OPINION: I'm bloody angry this morning, and I try to avoid such feelings these days. Life's too short to be angry and life's too short to be constantly looking for people to blame.
But just days after celebrating and tasting COVID-19 freedom, we have walked onto our own COVID landmine - and it's blown up in our face.
And the bull-kaka masquerading as facts, presented by those in charge, isn't worth two cents - including the paper they're written on.
First rule of communicating public health messages: Find out the truth. Don't make it up.
It ain't just two women who drove from Auckland to Wellington on their own - never to stop, never to refuel, never to mix and mingle and never to see a soul ever again.
Turns out they stopped for a cuddle and kiss with some people who helped them. Here, have some COVID-19, shouldn't take long. Is that it?
Oh no, no, no, no, no - our incompetence doesn't stop there.
Hamilton hosted some untested self-isolators at a funeral, as did Christchurch. Reports of an 18-year-old absconding in Hamilton are true, but he's been found. However, more than 500 people are in the line of contact across these new situations, and there could be more.
Takes the gloss off our achievements, doesn't it? Just a little bit.
Now I loathe to bag Ashley Bloomfield - he's done so much right - but this is on his watch.
He needs to bang some heads together. It's unacceptable and can't happen again.
If people aren't up to the job or don't understand our collective sacrifice, kick their arse to Timbuktu and replace them with someone who gets it.
Duncan Garner is the host of The AM Show.
