Speaking to the House today, Act leader David Seymour said it was the role of the Opposition to offer constructive criticism when needed.

He said that was easy, because there have been "so many basic failings".

He said there were "102 days of Covid freedom" that the Government should have been using to make sure the system was safer.

But said the Government spent time instead "doing a little dance" and doing a "victory lap".

"We chose to use the time for self-congratulations and encouragement, rather than improvement.

"That is why we are here today," he said.

He called on the Government to use a "wellbeing" approach to the new lockdown.

He said he had heard about increased numbers of suicides in Queenstown.

"Lockdowns are incalculably bad for wellbeing."

He said New Zealand needed to learn to live with Covid-19.

That means learning to live with Covid being endemic in the world.

New Zealand needed to be "smarter" rather than again using lockdowns.

New Zealand needed to look to Taiwan, he said.

"We should have taken a leaf out of their book," Seymour said.

He said it was "unforgivable" that the Government has failed to prepare, while Covid-19 was not in the community.

He said there needed to be more use of the private sector when it comes to helping fight the virus.

He was critical of the Ministry of Health.

He said the Government is meant to set enforcement, not "trying to run everything".

Seymour said there was a "blindness to risk" which, he said, was "madness".

And he called on the Government to do better when it comes to using technology when it comes to contact tracing.

"The opportunity is to do so much better."

He said New Zealand needed to move away for "blunt and costly lockdowns".