PM Ardern on NZ High Commission’s oxygen request: ‘There are channels that they should be going through’

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has mentioned that the New Zealand High Commission in India ought to have used different channels to hunt medical help than requesting the Indian Youth Congress on Twitter to assist in offering an oxygen cylinder.
“Our High Commission has apologised for [the tweet] and that’s for the fact that there are channels that they can and should be going through for such matters,” Ardern instructed TVNZ’s Breakfast.
She additional added, “But I should recognise that we do have a local staff member who is within the compound who’s been very unwell. The New Zealand High Commission has a compound area that has been essentially in a form of lockdown for the better part of a year.”

Pointing out that the High Commission had acknowledged it ought to have been utilizing “normal channels and protocols”, she additional mentioned, “They’ve had strict protocols in place where they’ve had bubble arrangements trying to make sure they are looking after the wellbeing of both seconded and local staff. They employ local people who live within the compound. But of course, a very difficult environment to try and ensure that there’s no infections.”
The New Zealand High Commission in Delhi had later deleted the tweet saying it was issued in error, and it was sorry for the misunderstanding it might have precipitated. It additional mentioned that the protection, well being and welfare of its workers in India stays its precedence. New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has additionally apologised to the Indian authorities for the tweet.

We are attempting all sources to rearrange for oxygen cylinders urgently and our attraction has sadly been misinterpreted, for which we’re sorry.
— NZ in India (@NZinIndia) May 2, 2021

National’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee mentioned tweeting a request for oxygen was embarrassing and insensitive.
“When people are dying in the streets, as it would appear is the case, people being brought to treatment centres and then dying in cars on the way … [the tweet is] just a very bad look if nothing else. It’s incredibly insensitive. The apology is good but we do need to know why it happened,” he was quoted as saying by Radio New Zealand.
On Sunday, a confrontation had erupted between the Centre and the Congress involving two international missions in Delhi over the availability of oxygen cylinders by the Youth Congress to those embassies for Covid sufferers.
After Srinivas tweeted visuals of Youth Congress staff on the Philippines Embassy with cylinders, senior Congress chief Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “While I thank @IYC for its stellar efforts, as an Indian citizen I’m stunned that the youth wing of the opposition party is attending to SOS calls from foreign embassies. Is the MEA sleeping @DrSJaishankar?”

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s retorted, “MEA checked with the Philippines Embassy. This was an unsolicited supply as they had no Covid cases. Clearly for cheap publicity by you know who. Giving away cylinders like this when there are people in desperate need of oxygen is simply appalling. Jairamji, MEA never sleeps; our people know across the world. MEA also never fakes; we know who does.”
The Youth Congress mentioned it was disappointing that the External Affairs Minister put out such a tweet saying it had indulged in unsolicited provide of cylinders.