For the love of God…
A security guard who tested positive last week was previously last tested in November last year – six months ago – even though he is meant to be tested every fortnight.
The information has emerged during the health select committee this morning, when MBIE chief executive Carolyn Tremain said the last test in their system was from November.
She said the security guard was a relief night-shift worker – who are still meant to be tested every fortnight – who worked regularly as opposed to casually.
Tremain is fronting the committee this morning with director general of health Ashley Bloomfield and head of MIQ Brigadier Jim Bliss.
She said there were inconsistencies across the whole recording system for border worker testing, and MBIE was working to make sure it was complying with the public health order requiring the frequent testing of border workers.
The guard may have been tested more recently than November – but if so, it wasn’t in the system.
Tremain said 89 per cent of 4000-odd MIQ workers had now received their first vaccine jab.
National Party Covid-19 response spokesman Chris Bishop asked: “How many workers have missed tests they should have had in the border workforce?”
Tremain said she didn’t know.
…when Chris Bishop is winning, you are in terrible trouble!
This latest cockup shows just how much good luck has been part of our success. Not taking anything away from Jacinda or her leadership, but this is the underfunded NZ public health system we are talking about here!
Did everyone just forget about the Measles epidemic they oversaw?
Government inaction left door open to measles outbreak: Ministry of Health report
Measles outbreaks that put New Zealand children in intensive care before likely spreading to Samoa where children died could have been avoided if the Government heeded expert advice and closed immunity gaps fuelled by a racist health system.
…none of that has been fixed!
The Covid vaccination roll out will be just as wretched and until we start funding health properly it will remain so. In this case the lack of staff to do security work directly means a reliance on the private sector to do it and MBIE are next to useless.
If we aren’t going to tax the rich and the corporations properly to fund public services, you can’t be shocked when the public services fall over!
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Of course the health system is shit but Bishop was in a party that contributed to it being shit. And please don’t say that was years ago cause in my view there (Nationals) lack of action and denial (re- housing) has had an enduring effect with them having wasted three terms. And we have the same old people running our DHBs. We also know we have a shortage of qualified medical clinicians and staff throughout the entire country so what do you expect. Unless someone has a magic wand we can’t magic up these people they have to come from somewhere. So we either let more people in and we know this will impact on other areas as we have already seen, or we wait till we get enough NZers trained and qualified. We are facing the same dilemma with trades people.
I concur completely covid is pa, our health system is shit BECAUSE of National. However in response to our Covid response, the first sentence from an article in the Herald tells us how others see our response…
“Super-rich impressed by the country’s spectacular natural beauty and Covid response.”
Given that clientele is Bishop’s domain, perhaps he should open his ears.
Once again we agree Bert .!,
I can never understand why when in power a party does not spend money on health and education.
Who would put up an arguement against it and not vote for that party again. Rich or poor everyone gets sick and at some stage will need care.. Why are these areas always at the end of the line when it comes to spending .
My sole argument for under funding health by Government is that they only see a cost loss ratio. What I mean is that they don’t see funding as giving a return. Profit can be returned by way of good health yet Government want monetary return. A review of the DHB I work for only confirmed my own beliefs and it’s not rocket science. Government has failed to meet the costs of an ever increasing population over the past 15 years. Immigration has not been met with the required funding in health let alone inflation costs.
And Trevor what irritates me in regards National on this, is that Jonathon Coleman sent a directive at the time to our DHB directors to pass on to staff that we needed “to do more with less”. I made the joke at the time that perhaps surgeries could be done with the lights out! This resulted in seriously dangerous caseload levels which led to burnout, resignations which only amplified our issues. This has finally been addressed however, even the increased injection of funding into health is only catch up funding and many of our buildings are over capacity and not fit for standard. So as you are aware Trevor, I can not support a party that puts employees nor patients lives at risk.
I know you do not like Key but to me the 2 worst ministers in the National government was Colman and the Minister of education Hekie whatever. She ruined many teachers lifes in Chch . My problem was I lost faith in Labour as an alternative some time ago and this lot did not impress me so I stuck with the party that represents my style and philosophy. I could not go the extreme step of Act .
It is not just national.
It has been the continual penny pinching by all governments of all parties since forever and a day. Our whole health system is a series of silos . None of which are fit for purpose in the 21st Century. When The WHO RANKS US WORSE THE USA and Solvenia Cuba and Brunei in that order The powers that be need a reality check.
The days of she’ll be right number 8 wire funding are no longer fit for purpose.
One of Labour’s first moves when they beat National 4 and a bit years ago was to remove all targets and measurements in the Health sector.
It has to be acknowledged that this will have led to a collapse in the provision of treatment etc.
National can be blamed for many things but I think there’s a fair amount of blame that can be sheeted home to the decisions and actions that the current government has taken.
The stats were improving under National – they weren’t where they should be but the were improving. They have done nothing but get worse since labour took over.
The current fiasco surrounding the complete absence of an immunisation plan underscores all of the above.
Labour appear to be utterly incapable of delivering anything other than empty slogans. All the while those that truly need help are being left to suffer.
An immunisation plan based on just Pfizer is probably very short sighted.
Putting all eggs in one basket just to please the US drug company seems a wide gamble that is not worth taking, particularly when the pfizer shots need special ultra cold storage not commonly available in rural NZ.
“The staff member works at Auckland Airport, and is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today.” The staff member has now tested positive.
Relying on vaccines is not a reliable strategy and relying on one vaccine gives very narrow options.
“we either let more people in and we know this will impact on other areas as we have already seen, or we wait till we get enough NZers trained and qualified. We are facing the same dilemma with trades people.”
Go back to free tertiary education of our own and stop stealing other countries “essential” workers. It seemed like a cheap option at the time this started but it has cost this country A LOT overall.
So very true. What a bad joke.
It appears no matter what the intent of ministers, our public service cannot deliver. 6 months for a front line worker between tests? 6 months??? No one in the MoH gives a shit, do they?
Someone high up has this be shown the door in the useless ministry overseeing this. There are examples of their lack of knowledge as to who had had the vaccine and how many jabs too.
What I have learned about our government under Labour is the public service is at best dysfunctional and at worst beyond salvage. Decades in the making. Their uselessness is quite simply embarrassing to any Minister who ultimately look like fools.
Next time a smarmy politician offers a tax cut, and I’m thinking National here, think of why nothing in government ever quite delivers and then ask , how do we afford this, ever.
Of the thousands of people who have tested positive in New Zealand recently (arrivals) why have none died? If those testing positive are not at risk of imminent death then why not just call this whole experiment off and return to the old normal. At the very least it would mean putting an end to grown men in tax payer funded suits standing at a podium every day, fretting over another “weak” positive here or lack of evidence and justification there.
The Labour government really does have to stop being apologists for public service muppetry
I understand that nice little collegial relationships develop between Ministers and their ‘officials’, however even that leads to complacency and what is now clearly a false sense of trust they’ve placed in them. (Once again, that bureaucratic capture)
Better they say nothing as they’re so quick to do – or even tell the media that they’ve asked the SSC to investigate where that’s appropriate.
I’m not sure which agency is now worse: The Ministry for Everything (MBIE) which has never been able to walk and chew gum at the same time, OR is it NZTA, OR is it MSD/WINZ, OR is it Krekshuns, OR maybe its CYFS/OT, OR is it Health, OR maybe Education.
Each of the responsible ministers have turned out to be one trick ponies, and most of it is down to their officials or the relationship with the bureaucracy.
Faafoi: well he did do somethink about loan sharks I ‘spose. 100% interest is OK apparently, but then what of Immigration and PSB
Little: well he did do somethink about Pike River
Hipkins: well he did do somethink about Public Service reform, if you can call little more than renaming the SSC to the PSC, and I suppose some good intentions over Education
RObertson: Christ, can’t put my finger on it yet altho’ there’d be a couple of supermarket franchise holders and bar owners happy to go on being cheer leaders.
Woods: Well I ‘spose there’s that petrol price thingy that’s yet to put the fear of God into oil companies playing silly buggers
And now the latest where the Bish is scorning points:
However, neither the employer nor MBIE followed up on accessible records to ensure the worker was being tested. (from https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/124834931/infected-miq-security-guard-may-have-misled-employer-about-getting-covid19-tests-for-six-months )
Hark! I could have told them that a while back.
Spin and bullshit is not going to be enough in ’23 even tho’ Labour will probably win. But they’ll probably need a partner if they keep on doing what they keep on doing.
As to whether they deserve another term, only in the sense that the alternatives could be worse. How aspirational! How utterly transformational and kind
The best agencies (Munstries/Depts/Agencies) appear to be those that function in spite of their leadership rather than because of them.
The stats were not improving and having targets is a waste of time if you don’t have the means to achieve the targets by this I mean, enough clinicians, Nurses, hospital beds, medications, specialized equipment and updated technology etc. And if the systems and infrastructures are old and outdated they can be highly ineffective and detrimental to achieving targets. Health care is expensive and it requires ongoing investment if you want to achieve targets. We also need to factor evidence based research into health targets and research cost money especially if we want to improve NZers overall health and wellbeing.
In a strange way, the Covid response was a “bipartisan” collaboration between the Government, As in, the form of the PM, and her chief medical advisor, and the national/act party via the bureaucracy they bequeathed to NZ. Three guesses to pick which component of our perimeter defense is the weak link?
1) A leadership team that has proved it’s mettle in a crisis?
2) A politically moribund structure slowly eating itself into irrelevance?
3) A “nationally owned” airline carrying freight, and humans continuously across international borders… subjected to an intense period of cost cutting between 2012-2018..
It’s a hard one… I can see why so many people are struggling to comprehend just who it is that has really let us down, repeatedly…
In the words of the Rock “It doesn’t matter”. Outside of a significant outbreak the general public in NZ don’t give a fuck – never have, never will as long as their little world is OK. Hence the Blairite could do a Stannis and burn Te Awamutu in the middle of Queen Street and no body would bat an eyelid.
In another country (such as Australia, the UK or the States) this would be a big story however here the feckless ones don’t care and ‘muddle’ NZ is content as a swaddled baby. The worm will turn however it won’t be no consequences government ineptitude that is the driver.
Just sit back and think of England. The country as a whole is getting fucked just not many realize it…..
Buying in to Dr Des, Judith and the Bish et al pushing ‘the shambles’ argument would be a mistake. It’s what they have wanted you to think for the last 12 months but I believe the majority of the NZ public still aren’t buying what National is selling (for now) which seems to be backed up by polling. NZ currently have no faith that a National/ACT govt would work in anyone’s interest except business and certainly would not put a health response first. Private enterprise drops the ball (again) is my take on the latest fuckup. Vaccine rollout still on track unless you want to believe a 3 month old working document ‘leaked’ by a homeless man in an isolation hotel. Demanding that Govt ramp up vaccination now until stocks are exhausted, then ramp down until new stocks arrive, then ramp up and on and on has to be the stupidest idea ever, and the reason to ramp up?: ‘to open us up to the rest of the world before we get left behind’ according to the Bish. In other words…Money. Most our current problems stem from a 20% increase in population without corresponding 20% increase in social services. The math that never got taken into account and barely gets mentioned by anyone. 20% more schools and hospitals than 10 or even 20 years ago? 20% more homes? Don’t make me laugh. Beneficiary on TV1 news the other night needing an increase or demanding a change of govt. Careful what you wish for. As for Bishop, just the messenger, not the solution. If you expect the current Labour Party to change into true socialists because the NZ population is crying out for them to do so, then I think you will be sadly disappointed. If you think Labour are going to be all things to all people and not fuck up time and time again, you will be (constantly) disappointed. Will we only see incremental change? too right because that is all this country will stand for. Fuck, Clark got thrown out over lightbulbs and low flow shower heads for fucks sake. You think a true socialist Labour Party can get elected in this country? Really? The last election wasn’t the overthrow of Capitalism. Occupation of the middle now the only path to the treasury benches or else it’s back to the wilderness and a right wing NAT/ACT alliance of bash the poor (even more) for the foreseeable future. That prospect is as little as only 5 years away. Unless Christian Conservatism is the answer to all our problems (somehow I doubt it) or NZ calls for a revolution and complete rejection of capitalism (yeah, nah). Labour might have a mandate, but it is for ‘steady as she goes”, not revolution.
Buying in to Dr Des, Judith and the Bish et al pushing ‘the shambles’ argument would be a mistake. It’s what they have wanted you to think for the last 12 months
Yes. Exactly!
It is also being pushed by some in the media. Frequently.
the reason to ramp up?: ‘to open us up to the rest of the world before we get left behind’ according to the Bish. In other words…Money.
YES!! This beat-up is NOTHING to do with concern for the health of the population and everything! to do with – $$$$, $$$$, $$$$ – i.o.w Greed and vested interests.
Labour might have a mandate, but it is for ‘steady as she goes”
I think you’re missing something here. There’s a hunger for change in certain areas, – Eg, for a radically cleaned-up environment, for serious reduction of inequality, for improved services.
When Luxon began ‘selling himself’ recently, he emphasised NZ’s present “inequality” and that he would address it. That was simply a politician tapping into the nation’s psyche. (Anyone who thinks it would be the direction the Nats would take if they were in power, is delusional.)
Yet the present Labour govt is too slow and too timid to tackle it. …Which is leaving the door open for the Nats to portray themselves as being the ones to fix it.
Job description: the successful candidates will be expected to solve income inequality, homelessness, poverty, unequal education outcomes, unequal health outcomes, terrorism. pandemics, institutional racism, and a myriad of other problems including ‘issues of the day’ from editors, blog writers and talk back hosts. This must be done within a 3 year window but you will be backed by a civil service geared towards what the previous successful candidate required and wholly resistant to change with some being completely ideologically opposed to everything they think you represent. After 3 years of banging your head against a brick wall and being undermined by the opposition, media, blog writers and talkback hosts (and sometimes by your own colleagues) whether fairly or unfairly you will then be asked to reapply for this position by means of a public popularity contest. Please note: any applicant that plans to upset even a small portion of the NZ public can expect public vilification and possible virtual crucifiction in the media. Remuneration is great but previous applicants have complained about their souls having been sold.
Brilliant!
They could frame this and set it near the beehive entrance somewhere 🙂
Brilliant job description 🙂
2 very good rants 6ft4 and pretty much all true and very depressing. Someone should make a new statutory holiday 1st of the month every month for a new ‘mental health’ day. Fuck, we need it. Our PM has spun all of us a ton of lies, promises and utter bullshit to get in power. I simply have zero sympathy her. She is a hard arse neo-liberal career politician, scum in other words just like the rest of them.
If Father Christmas, Jesus and the Easter Bunny were running things the commentariat would be happy to make accusations of pedophilia, wokism and being in league with big sugar. Just business as usual. I’m not a great fan of Jacinda personally but will still give her my vote to stop NAT/ACT. Right wing supporters just sowing seeds of discontent. Media looking for clickbait. Bloggers looking to be relevant. Do I think all politicians are scum? No. Do I have sympathy for them…yes I do.
Agree with ya Bert and also primary care is and has been significantly underfunded so prevention is a dirty word in this country. Especially when one can’t get a decent level of health service at there GP practice
so this impacts on secondary care.
The amount of funding required to meet population growth in health would probably cripple us. And of course all the right wing supporters would be jumping from the rafters complaining of overspend.
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