The Government’s excruciatingly slow and chaotic vaccine rollout shows it has no idea how to get the lifesaving vaccine to New Zealanders, Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins says.

“And this weekend’s mass vaccination event is indicative of just how much of a debacle the Government’s rollout has been.

“Their bright idea was to bus vulnerable people in South Auckland to the events centre in Manukau to get the jab.

“It’s no surprise the initial take up was so pathetic that the invitation had to be extended beyond the target group to get the numbers up.

“This is about medical treatment – not a day out at a rugby match. What the people of South Auckland and the rest of New Zealand want is the opportunity to get their vaccination from people they trust, like their local GP or pharmacist, in the communities where they live.

“Meanwhile, the Government’s still only talking about getting more GPs and pharmacists onboard as they push ahead with what’s more a staged-managed media opportunity than an actual medical service.

“It comes as no surprise to anyone – except, it seems, the Government – that we’re still last in the OECD for vaccinations, that half of our DHBs don’t know who has been vaccinated, and that we’re starting Group 4 when we’ve barely started Group 3.

“The whole thing has been a shambles. If Australia’s vaccine rollout has been so bad that their PM had to apologise, ours should do the same, given the Aussies are actually ahead of us.”