Unrestricted travel, rapid vaccination with incentives will get us going
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Auckland, September 26, 2021
Former Prime Minister Sir John Key believes that the government needs to get out its chequebook, rather than rely on fear tactics to get people vaccinated.
Sir John, who was the Prime Minister of New Zealand from November 2008 to December 2016, said that vaccination is the only way to return to normality with the ability of New Zealanders travelling overseas and return at their will.
Smart options needed
He said that incentives to encourage people to get the jab are the best way forward.
“You have to move to a series of carrots and sticks. I don’t think fear is going to work. Rolling out Shaun Hendy and saying that 7000 people could die won’t work. Fear works with the vaccinated in my opinion, it doesn’t work with the unvaccinated. If you go and have a look at cigarette packets and the terrible pictures of people’s organs that are demonstrated on those – I don’t think that is really what stops people smoking. I think it is when the price went up and when you were refused the ability to smoke in public venues,” he said.
Sir John said that options could include providing a bounty to vaccinators who go to hard-to-reach areas or paying people to get vaccinated.
He said that when the lockdown was costing a billion dollars a week, it would not be unreasonable to offer an incentive of $500 to young people to get vaccinated.
Ban the unvaccinated
Sir John also believed that people who are not vaccinated should be barred from licensed venues such as restaurants, bars and nightclubs and even Air New Zealand flights.
“And pretty quickly, I think you will find that those very same young people, who are largely the people who are not getting vaccinated, will very rapidly get vaccinated or their lifestyle will dramatically change,” he said.
Sir John wrote an editorial, published in the Herald on Sunday and Sunday Star-Star Times today (September 26, 2021), in which he called for a “coherent plan” to be shared with the public and said the government should “stop ruling by fear.”
“The aim should no longer be to exist in a smug hermit kingdom,” Sir John wrote.
Chris Hipkins objects
On TVNZ’s Q+A programme Sunday morning, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins took issue with Sir John’s comments.
“I think it is a great piece of politics. Many of the things that John Key is arguing are already happening. I really do not agree with him describing New Zealand as a smug hermit kingdom. I think that is an insult to New Zealanders who have actually achieved some of the highest rates of freedom in the world by going hard and going early when we needed to do,” he said.
Sir John criticised MIQ allotment requirements and said that New Zealanders should be told when borders will open.
He also called for financial incentives for Maori and Pacific health providers based on vaccination rates and $25 vouchers for those aged 12-29 if they are vaccinated before December 1, 2021.
-Published under a Special Agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
