jobs, or stand down from said jobs, and isolate with no money coming in and an uncertain housing situation.
And more police involvement, in the South Auckland community? Isn’t that likely to backfire? I can’t see it ending well.
If middle class pakeha such as us would take exception to the polis sticking their noses into health matters, whether or not they had the backing of the law, surely the brown communities of that area would be even more underwhelmed?
As you say: human nature. Maybe what we have now is as good as it gets.
History will record that this is where the NZ government gave up on trying to contain the virus.
@ Jake, “She wants me to take a financial hit to stop rich boomers getting sick but she won’t let rich boomers take a hit to let me have a future.”
I don’t think Gary Lin is a boomer… Gary Lin says he started buying houses only so he could play World of Warcraft on his computer all day every day.
Now he’s a multimillionaire who owns 11 rental properties in the soaring Auckland market.
The 32-year-old – originally from Guangzhou in China but a New Zealand resident since he was 13 – started buying property in June 2010 with a $200,000 wedding gift from his father. He and his wife Cindy bought one place for as little as $173,000.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/young-landlords-11-rentals-in-5-years/762NTZH6HTV2JMLVIZLU4NQ7G4/
“Against stupidity the Gods themselves contend in vain.” Frederich Schiller
Almost 4,000 individuals were stopped by police for breaches of the last lockdown.
That these individuals were not able to spread the infection through the population was because every gym, every movie theater, every sporting event was closed down under the lockdown provisions.
The government chose not to continue the lockdown this time after only three days and instead put the onus on to individual responsibility.
In effect the government abrogated their responsibility and duty of care to the collective welfare of us all, which is their job, to wait for it, individuals.
The result was inevitable.
We were just lucky it was only a handful of people this time and not 4,000.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/…/almost-4000-people-breached…
Almost 4000 people breached Covid-19 lockdown – police
RNZ.CO.NZ
Almost 4000 people breached Covid-19 lockdown – police
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