NZ’s wall of defence

By most accounts the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is handling the pandemic crisis with aplomb. She has put in place a strong and ambitious strategy aimed at eliminating the virus completely. And she has backed this up by displaying humanity and empathy.

First, let’s look at a couple of examples of her humane approach. The PM has been addressing her citizens in a direct but down-to-earth manner. Here she is towards the end of March having an informal evening chat from her home after putting her young daughter to bed.

Jacinda has also recently revealed that in the past she used to work as a check-out assistant in a supermarket. She said:“I can tell you that it is a thankless job at the best of times. I cannot imagine what some of those individuals will have experienced in the last few weeks.”

This is a useful nudge for all of us to remember to thank the staff in our supermarket when we next go to stock up.

Now let’s turn to New Zealand’s strategic approach in combatting the virus. The country is pursuing an elimination strategy to try to get the virus under complete control. The approach has a strong focus on border control, which is obviously easier to apply for most island states. You can read about the strategy here in this detailed blueprint outlined by some of New Zealand’s leading epidemiologists.

At present the ambitious strategy would appear to be showing signs of working. There are currently only 1,312 cases with just four deaths.

However, such containment measures come with a heavy social and financial cost. Recently the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) predicted that initially New Zealand may suffer a drop of up to 30 per cent of its GDP. This is partly due to the loss of international tourism given its tight border controls. The government’s view though is that the health of the people comes first. In any case it says if the virus is brought under control then that will enable the economy to rebound quickly.

I have always admired New Zealand ever since I first visited both North and South Islands way back in 1984. I didn’t visit again until the end of November 2019 when the coronavirus was already starting to circulate in Hubei province in China.

In my most recent trip I was able to catch up with an old friend John and together we visited the impressive Huka Falls near Lake Taupo on North Island. Since the pandemic went worldwide he’s been giving me regular updates about New Zealand’s response.

John was born in the North Island town of Morrinsville where Jacinda Ardern grew up. He told me how her government had cracked down hard from the start.

“In mid-March I was in the South Island competing in a radio-controlled sailing regatta involving 28 competitors and about the same number of volunteers. There was talk of social distancing but only a few took it very seriously…..During the event we heard the Prime Minister had announced that all travellers coming in the country must self-isolate for 14 days. At that stage NZ had only EIGHT cases. It seemed like a big step…

John has supported the even tougher measures announced since then.

“My respect for Jacinda has gone up enormously during this crisis. She has been decisive, and communicates exceptionally well. I also think we are doing the right thing.” 

Yesterday John sent me a quote from the Prime Minister, who should have the last word. She said:”In the face of the greatest threat to human health we have seen in over a century, Kiwis have quietly and collectively implemented a nationwide wall of defence.”