Covid-19: National Party wants vaccine mandates dropped at 90 percent immunisation rate

The National Party wants vaccine mandates dropped once the country reaches 90 percent vaccination.

The government yesterday announced vaccination will be mandated in any workplace that requires a certificate of vaccination for entry.

National Party leader Judith Collins told Morning Report at 90 percent vaccination nationwide, vaccine mandates should be dropped but passports retained.

"We're saying actually, you get to 90 percent, you should be able to actually start getting back to some form of normal, and it is important, I believe, that we actually have a plan to come out of the current situation...

"We're also very aware, at the moment the government, hasn't put out there any actual legislation for any of these things, whether it's the traffic light plan or the mandate so we need to have a look at the detail."

National wanted the government to release its advice on vaccine passports and Collins said the information available so far was "extremely confusing".

National did agree that double vaccination would be required for some things, but Collins said "there needs to be a time when people won't need to do that eventually".

"We believe that 90 percent double vaccinated is going to be something that people should be able to have some of their freedoms back."

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood told Morning Report vaccine certificates will have to be used for some time to come but they were unlikely to become a permanent measure.

"No one can look at the future with absolute certainty in this situation."

He said they will be used to give people confidence when they are out and about.

"It would make no sense to have this certainty in place up to the point that we got to 90 percent and then to remove it afterwards which is exactly the time at which we're trying to give people confidence and certainty that activities can occur safely."

Officials are working with urgency to stand up the system, he said.