Category: Chris Hipkins

NZ ACT Party Defends Plan to Put Ankle Bracelets on Offenders as Young as 11

New Zealand’s ACT Party has stood by its plan to use tracking ankle bracelets on youth offenders as young as 11 years old in response to escalating youth crime. In response to the Ardern government’s “Better Pathways” package announcement on Sept 6., ACT Leader David Seymour said the plan would fail because it lacked the…


NZ Government to Target Rampant Youth Crime, Denies Being ‘Soft on Crime’

The New Zealand government has announced another crime package aimed at tackling intensifying youth crime by expanding youth engagement and employment programmes, which has been met with renewed accusations of Labour being “soft on crime.” Police Minister Chris Hipkins and Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni revealed that the government would be supporting thousands more participants…


New Zealand Announces New Police Powers to Tackle Exploding Violent Gang Crime

The New Zealand government has unveiled new powers and tools for police to use in the fight against gang violence and intimidation, which has escalated to a point where some have compared the situation to South Africa. Police Minister Chris Hipkins said the recent brazen gang activities were “totally unacceptable,” and New Zealand residents deserved…


New Zealand’s Escalating Crime Wave ‘Decades in the Making’: Police Minister

Decades of family abuse has contributed to the rampant crime rate in New Zealand, with one politician comparing the lawlessness to that in South Africa. “We’ve had the most crime, especially the most gun crime, that I can ever remember,” former federal Member of Parliament Matt King told The Epoch Times. King said helping children…


Former New Zealand COVID-19 Response Minister Regrets Not Ending Lockdowns Earlier

New Zealand’s former COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins expressed regret over the length of lockdowns in Auckland that started in August 2021 and lasted for over three months. Speaking to TVNZ Q + A, Hipkins said if the government had known the information that it knows now, one of the things that it would have…


New Zealand’s Former COVID Response Minister Apologizes to Kiwi Journalist Barred From Entering Country

New Zealand’s former COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has apologised to journalist Charlotte Bellis for incorrect comments made about her attempts to secure a MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) spot during the height of lockdowns. Bellis had tried to return to New Zealand after discovering she was pregnant in Qatar, where sex outside of marriage…


Quarantine Lottery System Unjustly Violated Rights, New Zealand Court Rules

A New Zealand High Court ruled that the government’s quarantine system, Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ), violated the rights of returning Kiwis in some cases due to its lottery system. Grounded Kiwis, a body advocating for New Zealanders who wanted to enter the country but were prevented by COVID-19 restrictions, won its challenge against the…


New Zealand to Roll out Legally Recognised Face Mask Exemption Cards

The New Zealand government is introducing new personalised face mask exemption cards that will be legally recognised to help address the uncertainty that some businesses face around the current mask restrictions in the country. “We’ve recognised that for some people an impairment, health conditions, a physical disability or mental health reasons can mean wearing a…


New Zealand to Roll out Legally Recognised Mask Exemption Cards

The New Zealand government is introducing new personalised face mask exemption cards that will be legally recognised to help address the uncertainty that some businesses face around the current mask restrictions in the country. “We’ve recognised that for some people an impairment, health conditions, a physical disability or mental health reasons can mean wearing a…


NZ Health Officials Were Told No More Justification for Quarantine System in November

An internal memo dating back to Nov. 12, 2021, from the New Zealand Ministry of Health advised officials that there was no longer any justification to continue the country’s Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ). The advice from the memo, obtained by RNZ, was not adhered to, with the winding down of the quarantine system beginning…