¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ

There has been so much money wasted by the Government in the last six yearsÌý³ÙhatÌýit really takesÌýsomethingÌýquite profligate toÌýwarrantÌýa mentionÌýnowadays.

AndÌýman alive does the moneyÌýwastedÌýon thoseÌýexpiringÌýCovid RAT kitsÌýwarrantÌýa mention. That wastage is out the gateÌýandÌýcompletelyÌýunnecessary.

Last week weÌý³ÙhoughtÌýit was just $160mÌýworthÌýof kits due to expireÌýwithoutÌýbeing used, today we find outÌýit’sÌýactually $530m worth.

$530m is almost enough Government money to set up two Medical schools at Waikato University. It'sÌýhalf ofÌýPharmac’sÌýannual budget... that’s six months of life saving drugs.Ìý

It would pay for all the beds, operating theatres, and imaging services being cut from Dunedin’s new hospital to save money… six timesÌýover.

And itÌýdidn’t need to be spent.

That is the frustrating thing. Private businesses were prepared to spend this money instead the Government spending it.

RememberÌý³Ùhat?Ìý

Remember inÌýJanuaryÌýlast yearÌýwhen privateÌýbusinessesÌýwere ordering RAT kits forÌý³ÙheirÌýstaff at the height of the Covid outbreak, andÌý³ÙhenÌýin swooped Ashley Bloomfield and Jacinda Ardern andÌýbasicallyÌýconfiscatedÌý³Ùhose RATÌýkits that were on orderÌýby telling theÌýsuppliersÌý³Ùo give the RATs to theÌýGovernmentÌýandÌýnot to privateÌýbusinesses. Ìý

And for what?Ìý

For them now to sit in storage and go to waste.

ThereÌýis no way that we areÌýgoingÌý³Ùo use those 40 millionÌýremainingÌýRAT kitsÌýbyÌýApril; there are only 5ÌýmillionÌýof us.ÌýEach of us would have to use 8ÌýboxesÌýof RATsÌýeach... and remember there were three to five tests in each ofÌý³ÙhoseÌýboxes.ÌýÌý

SoÌýweÌýhave toÌýuse 8 boxes each byÌýAprilÌýnext year, and IÌýhaven’tÌýeven used one box this year.

It'sÌýnot going to happen.Ìý

That is money wasted.

IÌýcan’tÌýunderstand why theÌýGovernmentÌýdid it, why they swooped and bought all the RATs —way moreÌý³Ùhan we needed— when other people wereÌýpreparedÌý³Ùo spendÌý³ÙheirÌýmoney instead.

The only explanationÌýyou can come to is mad control freakery fromÌýJacindaÌýandÌýAshley.

Just look around you. Look at all the things your town or region needs right now,ÌýbecauseÌý³ÙheÌýGovernmentÌýcan’tÌýafford it. And to think it can’t afford it because half a billion dollars is sitting in warehouses going off. Ìý

OfÌýallÌý³Ùhe wasted money in the last six years thisÌýhas gotÌý³Ùo be the worst.Ìý