The National Party has today launched a petition to allow up to a hundred people at funerals, weddings and places of worship, Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges says.

“It’s not fair that you can have 30 people on a rugby field playing close contact sport but you can’t have more than ten people at a funeral so they can grieve together.

“Our team has been inundated with heart-breaking messages from people who are grieving. Most extended families have more than ten people and that’s before you get to friends and other loved ones.

“Some people held off having funerals during Level 3 because Jacinda Ardern led them to believe they would be able to have more loved ones around them from tomorrow. They feel hurt and let down.

“As well as funerals and tangi, we want people to be able to attend religious services with the appropriate social distancing. If you can have a hundred people in a restaurant, why can’t you have a hundred a people in a church, mosque, temple or synagogue?

“It’s not too late for Jacinda Ardern and her Government to be compassionate.”

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