COVID Vaccinations Were ‘Not Compulsory’: NZ PM Says Everyone Had a Choice

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks to media during a visit to the Memorial Water Treatment Plant in Greytown, New Zealand, on April 13, 2023. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has denied that Kiwis were forced to get a COVID-19 vaccination, saying everyone had made their own choice on the matter.

As of Dec. 14 2022, New Zealand had recorded 64,829 adverse reactions, with the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (MedSafe) declaring 3,688 of those were considered serious. The are no reports on how many adverse reactions have occurred in 2023.

“There is a process for people who are injured in a medical procedure, there’s already processes in place for dealing with that,” Mr. Hipkins told local media on Sept. 3.

“In terms of the vaccine mandates, I acknowledge that it was a challenging time for people, but they ultimately made their own choices.

“There was no compulsory vaccination, people made their own choices.”

The prime minister made the comments in response to questions about whether he saw any value in providing compensation for people who lost their jobs due to vaccine mandates or sustained vaccine injuries, a pledge that New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is taking to the general election on Oct. 14.

Mr. Hipkins said he thought Mr. Peters was “abandoning” the older demographic because they had the highest vaccination levels.

“Older New Zealanders have record high rates of vaccination, they’re amongst the highest in the world, and Winston Peters seems to be saying that they made the wrong decision in doing that,” he said.

The Epoch Times has contacted Mr. Peters’ office for comment.

The comments from the New Zealand prime minister come after an Australian Senate inquiry in August heard Pfizer Country Medical Director Dr. Krishan Thiru also deny that anyone had been coerced into receiving COVID vaccinations.

“I believe firmly that nobody was forced to have a vaccine,” Dr. Thiru said.

“Mandates for vaccine requirements are determined by governments and health authorities.

“I believe everybody was offered an opportunity to get a vaccine or not get a vaccine. I don’t believe that anybody was forced to take a vaccine.”

Two-Tier Society

Prior to Mr. Hipkins’ appointment as prime minister following predecessor Jacinda Ardern’s resignation, he was New Zealand’s COVID-19 response minister and education minister.

As COVID-19 response minister, he oversaw the implementation of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in sectors including health and disability, education, border force, prison force, and hospitality.

“Non-vaccinated workers in roles requiring vaccination will be given a new four-week notice period to get vaccinated before employment can be terminated,” former minister Michael Wood said of business employees in 2021.

Later, these workforces were also required to receive a third shot of the vaccine.

“The Ministry of Health is continuing to work with the sectors that have mandatory workers to help them identify and manage the boosters for their staff,” Mr. Hipkins said in January 2022.

“It’s encouraging all employers, covered by the Vaccinations Order or not, to support their employees to get their booster vaccinations as soon as they are able to.”

Ms. Ardern admitted in 2021 that the country was creating two classes of people—those vaccinated and those who were un-vaccinated.

Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (R) and then COVID Response Minister Chris Hipkins address the media at a COVID-19 update press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Oct. 11, 2021. Robert Kitchin - Pool/Getty Images

Vaccine Effectiveness Questioned

The New Zealand government heavily pushed the vaccinations, calling them the most “effective” tool to protect against COVID-19 infection.

“The best ongoing defence against the impact of COVID-19 will be for as many New Zealanders as possible to get vaccinated—the more people who’re vaccinated, the harder it becomes for the virus to keep moving,” Mr. Hipkins said.

“Make your appointments now—every dose counts.”

However, increasingly more information has revealed that the vaccinations were not as effective as authorities promoted them to be.

Records in the Australian state of Queensland revealed that its first deaths were fully vaccinated individuals.

Some studies also found that people who received COVID-19 vaccinations were more likely to get infected with the disease than those who were unvaccinated.

Questions around the effectiveness of the vaccines had also been raised early on, with a 2021 study revealing that the Pfizer vaccine dropped to 47 percent effectiveness after just five months.

New Zealand lifted its final COVID-19 restrictions on Aug. 15, removing the requirements of seven-day mandatory isolation and mandatory masks for visitors to healthcare facilities.

“We’ve only reached this point thanks to the hard work and care New Zealanders have taken over the course of the pandemic,” Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said.

“And while not mandated, the Ministry of Health guidance is to stay at home for five days if you’re unwell or have tested positive for COVID-19.”