I’m always happy to give the government a hard time when I think they’re stuffing up, so – to be fair to them – I should also give them a bit of support when I think they’re making the right call.  

On that note, I think they’ve done the right thing briefly pausing the trans-Tasman bubble, if only to ensure that route stays open long term. 

The worst thing that could happen right now is that someone else comes over from Australia and Delta takes hold here.

That would kill the trans-Tasman bubble until – at least – we’d all had vaccinations.

There are a huge number of Kiwis who don’t like the bubble, don’t like the idea of it being open, and if a case leaked over here and took hold, I can’t see the government holding that bubble open against the wave of anger.

Just today we’ve had the news that a couple of contacts of the Northern territory miner who has tested positive for Covid have arrived in NZ. 

They’re isolating and being tested, but it does show just how much uncertainty there is across the ditch at the moment with the Delta variant.

That variant’s causing trouble. The fact that it’s outrun the NSW contact tracers says a lot: those guys have managed to keep on top of every other outbreak and avoid a city-wide lockdown but delta seems to be faster than them.

The thing with the bubble is that we know – under the government’s elimination strategy – that it’s a privilege.  It’s a hard won privilege.  Every day with the bubble open for businesses in places like Queenstown means a day with extra revenue they otherwise wouldn’t have got.  

It totally sucks that the three day pause has caused cancellations, and I can’t imagine how much disruption that’ll throw those businesses into.

But we also know public opinion on this is finely balanced, and the integrity of the bubble needs to be protected so that Aussie money can keep coming over.

If a three day pause is what it takes to prove the bubble works and is what it takes to protect it long term, then I think  it’s a price worth paying.