9. Question No. 9—COVID-19 ResponseCHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 ResponseQuestion No. 9—COVID-19 Response9. CHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Did the Government receive public health advice ahead of the Cabinet meeting on 29 November 2021 that the hard or enforced boundary around Auckland should be removed when Auckland and the rest of the country move to the COVID-19 Protection Framework and did this same advice also recommend any regions enter the traffic light system at green?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): In answer to the first part of the question Cabinet decided to remove the Auckland boundary at its meeting on 15 November. We received public health advice ahead of that that suggested that the Auckland boundary be removed once the whole country moved to the traffic light framework which would be a minimum of two weeks after all of the Auckland DHBs had reached the 90 percent fully vaccinated threshold. In answer to the second part of the question the final recommendation in the public health advice provided ahead of Cabinet's meeting on 29 November was that Auckland and Northland should be placed at red and the rest of the country at orange. We agreed with the public health advice that Auckland and Northland should go into the new framework at red. However in keeping with our cautious approach including considering factors such as vaccination rates health system capacity and the need to protect vulnerable communities during an increased period of travel we decided that a couple of other regions should also enter the new framework at red.Chris Bishop: Why when the Prime Minister said as recently as Monday that the Government places a lot of weight on the public health advice it receives" is there still a hard boundary around Auckland when the public health advice to the Government stated there is no justification to maintain a boundary around Auckland under the COVID protection framework?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I don't think the member listened to my answer that I gave to the primary question. If we were following public health advice to the letter the entire country would not yet be in the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF); we would still be waiting for Auckland to be two weeks after hitting the 90 percent fully vaccinated threshold which Counties Manukau has yet to do. It's likely to do that in the next day or two but we would still be waiting potentially up till Christmas to move the country into the traffic light framework if we were following their health advice exactly as it was presented.Chris Bishop: What regions were listed in the preliminary public health advice he received on 24 November as being able to enter the COVID protection framework at green?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I think the preliminary advice that I received suggested that all of the rest of the country outside of Auckland and Northland enter the framework at red. I'm happy to go back and check that but I'm pretty certain it was that everything else would be at the orange level.SPEAKER: I think there might have been an error in the beginning of the answer. I'll get the member to ask the question again.Chris Bishop: So the question was: what regions were listed in the preliminary public health advice he received on 24 November as being able to enter the protection framework at green?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: None. As I indicated—I might have got the colours mixed up there in my previous answer—but the preliminary advice if I recall correctly was for Auckland and Northland to be at red and the rest of the country to be at orange but I'll have to go back and check. I'm pretty sure the advice he was referring to wasn't advice to me; it was advice from the public health unit to the director-general.Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern: Can the Minister confirm that the statements made by Dr Bloomfield to the Waitangi Tribunal recently were what was then presented in his advice to Cabinet—that notably our preliminary view was that the various regions could enter into the CPF on green; however given our assessment committee's concerns about the number of areas with low vaccination status particularly for Māori and current active cases in several DHBs were not just limited to Auckland metro DHB this preliminary view was adjusted; the final recommendation was that regions should be placed at orange except for Auckland and Northland which was then what was presented to Cabinet?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes.Chris Bishop: Isn't it the case that Dr Bloomfield has provided an affidavit to the Waitangi Tribunal that says "Our preliminary view was that various regions could enter into the COVID protection framework on green." and what were those regions?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: If the member has a—I think the Prime Minister has just quoted directly from the advice that Dr Bloomfield has provided in his affidavit to the Waitangi Tribunal which made it clear that in considering the public health position and in considering what advice to provide to Cabinet the public health officials weighed up a number of factors and the ultimate advice that was presented to the Cabinet is as I've set out.Chris Bishop: Is he aware of what the preliminary advice said in relation to what regions could enter at green; and if he is aware what are those regions?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I'm pretty sure the member is referring to the public health advice that was provided from the public health team to Dr Bloomfield not advice that was provided to the Cabinet.Chris Bishop: Point of order Mr Speaker. My question is very specific and we've just had a back and forth around the fact that there was a preliminary view that was not the final view that went to the Minister but there was a preliminary view that—and I've asked the Minister whether or not he's aware of what the preliminary view was and if he is aware what exactly the details of that are. He's answering about the final recommendation of public health advice. My question is about the preliminary view of the officials.SPEAKER: I think the Minister made it pretty clear that notwithstanding what that advice was it wasn't the advice that went to Cabinet.Chris Bishop: Does he know what the officials' preliminary view was in relation to what regions could enter the protection framework at green?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Advice that the public health teams provided to Dr Bloomfield is ultimately a question for the public health officials and for Dr Bloomfield. I'm not privy to all of that advice but I have had regular conversations with Dr Bloomfield during that time about the advice that he was receiving.SPEAKER: No—no it was a very narrow question that time. Is the member aware of the regions?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I can't recall the exact conversations—Chris Bishop: Oh come on.Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: —that I had with Dr Bloomfield. He was sharing with me—SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member will sit down. If you're going to yell over the top that's the end of it.Chris Bishop: Hang on. Mr Speaker it was an exclamation of somewhat disbelief—SPEAKER: And I was assisting the member to get an answer and he and a number of colleagues didn't want to hear it."