The first ministerial press statement posted on the Beehive website after Point of Order had published its latest roundup of Beehive news dealt with something the government grandly dubbed The Big Boost.
No, this was not another boost for farmers or growers from Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor (although he was busy dishing out $1.12 million from his ministry’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund to a Waikato-based Maori tribe, Ngati Haua).
The Big Boost on which we are focussed was an exercise in vaccination, booster shots and – let’s face it – political hype, if not propaganda.
“New Zealanders have rolled up their sleeves in droves as part of The Big Boost nationwide call to action – but we’re not done yet, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today.
“As predicted, Omicron cases are increasing across New Zealand and it’s critical we get as many people as possible boosted in February to slow the spread of the virus and protect our communities…”
The timing was a tad unfortunate. On the same day Family First published the results of a nationwide poll which found –
- increasing opposition to the “no jab no job” mandates,
- increasing support for rapid antigen testing for unvaccinated kiwis so that they can keep their job, and
- One in three vaccinated Kiwis saying the vaccine mandate or pass requirements were a large factor in their decision to get vaccinated.
On Kiwiblog today, David Farrar (principal of Curia) said as far as he knew this was the first poll to ask why people got vaccinated – was it motivated by health reasons, or due to coercive measures if they didn’t get vaccinated.
In terms of why they got vaccinated the findings were:
- Protect personal health, 70% said it was a large or the main factor
- Protect health of others, 76% large/main
- Due to vaccine pass, 36% large/main
- Due to vaccine mandate 31% large/main
Farrar comments:
The results suggest that only 70% to 75% of those vaccinated did so primarily for health reasons. Around a third of those vaccinated said vaccine mandate or pass requirements was a large factor in their decision.
Why this is important is the Government (and repeated by many in the media) keeps saying 94% of adults have been vaccinated, so those against are only 6%. But that is an incorrect way to interpret it. Because a significant minority of that 94% only did so because the state coerced them into it through vaccine mandates. So this is why opposition to vaccine mandates is greater than 6% and many of those opposed are themselves vaccinated.
Another key finding was that people support flexibility with the mandates – 61% think unvaccinated employees should be able to keep their jobs if they agree to have regular rapid antigen testing as an alternative.
Farrar notes:
This is not a radical right policy, but in fact the policy of Joe Biden. Yet it won’t even be considered here.
Even Labour voters support this flexibility. This measure was supported by 74% of 2020 ACT voters, 70% of National voters and 58% of Labour voters. Only 2020 Green voters were not majority in support, but still a plurality at 42%. So such a change would have broad coass-party appeal.
Another interesting finding is the difference between respondents who were double and triple vaccinated. 80% of those who are triple vaccinated did so to protect their health. But only 54% of those double vaccinated cited health as a large factor.
This suggests that there will be significant hesitancy in getting a booster as boosters are not mandated
Chris Hipkins and the PM will need to muster all their persuasiveness as they push the public to higher levels of vaccination and booster shots.
The pace of Omicron’s spread is likely to be helpful:
“As predicted, Omicron cases are increasing across New Zealand and it’s critical we get as many people as possible boosted in February to slow the spread of the virus and protect our communities,” Chris Hipkins said.
In response to the outbreak, the government has accelerated the booster programme and asked New Zealanders to get their boosters as soon as they are due.
Hipkins thanked the hundreds of thousands of people who have got their shots already and those who have already booked in for their booster too.
Then he gave us a measure of what happened during The Big Boost Week, which ended on Wednesday, along with other relevant data:
- In February so far (1-17 February inclusive) there were 748,351 booster doses administered, an average of over 44,000 boosters per day.
- During ‘Big Boost Week’ alone (9-16 February inclusive) there were 369,990 boosters administered.
- At the current daily rate, more than 1.25 million people will be boosted in February, taking the number of boosters given to a total of more than 2.5 million.
- At 28 February 2022, there will be 3,342,224 people eligible for their booster.
- As of 11.59pm on 17 February, 2,083,130 booster doses in total have been administered to New Zealanders.
Hipkins was heartened that 369,990 people who made the most of extended vaccination centres opening hours, pop-up clinics and events around the country during the Big Boost Week – meaning that more than two million New Zealanders in total have now been boosted.
That’s a good result, Hipkins said,
“… but we can do more – I urge everyone to get their booster as soon as they are due. It is the best thing we can do to combat Omicron and protect ourselves, our whānau, and our communities.”
Let’s not forget the big boost from Damien O’Connor for a project which – among other things – will involve the development and implementation of Ngāti Hauā’s mātauranga Māori principles, called the Peria Standard.
The government is partnering with Ngāti Hauā Iwi Trust to develop a horticultural programme
… that will empower Ngāti Hauā whānau to upskill, diversify their businesses and sustainably generate wealth from their land.
No explanation is given for why this can’t be done without the $1.12 million being dished up from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund and $150,000 from the Ministry for Social Development.
Te Waharoa Investments Limited, the commercial arm of Ngāti Hauā Iwi Trust, is co-investing a further $775,000.
“The three year Peria Horticultural programme will help Ngāti Hauā Iwi Land Trust and landowners’ businesses to flourish by developing an education hub and trialling high-value crops,” Damien O’Connor said.
Ngāti Hauā have a 10-year goal to create 129 jobs and generate $25 million in earnings a year.
The mātauranga Māori principles, called the Peria Standard (the press statement explains) was inspired by the vision of Wiremu Tamehana, who established Peria Village in 1846.
“This village bridged the gap between Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā knowledge systems and values,” Damien O’Connor said.
“Fast-forwarding 176 years, the Peria Horticultural programme aims to revive this concept as they diversify from the likes of blueberries into other high value crops. In doing so they’ll draw on support from some of our top specialists, including from Plant & Food Research, AgResearch, StartaFresh, Landcare, and AsureQuality.”
Matauranga Maori is being melded with science, in other words. That’s the way things are done in this country nowadays.
Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the programme would help weave stronger communities.
SFF Futures has now invested $125.8 million alongside a total co-investment with partners of $276.1 million across 156 projects.
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Point of Order 