Kate Hawkesby: On your bike, David Clark, that's too many botch-ups

COMMENT

I wonder whether Health Minister David Clark thinks he should've just ridden that mountain bike off into the sunset - chosen the peace and quiet of a leafy bicycle trail over the current hot mess his ministry is in.

Where to begin?

Him not knowing about the teenagers who'd gone absent without leave at the funeral after being given special dispensation from quarantine rules to attend? Director general of health Ashley Bloomfield made that particular news public yesterday afternoon but, by 5 o'clock last night, the minister himself still didn't know about it. How on Earth not? Does no one speak to anyone in this ministry?

Does he not follow the news? Does no one in his office go, 'hey David, guess what?'
I mean how is it possible you can be so removed from your own ministry's business?

And he wasn't even out biking, he was busy hosing down his other problem: The two new Covid cases from the travellers who got out of quarantine without being tested. Not only did they get out, they headed away on a good long roadie all the way from Auckland to Wellington – allegedly not stopping once. No petrol? No water? No snacks? No toilet stop? Eight hours, no stops, incredible.

So two new cases wiping the giant collective grin off the country's team of 5 million, who were - prior to this - positively gloating about our Covid- free status. The envy of the world, the over-achievers.

To be fair to the Government and it's trusty soldier, Ashley Bloomfield, they did warn us all along that cases would come back. They probably didn't anticipate it'd be through incompetence. "Our expectations were not met," the Prime Minister said, in the understatement of the year.

Two new cases, but the real crime is the authorities that've cocked this up; The system that doesn't work; The officials that can't follow rules.

We either have a system in place for the borders or we don't. Being "disappointed" doesn't change the fact the system didn't work.

So is controlling the borders this Government's weakness? It is after all where it all began.

Do the slip ups and whoopsidaisies at the border speak to an even bigger issue with how this is being managed? What about the Health Minister? Doesn't the buck stop with him?
Is the Prime Minister regretting keeping him on?

Do her words -just two days ago - about what a proficient job he's done, now sound hollow? Does she still hold this view? Does he still enjoy her confidence?

Knowing the Labour Party's track record on delivery, and ministers who cock things up, he can probably expect a promotion after this.

If Phil Twyford and Iain Lees-Galloway are anything to go by, jumping up the list rankings while delivering nothing but flops, then Clark is probably safe as houses.

But what a fiasco for a ministry that already got delivered a dire report card yesterday on how it is run.

Houston, we have a problem. Will they fix it? Who knows?