“Criticism of ACT’s proposal to make scanning into any premises with an official Ministry of Health Covid-19 tracing QR code compulsory for those people who haven’t switched on the official NZ Covid Tracer app’s Bluetooth capability is misplaced,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Technology commentator Andrew Chen, from the University of Auckland’s centre for Informed Futures, claimed on NewstalkZB this morning that the policy ignores the 20 per cent of New Zealanders who don’t have smartphones.

“What Mr Chen ignores is that people without smartphones are already obliged to manually sign in to premises showing an official QR code.

“Right now 90 per cent of New Zealanders aren’t doing anything and there is already a solution for those who don’t have smartphones.

“To suggest ACT is ‘overegging’ the danger such low use of any tracking and tracing by New Zealanders at a time when highly virulent strains of Covid-19 are in the country is naïve in the extreme.

“ACT knows New Zealanders largely band together and do the right thing for the good of their community when advised to, but in this case we believe they need the nudge of being told some form of regular tracing is mandatory.

“Clearly advertising and the occasional scolding from the Health Minister isn’t cutting the mustard.

“We cannot continue with such dismally low use of all the options available to help rapid contact tracing.

“I repeat what I said yesterday – the best thing we can do for freedom is avoid another five week lockdown.”

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On The Government’s Smokefree Laws Debacle

The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable view is that the government was being deliberately misleading. Are we to think Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is a fool or a liar? It seems rather early on in his term of office to be facing that unpleasant choice... More