Asked what he would do differently this morning on TVNZ’s Q + A, Hipkins said that when decisions were made, they could only be made on the basis of the information available.
However, he pointed to the Auckland restrictions as something he would have done differently with the benefit of hindsight.
“There were probably some areas that we could have moved faster to move some restrictions down. That restriction in Auckland at the end of 2021, I think nerves were pretty torn by the end of it. And we have to admit that. Aucklanders have a great game price for our continued suppression of Delta while increasing our vaccination rates, and so on. “
Those restrictions were put in place to prevent Delta from moving out of Auckland as part of the latest effort to keep the elimination strategy together – and then buy time to get vaccination levels up, as it became clear that Omicron would arrive in New Zealand.
It saw Aucklanders go through three months of restrictions from August 17 to December 2 – only alleviated by steps such as allowing people to meet and entertain visitors outside.
In the recent reshuffle of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Hipkins moved to the police portfolio and replaced Poto Williams. Ayesha Verrall has taken over the Covid-19 portfolio.
Asked why stricter measures are not yet in place as Omicron does damage, Hipkins said the government needs to weigh other factors, such as public tolerance for restrictions and its cost to the economy and mental health.
Hipkins also pointed to the role that public opinion played in the Covid response – and said that after public tolerance for measures declined, it made little sense to keep it in place.
“I was minister responsible for our border restrictions for two years and it was very difficult to go. By the end, there is really no doubt that our public support for enforcing border restrictions has run out, so we really need to respond to that.
“At the end of the day, our Covid-19 response was just as successful as it was because New Zealanders were with it. If you start losing the public, the effectiveness of the response will also decrease.”
Asked about vaccine mandates remaining in the health sector, Hipkins said it was now a decision for health ministers. His view, however, was that they are justified in health to keep vulnerable people safe.
“Will they be justified forever? No, they will not be. So that’s something we, as a government, will regularly face.”
Asked why he should be moved out of the portfolio as Omicron is still circulating widely, Hipkins said it is now more of a health response rather than one involving multiple agencies.
“I recognize that this is a system that is under tremendous pressure, but it is the health ministers who need to guide us through it.”
“We have moved far beyond the elimination strategy we have had for most of two years. We are now in a position where we just have to adapt and we have to accept the reality that Covid 19 is here now, it is here to We have to learn to do things differently. ”
He said the country is “not out of the woods yet”, but the availability of vaccines and medical treatments for Covid-19 means it is a different situation than the first two years.
He said he was proud of the overall management of the pandemic, saying it had left New Zealand in much better shape than most other countries.