“Labour’s COVID mega spend is rolling on, with spending on advertising vaccines still sky-high despite the high vaccinated portion of our population,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Last month alone taxpayers’ coughed up $2,765,645 in vaccine advertising, this translated to 41,225 doses - $67 a dose.

“The Government needs to be weighing up whether the benefit of advertising is worth the cost to taxpayers at this stage of the pandemic where 96 per cent of our population is vaccinated, and omicron is transmitted by both vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.

“Incredibly, we’re currently spending more money on vaccine advertising than we were in April and May 2021, which is when the awareness campaign should have been at its peak.

“The Government’s response to COVID has become increasingly costly and ineffective as the virus has evolved because they’ve failed to change with it. Now we’re stuck with redundant policies that were designed for a different variant and exist as a financial burden.

“It’s just more wasteful spending amidst a cost of living crisis.

“Kiwis have already made their minds up on vaccination and those who want them have gone and got them. We don’t need millions of dollars spent every month on advertising anymore. It’s a needless expense at a time when reckless Government spending is fuelling out of control domestic inflation.”

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