National leader Judith Collins claimed Labour leader Jacinda Ardern was being disrespectful to Samoa over its Covid-19 response during a fiery exchange at the Press Leaders Debate tonight.
It came after Ardern said it was "factually incorrect" that Samoa went harder and earlier against Covid-19 a month earlier than New Zealand did at the beginning of the pandemic.
The exchange began with Collins suggesting the Government had been slow to act on Covid-19.
"It took another month for the borders to be closed after National asked for it," she said.
"At the time we were asking for this and talking about Covid-19, we were told we were scaremongering in Parliament and all we needed to be doing was think about hygiene and sneezing into our elbows.
"We raised those questions there and issues about masks and what was going to happen as we saw what was happening in Wuhan, China and actually we didn’t go hard and early, Samoa went hard and early, a month earlier than us."
"That is factually incorrect," Ardern interjected, which drew an angry response from Collins.
"It did so, and actually don’t disrespect Samoa, they kept it out, they kept Covid-19 out and they kept it out and they test anyone who wants to go on a plane there," she said to a mix of jeers and applause from the crowd in Christchurch.
"I don’t take kindly to people disrespecting the hard work of the Samoans who also had to deal with a measles epidemic."
Ardern then responded, talking about the relationship New Zealand has with Samoa and criticising what she says was National's response to the pandemic.
"When it comes to our Pacific neighbours we have worked hand in glove with them as a region, and the point I wanted to make is what I am hearing from Judith tonight is directly contrary to their criticism that we should have opened the borders to Australia and China and lifted our restrictions early."
"We have been criticised by National at every step of our response and you can’t afford to change that response every five minutes if you look back, every National leader has been wrong on the issue."
Collins denied this and said she didn't want to get into who said what and when.
Following the debate, Collins said she objected to Ardern's questioning of Samoa's response, because felt "very possessive" and "very, very fond of Samoa.
"Until the Covid, I was in Samoa very frequently," Collins said.
"Where she said that they hadn't done all these things that I said they'd done, well they have - and by the way - they've never had a Covid-19 case.
"They certainly did shut their borders, but they had travel restrictions much earlier than New Zealand."
Collins said during the September 30 leader's debate that Samoa "closed its borders a month before New Zealand did", which is false.
Fact Check:
Samoa introduced a number of measures to try to limit the importation of Covid-19 early in the pandemic before New Zealand, including banning all cruise ships from entering the country on February 22.
Samoa announced a number of measures on February 28 after New Zealand confirmed its first Covid-19 case that day, including a reduction in the number of international flights to the country, and requiring inbound travellers from high-risk countries to self-quarantine for at least 14 days in a Covid-19 country before entering Samoa.
Travellers from 10 other countries were required to undergo a medical examination within three days before travelling to Samoa.
In terms of full border closure - the two countries essentially closed their borders on the same day.
Jacinda Ardern announced that New Zealand's borders would close to all but returning residents and citizens as of midnight on March 19, and Samoa enacted the same measures on March 20.
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