Reti: port workers need to be vaccinated

National's deputy leader Dr Shane Reti says he's gobsmacked that our port workers still have such low rates of vaccination to protect against Covid-19. Dr Reti's comments come as 11 of the 21 crew of the Rio De La Plata, which is currently at sea off the coast of Tauranga, tested positive for the virus. Last Tuesday, Port of Tauranga received an alert from Maritime New Zealand that the container ship had been boarded two weeks previously by an Australian pilot, who recently tested positive for Covid-19. The ship was nonetheless cleared for berthing and on Wednesday a Port of Tauranga pilot boarded the vessel. Later that night, Customs shut down operations on the ship and workers were told to go home and isolate, but they were given the all clear the next day. The advice changed again on Monday morning, when staff were advised to report to the Port and get tested. Nathan Rarere asked Dr Reti what we should be doing about the 40 per cent of Port workers who remain unvaccinated.