BEVS

Yes. I read this from Air New Zealand yesterday.

Charismatic

Shout out to New Zealand's Asian community who lead the charge and surpassed the 90% first dose targets already. Superb work Ladies and Gentlemen!
In terms of regions Auckland Metro, Capital&Coast/Hutt Valley (i.e. Wellington), Nelson-Marlborough and Southern are all outperforming on first doses though none are quite at the 90% level yet.

LittleGreyCat

Come on peeps, try and get the borders open before next winter!
Lifting restrictions in March 2022 is the wrong time of year for us UK based people.
Two summers is great, two winters less so.

Bo-Jangles

Gosh, where do we donate that's so heartbreaking.

Charismatic

29, that's Rise and Shine #29.
As the virus has tended to spread faster heading towards the colder months I'd suggest that heading into summer would be a better time to reopen borders than March when cases might begin to ramp up in New Zealand. You want to give the Health Service/Testing and Tracing the best chance of succeeding when you release control measures.

Crate Day is usually the start of Summer in New Zealand and that's the 4th of December this year. Still time to get that vaccination rate up but the next two weeks will be pivotal to getting those first dose rates back up.

My view is that, in the abscence of a better idea, just give everyone Kiwi in New Zealand who can prove they are fully vaccinated before December 1st a $500 credit (Using IRD number as an individual reference.) It sounds like a lot of money but compared to the cost of lockdowns and hospitalisations it's actually chicken feed. Also it would help kick the retail economy back into gear which would give businesses a little boost. You might even get reopened by Christmas and get some of that sweet, sweet northern hemisphere tourist spending over the summer. Not to mention all the great PR of families reunited for Christmas.
​​​​​

Justcol

If any of this makes it into Cindy's next election manifesto....

All I'll say is, I have a very specific set of skills...🤣😂

Tom H

$388 once the tax has been deducted from the $500

Charismatic

Firstly there's no election and even if there where voters are like goldfish. Secondly why would Labour start implementing policies they promised in manifestos now, when they've successfully avoided it for years? Thirdly Judith Collins could lose a preferred PM contest to herself at the moment, she just isn't managing to engage voters but no one else wants the poison chalice.
Psst...it's all your taxes anyway (or future taxes.) The only people who would actually be financially penalised are the unvaccinated. That's why the idea has merit, it costs nothing and incentivises everybody.

BEVS

MrBEVS is once again up for pulling up the drawbridge between oop Norf and down Sarf.

chocolate cake

Bye bye elimination, hallelujah

Roadmap ?? - rather like a roadmap with no roads

Justcol

And no map 🤣

Brisbannite

"She'll be right"

LittleGreyCat

Thank you - very generous.
PM me for a bank account number.
4 figure donations only, please.

chocolate cake

Well, no targets, no milestones

But never mind we can have 10 person picnics from tomorrow

Bo-Jangles

The target and roadmap is clear to me; we have a few more weeks grace at Level 2/3 hybrid to allow time for more people to get vaccinated at which point those that choose not to be vaccinated will suffer the consequences.

The announcements yesterday have provide a relatively safe middle ground to alleviate some of the tensions caused by friends and families that have until now been unable to meet - that still has every chance of going horribly wrong as we know people won't follow the rules but it wholly makes sense that we meet people outside in the fresh air if we must. A week by week assessment of that situation seems wholly reasonable to me before opening up shops and restaurants etc.

It's a knife edge and whatever the decisions they will be wrong for some people; slammed if you do and slammed if you don't.

The simple fact is and I am sure most people understand that more people need to be vaccinated before we can move. Those that haven't yet been vaccinated need to get a move on and do their bit to maximise on the sacrifices that most of us have had to make over the past six weeks. I am grateful that our Government is taking a measured approach and allow space for those that have not yet had the opportunity to get their first or second dose to get their asses moving.