NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Covid 19 coronavirus: Derek Cheng: The yawning gap between Jacinda Ardern, Ashley Bloomfield and Mike Bush and why it matters

Derek Cheng
By Derek Cheng
Senior Writer·NZ Herald·
2 Apr, 2020 04:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The Government will change a law to help companies facing insolvency due to Covid-19 to remain running and keep people in jobs.
Derek Cheng
Opinion by Derek Cheng
Derek Cheng is a Multimedia Journalist for New Zealand’s Herald. He values holding those in power to account and shining a light on issues kept in the dark.
Learn more

COMMENT:

The issue of self-isolation has clearly been an irritant for Jacinda Ardern this week, and the Police Commissioner added fuel to the fire yesterday by revealing a failure of compliance checks.

Ardern pushed back at Wednesday's press conference when asked about the "high trust" model of people self-isolating after returning from overseas.

"I wouldn't call it 'high trust'," she shot back, adding that it had been working "successfully".

But "high trust" is exactly how it was described by health boss Ashley Bloomfield - not only on Tuesday at the Epidemic Response Committee, but again - and repeatedly - in yesterday's press conference.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

READ MORE:
• Covid-19 coronavirus: 89 new cases - highest daily rise yet
• Covid 19 coronavirus: No quarantine for 3600 people returning to NZ from overseas
• Covid 19 coronavirus: Government set to move on regions with low test results
• Covid 19 coronavirus: Which nations still have no cases?

To be clear, this is not about the majority of the 4.8 million New Zealanders that are currently in lockdown self-isolation, but the several thousands of asymptomatic people who have arrived from overseas and been allowed to head home.

Such people are a much higher risk of carrying Covid-19 and, as the global pandemic continues to spiral out of control, the risk of an overseas arrival being coronavirus-infected increases.

So why a "high trust" model? Bloomfield said it was impossible to police everyone, even though everyone in self-isolation was meant to get a visit from police within three days of returning home.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Trust the police, he said. They will take people to task if they don't comply.

Except that the police knock on the door within three days wasn't happening as promised. That was the stunning admission yesterday morning by Police Commissioner Mike Bush to the Epidemic Response Committee.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

'Country needs clarity' - Police Commissioner admits lockdown confusion

01 Apr 09:36 PM
New Zealand

How one moment of selfishness could keep us in lengthy lockdown

02 Apr 02:29 AM
New Zealand|politics

Coronavirus: PM unveils leave scheme for essential workers

02 Apr 01:44 AM
New Zealand

Coronavirus: Homeopathic help blasted by experts

02 Apr 03:26 AM

Since the new border measures have been in place just over a week ago, 4068 overseas arrivals have been allowed to go home to self-isolate.

Bush said in the initial days it was "very difficult" for police to find out where they were and, notwithstanding some spot checks that he had no numbers on, a solution had only been implemented in the last 48 hours or so.

The solution? Texting people's cellphones and, with their consent, using their reply to track their location.

That type of solution was also put to Ardern on Wednesday after Health Minister David Clark talked enthusiastically about the potential use of smartphone technology.

Asked about that potential, Ardern was cryptic at best and dismissive at worst.

"Other countries have used things like that. Other countries have used systems that we say [use] for our Corrections systems. There are a range of models internationally," she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She may have missed the memo or not been told, but as she was delivering her response, police were already texting people.

The yawning difference between her rhetoric and that of her top officials has added further weight to the call to quarantine all arrivals from overseas, even if they have no symptoms.

It also has the potential to weaken public trust and confidence in her.

She has been a picture of reassurance and clarity, but she undermines herself by dismissing smartphone technology when, at that very moment, police are using that very thing.

She undermines herself by saying self-isolating is successful when the promised compliance checks aren't happening, a failure that also reinforces just how much of a "high trust" model it is.

Claiming success when 4000-odd people weren't being properly door-knocked also begs the question: What about the tens of thousands of Kiwis who have come home from overseas since March 16, when Ardern decreed that all arrivals except those from the Pacific had to self-isolate?

That's not to say she is wrong. Despite these hiccups, self-isolating may have been and continue to be successful, and the slow growth in Covid-19 cases seems to show that it's relatively under control - although testing has been called too narrow to shed any true light on its prevalence in communities.

And such stumbles are understandable. Ardern even primed us when she said the gargantuan project of moving as quickly as possible to a nationwide lockdown would not be perfect.

Yesterday, Ardern seemed to sing from a different song-sheet. Asked about self-isolation, she didn't say "high trust" but said there was a "level of faith" on people to do it properly.

She didn't dismiss technology, instead saying police were using what "a lot of overseas countries are using".

The country faces at least 20 more days in lockdown. Thousands of lives are in the balance and the economy will be a completely different beast when it re-emerges.

Ardern still has a huge reservoir of "high trust" from the public. Given that Parliament isn't sitting and the Government has war-time powers, she needs to maintain that trust and confidence more than ever.

NeedToKnow3
NeedToKnow3
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

650 properties assessed after damaging floods in Nelson and Tasman

04 Jul 11:19 PM
New Zealand

Insurers back using Takapuna golf course for flood prevention

04 Jul 11:11 PM
New Zealand

Air NZ flight to New York diverted due to thunderstorms, others cancelled

04 Jul 10:53 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

650 properties assessed after damaging floods in Nelson and Tasman

650 properties assessed after damaging floods in Nelson and Tasman

04 Jul 11:19 PM

Homes in Nelson, Tasman, and Marlborough are now uninhabitable.

Insurers back using Takapuna golf course for flood prevention

Insurers back using Takapuna golf course for flood prevention

04 Jul 11:11 PM
Air NZ flight to New York diverted due to thunderstorms, others cancelled

Air NZ flight to New York diverted due to thunderstorms, others cancelled

04 Jul 10:53 PM
Premium
Flatting wars: The male students' struggle against 'unwritten rule' bias claims

Flatting wars: The male students' struggle against 'unwritten rule' bias claims

04 Jul 10:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP