Winston Peters reveals Government mulled complete border shutdown as Covid-19 crisis began

April 29, 2020

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the Ministry of Health had advised it.

Winston Peters has revealed the Government rejected a Ministry of Health recommendation to shut down the border completely, even to Kiwis, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fronting media today, the Foreign Minister said it was a “highly respected” view, but one Cabinet rejected.

“That was the advice from health, was block it and stop it including New Zealanders and we said we can’t do that.

“From its health perspective, this was understandable and appropriate advice.

“But the Coalition Cabinet rejected that advice because it was and is inconceivable that we will ever turn our backs on our own. So, on March 17, New Zealanders were urged to come home while commercial options remained available.”

He said at that point quarantine hadn't been thought about and when a country is dealing with a crisis “the here and now decisions you make have to be so instantaneous”.

Jacinda Ardern said the Government did not consider that it would “ever be ok to stop New Zealanders coming home”.

“You would struggle to find countries in the world that would make a move like that.

“We simply would not tolerate New Zealanders not having the option to return to the safety of New Zealand their home.”

Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the Ministry of Health mooted the idea to temporarily close the border entirely as the country moved quickly from Alert Level 2 and 3 and into Level 4.

“We felt that until we had a really secure process in place, this was based on the position as we were providing. The advice for people to come across the border to actually isolate or quarantine them or be assured about the fact they didn’t have intention - then we should at least temporarily close the border until we had that process in place,” he said.

He said Cabinet’s assurance that the process would be quickly put in place would “mitigate that risk”.

Cabinet rejected the Ministry of Health’s earlier calls to completely close the country’s borders.

The idea to implement quarantine came from a managed change to the Ministry of Health’s policy. Mr Peters said the Government had to think of the future consequences with an all-out border shutdown.

“But what are the consequences and is the price going to be so massive that we are going to be paying for it for the rest of our lives, internationally so to speak?

"We knew that tens and tens of thousands of New Zealanders were all over the place ... who would need to come home somehow."

Those consequences included potentially damaging relationships with other countries. 

“Well when a country says you’ve shut down our citizens from leaving your country, well we’re never going to forget that ... when they tell to your face when you’re on a phone call and you say to them my colleague you’ve got it wrong I’m calling you to say that is not our policy - we’ll do everything we can to assist your people out of our country and we’re asking you to do the same,” said Mr Peters.

"It's been a magnificent series of conversations. Even to the extent of talking to the Indian foreign minister where he said whatever I can personally do you just make the phone call I’ll help those planes get out of there." 

Mr Peters also thanked Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its work getting Kiwis home.

“Since this crisis hit, MFAT staff have been working 24/7 to ensure Kiwis stranded offshore get the support they need,” said Mr Peters.

“In the last three months, MFAT has provided consular advice to 4500 New Zealanders, compared 700 in the same period last year.”

“This has also been the most complex consular response a New Zealand Government has ever attempted – because rules around lockdowns, border crossings, transits and flight links are changing every minute of every day.”

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