“New revelations of continuous social media listening throughout the COVID pandemic are cementing Jacinda Ardern as the world’s first Instagram Prime Minister,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“We have been told that the Jacinda Ardern ‘followed the science’ through the COVID pandemic but, as time goes on, we learn that official advice was ignored during the pandemic.
“MIQ caused untold human misery and carried on well passed its use-by date. We now know the Government was told MIQ wasn’t necessary from November, did they keep it based on social media listening?
“ACT pointed out at the time that if people who’d tested positive for COVID were able to isolate at home, it made no sense for people arriving from overseas to suffer MIQ. It was totally unfair for the thousands who missed out on a spot and couldn’t even do that.
“One can only suspect the Government kept MIQ for months of extra misery because they thought doing the right thing would be unpopular. It’s pathetic.
“If the Government ignored public health advice and kept MIQ based on social media listening, then what was the real purpose of social media listening? Was it to reinforce the public health response, or protect Labour’s political interests?
“The answer can probably be found in Jacinda Ardern’s history. Pre Prime Ministerial Ardern was never competent at policy, making no impact as a Member of Parliament. Her expertise was in social media, and she has carried on as she started. COVID-19 was not managed according to ‘the science,’ but in response to social media listening.
“Throughout the pandemic, ACT has released comprehensive policy papers based on balancing all aspects of human wellbeing. That is what the Government should have been balancing, but they did not. It appears their main priority was Labour’s political wellbeing.”