“Across the country people are finding boosters are available some places but not others, when they should have been available immediately,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“On Tuesday ACT said that if we are buying time by delaying the end of MIQ, and boosters are the strategy, then there is no time to waste rolling out boosters. Chris Hipkins’ announcement that four-month booster shots would be available ‘in early January’ was always illogical.

“Predictably, GPs and pharmacies were inundated with requests for four-month boosters, some even being abused for not offering them. They were told that they could issue them after all as early as Wednesday morning, as part of a communication failure by the Government.

“Now there appears to be inconsistency across regions, with boosters being available in Auckland but not elsewhere. Chris Hipkins needs to come forward and say what the policy for four-month boosters is. When will they be available, from where, and what is causing any delay?

“The source of the chaos is a total lack of organisation and communication by the Government. If boosters are the strategy to beat omicron that could arrive any day, the delay made no sense and the backdown is only leading to confusion."

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