Leader of the Opposition Todd Muller says David Clark’s resignation is welcome but it comes too late.

“David Clark has not delivered in his role as Health Minister and there is no question he had to go.

“National has been calling for his resignation for months following successive failures, including breaking lockdown rules and, most recently, having two women leaving quarantine who weren’t tested for Covid-19, under his watch.

"Clark did not deliver to the standards that we expected, neither through the lockdown or the border management in recent weeks, which has been utterly shambolic. And, for that, the Prime Minister must take responsibility. She faced a huge test of her leadership and she failed.

“The question has to be asked; why did she repeatedly fail to fire him?”

"The fact that the Prime Minister wasn’t prepared to let him lead the pandemic response, speaks volumes in terms of her confidence in her Health Minister.

“She declined Clark’s offer to resign when he decided to break his own lock-down rule not once, not twice, but three times in April.

“Chris Hipkins taking on health and education – two significant portfolios – shows the lack of talent around Jacinda Ardern’s Cabinet table. She has no confidence in anyone else not to drop the ball. The Prime Minister may say it’s just a caretaker role until the election but in the current environment, New Zealand deserves more that.”

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