September 27, 2021
Hermit kingdom jibe gets Key slap
Cabinet Minister Kelvin Davis says former National prime minister Sir John Key’s claim the Government has turned the country into a smug hermit kingdom rather than reopening its borders is unhelpful.
Sir John, who now chairs Australian-owner ANZ Bank, yesterday delivered his prescription for how to get back to where New Zealanders can travel overseas – for any reason – knowing they can return home when they want to, and where they again welcome visitors to this country.
Mr Davis says he’s reminded of the whakatauki “success has many fathers but failure is an orphan”.
“People who say ‘let’s do this’ and ‘let’s do that,’ they can say what they want and it’s the Government that is held to account if things go wrong. So we’ve got to make sure what we do is right for all New Zealanders, not just certain sections of New Zealand,” he says.
Kelvin Davis says two thirds of New Zealanders agree the borders need to be kept closed until vaccination rates pass 90 percent.