The Government has released criteria for people who can jump the vaccine queue under special conditions. Instead of prioritising Māori health inequities, Cabinet has taken a populist approach, writes political editor Jo Moir.
On Wednesday, Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced the criteria for getting a vaccination to travel overseas, which has been divided into two groups - compassionate grounds and national interest.
Needing to provide critical care for a dependant, accessing critical medical care not available in New Zealand and visiting an immediate family member who is dying are the conditions for compassionate exemptions.
National significance criteria to represent New Zealand overseas requires the travel be in an official capacity or at a significant international event.
Or as Hipkins put it: “Those sports that everybody is hanging out to watch on television for example, are more likely to hit the national significance criteria than a school sports team going to compete with someone else around the world.’’
Those applying for exemptions can do so by the end of the month, which coincides with the tier two rollout for those identified as over the age of 65 or with underlying health conditions in South Auckland.
Some Māori and Pacific people will fall into that category but the Government has now put the Black Caps and any other national team wishing to compete overseas ahead of populations overrepresented in almost every negative health statistic living outside of South Auckland.
Asked what Māori should make of that, Hipkins responded, “We’re talking about a few hundred potential athletes and sports people who might fit the category.’’
Both the Green Party and Te Paati Māori say that’s not good enough.
Greens’ co-leader and Associate Housing Minister Marama Davidson says an “equity lens’’ has to be applied to vaccinations.
“The calls from the Māori community and particularly the Māori pandemic specialists and experts have been quite clear, that they don’t feel listened to. They don’t feel there has yet been enough of an equity lens.’’
Te Paati Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi says Hipkins has already acknowledged in Parliament that Māori are one of the most vulnerable communities when it comes to Covid.
“Not the Black Caps, Māori.’’
But he says he’s not surprised by the decision because “it’s a lot easier just to go with the status quo’’.
“(Labour’s) whole manifesto is built on that,’’ he told Newsroom.
“We know this Government is a populist government, led by a populist Prime Minister.
“That’s just the way it is. Pivoting left or right of that isn’t an option for this particular Government because their main priority is to ensure they please the constituents and the people that voted for them, which is straight down the line populist vote,’’ he said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern didn’t directly respond to whether she was comfortable the Black Caps were being put ahead of Māori, saying, “Ultimately what we’re trying to do is get those vaccines out the door quickly."
She said the bar for exemptions had been set very high.
For compassionate exemptions the bar has also been set very high – so high it discriminates between visiting a dying relative and attending a relative’s funeral or tangi.
These travel exemptions specifically don’t include “reuniting with family, attending a funeral or memorial service, or attending a school or university’’.
Asked why visiting someone dying was deemed more important than mourning someone who has already passed away, Hipkins said, “I think there is something about those precious final moments that make people’s desire to see those family members before they pass away very understandable’’.
“We have to draw the line somewhere and ultimately this was where we drew the line.’’
Compassionate criteria isn’t easy but it shouldn’t surprise the Government if it faces a backlash for determining what kind of grief is more valid.
Should, for example, a daughter wanting to say goodbye to her 98-year-old father who has been battling ill health for a number of years be put ahead of a mother wanting to be at the funeral of her 25-year-old son who has suddenly died in a freak accident?
Nobody wants to answer that question, which is why the expectation is that those close to dying and those who have already died should be treated the same.
As National Party leader Judith Collins told Newsroom, it’s difficult to understand how that is “fair or kind’’.
“I can’t understand why the Government wants to pick a fight with grieving family members of those who have passed away.
“The compassionate criteria at the moment is unkind and uncompassionate. They need to actually think about how they would feel.’’
In May last year, the Government was forced to backtrack on Level 2 rules that initially meant only 10 people could gather for funerals or tangi.
Mass gatherings at Level 2 are up to 100 people, but Cabinet decided funerals and tangi were more likely to lead to Covid spread.
After immense public and political pressure, the Government lifted the maximum from 10 to 50 people.
At the time, people complained it was unfair to have one set of rules for movie theatres and another for grieving families.
Following Wednesday’s vaccine exemptions announcement, some might wonder if Cabinet has learnt from past mistakes.
