The ACT, Green and National Party have all been quick to respond to the Government's announcement of a roadmap to the easing of lockdown restrictions across Auckland.
New Zealand's most populated city is to remain at Alert Level 3, but will transition down a bespoke three-step process which will begin on Tuesday night at 11:59pm, Jacinda Ardern announced at Monday's post-Cabinet address.
Auckland has been under Level 4 and 3 lockdown restrictions for seven weeks. The rest of the country, bar parts of the Waikato which are at level 3, are at level two.
National's response
Judith Collins came out swinging at the Government's transition strategy, saying the "situation is now, very clearly, out of control".
In a statement shortly after the announcement, Collins said: "Today’s announcement confirms what most New Zealanders – especially Aucklanders – have come to learn only too well over the past seven weeks of lockdown: The Government is completely out of ideas.
“Elimination has failed but, while the Prime Minister says we’ve now moved to a ‘transition’ stage, the strategy is fundamentally unchanged.
“The Prime Minister’s supposed roadmap to recovery is nothing more than a vague wishlist she tinkers with as dictated by the situation she reacts to. Where is the vision?
“The fact is that Jacinda Ardern has no answers to problems that she and her Government promised us were under control. The situation is now, very clearly, out of control and worsening every day.
“As a result of their incompetence and their incoherent supposed ‘strategy’, New Zealand is stuck in a lockdown limbo with no answers and no way out."
It comes as National released its own Covid Response Plan on September 29.
“Enough is enough. Time has run out. The PM must admit she and her Government have failed. Own up to your mistakes. Change direction. Be bold. There are choices," Collins said.
“We will help in any way we can. Indeed, our ‘Opening Up’ plan, if immediately adopted, could see an end to lockdowns and Kiwis able to travel again by Christmas.
“Kiwis need to see the Government’s detailed plan now. It is not fair to ask more than two million people to live in a lockdown conditions without an end goal in mind," Collins said.
Greens call new plan "a risk"
The Green Party says Monday's roadmap out of lockdown is too soon and is a risk to vulnerable communities and children.
“Elimination has protected thousands of lives in Aotearoa. We have to stay the course to keep everyone safe. Now is not the right time to change our approach, particularly when so many of our vulnerable communities are still at risk,” says Green Co-leader Marama Davidson.
“We need a clear coordinated approach which prioritises our most vulnerable right now. We have seen the tragic consequences overseas when restrictions are eased too early.
“The current Delta outbreak in Tāmaki Makaurau is showing a long tail of cases – but elimination is still possible if we work together to stop the spread. Our public health system has held up so far, but we worry that easing restrictions too early could overwhelm the hard-working nurses and doctors who we rely on to keep us safe.
“The Government’s planned roadmap out of Covid-19 has serious risks for our vulnerable communities – including Māori and Pasifika, as well as people with underlying health conditions – who have disproportionately been impacted by lockdowns. The Government must focus all its resources on these vulnerable communities to ensure high vaccination rates.
“Local hapū and community groups have been doing a fantastic job of encouraging their whānau to get tested and vaccinated. The Government must direct as much resource as possible to these groups to empower them to continue the important mahi of protecting our whānau.
“We must continue on our elimination path until vaccines are approved for and rolled out to under-12s, and high coverage is achieved for all age groups, geographic areas, and population groups. This includes ensuring that Māori vaccine rates are high enough to protect whānau Māori.
“A coordinated, fair and equitable vaccine rollout is critical to ensure we are able to safely get back to the things we love doing.
“When people feel properly supported, they are able to stay at home and play their part in helping us eliminate Covid from our communities. The best way to keep people safe is to stick to elimination and make sure everyone has access to what they need to stay well, including affordable housing, food security, income for essential needs, and healthcare.
“The Government also needs to provide clear guidelines on what the roadmap means for immunocompromised communities so they are not forced into risking their health.”
ACT says strategy has "no end game"
“There’s been no contrition, no certainty and no end game,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“To summarise the Prime Minister’s “road map” Auckland will go to Level 2 gradually at an unspecified timeframe. And there will be picnics.
“Jacinda Arden should admit she was wrong, give us a proper plan and let Aucklanders know when the finish line is in sight.”
Seymour told 1News ACT would have set a deadline around the start of December after which restrictions would be lifted.
"Those two months prior would be used to increase vaccination rates as well as testing, tracing, treatments and protocols," he said.
"We'd lift all restrictions, if you do it that way, people will get vaccinated.
"They should involve people in the hospitality industry when making these decisions, but they've never been asked."
Seymour laid out his Covid 3.0 Life After Lockdown plan on September 28, calling for a deadline to lift restrictions and include a "cooperative effort to reduce transmission, hospitalisation and especially death from Covid before that deadline".
"I think everyone agrees the Government is unprepared to lift restrictions now but the question is how do we get from here to there and people need certainty," Seymour said.
“The Prime Minister has given us a roadmap to no-where, it says Auckland will move to level two in three steps but they can’t say when”.
Outline of three-step process:
Step 1
From 11:59pm Tuesday, Auckland will remain in Alert Level 3 but several key changes will occur. People will be able to connect with loved ones outdoors with no more than two households at a time, up to a maximum of 10 people; early childhood education will return for all; and people can move around Auckland for recreation such as beach visits and hunting.
Step 2
At step two retail will open their doors, with the usual measures of wearing facemasks and keeping up physical distancing; public facilities such as pools and zoos will open; and the number of people who can meet outdoors will increase to 25.
Step 3
Step three will bring back those higher risk settings. Hospitality will open – seated, separated and with a limit of 50; close contact businesses like hairdressers will also open with mask use and physical distancing; and gatherings will also then extend to 50.
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