Simon Bridges National Party Leader simonbridges.co.nz

As we enter what could be the final week of level-4 lockdown there is still a lot of questions and uncertainty for many of you. As a country, we need to be seriously thinking about how we will emerge from the lockdown and start the economic recovery.

The single most important thing economically is to get out of the lockdown as soon as possible and that means doing everything possible to have the most effective lockdown.

In the absence of usual parliamentary procedure I've been chairing the Epidemic Response Committee for the last few weeks with the intention of getting some straight answers to the many questions New Zealanders have regarding our response.

The Committee has been vigorously scrutinising the Government's response and I believe this has led to a more constructive debate.

Having experts come to the Committee and tell the Government that we need to be quarantining at the border and need to be ramping up our testing to have an effective lockdown has led to major changes that have strengthened our response to Covid-19.

Also thousands of New Zealand will still be able to read their local community newspaper during the lockdown because of the committee's work.

So far the Government's assurances about having enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) don't square with what we're hearing from doctors, nurses, aged care workers and many other essential workers on the frontline. The Committee will continue forcing the Government to front up to these concerns and make sure our essential workers are resourced appropriately.

The sooner we can get on top of Covid-19 then the easier it will be for us to get back to normal in the future. The Committee is committed to playing a constructive role in making sure the Government's response gives us the best opportunity to do this. We will continue probing the response and asking the questions that New Zealanders want answered.

While we continue in this lockdown period, my office still operates (albeit remotely) and we continue to work with the many locals that need assistance. Please don't hesitate to give us a call on (07) 577 0923 or email me anytime at tauranga.mp@parliament.govt.nz