By Rachel Parsons, Vaxxter contributor
New Zealand is heading for tyranny and economic misery as authorities engage the military to run quarantines. The seriousness of the Covid-19 virus which killed only 22 continues to be overstated. Strict border controls continue and compassionate exceptions to quarantine rules will get tighter as the South Pacific Nation’s left collision Government deals with two Covid-19 positives slipping through undetected. New Zealand was lauded around the world for eliminating Covid-19 after being Covid-19 free for 24 days. The two new cases prompted criticism from around the world. There are warnings that the country might have to stay closed to the rest of the world for years to come if it wants to retain its coveted elimination status.
Economic carnage
The New Zealand economy is showing signs of hemorrhaging and more job losses and business closures are predicted as Government wage subsidies end later this year. So far NZ$62.1 billion is allocated for Covid-19 relief. New Zealand, with a population of about 5 million, has an annual GDP of about NZ$333 billion in a good year. It is expected that 230,000 employers will still be receiving the government wage subsidy at the time of writing. Border closures have killed the picturesque adventure country’s tourism industry worth NZ$16.2 billion. The Covid-19 crisis lockdown resulted in an estimated 39% reduction in business at the strictest level and 24% at the next severe level. Registered unemployment is predicted to rise from 4% in January to 9% by November – the highest it has been in almost 30 years and that figure does not include people who do not qualify for the country’s job seeker benefit. As of mid-June, there were an extra 43,047 people registered with welfare services on top of the 111,000 registered in January. A John Hopkins University study from 1940 to 1974 showed that for every 1.4% rise in unemployment there is an increase in mortality of 2.7%. That will lead to many more deaths than Covid-19 – in fact, 135,000 extra deaths, not just the actual 22 or projected 80,000.
Public Falling Into Line but…
Despite the economic fallout and coming further pain the public mostly seems on board with government actions, not realizing the layer of tyranny being built beneath the public relations and “let’s be kind” veneer. It appears the New Zealand Government is hopeful the public will keep falling into line but has a concerning back-up plan should resistance appear.
A leaked email reveals Minister Jacinda Adern’s office instructing ministers to not explain anything to the media as the public was on board and things had gone well.
However, plan B is has been released.
The military, who according to a former military man, is in training for public unrest in New Zealand, is now taking over the border quarantine enforcement in the wake of the two COVID cases which slipped through. And the military is being equipped with updated hardware including maritime patrol aircraft and new armored vehicles, according to Defence Minister Ron Mark who defended questions about whether the spending was wise in the current Covid-19 economy.
If that were not enough, the Government still has the new controversial Covid-19 Health Response Bill to fall back on which gives police sweeping powers to potentially enter homes without warrants while enforcing Covid-19 alert level rules. An internet censorship bill, which will give the Government powers to remove content it deems inappropriate, is also currently making its way into law. It is classified as urgent.
Authorities Hell-Bent on Pushing Fear
New Zealanders who are enjoying more freedom and rejoicing in the seeming eradication of Covid-19 are now being told by the New Zealand leftish media that it is normal to experience anxiety about the two new cases. It appears there is a suggestion being made that they should be fearful and we cannot live with any cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand at all. It is far too dangerous. After all 22 people died of the ghastly virus which needs to be stamped out at all costs. Yes, that is right. New Zealand had a death rate of between 4 and 5 people per million of population and those who sadly died were all over the age of 60, mostly with underlying health conditions and many in rest homes.
Professor Michael Levitt, a globally renowned biophysicist and chemist and winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, says that a virus similar to influenza or a bit worse (how he classifies Covid-19) would see about 500 deaths per million as a reasonable rate. So New Zealand could have had 100 times more deaths and still be on track! Professor Levitt expects that a country that has not had that death rate will be more likely to experience a second wave. In that case, the New Zealand Government will consider itself justified in keeping borders strictly monitored unless it admits the lockdown was unnecessary to start with. One has to ask how long keeping strict border control will be viable for a country so isolated from the world and whose lifeblood has been in tourism and export connections not so easily made over Zoom.
Public scaremongering
Back in March, the irony of the situation appeared to escape most New Zealanders. The country was committing economic suicide to supposedly save people who were likely to die soon of other conditions or during the next influenza season. It became clear very early on that anyone with a robust immune system or under the age of 60 was not in danger. Could the people who were the most at risk be quarantined rather than the well who could keep the economy going?
Sadly, the public was not given this alternative option. The Government was concerned that hospitals would be overrun. People talked about imagining people being triaged outside big city hospitals waiting for bed space after Prime Minister Jacinda Adern repeated outlandish predictions that as many as 80,000 New Zealanders could die if the country did not lockdown. That did not happen and the hospitals were not overrun. The total actual number of confirmed cases in New Zealand at the time of writing was 1156 including the two new infections. There were 350 probable cases.
Lack of questioning
The WHO declaration of a pandemic and the New Zealand Government rhetoric scared people into shutting their businesses and putting the country’s economic and mental health at risk. Even the opposition party agreed a lockdown was necessary, only pressing the Government to ease restrictions when it became clear the “curve had been flattened” and the economic cost was mounting.
A few astute people wrote blogs in opposition warning of the social consequences and soon trolls appeared in the comments. New Zealanders seemed wary of supporting any dissent from the official narrative, with proportionately few liking posts questioning the approach. And many were horrified at any “conspiracy theory (or fact)” which was suggested, either ignoring or calling it out and saying not to scare people and to trust the officials and experts.
This trend is increasingly disturbing to a critical thinker. The way in which the public has acquiesced to the lockdown and the information provided, not to mention the introduction of invasive and controlling legislation during lockdown is also of concern. Why are New Zealanders so complacent and trusting of politicians, officials, and so-called “experts”? This is one of the most distressing elements of the whole saga. The media repeats the official narrative like a Government PR arm – avoiding asking the hard questions and challenging the course of action.
A Groundswell of Resistance is Rising
There have been protests but not about the lockdown or legislation. They were in support of the Black Lives Matter after the US police killing of George Floyd. Ironically the indigenous people of New Zealand- the Maori – are treated much better than many of their worldwide counterparts. Watching US citizens protest during the lockdowns, mostly on social media rather than mainstream outlets who seemed to ignore it, was a tonic but amplified the complacency in New Zealand.
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, the founder of Courses4Mastery.com and TenpennyIMC.com in Ohio, United States, says people are beginning to see the huge scam of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a global death rate of 1.4% it is less fatal than a severe flu season, she says. (See Vaxxter article on testing).
At the time of writing, there is an encouraging sign that perhaps a groundswell of New Zealanders are starting to wake up. A new political party called The New Zealand Public Party is emerging just in time for the country’s September elections. In just a matter of days, the party has gained momentum not seen before in New Zealand politics, according to leader Billy Te Kahika. The party is anti-compulsory vaccines, against United Nations 2030 agenda, and wants to fight for freedom and true democracy.
One can only hope it is not too late.
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Rachael Parsons is a critical thinker and “real news” junkie from Down Under. She wrote for a New Zealand daily newspaper for eight years and also has a degree in teaching and learning, and has extensive experience in business.