covid-auckland

The BulletinAugust 20, 2020

The Bulletin: When will Auckland come out alert level three, and what comes next?

Editor-at-large
covid-auckland

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: A big decision on what comes next, an important ruling on the lockdown legality, a power pair installed to troubleshoot the testing regime, and how concerned should we be about air crew?

Six days ago, when the prime minister announced that Auckland would remain in alert level three and the remainder of New Zealand in level two until the end of Wednesday August 26, Jacinda Ardern also promised that the settings would be reviewed – and that review comes tomorrow.

Cabinet will be given three options to consider, reports veteran press gallery journalist Richard Harman on his Politik site this morning. According to information leaked to him, “the options at the moment range from pessimistic to optimistic based on the Covid situation”. Those three options? The most pessimistic read on the state of the outbreak would see Auckland remain at level three for a further fortnight, and the rest of the country stay at level two.

The second option would drop Auckland to “level two plus”: a more restrictive version of the current settings across the remainder of the country; the rest of New Zealand would return to alert level one (or, perhaps the “level 1.5” floated by Ashley Bloomfield in recent days). Option three would put Auckland at level two and the rest of New Zealand at level one. Harman’s pick? The middle option.

Justified but unlawful. That’s the verdict of the High Court on the first chunk of the lockdown back in March. Everything was ticketyboo from early April on, legally speaking, determined the full bench of judges , but the initial requirement to stay at home, covering the first nine days from March 27, was “not prescribed by law and was therefore contrary to section 5 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act”. So while the government gets a slap on the wrist, it’s a fairly gentle one: a number of other legal objections put to the court were rejected, which also stated that the even the unlawful bit of the lockdown was “necessary, reasonable and proportionate”.

The government “got lucky”, suggests Thomas Coughlan in a front page analysis for the Dominion Post. “There is the potential for people and businesses to bring a case against the government for issues relating to those first nine days, but their numbers are likely to be low,” he writes.

There’s no one better at explaining what matters in rulings such as these than Otago law professor Andrew Geddis. He’s just filed an analysis for The Spinoff that notes: “In choosing to lead with the threat that Covid-19 poses the court makes it abundantly clear that it is going to cut the government a lot of slack when reviewing the overall legality of its actions in response.” Which, Geddis suggests, is fair enough, too.

New measures are being introduced to tighten up the border operation with the origin of the main Auckland cluster still unknown and revelations around an inadequate scale-up of testing. Michael Morrah, whose tenacious reporting has shone a light on real-world examples that contradict the official line throughout the Covid crisis, has a useful summary of what he calls “sweeping changes” on Newshub.

They include deploying 500 extra NZ Defence personnel at isolation and quarantine facilities, replacing some of the roles performed currently by private security guards, and the appointment of a new team to supervise border and isolation testing. That will be co-chaired by two heavyweights of public life. Heather Simpson, whose reputation dates back to her work alongside then prime minister Helen Clark, recently completed a two-year review of the health system. Sir Brian Roche, whose lengthy CV includes CEO of NZ Post, recently undertook a review of protective equipment supply and distribution. The appointments prompted concern, however, from some Māori health experts, Stuff reports.

Opposition leader Judith Collins said the moves represented “an admission of failure”. She’ll get a chance to lay out her own approach today, with National’s border security policy being revealed at 11am. The Herald is reporting this morning that earlier pledges to open up to international students and isolate them in university digs have been dropped, and a compulsory Bluetooth Covid card for people working near the border is in. RNZ is suggesting it will involve a border “super agency”. We’ll have the very latest from the announcement at parliament in our live updates.

There has been growing concern, too, around the protocols surrounding international air crew. The minister of health, Chris Hipkins, yesterday attempted to address that in a meeting with Air New Zealand. The airline said it was confident its “strict protocols” were working. How? “We know these have been working because since early April, we haven’t had a case of Covid-19 in the airline,” said CEO Greg Foran. He was, however, “committed to working with government to do even more to protect our staff, customers and New Zealanders from Covid-19”.

Hipkins pointed out that crew returning from the US had stricter isolation requirements on return, and that those travelling to, for example, China, were required to have a test on arrival. “We’ve just got to work our way through all of those practical ins and outs to make sure that the regime is as robust as possible,” he said.

In light of those comments, a report last night on TVNZ was concerning. It began: “Air New Zealand says it’s investigating after allegations a flight attendant breached level three lockdown to fly as a passenger from Auckland to Wellington.”

The search continues to establish how a maintenance worker at the Rydges isolation hotel in Auckland contracted Covid. It has been established via genome sequencing that the strain was imported into the country with a woman who stayed at the hotel, but there is no sign of any contact between the two people. Air Commodore Darryn Webb last night told RNZ there may have been a human intermediary, a nurse who had contact with both the guest and the worker. She initially tested negative, but is being tested again.

Among the approaches being used in the search for the missing link is serology testing. What’s that? Here’s something Siouxsie Wiles prepared earlier.

Since I have the Bulletin pulpit this morning, permit me take a second to say a big thanks to Spinoff readers loyal and new. It’s buoying to see the audience continue to grow, and we’re working as hard as we can to produce an engaging mix of news, features and, of course, escapist nonsense. As we push through a second Covid outbreak, however, the commercial pressures are very real.

Frankly, without the support of Spinoff Members we would be struggling to hang in there. If you’re not already signed up and you’re able to, please consider joining. Donations from Spinoff Members make it possible for us to focus on meaningful, unflinching and resource-demanding journalism. Whether it’s Covid, or the misinformation peril, or the stories that you just won’t see elsewhere, Member contributions are mission critical. Plus: a joyous tea towel to lift your mood and dry your dishes. Have a look here.

The Ministry of Education has granted 27 Auckland secondary schools clearance to reopen for Year 12 and 13 students under alert level three, reports Stuff. The schools have needed to satisfy the ministry that they will meet the necessary health and safety requirements for operating under level three conditions. It follows pressure from schools such as Auckland Grammar, whose headmaster told RNZ that students would miss important examination milestones were they unable to attend.

Aorere College principal Greg Pierce, who leads a group of low-decile south Auckland schools, told Stuff the policy was “only going to further advantage certain types of schools and communities and disadvantage others, particularly those situated in south Auckland”.

For your reading pleasure on The Spinoff: Justin Latif on the ways South Auckland is standing up to racism, rumour and fear-mongering around the re-emergence of Covid. Sam Brooks watches John Campbell neck a bowl or three of kava with Meldownz and it’s very good. An important post by Juliet Moses asks: Why is New Zealand honouring the legacy of an unrepentant Nazi?

More Reading

The latest and third episode in our Youth Wings series centres on the co-conveners of the Young Greens. This series is enormous, beautifully crafted fun; as long as the campaigns proper are paused, this is the political fix you need.

Finally, a couple of enthralling, beautifully written first-person New Zealand stories from yesterday. RNZ’s Veronica Schmidt has described how a horrible experience at Kmart was made worse by the way it was handled. And Anna Connell-Rawhiti has written a tremendous column on weight-loss surgery. Read them both.
Alex Braae will be back tomorrow. We’re hoping he’ll get back out on the road when the campaign proper kicks off again next month. He’s already knocked a few out of the park on his camper-travels. Such as this from Matamata, pre-Covid-resurgence; this interview in Whakatane with the National Party’s East Coast candidate Tania Tapsell; and this fascinating, nuanced feature from Marton, where he went to meet the newest New Zealand Christian party, the One Party.

That’s it for The Bulletin. If you want to support the work we do at The Spinoff, please check out our membership programme

Keep going!
(Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Getty Images)

The BulletinAugust 19, 2020

The pledge to stand up to racism against retail staff

Contributing writer
(Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Getty Images)

Covid-19 has created an increase in racism towards retail workers. Z Energy’s Matau Stewart spoke to The Spinoff about his personal experiences with racism, and why some of New Zealand’s biggest retail companies are proactively addressing abuse of their staff.

When New Zealand moved into lockdown it quickly became apparent how essential frontline retail staff are to the economy and how often their work is taken for granted. As panic-buying, anxiety and tensions built, Countdown staff reported 600% more instances of abuse and violence. The Covid-19 crisis also saw a similar rise in racism. Race relations commissioner Meng Foon reported “a rise in bullying and harassment of people of Chinese and Asian descent here in New Zealand.” He was also concerned about the rise of racism in workplace bullying post-lockdown. Auckland’s second lockdown has seen another spike in the abuse of retail staff, according to Z Energy’s data.

In acknowledgement of the racism and abuse faced by people working in retail, a group of New Zealand’s largest retail companies have created an anti-racism commitment, the NZ Retailers Against Racism pledge. The pledge, signed by Z Energy, The Warehouse Group, Foodstuffs, Mitre 10 and Countdown, sits alongside the Human Rights Commission’s latest anti-racism campaigns, Racism is no Joke and Voices of Racism. It’s designed to offer guidance and support to their frontline workers on “what to do and say in the face of a racist attack, and how to keep themselves safe, defuse the situation, and remain safe and well”.

It’s important that companies are not turning a blind eye to the daily racism and verbal abuse suffered by their staff, says Gerri Ward, Z Energy’s head of community and sustainability, and convenor of the group. She explains the objective of the campaign is two-fold: “to let our Z whānau know we have their back, and to communicate how it feels to be empowered by not turning your back on prejudice.” 

Matau Stewart has worked at Shell and now Z Energy for the past 20 years. He started as a retail worker at Waikuku’s Shell station in North Canterbury, and is now Z Energy’s safety and wellbeing adviser. Stewart spoke to The Spinoff about his own experiences of racism and supporting retail staff through the pressure of Covid-19.

Z Energy’s Matau Stewart (Photo: supplied)

The Spinoff: Why is Z’s commitment to this campaign important?

Matau Stewart: I understand how our retail staff feel with abusive customers and racism, it’s something that I’ve also had first-hand experience of. It’s never a nice thing, and we try to deal with it the best we can. I’m Māori, and I’ve been racially profiled since I was young. To some extent, it’s been normalised for myself, and I’m sure that’s the same for other staff who have been in a similar position.

Have you noticed a rise in racism this year?

There was a spike in abuse, and often when we couldn’t provide for what customers wanted, they got a bit gnarly. We have definitely seen a rise in incident reports from our site teams.

Racial abuse is never something people should just have to deal with, and that’s so frustrating it’s something that’s become normalised. 

I remember a week where we had a quite a few changes in fuel prices, and there was one customer who was absolutely livid. He was asking, “Why are you putting up the prices again, you black so-and-so.” I was so taken aback, and at that time our training was to just de-escalate the situation.

Another customer stood up for me, and this rude customer left. And while it was a negative experience, I ended up leaving feeling really great about that experience, because someone had stood up for me.

How did the anti-racism pledge come about? 

A couple of years ago, we did a survey of site teams and asked some questions about their wellbeing. We found that some of them still didn’t feel supported in ways that were relevant to them and that we needed to talk to our people more. 

This was especially true after the Christchurch mosque attacks, when we were looking at how, as an organisation, we could do more for our people. With this programme, and the ‘we’ve got your back’ programme, we wanted our staff to come to work feeling safe. We wanted them to have the knowledge that they’re working in a safe environment.

How does the pledge create that environment for retail staff? 

This pledge is us taking a strong stance, and backing our people to handle difficult situations. In the past, we’ve had some training in dealing with aggressive customers, but with this pledge, it’s empowering us to say something beyond just backing away from it. If the customer isn’t treating you the way you should be treated, then staff should feel empowered to call it out. Say something like, “I would love to serve you but if you continue to treat me like this, I will refuse to serve you.”

This pledge also connects us with other businesses, and is a starting point. It’s the first step in the journey, and while some people might be uncertain or apprehensive about it, we’re still learning and still trying to better support our staff. When you feel like your organisation is backing you, you’re more empowered to stand up.

How can a customer be a good ally if they see retail staff being verbally abused or harassed? 

The best thing that you can do is speak up and jump into the conversation, but keep your focus on the staff. Ask them if they are OK. Don’t look at or interact with the aggressive customer. That’s a better way to support the staff, and stops the customer continuing on with that behaviour. 

The way I look at retail abuse is to look at the staff member as my kid, my family or my whānau. Would I want someone speaking to them like that? I’ve heard many stories from staff who have had aggressive customers, and other customers have simply stayed in the store with them. You don’t have to even say anything, just stay there until the staff feels safe.

What changes would you like to see in stopping racism in our community? 

We want to enhance the lives of our people and our community. One way to do that is to equip our people with the training to deal with incidents. But in terms of the wider community, that’s harder. We don’t know what’s happened in the aggressor’s personal life that’s made them this way, or act in this way. 

But what we can do as an organisation, with this pledge, is to bring awareness to that community that behaving like this is not okay. What we can do is bring some light to it and speak up about it.

What are better ways employers show employees that they back them? 

Organisations need to be bold, brave and lean into the space. As a network of businesses, we have an opportunity to commit to the people that work with us. What does that look like? Well, we are still learning, but there is always more we can build on through different communication channels. 

Ask your people, “do you feel supported about conversations around this topic?” I’ve come from a retail site, and if an organization is asking relevant questions, you feel like you are being listened to. That’s a good place to start. 

This content was created in paid partnership with the Z Energy. Learn more about our partnerships here.