The President of the New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (NZALPA) has described the Government’s decision to put regular police officers to the back of the vaccination line as an error.

NZALPA senior officers recently met their New Zealand Police Association counterparts and were surprised to learn that the bulk of our police officers are in the last tranche of New Zealanders to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Police working at the border or in MIQ facilities are eligible for the vaccine now, while all other police officers must wait until the general population receive their vaccinations from July 2021.

“As professionals whose work regularly takes us throughout the country and across our international border we’ve been living with the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s quarantine, restrictions and lock downs every day,” said Captain Andrew Ridling, NZALPA President and an international pilot.

“We’ve seen how tricky this virus and its variants can be, and its ability to sneak through any gaps in local community defences”.

“To deny the vast majority of our police officers’ access to a vaccination that is available right now, when we are asking those same police officers to work closely with some of our most vulnerable New Zealanders every day, has not been thought through.

“NZALPA calls on the Government, and particularly the Minister of Police, Hon Poto Williams, and the Covid-19 Response Minister Hon Chris Hipkins, not to delay in administering this protection to all police officers,” said Captain Ridling.

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