Covid-19 New Zealand

Week in Politics: The Prime Minister announces a significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions - but she doesn't please everyone - and New Zealand offers ...

They're people who arrived in Australia illegally by boat, and under Australian policy they're not allowed to stay in the country. "What we needed was a sea change - it's time to move on and dump restrictions that don't make sense. It has been a hard two years and for Ardern the last few months have been the worst. the economic situation is now overtaking the virus," he said. Political reaction was summed up by RNZ this way: "National would have gone further in removing Covid-19 restrictions but backs the government. "We're not tired for nothing: the sacrifices and hard work have brought us here today and now, with more tools and one of the most highly vaccinated populations in the world, we are able to keep moving forward safely." We can manage that with simpler sets of rules rather than a confusing traffic lights system." During her speech in the Beehive theatrette Ardern used slides showing how cases were falling in Auckland and levelling off in other North Island regions. "The bottom line was it had to go through the UNHCR process and Australia had to go through some discussions with the UNHCR to see who might be eligible," he said. Opposition parties have often complained that the system is confusing, and Ardern gave her own simple explanation. The next important date is 4 April, when the traffic light settings will be reviewed. "It meant we could leave the house, we could go to work, we could go to school, so it was about inclusion," she said.