Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has promised that COVID-style restrictions will not be applied to the flu as the National Party urges her to "cede control".
"We are not going to go into lockdowns because of the flu. I can rule that out," Ardern said on Wednesday. "There is no intention to use it for anything other than the pandemic that we have."
Her comments came during an announcement that COVID-19 vaccine passes will end from April 4 and mandates will be narrowed to only include health, disability and aged care workers, as well as prison and border staff.
Ardern also announced that mandatory QR code scanning will be scrapped from this weekend. Outdoor gathering limits will also be binned, while indoor gathering limits will increase from 100 to 200.
But the COVID Protection Framework, known as the 'traffic light' system, will remain for the time being and masks will still be mandatory at indoor public settings at the two most restrictive 'red' and 'orange' levels.
National's COVID-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop said while there were some "good first steps" in the announcement, he urged the Government to "cede control".
"The end of the vaccine pass system does call into question the relevancy of the Government's traffic light framework, which has vaccine passes at its heart," Bishop said.
"The Government would be better to ditch the whole thing and create some simple rules around masks and perhaps venue limits, rather than persist with a complicated colour-code system that has never been used properly and that barely anyone understands.
"This smacks of a Government that is simply unwilling to cede control and let New Zealanders get on with things."
ACT leader David Seymour suggested Ardern was unable to "let go of control".
"No wonder we have a productivity problem when even the Prime Minister takes 22 minutes to deliver two minutes of information," he said, criticising the speech Ardern gave at the Beehive before making the announcement.
"Jacinda seems to have a case of separation anxiety, she can't let go of control. She keeps announcing and restricting while the economy slides into recession. A real leader would cut to the chase and then be open to scrutiny from journalists, not preach to us at length.
"The Prime Minister's real problem is that she's leaned into fear as a means of control for two years and doesn't know how to shut down the fear factory."
Ardern acknowledged it's been a difficult time for New Zealand.
"Not everyone has agreed with the choices and trade-offs that have been made and sometimes that's had a knock-on effect. I imagine every family has had a difficult conversation with someone in their lives about COVID, vaccines, mandates or passes," she said.
"But amongst what have sometimes been different opinions, there has been at least one unifying factor. Everyone has been safer, but everyone is also tired. Everyone is fatigued. And some are worried that means we don't care about each other anymore. I know that is not the case."
Ardern said the Government will maintain some restrictions and keep others in the toolkit in case another COVID-19 variant comes along and to help hospitals cope with an imminent rise in illnesses as the winter flu season sets in.
"If a variant arises in the world, that evades vaccines or is more deadly, contact tracing will once again provide a critical role. Please stand ready as a business to stand up QR codes again, or as a citizen to pull out your Tracer app at a moment's notice," she said.
"Don't remove the app from your phone just yet."
Omicron is now widespread in the community with the average number of daily cases more than 17,000. It has peaked in Auckland. That increased exposure to the virus has prompted the Government to adjust its approach.
With 95 percent of the eligible population at least double-dosed, and unvaccinated people exposed to the virus, vaccine certificates are no longer needed, Ardern said.
The Greens disagree because only around 59 percent of Māori and 60 percent of Pacific peoples have had their third dose of the vaccine.
"This pandemic is not over. We have seen overseas what happens if protections are removed too soon," said COVID-19 spokesperson Teanau Tuiono.
"It is also far too premature to drop vaccine mandates for education, especially in early childhood education where under-5s cannot be vaccinated."
Others have welcomed the rule changes.
Melanie Webber, president of the Post-Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA), said vaccine mandates had been extremely difficult for the relatively small number of secondary teachers who chose not to be vaccinated.
"With teacher shortages continuing in secondary, it is likely that many of these teachers will be able to find new jobs in education now that they are able to return. There will certainly be plenty of opportunities for relief teaching as schools continue to be hugely affected by Omicron."
Restaurant Association CEO Marisa Bidois said the removal of mandates and increase to gathering numbers is a "step forward in our path to revival and recovery", however, the 'seated and separated' rule is "still a major issue for our industry".
Business NZ CEO Kirk Hope said vaccine mandates have done their job and with the strain Omicron has put on the workforce, "it's time to start reintegrating workers".
"Businesses are capable of making decisions to manage the risk of COVID in their workplaces and have the tools they need to keep their staff and customers safe. These tools include vaccination, testing, boosters and ventilation, on top of rigorous personal hygiene practices."
