90% Double Vax: Jacinda Ardern‘s greatest political challenge

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The challenge Jacinda always faced was how to transition from a strategy that could eradicate a virus that the population had been media bombarded to be terrified of, into containing a mutated virus that was so transmittable that it was a mathematical certainty to become endemic.

Jacinda has set 90% double vaxxed as the level before Auckland can reopen.

This will be Jacinda Ardern’s greatest political challenge.

You have to respect that Jacinda just told Auckland that they will be in lockdown for another month, and no one in Auckland seemed to notice.

That’s incredible message control and delivery

That’s a smart play so that the incandescent rage of Aucklanders doesn’t ignite all at once, you want that to be a slow moving earthquake.

The lesson Jacinda took from Australia was that compliance failure was the danger. She saw an exhausted Auckland and gave them picnics to release tension. She knows the heavy handed response to punish compliance failure was a step too far for NZ.

By giving Auckland its picnics she kept Auckland on side.

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This sprint now to 90% double vaxxed is the only game in town to prevent mass illness and death.

Everyone will have a criticism and all of them will be angry with Jacinda.

 

The Woke – for them, one single death by Covid of a Maori, Pacifica or disabled person is a State sanctioned genocide. Their fury at Jacinda giving a stressed out Auckland picnics has been met by the perpetually outraged woke online as an atrocity on par with Dave Chappelle hosting a Pride parade.

Those who had piously embraced every restrictive standard as if it were holy writ snarlingly turned on Jacinda once she pivoted with Wellington Twitteratti claiming her speech amounted to nothing more than a long rambling suicide note.

The Maori Party called it modern genocide.

Academics chorused ‘1918’ over and over again.

They will never be happy but thankfully for Labour those angered by Jacinda for woke reasons will vote Green without threatening the 2023 election. Many may scrub their social media timelines if their apocalyptic predictions fall short.

 

Death Cult Capitalists – They demanded Freedom Day while ignoring the collateral death that would cost. 1000 deaths has been divined as enough of a sacrifice at the altar of Milton Friedman and their continued frustration at Jacinda’s refusal to kill for capitalism will drive their criticism. They will endlessly scream for open borders no matter how large the mass graves.

 

Angry Double vaxxed Good Citizens in Auckland –  They have done what they were asked, they have sacrificed and now they want their lives back. Being told they can’t because morons don’t want to be vaccinated is going down about as well as a cup of cold sick. These people are not bad people, they’ve done what they were asked and they want their lives back. You can’t get angry at these people and painting their frustration out as racist will hurt the Left at the election.

 

Angry Double vaxxed Good Buggers in South Island – They have done what they were asked, they have sacrificed and now they want their lives back. Being told they can’t because morons don’t want to be vaccinated is going down about as well as a cup of cold sick. These people are not bad people, they’ve done what they were asked and they want their lives back. You can’t get angry at these people and painting their frustration out as racist will hurt the Left at the election.

 

Qanon Anti-vaxx lunatics – Will see the vaccination passports as a vast erosion of their civil rights and that measure will dangerously radicalize this fringe. Expect some type of political violence from this cult.

 

Crystal Karens – These are the middle class new age conspiracy clique who will become culturally ostracised by the vaccine passports. Let’s see if the witchy spirituality magic of fatherless daughters from the first wave of feminism divorce in the 1970s is more powerful a value than their ability to fly to Thailand for a chakra cleanse next year.

 

Principled Objectors – They will quit jobs on principle and quickly find out there is no where else to go. They will become radicalized.

 

Jesus is my vaccine fanatics – They will see Bishop Brian Tamaki’s prosecution as persecution and see end of days symbolism at every turn. The passport will be framed as the number of the beast. Expect religious radicalization.

 

ZB Troll Farm – They won’t believe their luck. They will hold up the claims of Maori vaccine hesitancy as the reason the rest of us can’t get our lives back. They will manipulate the frustrations of the double vaxxed and weaponize it. Expect radicalization.

 

National – So self mutilated at this stage they have chewed off their nose, one eyeball and half a cheek to spite their face. Wants to open at levels that would see thousands more dead than 90% double vaxxed. So they are like Labour but with much bigger graves implemented with grotesque incompetence.

 

Small Business – These are people who for the first time in their lives feel economically vulnerable. They have haemorrhaged cash because of the lockdown and are on the verge of collapse. They are ripe for radicalization.

 

ACT – About to be flooded by the radicalized and desperate. ACT are mutating into the paramilitary death squad they were always destined to be once Seymour can be replaced as leader.

 

The Unvaccinated – About to get very very very sick. The wider community will not give a fuck about their feelings and they will feel persecuted. Will radicalize out of desperation.

 

Children – They will become the new hosts of Covid as adult vaccination rates leave the virus with few options. They will pay the price in sickness so adults can go back to work. Isn’t capitalism fun?

 

The Poor – Food banks have spiked 500%, the horror of poverty in lockdown has been hidden to date, but the truly dispossessed will always turn that anger and fury upon themselves and their Whānau. Their radicalization will be a never ending self harm event that implodes communities that the middle classes drive by on their way to the airport.

 

Conclusion

Jacinda is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t.

If she manages to keep infection rates low while dragging Auckland through another month of lockdown without the most feverish fantasies of the woke eventuating, the double vaxxed and the small business community will forgive her while the unvaccinated seethe with toxic resentment.

If it all goes to hell in a hand basket, she will get never ending hostile fire that sinks Labour’s chances in 2023.

This is the most important moment in Jacinda’s leadership and I don’t envy the position she must take now.

Every which way she will have highly partisan emotionally manipulative criticism thrown at her as a frightened and desperate team of 6 million starts to turn on itself.

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123 COMMENTS

  1. would have been better if our leaders could grow a pair and at least have the decency to make the announcement in the battleground that is Auckland. Never in the field of human conflict has so little been seen of our leaders on the frontlines, even our now current Queen Elizabeth stayed in London when the bombs were falling (now there is a leader setting an example) but our current leaders are all safely tucked up in Wellington sipping their coffees inside the cafes and dining out in any number of restaurants or bars – shame on you – show some leadership and get up here to where the real battle will be won or lost!!

    • Yes what a good idea, the PM with delta in the battle ground as you call it and i agree with your sentiments this should be seen by all the parties in NZ. especially the Maori party they need to help with their people getting vaccinated, they need to be out and about helping their people not constantly berating the response it will be time for that later when we have won the war and with all our help we will because the answer is in our control GET VACCINATED. such a simple powerful message and there are no excuses the people are in control

    • Good old queen mum, whilst having RN cruiser and escort on permanent standby just in case her rellies buddys did decide to visit.

  2. If you want to see division. This is it , the double backed that did the right thing when asked will get increasingly upset , and start blaming the unvaxed and the government

  3. The PM is damned if she does and damned if she don’t.

    That’s a catchy campaign slogan for her.

    It’s all because she and her government have been fuck’n useless at delivering on everything they have promised since 2017. Nobody else to blame.

    On this note, with the polling numbers as they are and they’re not going to get any better for labour. They might as well go for an early election in 2022!

    • Yeah, let Covid wipe the antivaccers out ,then have an election before they replace Judith. Good plan Denny.

      • Remember G, it’s MMP.

        With Jacindas latest luv-in with Judith teaming up with the Nat’s on another to fail Housing Project.

        I guess labour is looking for a new coalition partner because the gweens have shit the bed with their toxic Identity H8’er cult(ure) which is bad for their brand.

        A Labour, National coalition is better than a gweens or ACT coalition because they are two extreme fuckwitted parties of opposite sides of the spectrum.

        Unfortunately, we will end up with another useless government but not as bad as the other two options.

    • The Prime Minister is damned if she does and damned if she doesnt. Even within this commentary, people are demanding ‘more’ and others ‘less’. Personally I believe 90 percent may be too optimistic. Perhaps 80 – 85 percent a little more feasible. But no-one can say she doesn’t have ‘a pair’or whatever other coarse expression may be used. I now have close family who have descended into the ugly ‘rabbithole’ of QAnon and Bannon and Alex Jones conspiracy theory and one of them is a medical practitioner. That will resonate with the anti-vaxxers and propel them on. Yes, everyone is out to condemn the government. New Zealanders need to look at themselves and look around at the rest of the world to see that even with an abundance of new cases – you are still lightyears ahead of other countries. Everyone is COVID-weary. Everyone.

  4. I’m letting this sink in – the Cup of Cold Sick, I mean.

    It’s a bold move setting an arbitrary % because it could either be a triumph, or a metric by which to measure their failure. I am not confident – we’re going to be watching that needle twitch compulsively, and God help them if it stalls-out just short of the target (There Will be Blood). God help them if Auckland makes the target and then has to sit in limbo seething while some rural backwater just decides ‘nah fuck it’. Is it realistic? The numbers have already exceeded my expectations but have staggered to an agonizing crawl.

    As much as people don’t wanna hear it, the public in Auckland is not with them anymore. It’s not Crusher, it’s not the media – it’s the grassroots, whether in Herne Bay or Ranui. We’re just over it – people will look at an aborted deadline/staged reopening and pine longingly. Labour ought to count their blessings every morning that Crusher still holds court, but who knows which cup of cold sick will look less repulsive in a month.

    • It looks like Jacinda is responding to National’s demand for the Dec 1 date for freedom. So it will be a lose/lose rather than a win/win. No real winners but maybe enough time to get the vax % up. It’s going to be a long month.

  5. The biggest business in a months time will be security- because just about every shop or store/cafe/gym/event will need someone inspecting vaccination passes and turning away every irate unvaxxed covid karen and kevin that ‘knows the manager’

    • Maybe we need an arm of govt to run around checking… there could be a tipline even… does the Maori language have a word for Stasi?

    • yup but fuck ’em I say, the NZ ‘coffee culture’ is a myth, karens need to learn actions have consequences, though the ‘9 bucks an hour kev the security guard’ did real well for MIQ, so we can all look forward to a shit show and a half

  6. Welcome to Vax apartheid.

    We’ve just basically cleaved anywhere between 5 and 15% of people from society… thats going to end really well….

    Now show me your papers.

  7. Welcome to Vaxx apartheid.

    We’ve just cleaved somewhere betweeen 5 and 15% of of our population from society. What could go wrong…

    Now, show me your papers.

  8. I said some time back that getting 90% vaccinated would just about be a miracle.

    We haven’t had thousands dying all over the place, refrigerated containers outside hospitals used to store bodies, lots of coverage of appalling sights of chaos in hospitals and frontline medical staff beside themselves with what they’ve had to deal with. Such sights may have persuaded some.

    What we have had are doctors fighting against messages of the importance of being vaccinated. And community leaders like Sandra Goudie. And today we have a statement from the Destiny Church,

    “The church declined this request, (from the Whanau Ora Community Centre a tenant of a Destiny building) who wanted to rent a portion of the church facilities, even though it could have received a significant amount of income, as the vaccination campaign did not align with the church’s values.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/126732503/gp-who-may-quit-over-covid19-stance-tells-antivax-rally-she-tried-to-import-ivermectin

  9. We now have a policy of blackmailing the unvaccinated by reducing the places and events they can attend. Although I agree with the policy why the F was this not made a policy 2 months ago? It almost feels like we are starting from scratch. This being as my vaccine performance diminishes.

  10. This announcement bombed spectacularly. The traffic light system is equally confusing and awful. Telling Aucklanders another 6 weeks at level 3 at least. Without saying it.

    The no vaxxers have absolutely no incentive and can sit this one out. The rest of Auckland meanwhile looks for a way out and gets only vague glib what if’s and maybes. Don’t expect compliance. Few of us trust the government or the PM now.

    And how is retail going to survive without Christmas sales?

    I know they haven’t got a clue how to reintegrate Auckland and many of Labours MP’s will be quietly hoping Aucklanders don’t notice how they are to be locked down until Christmas and beyond so their electorates can live happily ever after, but to be blunt, they are going this lose the next be election as a result of this. Auckland Labour MP’s will be especially sacrificed!

    But really it was lost when Labour failed to contingency plan after we and they got lucky with Covid 1. Everything since had been a messy scrambling reaction after the fact. Today was no exception!

    • The great communicator at the podium of truth 10 am:
      “The traffic light system (3 stages) is just like the old alert level system (4 levels)”
      Er..
      And I’m sure the South Island businesses and events that are folding with ongoing level 2 restrictions – no cases-were stoked to be informed that Auckland had done “all the heavy lifting” (undoubtedly most of it).

      And not once in a year and a half have I ever seen a public covid announcement by this government ever be on time.
      Not once.
      Want to know how to spot if an organization is a complete shit show?

    • I think Labour feels empowered to gamble because PM Crusher is DOA – I’ve gotta vent some my anger her way, because this shambling, hemorrhaging, zombie opposition is just not presenting enough of an electoral threat to keep Labour’s worst instincts in check. I caught myself wondering: what does Key think? And: what’s Nikki Kaye up to these days? And also: could I actually vote for Seymour, and his ghoulish Trojan Horse of a party? Not thoughts I’d be thinking back in winter. If Crusher really does have the our best interests at heart she has to read the writing on the wall and GTFO.

      Things feel like they’re in crisis, but it really isn’t of COVID’s making right now (though I certainly think things could have been worse, but who knows? That’s a counterfactual hypothesis, we need to deal in the now, the real) – the impact of government response is driving this turmoil, and while they seem to be coming to terms with that and starting to walk it back, step by agonizing step, the damage is done.

  11. My thoughts were similar Martyn – if Auckland is still 16000 vaxes or whatever it was short of 90 percent FIRST vax we are a minimum of a month away from dropping current restrictions and maybe much further.

    This stupid (deliberate?) demonizing of the non vaxed by politicians and media, the constant identity politics pointing out race and now making them responsible for the entire country not moving alert levels, is going to be tinder for the 3 waters, health, local council and crown land racial separatism push.

    Labour is going to tear this country apart.

    • Keepcalmcarryon I agree.
      This Jacinda Ardern Labour Government is turning New Zealanders
      against New Zealanders.The country has never in its history been so divided.
      The slogans and unfulfilled promises are so annoying it’s infuriating.
      There is no capability in this Government.

      • it’s not jacinda splitting the country but the ‘hard of thinking’ freedumbs anti-vax brigade…..on their own heads be it..

        • But if your narrative is anti Jacinda/Labour, it wouldn’t matter what she/they do. These hard of thinking have no capability and we only have to look at the previous National government for the “great divide”. Take that a step further, where are they now…
          John Key
          Bill English
          Steven Joyce
          Paula Bennett
          Amy Adams
          Maggie Barry
          Chester Burrows
          Jonathon Coleman(worst health minister in our political history)
          Sarah Dowie
          Andrew Falloon
          Chris Findlayson
          Nathan Guy
          etc
          etc
          etc
          Oh and look who I found, one Sandra Goudie whose only qualification was Kelloggs Rural Leadership scholar. Well her leadership certainly came out of a Kelloggs cornflakes box!

          Someone got it right when they said the rats scuttling off a sinking ship.
          They divided our country and their own party, why, because there was money to be made, elsewhere.

        • It is delta that is devicive. There really is no other way for us all to get through this wave, with the least carnage, without calling on each and everyone who has ears and a heart, to hold the line, get vaccinated, encourage the hesitant. The alternative is prolonged pain (which brings paradigm shifting benefits in the long run). Life’s hard, and it’s gonna be scary as fuck for a while. Bring your best game everyday you can. Take care of your mental health. Reach out for support everyone. Arden’s messaging is fair imo. It sucks where we are at, but it is what it is. It’s up to all of us now, individually and collectively. We don’t have anymore time to fuck around or place blame. Why aren’t our hospitals covid ready yet though? That was a shock to hear today for me. Lift your game everyone. Hang in there!

      • John, you are laughable. So you are now claiming that this Government has made the country more divided than ever before. OK, that means more divided than Muldoon achieved with the Springbok tour in 1981.
        Yeah, right.
        You are an obedient spinner of right-wing crap, but you just make yourself sound vacuous.

  12. Bomber that is your best post I have read. With a few disagreements on National (who will be thanking their lucky stars for this shitshow) I can’t disagree with your assessment.

    Judith gave her best standup since she took the leadership today including an “Auckland to Wellington with love” head stomp on a tone deaf Jenna Lynch. Whether that or Seymour’s sniping from the background response resonates with the wider public is yet to be determined.

    Robertson more so than Ardern is under the most pressure. His economic response was a Wellington 2 fingered salute to Auckland businesses and clearly Beetroot Orr and the treasury boffins have told him no more ‘pump and dump’ inflationary incentives that we are seeing in other parts of the world. A significant recession is a 50/50 chance now given the traditional make up quarter (Q4) for retail and most others is fire trucked. Good luck making that back up in the slow summer months.

    • “Bomber that is your best post I have read. With a few disagreements on National (who will be thanking their lucky stars for this shitshow)”

      Fuck Frankie, you are as predictable as the 6.00pm news, “With a few disagreements on National ”
      Actually the National comment was underdone and Corrupt Collins crocodile tears and Rimmers traffic lights as a child comment( he’s still a fucking 5 years old) show so far out of depth they are on the political front, Jacinda could disembowel a cat on National T.V. and her popularity would rise.
      Corrupt Collins performance was an Academy Award winning performance on a Oravida or Swamp Kauri grand scale. But I guess like the Tamaki leadership, it’s easy to brainwash the gullible. Perhaps you could roll over and she’d tickle your tummy.
      There’s a 50/50 chance of it raining tomorrow or me getting a call back into work tomorrow. You keep coming up with these scenario’s, with a just you wait and see, I told you so attitude.
      I’ll tell you what. tomorrows Saturday, the next day’s Sunday and then the next Monday. There’s 100% chance I’ll be right.

      • Oh Bertie. I know you hated yesterday. Like many tribal Labourlite’s you thought yesterday’s traffic light shamozzle would have been hailed by the feckless yet even they could polish a sloppy turd like that.

        Slowly but surely those on the left are realising the have created a narcissist that now can’t be controlled and over time what the public loved they will hate. NZ is slowly but surely being turned against each other for the benefit of someone who hates it that she’s not adulated by all and considered number one in the covid fight.

        • Quickly those on the left are tiring right wing trolling. Look at the preferred Prime Minister polls Frankie, go on, I dare you.

        • I know your desperate for the next election Frankie but I’m certain you said the same thing last time. I love your “it’s gunna happen, things are gunna change, just you wait and see”!

    • “Judith gave her best standup since she took the leadership today including an “Auckland to Wellington with love” head stomp on a tone deaf Jenna Lynch. ”

      It’s just a shame she didn’t blubber for the people of N.Z. other than business but then I guess that’s why she’s called the Crusher eh Frankie.

  13. I don’t get why the vaccinated are so concerned about the health of the unvaccinated. Now that the most vulnerable have been vaxxed (the elderly, obese and immune compromised), just open everything up and let the virus burn itself out. Sweden did it. Florida did it. Texas did it. And their hospitals didn’t get flooded with the sick and dying. Google it. The doomsday scenario suggested by this blog post (i.e. “The Unvaccinated – About to get very very very sick.”) simply isn’t going to be the reality. This virus kills just 0.05% of those infected and most of those will also already have severe co-morbidities (on average 3 of them – and those people should/are be vaccinated by now!). I have never seen what is mostly media/political created hysteria like this in my lifetime. No wonder conspiracy theories (e.g. “The Great Reset”) are being put forward to explain the totalitarian/fascist government response.

    • Nitrous
      you say: I don’t get why the vaccinated are so concerned about the health of the unvaccinated.’
      Yes correct you don’t get it. I don’t give a toss how they feel about the vaccine. This is all about them not contributing to the magic number 90%. That’s all it is now. Jacinda promised freedom at 90%. Every non vax is now holding us back.

      • You do realise that this holy grail goal was entirely created by the government (it has nothing to do with science either), right? The virus has nothing to do with these manufactured mandates that are being forced on the population. People are losing their minds.

      • Jacinda’s 90% is a completely arbitrary concept to cynically enrol the vaxed to abuse the unvaxed into going against what they believe to be in their own and everyone elses bast interests. It is deliberately divisive . Don’t get sucked in to it. The only thing wrong with Nitrium’s comment is where he suggests that the vaxed might be concerned for the health of the unvaxed, and I’m pretty sure that was facetious .
        D J S

        • “…enrol the vaxed to abuse the unvaxed into going against what they believe to be in their own and everyone elses best interests.”

          Sorry to get distracted by a detail in your post. But I have only heard antivax people make random I statements about freedom/choice against tyranny/big pharma etc. Its most definitely all about the individual.

          I have yet to see them make claims that they are doing it for the benefit of others. Like seriously, how would that even work? How would the world be better if we all behaved as they are and let the virus rip through our population and health system? How can you make a case that you are being a good parent, teacher, midwives, gp by putting yourself above your duty of care to the vulnerable?

          Anti vax people do not believe covid is real or they do not believe it is a serious threat. I think we need to accept their word and their choice. But it is an inherently anti social position. We don’t need to be humanizing it anymore than anti vaxers are prepared to do themselves.

          • The issue that drives some antivaxers is their concern that the vaccine itself is more dangerous to themselves and to the people they love than the virus. i am in that category. the one thing that would have persuaded me to take this vaccine would have been that if by ding so I could some how have prevented my grandchildren and step grandchildren from having to take it. I do not have the necessary influence as it seems.
            Obviously you do not agree with this assessment of the safety of the vaccine but it is the result of listening to and reading the opinions of many highly qualified scientists who were accepted authorities on the subject until they were suddenly on the wrong side of this narrative.
            It is not the mainstream perception of the whole issue, but it is just as sincere a concern for society as a whole as is enthusiastic promotion of this vaccine by the majority. It is not the same as any previous vaccine. We will know a lot more about it in a few years time and you need some people to refuse it to get a guide to what the side effects might be so that they are not confused with other things that might affect the health of all of us in the future.

            • David. I admit that you put forward a more considered and nuanced take than I have seen before. But I, as you would expect, totally dispute your assessment of relative risks between the disease and the vaccine itself. If you are wrong with your choice, at least your family is insulating you from infection. If you are right …well there will be a mass population die off of the vaccinated and the earth might be alright.

              Kind regards Frances

              PS. Perhaps consider a non mRNA vaccine when available.

        • Nitrium and David stone understand the anti-vaxer standpoint. The rest of you dont. As an anti- vaxer I understand the Jabbers standpoints perfectly. History teaches you to understand the enemy. So that is why the rest of you are at a large disadvantage !!!

    • Nitrium
      Totalitarian? You have a point. Its looking a bit like that, isn’t it. If it quacks like a duck, well …..Central rule, control over the lives of citizens through coercion and repression, and curtailment of individual freedom. Some would say for good cause, the public good. Is a good dose of totalitarianism ever warranted? Clearly that’s not your view. But stretching it a bit far to enlist fascism to support that view.

  14. Continued lock-down in level 3 without any definite exit date borders is dubious from the perspective of human rights in my view. That sort of thing may be justified in some circumstances (e.g., an existential threat such as wartime, beginning of pandemic etc.) but certainly not now, when Covid is an entirely preventable disease with vaccination. Locking Aucklanders in their own city (stopping regional travel without ‘showing papers’) is unprecedented.

    The ‘traffic light’ system is daft: it amounts to invasion of privacy ; mandatory records and requirements to ‘show your papers’ every time you want to go into a business is just really dubious ; the UK couldn’t implement it, and there have been ongoing large protests about this sort of thing in Europe (including France and Italy).

    The problem with this sort of thing when there’s no definite end dates is that there’s a real danger you basically end up with never ending “emergencies'” and ever-shifting goal posts so that restrictions basically never end.

    The elimination strategy was a fine strategy when it was temporary, and was definitely worth trying (it was successful for a long while and saved lives). But once it became clear it was no longer working and vaccination was available the government should immediately have set an end date for the lockdown (5 weeks is enough time to give everyone the chance to get double-vaxxed and build immunity with a 3-week gap between shots). And there was no reason for abandoning the level system. Should have simply stayed on level 3 for 5 weeks, then gone back to level 2 I reckon. No need to introduce a never-ending ‘traffic light’ system.

    Note that at the levels of vaccination Auckland has now (70% double vaxxed, nearly 90% single), both NSW and Victoria in Australia have reopened.

    • You seem to be the only sane person on this thread.

      I am fully vaxxed and pro-vax but completely against vaccination passports. The level of human rights that are completely run under the bus is unbelievable.

      France – with all that socialist ferment – had mass protest against vaccine passports. Liberty, a UK “woke” human rights group came out strongly against them.

      But that’s OK, because beyond Martyn and Chris’s are parroting the ‘everyone not pro Level 4 and forced vax’ is right-wing and ultra-capitalist. Wrong.

      And people mutter, my health? There is no right to low/no risk from Covid, nor anything. Smoking costs millions of dollars and thousands of lives – are we gonna ban smokers from going to a concert because they burden the health system?

      And 90% vax? Sure if you go full on apartheid, which seems to be what’s happening. I’m going to boycott as much as I can any business requiring vaccine passports. Just as much as I would defend like hell the right of trade unions, voting, etc.

      This country has literally lost its mind – it would run over any right, max out any public debt, accept any child suicide, postpone any number of operations (85000 so far in six weeks lockdown) just to avoid the possibility of death by Covid.

      The Government has pulled off the most successful distraction and blame of a segment of the population in human history.

  15. I[m not concerned about our countries Covid record as we are doing better than most, and it looks like polls are supporting that. Covid might be inconvenient to some while helpful for others, it is something outside of Labeens control.

    There fate rests with other policy choices pushed or about to be pushed through that are very unpopular to the majority of people.

  16. Martyn – among the anti-vaxxers you listed I did not see a mention of people who have serious mental illnesses. They feel seriously persecuted, do not trust government, big Pharma etc – feel wrongly judged on all manner of things. Suspicious isn’t the word for it. No matter how much the power of persuasion may work on some people it isn’t going to work on them. How are these people going to function in this divided society. They may well be able to walk to a supermarket or a chemist and look just as well as anybody else on the footpath but if this is going to be denied to them then its a society I don’t want to belong to. How many families have loved ones who are suffering mental illnesses through no fault of their own, just inherited genes, and are worried witless over them. Spare a thought for that small minority of people please.

    • Agree, Kate. Jacinda’s 90% policy does give these people some time, which is more than they will get from from anyone else, sad to say.

    • Kate, I can only say from the 43 I work with, all are vaccinated. They have all been given an opportunity to look at the pros and cons of the vaccine and have chosen to be vaccinated. What is interesting is that two psychologists I work with, both of Dutch decent have chosen not to be vaccinated. I am unsure the reason for one of them but he has resigned because of the mandate and the other, a vegan, whom is anti the vaccine trials on animals and will no longer be employed as of next week. Yet the irony is they are more than happy to prescribe anti psychotic medications which result in an earlier life expectancy and early onset of dementure.
      That is not to say there are not another 43 that aren’t vaxinated. They need support and they need education around vaccines.

  17. Nitrous
    you say: I don’t get why the vaccinated are so concerned about the health of the unvaccinated.’
    Yes correct you don’t get it. I don’t give a toss how they feel about the vaccine. This is all about them not contributing to the magic number 90%. That’s all it is now. Jacinda promised freedom at 90%. Every non vax is now holding us back.

  18. Put me in the done lost my Sh*t pile.
    National no doubt have every business owner that donates to their party screeching in their ears non stop for something to be done and to open up now while Labour is terrified people are gonna lose it and start burning shit down.
    I hate being a Pawn in this game.

    • We’re all pawns mate – you’re not alone. Hang in there! Hope for the best, prepare for the worst unfortunately. Covid is our war now

  19. Bomber – is the 6 in 6 million in your last paragraph, a typo?
    ACT had a press release today referring to the missing million kiwis offshore.
    Today is the first time I’ve seen a team of 6 million referenced – and on two websites that are polar opposites.

  20. At one stage Labour called for history lessons in school to teach about the Maori Wars well now it will not be history but now that the story can be told of the future Maori Wars as the vaccinated set their sights on the unvaccinated . As with all,racist problems even the vaccinated Maori will be pilloried as they get lumped together as the group that is stopping progress to the happier future that many hope is waiting just around the corner .
    Just as Labour lost their nerve in following through on the Douglas reforms and getting the benefits of the upheaval he created Jacinda lost her nerve on the elimination policy and now plans are being made on the hoof and no one is happy on either side of the political divide .
    I sense real trouble coming from the growing ranks of those who are really suffering and losing what little they had

      • Is that the lane calling for a quick election which would bring Labour back in with a bit of Green on the side Is that what you want?

        • Dude. The gweens are history.
          Read the polls and understand the ‘trend’ and add that, they always over-poll by 3-5 per cent before an election. With their current polling result(s) they’re dog tucker!

          They got lucky in 2017 & 2020 on the coat-tail of the widdle princess and unleashed their toxic identity political cult with the masses of uneducated yoofs! You know, the dumbest generation ever. The Mels.

          Their brand is toxic still and labour have moved away from them. Further right, looking for a new coalition partner. They’re fuck’d.

          The Maori party are too busy chasing the 12-year-olds on tick tok and insta and twitter.

          Their massive 1.3% 2020 election result will be 1% in 2023.

  21. 90% is unlikely to be achieved in all DHB’s. It’s a tactical move, however I predict that when approval is given for under 12’s to receive the vaccine a large enough proportion of those currently double jabbed will rush to get their kids vaccinated after watching case numbers soar and deaths becoming increasingly common. The addition of all the kids will be used as justification for a recalculated target and we will open up just in time for Christmas.

  22. “The challenge Jacinda always faced was how to transition from a strategy that could eradicate a virus that the population had been media bombarded to be terrified of, into containing a mutated virus that was so transmittable that it was a mathematical certainty to become endemic.”

    100% Martyn, but let’s not forget that she’s created a rod for her own back:

    She’s the one that’s openly bribed media into parroting her party line. Secondly she’s the one that decided to use the term ‘elimination’; a word that has a very specific meaning in the English language. On day one she talked about just ‘flattening the curve’ and if she’d stuck to that line, she wouldn’t be in such a tight corner now. Lastly, it’s her that’s created this atmosphere of fear, in order to garner more votes from terrified oldies.

    He who lives by the sword….

  23. Bert,
    I’m more about all New Zealanders doing well not me personally.
    My asset base has tripled but you don’t have to believe that if it doesn’t suit your argument.
    My point is the current Labour Government is not looking after their voting base.
    The gap has widened and I think that’s wrong.

    • What suits your argument John?
      The voting base say you are completely wrong otherwise the polls would show it.

    • The gap widened the most from 2008, have you not been paying attention, perhaps you were just a teenager then.

      • Bert certainly wasn’t a teenager.
        Simply I believe we should be doing more to have a more equitable society and I thought Jacinda Ardern was going to do something about it but in fact she has widened the gap.
        Not so much deliberately but naivety.
        Meaning well and doing well are completely different.

  24. Easy to have an ambition much more difficult to do it.
    I won’t deny when the gap began I’m simply saying how can we narrow it and not make people state dependent.

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