Viewpoint – Silver linings for Christmas

Here in Whangaparāoa, we have all worked incredibly hard over the past few months to keep ourselves and the rest of New Zealand safe. 

Our hard work has paid off, but it has been incredibly tough going, and we are tired from our Covid fight.

I hope you’re all looking forward to connecting with loved ones over summer, going back to doing the things we love doing, as we transition into a new way of managing Covid-19.

Our approach so far has served us well. We are entering this new phase better placed than many other countries. We’ve had the lowest number of cases, hospitalisations and deaths in the OECD, and our economy is in good shape.

Many countries that recently removed restrictions are now putting them back in place as they face a surge in fourth and fifth waves. I worry about my elderly parents in the Netherlands, where they are again seeing tens of thousands of new Covid-19 cases daily, health systems getting overwhelmed and signs of another lockdown over Christmas, as they had in 2020.

Meanwhile, in Waitemata DHB, almost 500,000 people have received at least one dose of the vaccination. That is an amazing response, and I thank all of you who have stepped up. And with reaching the milestone of 90 percent fully vaccinated, our country has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

Now that we’ve moved into the Covid Protection Framework (the Traffic Light System), we are reaping the benefits of our hard work and response to the vaccination drive. If you are vaccinated, all you need is your pass and mask when you leave home, and you can go about your business. This is particularly the case in the orange level, and at the red level there are only a couple of restrictions on gatherings. So I think it’s a relatively simple system, but of course it’s new, and therefore people will take time to get used to it.

Locally, we can support our businesses that have done it tough, by making sure we support and shop local. Access is crucial and it’s great to see the regular progress reports from Penlink as it comes ever closer to fruition. 

As well, it was heartening to see that Dairy Flat and Ōrewa Beach schools this month received funding for additional classrooms to meet the roll growth the area is experiencing.

At the end of 2021 and counting down to Christmas, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy and Healthy New Year filled with hope and silver linings.