Ardern hits back after Collins criticises new appointments to bolster border testing as ‘another working group’

August 19, 2020

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has shot down Opposition leader Judith Collins’ claim that the appointment of a new team to help the Ministry of Health bolster border testing is “another working group”.

Ms Ardern this afternoon announced a small team - co-chaired by Helen Clark’s former top adviser Heather Simpson and Sir Brian Roche, who has reviewed contact tracing procedures - will help test border staff more rapidly. 

Sir Brian is also set to work with Auckland’s public health unit and report to the Director-General of Health.

On her way to the House, Ms Collins told reporters: “I’m starting to think that they might as well just make Brian and Heather Cabinet Ministers and be done with it.”

She said Cabinet had "dropped the ball" when it came to setting the parameters for the Ministry of Health to carry out testing at the border, and that there was no point in blaming the ministry.

Then, the exchange in the House began when Ms Collins asked about the appointments. 

“Why has the Prime Minister had to bring in another working group today of Heather Simpson and Sir Brian Roche?” she asked.

Ms Ardern replied: “We haven’t.

“We already have a surveillance and testing plan, and it’s a robust one.”

Ms Ardern said the group was intended to support the large amount of work the Ministry of Health had to undertake to put in place Cabinet's testing strategy.

She said this strategy would mean the Ministry of Health needed to work across multiple port, airport and managed isolation sites.

“It’s not unreasonable. In fact, it is responsible to support them by bringing in extra individuals who do also have expertise across different agencies to make sure they are well supported in rolling out that plan.”

She also pointed to the fact genomic testing of the virus proliferating in the latest Auckland cluster had not, at least at this point, concluded a connection with the border.

"It's wrong to assume that just testing is enough. It would be wrong to assume that just PPE is enough, or that just infection control is enough," Ms Ardern said.

"We need all of it.”

The Government’s testing strategy, set out in June, included prioritising tests for border workers and airline staff at risk of contracting Covid-19. 

However, Air Commodore Webb confirmed to TVNZ1’s Breakfast this morning only about 60 per cent of managed isolation and quarantine staff had been tested before the Government put in place mandatory testing for them. 

The head of managed isolation and quarantine facilities says before August 12, testing was voluntary.

The head of managed isolation and quarantine facilities said before August 12, testing was voluntary.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the group being led by Sir Brian and Ms Simpson wasn’t a “vote of no confidence” in the Ministry of Health. 

The appointments also accompanied an upping of Defence Force personnel into managed isolation and quarantine facilities by 500. 

The deployment of the extra personnel will bring the total to about 990 such staff at New Zealand’s managed isolation facilities.

Ms Ardern said the boost aims to reduce the Government’s reliance on private security contractors.

“Our intention is to stop using private security contractors particularly in the riskiest places - such as entry and exit points and public areas and replace them with Defence Force staff.”

She said it will “raise accountability and give more central control over procedures”.

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