Flatten the curve, not the economy
Moving into Level 3 earlier this week will have come as a welcome relief to many Kiwis who needed to return to work, and businesses that needed to get back on their feet.
Kiwis have sacrificed much for the restrictions of lockdown, but we can all be proud that the collective efforts of everyone to stay home and save lives has done just that.
A lot in relation to COVID-19 and the response has gone incredibly well. New Zealanders have done a great job self-isolating and social distancing. We've flattened the curve. National has always supported lockdown, and, indeed, we called for it. We've, in fact, been consistent on the things that matter here, since the start of the year: quarantining the border, testing and the quality of that testing, tracing, and the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) so that all New Zealanders who want and need it get it.
The questions now are about the future, and our view is clear. We want to get New Zealand working again—safely and sooner rather than later.
We can be vigilant on the things that matter—our border, our testing, our tracing, our PPE, and our distancing—and get New Zealand working again. We've done well so far, and that allows us to do more. The concepts aren't mutually exclusive. We can keep safe and get New Zealand working again. Our Prime Minister has said we have to stop a wave of devastation. We now face another wave, a bigger wave: the risk of economic devastation. We need to get New Zealand working again.
Lockdown and what we are in now—near lockdown—are not so hard when you still have a job. I have a job. Our Prime Minister has a job. Members of Parliament have a job. Our bureaucrats have a job. But tens of thousands of New Zealanders don't, and they are suffering—1,000 a day go on to jobseeker support, and that number is growing. We need to get New Zealanders working again.
The challenge I see is in three phases.
The short term: getting out of lockdown as soon as we safely can. The wage subsidy, as we heard so poignantly from submitters this week on Epidemic Response Committee, masks the carnage, but only in the short term. Even with it, many won't survive the couple of weeks until Budget day.
Then the medium term: as we come out of lockdown, stimulating our economy and how we operate in a 2-metre world, these are crucial issues. It could be handled badly, and it could be a massive drag on our productivity and livelihoods as a nation, or work well with clear, pragmatic rules and access to swift testing and PPE so we can regain momentum.
And then, thirdly and finally, how we best, in the long term, position our country to succeed in a post - COVID-19 world.
Our view is the answer is not a Wellington committee with politicians. We understand and accept that Government was, is, and will be critical to our response, but we also need to unleash Kiwis' potential.
From Rocket Lab to the Rockit apples my children eat, we need to make sure that these businesses rise up and provide the recovery and the solutions in New Zealand rather than Government committees.
Small and medium businesses are the backbone of our economy. They were before COVID-19 arrived on our shores and they will be once again after COVID-19 is stamped out.
We've flattened the curve; we don't need to flatten our economy.
Indeed, we now need another curve, an upward growth curve—growth, jobs, and a track back to normality.
Let's get New Zealand working again.
Team Leader - Property Risk at PRM (TFAMANZ)
4 年Interested to hear your thoughts on taxes. I feel like the current tax brackets are really outdated.
Senior Administrator at AECOM
4 年And how many deaths are considered acceptable then to those wanting to come out of Level 3 early and obviously put $$ above the human lives that could be lost.
As with every single POLITICAL statement that he makes - no solutions are offered, just more state the bleeding obvious which I believe that current government are well aware of.
Project Manager with a keen interest in system development and implementation.
4 年Absolutely agree, Simon! Businesses are chomping at the bits and are desperate to get going, livelihoods are being destroyed with the slow response to lifting restrictions. Many small businesses are recoiling in disbelief at the decisions that are being taken by people that appear to have limited understanding on how SMEs operate. Many SMEs could make a plan to survive four weeks with no turnover, many definitely cannot survive four more weeks. We have to be practical and find ways to live with and deal with the virus - if grocery shops could do it and operate safely , so can hardware stores and many other businesses including shopping centres. We cannot just close down whole industry sectors...the country require practical approaches for example to get going with tourism and international students as well - it will be challenging but it is possible under good leadership. We may have been able to save a few vulnerable lives which was the right thing to do at the time, but we are very concerned that we are destroying the future for our children if we are not taking action fast.
Business Owner, MBA
4 年Thank you Simon, well said! Currently at level 3, if you take a look around the city majority of the SMEs ( especially in hospitality) that are allowed to open are only trading at a fraction of their normal capacity under the restrictions. Many of them said they were barely surviving and if level 2 didn’t come soon they wouldn’t last. This is a heartbreaking scene. SME owners and entrepreneurs are some of the smartest, most innovative people in our country, what they need isn’t red tapes and lots of “do’s and don’t’s”, they understand health risks and what “social distancing” means, give them the freedom and trust and they will make it work.