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National | Lakes DHB

Raukawa-Tait still upset at 'unfair' Rotorua MIQs decision

Photo / File

The government's decision to locate three MIQ facilities in Rotorua during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic has once again been given the thumbs down by Lakes DHB board member Merepeka Raukawa-Tait.

In August last year, when the government was considering setting up yet another MIQ in the city, Raukawa-Tait said they could "bugger off".

Now, according to a report by Local Democracy Reporting, she has taken a 'final swing' at the government's decision at Friday's DHB board meeting.

"That was imposed on us, that wasn't what we wanted, we didn't know we were going to be asked to accept the establishment of three MIQ in Rotorua," Raukawa-Tait is reported to have told the meeting.

The request was "basically an edict", she said.

"[The government] fail to realise that we still have to try and do everything else in the community, which is to ... get our community vaccinated, to do the planning for that.

"Thank god we didn't take our eye off the ball, but in a time of stress, the government needs to recognise they just added more stress to our organisation and to our staff.

"I actually think it was unfair, I think we did the best that we did, thank goodness we did so," she said.