Todd Talks with Todd Muller National MP

We are in extraordinary times, with New Zealand experiencing a pandemic not seen in over 100 years and in a lock down that we've never experienced before.

For some it's a minor inconvenience; for others it's really scary, especially for vulnerable people, including the elderly and the immuno-compromised.

I am proud of our community and how well we have done in very difficult circumstances. People are behaving with respect and care for each other; neighbours are looking out for those around them. We often see the best in people during a crisis and this is especially true here in the Bay of Plenty.

My team and I have been working from our respective homes during Level 4. Lock down has brought challenges but we are still available to constituents in need. We're receiving more phone calls, emails and Facebook messages than ever before and almost all communications are to do with Covid-19 and the many different ways lock down is impacting on people.

The most common questions we've been receiving are about the wage subsidy. While it was good to see the Government respond so quickly with the support package, the details took a few days to be fine-tuned. In the meantime the Ministry of Social Development phones were overwhelmed with queries about the package on top of calls from people applying for Job Seeker Support. This was a situation where my office could help by connecting employers with the relevant personnel at MSD so they could pay their staff on time.

We have also been helping constituents caught overseas before they could board their flights home. There have been some really sad situations where our citizens have seen planes depart that they simply were not allowed to board or had commercial flights cancelled as soon as they were booked. I've been in constant contact with the Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, lobbying for constituents to be included in repatriation flights organised by the Government or at least to have the transit path smoothed for their journey ahead.

There have been many queries about lock down rules, employment contracts, property settlements, shopping needs, hospital visits, protective supplies, commercial rents and border closures. We have also received many comments from people sharing their views about which businesses should be considered essential, how lock down should be done and how New Zealand should go about rebuilding its economy when we leave Level 4.

I invite anyone living in my electorate to get in touch if they need assistance or want to share their views.

I wish you all well as we head into what we hope is the home stretch of this planned four-week lock down. Stay safe in your bubbles.