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: How many fully vaccinated people if any who have travelled from Australia since 23 August 2021 have tested positive for COVID-19 in New Zealand and how many travellers from Australia have completed stays in managed isolation and quarantine since 23 August 2021?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): It's important to remember that the entire outbreak that we are dealing with right now which has over 7000 cases associated with it stems from a single traveller traveling from Australia to New Zealand. I'm advised that between 23 August and 15 November 2544 travellers from Australia have completed stays in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ); three of these people tested positive—none of those people were vaccinated. While that's a small number it still signifies the risks that exist with overseas returnees. To put this into context of our overall experience of MIQ returnees: we've had 92 cases amongst 26000 returnees since 23 August 50 of whom had received some form of vaccination and 46 of whom were fully vaccinated. So these numbers reiterate the importance that any decisions around the border must ensure that risk is carefully managed to reduce any potential impacts on vulnerable communities and the New Zealand health system. That is why we've taken a phased approach to reconnecting with the world and I look forward to giving more details on that in the coming days.Chris Bishop: So can he just confirm that the number of fully vaccinated people from Australia to have travelled to New Zealand and subsequently tested positive for COVID19 from 23 August 2021 to 15 November is zero?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: If the member listened carefully to my primary answer yes that is the answer.Chris Bishop: In light of that answer why can a vaccinated Aucklander leave Auckland after 17 December and travel around New Zealand without a COVID test but a vaccinated person in Australia with a negative pre-departure test can't travel to Auckland?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I think if the member was listening to the Prime Minister's answers to his leader's questions a little earlier he will have seen that we are taking a staged and phased and managed approach to increasing the risk to the rest of New Zealand of COVID-19 cases coming into their community. There's no doubt there will be COVID19 cases making its way into other parts of the New Zealand community but we still want to reduce the risk associated with that and therefore staging that and managing that to ensure that we're not piling a whole host of additional risk all at the same on the rest of the country is an important public health measure.Chris Bishop: In light of the fact that zero people who have been fully vaccinated have travelled to New Zealand and tested positive in the last two months would a phased approach to the reopening of the New Zealand border just simply allow people from Australia who are fully vaccinated and have passed a negative COVID test to travel to New Zealand?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: If the member listened to my primary answer the statement that he made at the beginning of his question is factually incorrect: 50 people who have been vaccinated have tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival in New Zealand.