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 / Business

Covid 19 coronavirus: The Chinese companies stockpiling Sydney's medical supplies

news.com.au
5 Apr, 2020 11:47 PM3 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

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise how you can use these simple daily precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Video / CDC
SIGN UP TO OUR COVID-19 NEWSLETTER.

SIGN IN OR REGISTER, THEN SELECT TOP NEWS STORIES

A Chinese company in Sydney has sent an explosive email to staff telling them to stockpile medical supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Workers from Chinese real estate developer Poly Developments and Holdings were told to urgently find masks anywhere they could and were strongly encouraged to buy from pharmacies across Sydney.

NeedToKnow3
NeedToKnow3

It comes after Australian healthcare workers have reported shortages of important personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitals across the country as they deal with coronavirus.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"If you have time please drop by your local pharmacy to check if there are any 3MN95 or 8210 masks for sale," the email obtained by 60 Minutes reads.

TO READ THE HERALD'S FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE CLICK HERE

The staff assured the company that they were searching the city from Eastwood to Hornsby, Penrith and Mona Vale for masks, an email reply revealed.

Poly Developments and Holdings are not the only company to do such a thing.

A whistleblower told 60 Minutes he saw tonnes of gloves, masks, gowns, sanitiser and other vital medical supplies being packaged in his Sydney office to be shipped out of Australia to China.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The anonymous witness worked at Greenland Group, another Chinese-owned property development company in Sydney.

The anonymous source told 60 Minutes that he saw boxes of vital medical equipment being prepared to be sent to China in January and February this year.

"Meeting rooms, lunch rooms and the boardroom, starting to be filled with different types of items getting unpackaged and repackaged and labelled," he said.

"It definitely rose my suspicion. The concern to me is if all these medical items leave the country, what's left for us?"

Discover more

Employment

Woman says employer applied for her wage subsidy - after she was sacked

05 Apr 10:07 PM
World

Climate change: Is this the silver lining to coronavirus?

05 Apr 10:17 PM
Retail

Huge price hikes for essential goods during lockdown

05 Apr 10:23 PM
Travel

Flight staff retrain at Swedish medical school to combat Covid-19

05 Apr 11:00 PM

The company's employees were asked to procure different medical items from shops and pharmacies, according to the witness.

Not only that, but full-time employees were also made to pack and repackage items that were then sent back to China.

"It is very unsettling that essential equipment can just leave our borders in massive commercial quantities," he said.

In just two months, China stockpiled around 2.4 billion pieces of protective equipment, including more than two billion masks.

On February 24, another Sydney-based Chinese company, Risland, sent 90 tonnes of medical protection equipment to China.

The Australian Government last week banned the non-commercial export of PPE such as face masks, hand sanitiser, gloves and gowns.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
‌
‌
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Media InsiderUpdated

Chaos, comedy and chips: Inside the media and business mind of Leigh Hart

11 Jun 07:10 PM
Agribusiness

Strong demand driving NZ primary exports to record high

11 Jun 06:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Opinion: Public media not actually about audience ratings

11 Jun 06:00 PM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Quorum 'glitch': Councillor absences force submission hearing to pause
Rotorua Daily Post

Quorum 'glitch': Councillor absences force submission hearing to pause

11 Jun 07:00 PM
Hardest golf course ever? Scheffler firm favourite at formidable Oakmont
Golf

Hardest golf course ever? Scheffler firm favourite at formidable Oakmont

11 Jun 07:00 PM
Harvey Weinstein found guilty of sexual assault, but not guilty on second charge in retrial
World

Harvey Weinstein found guilty of sexual assault, but not guilty on second charge in retrial

11 Jun 06:33 PM
'Be like John': Businessman's five years with a brain tumour and what it's taught him
Hawkes Bay Today

'Be like John': Businessman's five years with a brain tumour and what it's taught him

11 Jun 06:07 PM
Seven ways to dementia-proof yourself in midlife
Lifestyle

Seven ways to dementia-proof yourself in midlife

11 Jun 06:00 PM

Latest from Business

Chaos, comedy and chips: Inside the media and business mind of Leigh Hart

Chaos, comedy and chips: Inside the media and business mind of Leigh Hart

11 Jun 07:10 PM

Leigh Hart opens up in this week's Media Insider podcast.

Strong demand driving NZ primary exports to record high

Strong demand driving NZ primary exports to record high

11 Jun 06:00 PM
Premium
Opinion: Public media not actually about audience ratings

Opinion: Public media not actually about audience ratings

11 Jun 06:00 PM
Premium
Tracksuit raises one of NZ’s largest venture capital hauls, captures inside running

Tracksuit raises one of NZ’s largest venture capital hauls, captures inside running

11 Jun 05:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

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
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • 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
search by queryly Advanced Search