Since when did we start making health decisions based on popularity? 
For example, when you’ve been to the doctor and you’ve asked them to take a look at something – have they ever said “now before I do, do you want me to tell you if I think it’s serious? Or do you want me to say it’s nothing to worry about?”.  
“I want you to like me, so I’ll tell you what you want to hear.” 
That’s never happened, has it?  
Well, it actually kind of has. 
And I can tell you exactly when it happened – it was six o’clock last Thursday night. 
Because that was when the latest political poll came out and we heard that National had shot up seven percent to beat Labour 39 to 37 – and Christopher Luxon was the highest-ranking National Party leader (in terms of preferred Prime Minister) since Bill English in 2017. 
What that did was put the wind up Labour big time – and set off a chain of events which have led to me sitting here today in complete surprise. 
I’m talking about the news that the Government has done some sort of about-turn, a U-turn – call it what you want – on its timing for international visitors coming to New Zealand. 
And, in less than a month, fully-vaccinated tourists from Australia will be allowed to come here, and visitors from other countries such as the UK will be allowed in a few weeks after that. Three months earlier than what the Government was talking about before six o’clock last Thursday night.  
And, in my view, it’s all being done because Labour is beside itself. Because it thinks it’s losing the popularity contest. And we are seeing the Government making decisions just to make itself more popular. 
And so instead of having to wait until July, visitors will be able to come here three months earlier than originally planned.  
Naturally, the tourism sector is delighted and I’m delighted for the tourism sector too. 
But do you really believe this would be happening if Labour was still riding high in the polls? I don’t believe it for a minute. 
It is very clearly a health decision driven by a desire to be popular. 
Doctors don’t do it – but governments do. 
Do you think this would be happening if National wasn’t banging on about the cost of living? Of course not. This decision is purely political – and nothing else. 
I’ve been concerned for some time about politics having too much sway over New Zealand’s pandemic response. 
Because if there’s one thing politicians hate to do, is admit they’ve got something wrong. They can’t do it. They get themselves into all sorts of knots – with a truckload of people behind the scenes – trying to make themselves look as good as possible. 
They call it “optics”. Will this look good? Will people like it? Will they think I’ve gone weak if I change my mind? Will they still like me? 
And when they get a whiff that they might be losing friends fast, they move heaven and earth to make themselves more popular. 
And that is exactly what the Government is doing here, by opening the borders to tourists three months earlier than planned. 
We’ve never had so many people in hospital with Covid. We’ve never had so many people stuck at home with Covid. Our hospital system is under immense pressure – one of the key factors for us being in the red traffic light setting. 
So why are we opening the borders so soon?  
We’re doing it because the Government is terrified. It’s not terrified of Covid. It’s terrified of people not thinking it's the bee's knees anymore. 
It’s terrified that it won’t survive the next election.

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