The latest delivery of the Pfizer vaccine shows the Government is relying more on good luck than good management, says ACT leader David Seymour.
On Sunday afternoon a shipment of 150,000 doses touched down in New Zealand, allowing the Government to breathe a sigh of relief, as District Health Boards were expected to run out of vaccines on Wednesday.
Seymour told Newshub while the delivery is a "massive relief" for the country, it proves the Government is living "hand to mouth" when it comes to its vaccination supply.
"We are relying on good luck more than good management… it would be better if the Government was open and transparent on why we're relying on good luck, and hand to mouth every day."
But epidemiologist Michael Baker disagrees, arguing the vaccination drive and overall COVID-19 response in New Zealand has been "world-leading".
"That's good management… the vaccine isn't circulating, people aren't dying every day, so I would say it's good management."
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins also celebrated the delivery, which arrived two days earlier than expected, saying on Monday morning it's been a mammoth effort.
"Teams have been working tirelessly to ensure vaccine doses have been getting to the right places to honour all existing appointments, and they’ve done a fantastic job."
Baker told The AM Show larger deliveries of vaccines are expected over the coming months - but it will still be a while before Aotearoa and the rest of the world can expect to live with COVID-19.
"As we see high-income countries vaccinating and the rest of the world catching up - obviously it's a very uneven world when it comes to the vaccine - but there will be a certain point in the future when the world is highly vaccinated and this infection will become much less common."
