Wellington, April 20, 2020
The Epidemic Response Committee will meet again this week with Ministers the first to answer questions tomorrow morning, Opposition Leader Simon Bridges says.
He issued the following Statement a short time ago:
Regardless of the decision made today about levels there will be important questions about the economic impacts. That is why we will have Small Business Minister Stuart Nash, Employment Minister Willie Jackson and Finance Minister Grant Robertson.
It is important that we hear details about the plans in place to keep our small businesses afloat, what plans there are to get people back into work if they have lost their job and what further government assistance will be available.
Status from Associations
On Wednesday (April 22, 2020), we will hear from the New Zealand Medical Association, New Zealand Aged Care Association, Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand, New Zealand Disability Support Network and New Zealand Dental Association.
All of these organisations have faced difficulties during the lockdown, particularly when it comes to accessing to PPE. We will also have Professor David Skegg from Otago University back as an independent witness.
On Thursday (April 23, 2020), we will hear from a range of people including entrepreneur Rod Drury, KPMG Accountant Ian Proudfoot, businesswoman Traci Houpapa, academic Max Rashbrooke and NZ Initiative Executive Director Oliver Hartwich.
The Committee has been asking the questions for which New Zealanders want answers.
We will continue to scrutinise the Government’s response to ensure the response is the best it can be for all New Zealanders.
The Committee will be livestreamed on the Epidemic Response Committee’s dedicated page on the Parliament website.
