05/04/20 - Judith Collins: Here's how Coronavirus will change us

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OPINION

If a week's a long time in politics, then surely three weeks are an age. Just three weeks ago, the Minister of Finance told Parliament that although the upcoming Budget would need some "refining", for the impact of COVID-19, otherwise the economy was "strong". He bravely said, "Yes, we have to grow jobs".

He could have said, we are going into a period of financial meltdown, where, as a trading nation, some markets will dissolve. All the relationship building between nations and trading partners will be for nought if we cannot trade.

Three weeks ago, the Prime Minister was still speaking of proceeding with a mass-gathering to commemorate those murdered in the mosque attacks on 15 March, until suddenly, she wasn't. New Zealand was given a 4-stage COVID-19 response plan and we were at level 2. Then we were at level 3 and two days later we were at level 4 and in lockdown. A committee decided what are essential services and products and, surprisingly, butchers are not - unless they work in a nationwide chain of supermarkets. Top quality food to feed families has been consigned to the rubbish tip because it wasn't deemed essential by the committee.

Lockdown hard for older people

Timaru octogenarian Olive Crossman believes the Covid- 19 lockdown rules don't take into account people who live like her.

Things have moved quickly. Businesses are failing. Exporters are asking themselves how long will it take to resurrect their markets and is it worth it? Directors are concerned that they are trading insolvent companies, in contravention of the Law. Tourism, hospitality, and tertiary education are seriously damaged. We are trebly grateful to our primary producers especially if their markets in China hold up.

As a nation, we will be changed. The economy will have changed. We will be changed socially, politically and constitutionally.

We will decide to end social isolation and take to the cafes (those that have survived) with gusto. It will be our duty to support what is left of the economy and keep people employed. We will rush to businesses that the COVID-19 Czars deemed non-essential and hope we have the cash to spend and hope they survived.

We will wait for the second wave of COVID-19 virus and hope that a vaccine will be found soon and available more readily than hand sanitiser is now. Our supply chains will change.

We will wonder if we should import product that can be made at the engineering shop down the road. Yes, it's more expensive but it's here. We will be more about New Zealand and less about the World.

We will regret the 'dob-in' culture currently being encouraged. We will have lost some respect for the Rule of Law when we see 'the law' being made up on the hoof. We will ask ourselves, why did we not question the government more in the early days of COVID-19 and then remember that to have done so would have opened ourselves up to condemnation for being either alarmist or, even worse, uncaring.

We will look again at Australia and wonder how their government managed to give every business and sole trader a wage subsidy of A$1500 per fortnight of each staff member and we will regret that our government thought that NZ$585 a week would be sufficient to keep us working when the JobSeeker ("the Dole") already pays up to $428 a week for not working.

We will note the Aussies called theirs a JobKeeper payment. We will spot the difference. We will wonder how the Australians managed payments of up to A$100,000 to every business and NGO that employs people to pay their rent and other costs.

We will wonder why the government that talked so much about housing development decided to add climate change into RMA decisions by local Councils and we will wonder how that could happen without adequate public consultation. We will be ready to embrace infrastructure on a scale not seen since the "Think Big" days.

And when anyone mentions Greta, we will ask, "Who?"

(Source; Stuff, Judith Collins, National MP)

03/04/20 - Update COVID 19

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01/04/20 - COVID-19 Alert Level 4 | Immigration New Zealand.pdf

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31/03/20 - Covid 19 coronavirus: 'Generations' of Kiwis to pay for economic recovery, says Finance Minister Grant Robertson; Government recruits shopping spies

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VIRUS LATEST


New Zealand has 589 cases of coronavirus - after 76 new cases reported - and one death


Generations of New Zealanders will be paying for the economic recovery caused by the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic, says Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

Robertson told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking this morning the Government needed to take a long-term view - balancing what was needed now to help individuals and businesses, with how a diversified New Zealand economy would look in the future.

"Generations will be paying for it, that's the truth. The massive investment we are making and that other countries are making ... will take many years to deal with. That's why we have to have a plan for what the economy looks like ... [one] that allows us to pay debt back, have taxes at a reasonable level and allows us to maintain living standards.

"We are all aware that in the short term we want to make sure people have money to put food on the table we want to make sure that businesses have a sense of continuity."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is setting up a website for Kiwi to raise concerns about supermarket price rises during the coronavirus lockdown.

Robertson's comments come as the Government is enlisting Kiwis to be its eyes and pass on any proof of supermarkets price-gouging, or to report their neighbours for breaking the lockdown rules.

The number of coronavirus cases has reached almost 740,000 globally, with more than 35,000 deaths. The US and Europe are now the epicentre of the outbreak, which began in mainland China in late December.

In the US, President Donald Trump - siding with public health experts' dire projections - defended his decision to extend restrictive social distancing guidelines through to the end of April, while bracing the nation for a coronavirus death toll that could reach 200,000 people.

The Government will today release the sets of modelling on the spread of Covid-19 that it has based many of its decisions on, including the decision to go into lockdown.

That is expected to be released this morning, ahead of the first meeting of the new Pandemic Response committee, chaired by National Party leader Simon Bridges. That committee of 11 MPs will hear from Covid- 19 response team head John Ombler and Director- General of Health Ashley Bloomfield first.

Robertson said a post-lockdown New Zealand economy would need to diversify, to overcome gaps left as industries such as tourism and international education recover.

"We need to look at manufacturing, and adding value to products in New Zealand as well as exporting them. Tourism, international education won't be coming back for a while," Robertson said.

The Government was working on a package of initiatives, including infrastructure and other regional schemes, to roll out as soon as possible to help the economy recover.

Credit ratings agencies would be looking at all countries, not just New Zealand, and in that sense, we were in a relatively good position, Robertson said.

Net core Crown debt was at just under 20 per cent of GDP, but this would significantly lift as a result of the initiatives caused by the virus economic impact. "Other countries have higher debt in most cases than we do."

He had seen predictions of unemployment growing to anywhere from the current 4 per cent to anywhere between 8 and 30 per cent. Some economists, he said, were putting their fingers in their wind, but the Government would have an outlook soon.

Robertson said the Government was working with Air New Zealand "every day" as the airline felt the full impacts of Covid-19. Airline CEO Greg Foran revealed in an email to customers last night that annual revenue was set to fall from $6 billion to $500 million.

Up to a third of staff and 95 per cent of its schedule are set to be cut, and Robertson urged the airline to use the Government's wage subsidy scheme.

About 580,000 Kiwis are already on the scheme.

"Air New Zealand is in an incredibly difficult position... we are working with them every day. We want an airline that comes through this."

EARLIER

The Government is enlisting Kiwis to be its spies and pass on any proof of supermarkets price-gouging, or to report their neighbours for breaking the lockdown rules.

A direct email address has been set up for people to send through pictures of receipts or items with questionably high price tags.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said officials were in daily contact with the two supermarket chains and had been assured they were working.

"If retailers are taking advantage of their duopoly in the market and are taking advantage of people who are going out in good faith to buy their everyday needs, then we will act on that. That is illegal."

The developments come as the number of coronavirus cases reaches almost 740,000 globally, with more than 35,000 deaths. The US and Europe are now the epicentre of the outbreak, which began in mainland China in late December.

In the US, President Donald Trump - siding with public health experts' dire projections - defended his decision to
extend restrictive social distancing guidelines through to the end of April, while bracing the nation for a coronavirus death toll that could reach 200,000 people.

"The worst that could happen is you do it too early and all of a sudden it comes back," Trump said during a nearly hour-long call-in interview with Fox & Friends as members of his coronavirus task force fanned out across other media outlets to warn the virus' spread was only just beginning.

The comments came a day after Trump made a dramatic course reversal and announced that he would not be moving to ease the guidelines and get the economy back up and running by Easter on April 12, as he said last week he hoped to do.

Trump told Fox & Friends that "nobody" was "more worried" about the economic impact on the country than he was. But he said, "We want to do something where we have the least death."

Jacinda Ardern called on Kiwis to send consumer reports directly to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment with a new direct email [This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.] if they saw something which concerned them.

It is not illegal for businesses to increase their prices but a company has to give a good reason for the hike or it could be in breach of the Fair Trading Act which prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct.

Many of the recent examples were blamed on error or seasonal fluctuations, Ardern said.

She was also concerned about supermarket specials being canned as New Zealand's usual exporters would likely offer discounted products and those deals should be passed on.

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said the new system allowed Kiwis to make complaints and streamlined the reports.
"It's quite difficult to have sets of eyes and ears in terms of officials keeping an eye on those kinds of things."

Ardern will also today make a decision about supermarkets being open over Easter weekend but warned the sector had expressed the need for closures to re-stock.

And Kiwis can now buy other essential goods like heaters, whiteware and computers online during the lockdown period but only if the stores can ensure delivery is contactless end-to-end.

The race is on to find a vaccine for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, a police website to report breaches of the lockdown rules received about 4200 reports in 24 hours - at one point crashing the site.

"It shows how determined Kiwis are to determine that everyone complies with it," Commissioner Mike Bush said.

Yesterday, there were 76 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total to 589, and there are 12 people in hospital with the infection with two in intensive care units.

Sixty-three people had recovered.

There are also nine different clusters of cases, including one with 23 cases infected at a Matamata bar on St Patrick's Day, and 47 cases at Marist College in Auckland.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the clusters highlighted why the lockdown was essential and proved how easily the virus could spread. It was for this reason, people weren't able to have weddings, conferences, funerals or tangi even if the group involved were all in the same bubble.

"I know how hard it is, what we are asking people to do. But [a tangi] is the exact sort of place we can see this virus spread.

"And the last thing I want is grief, on grief."

Online order a real problem

With a broken leg in a cast, Wayne Stevens could hardly trundle around a supermarket to get food for himself and three children.

But the Wellington volunteer paramedic found it impossible to get an online delivery slot at any of his local supermarkets.
Stevens said he eventually managed to find a New World with wheelchair access and then, because he's a healthcare worker, was allowed to skip the queue.

Wayne Stevens couldn't get a slot to get groceries bought online delivered. Photo / Supplied

"To me, I'm all right but there's going to be a lot of people who are not.

"The frontline supermarket staff are doing a great job, but the companies themselves aren't set up for this.

"They need to bring in some people who can manage this situation - it's a real mess."

Stevens said he was particularly concerned about people more vulnerable than him, especially those with severely compromised immune systems like cancer patients.

As a paramedic, he knew how vulnerable someone could be.

Stevens had registered as a "priority assistance" customer with Countdown but said it didn't help him get an online order slot.

"They've got to really find a way to make sure these people can be fed. I don't think at the moment they've really thought it through."

Countdown said it was reviewing its processes daily, and Foodstuffs did not respond by deadline.

And Ardern said yesterday supermarkets were "working hard" to get mechanisms in place to prioritise vulnerable people.

(Source; NZ Herald, NR, AP)

30/03/20 - Update COVID 19

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27/03/20 - Let’s never return to normal

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OPINION

Save your hugs, but invest your imagination. Now is the moment to think one crisis ahead, writes Sam McGlennon

Covid-19 is slashing global greenhouse gas emissions with a speed and tenacity that we as a global community have spent 30 years failing to muster. Now might be a painful moment to admit it – too painful for some – but that outcome is beyond good; it's necessary. It should come as sweet relief.

Of course it doesn't feel like that to anyone right now. Even though our direct experience of the virus here in Australasia has been at the lighter end of the spectrum, the systemic effects are resolving into clarity by the day. They look profoundly challenging.

The tree of our economy is being brutally pruned. Many of our livelihoods are thrust into deep uncertainty. On top of that, we're entering a period – of unknown duration – where we must physically distance ourselves from one another. Is the most lamentable part of this experience that we can't hug this one out?

It's a delicate moment to argue that we can put this crisis to good use. I get that. But there was a crisis before this crisis, and it has barely left the stage while we grapple with our immediate concerns. Both globally and here in New Zealand, this may be our last real chance for boldness and blue-sky thinking before our climatic fate is sealed.

There are three lifelines this virus has thrown us in our climate crisis.

First, in drastically quieting economic activity, our emissions will surely follow China's and drop. This is the worst way to rein in our emissions, but let's play devil's advocate for a moment. What do we really have to show for all the years equivocating over optimal reduction pathways? Some good plans, sure, but in terms of actual reductions? None. Covid-19 has monstered us into changes, some probably necessary, all of which we were proving unwilling to make for ourselves.

In doing so, the virus is doing us a second favour: highlighting the economic and social challenges we need to overcome to live within our atmospheric means. Our economy has taken a huge hit in order to drop our emissions, which tells us we simply don't have an economy compatible with a safe climate. When we begin to recover, we will face the easier question of which low- polluting activities to (re)stimulate rather than which to wrangle into oblivion.

We can do what we should have long been doing – tending our economy like a garden, allowing activities to regrow with one eye on their emissions and the other on their contribution to the society we wish to live in.

A third climate plus wrought by Covid-19 is the wild card of this whole experience. As we enter lockdown today, we are unwrapping a once-in-a-generation opportunity for individual and collective reflection on the fundamental shape of our lives and our society. Was the frantic rush of our previous lives preventing us from reorienting them towards what truly matters? Was the unharnessed growth of our economy creating problems we didn't have the space to deliberate on, or rein in? I believe so.

On a much deeper and more profound level than following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, our entire country will soon be rebuilding its whare from the foundations. We must spend this time imagining the society we wish to create when the crisis passes. And then we must create it.

**

These are the silver linings of the current crisis. But let's not pretend this virus is a perfect agent of change, even from the limited perspective of the climate. Its economic impact goes well beyond the high-polluting industries that most needed reining in. Stealing one of Obama's old lines, this is a hatchet when what we needed was a scalpel.

And that's not to mention the deeply uncomfortable social deprivation we're going to become overly familiar with. That situation is the exact opposite of the supportive, connected approach that tackling climate change requires (and will create).

But even this economic and social hardship present us with opportunities and lessons.

Economically, it gives us a chance to start asking the big questions. For example, what could we do with half a million people in need of employment? Could we start a thriving rooftop or community solar industry? Or activate a paid army of native bush 'regeners' to start rehabilitating our whenua? Or advance our ambitious pest-free agenda?

Could we draw on some of the most promising ideas available before the crisis, for example by experimenting with a Universal Basic Income? How about a Just Transition to help farmers exit with dignity from an overcapitalised and highly vulnerable dairy industry? Or is this the perfect time to transition to a four-day week, with a day each fortnight spent contributing to local community projects?

This is not just a blue-sky moment. As governments frantically attempt to keep economic activity on life support, it's also a moment of maximum leverage. We have the ability to reimagine our future economy. At the very least that must involve strategic moves attracting or siphoning people off from particular industries or professions. Much of this thinking needs to orient specifically around the climate.

Even more acutely, in bailing out aviation, as New Zealand and Australia have just done and the US is poised to do, there are many options for getting airlines to make meaningful, scheduled reductions in their emissions. As Bill McKibben has noted, as long as we're bailing out corporations, they should be bailing out the planet. Rescuing high-polluting industries without imposing any climate conditions is not just a waste of taxpayers'
money, it's also a recipe for further hardship, bailouts and stranded assets in future. Allowing this would be an abrogation of our leaders' responsibility for our future welfare.

**

The lessons get more personal, too. One day not too far from here, we will emerge from these artificial conditions of isolation and disconnection.

Will we remember the social and personal vulnerabilities the virus has already exposed for us?

The frailty of the relationship between what we truly value and our lifestyles. The mobility we take for granted. The distance we live from the people and places we love. And in the utter dependence of our livelihoods on conditions that simply cannot endure.

What if instead, we lived with those we love and loved those we live amongst? What if we aimed for sufficiency and located our comfort and security within geographical and consumptive limits? What if we deliberately created livelihoods better buffered from climate and other economic risks?

We need to use the tsunami of Covid-19 to position ourselves better for the creeping tide of climate change. Trying to solve these two profound challenges separately is impossible. Personally and collectively, the old normal of December last year is off-limits to us now. The worst we could do is try to get back there.

(Source; Newsroom, Sam McGlennon)

26/03/20 - Update COVID 19

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24/03/20 - Terra Nova Consultancy Ltd is here to help you through this challenging time

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