Māori Party's Rawiri Waititi swipes at Speaker Trevor Mallard for 'encouraging people to panic buy' in Twitter rift

House Speaker Trevor Mallard's advice to "stock up a bit" in preparation for an Omicron outbreak has earned him a rebuke from Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

The Waiariki MP accused Mallard of "encouraging people to panic buy", which he interpreted as the Labour Party-backed Speaker having "no confidence in his Government's plan" to combat Omicron. 

The rift began when Mallard tweeted advice to his more than 16,000 followers to stock up on groceries in case they become a close contact and need to isolate at home for 10 days. 

"Omicron is coming and when it arrives it will spread quickly. If you can afford it it will pay to stock up a bit. There will be thousands of close contacts a day," Mallard wrote. 

"If I'm not one of them I will be happy to do grocery and medicine runs for Wainuiomata people."

Waititi, in response to Mallard's tweet, said it was "obviously clear that the [Government] does not have a solid pandemic plan", with people being "encouraged to panic buy by the Speaker". 

Mallard defended himself, telling Waititi: "You of all people understand the difference between getting prepared for isolation as a close contact and panicking. Don't pretend not to. Encourage your team to get organised." 

The Māori Party co-leader hit back, accusing the Speaker of not being "connected" to everyday New Zealanders and the struggle to make ends meet. 

"Being prepared and encouraging people to panic buy is not helpful! What you do and you would know this if you were connected to the people, is that you marginalise the already marginalised as they don't have the privilege of bulk buying, they're just trying to survive."

Mallard begged to differ. 

"I live in a community with a long history of helping each other. Pretending you don't know the difference between panicking and getting prepared is no credit to you. Helping communities get ready for known forthcoming adverse events is important. Do it."

Mallard and Waititi have a history of trading barbs. The Māori Party co-leader was kicked out of Parliament last year for not wearing a tie, sparking a national debate which prompted the Speaker to scrap the rule. 

Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi.
Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi. Photo credit: Newshub / Zane Small

Panic-buying is a phenomenon observed around the world after governments started imposing lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 - and New Zealand was no exception. 

The first news reports of Delta in the Auckland community last August resulted in widespread panic-buying as people flocked to supermarkets in their droves to stock up on essentials, resulting in fights over in-demand products and prompting calls for shoppers to remain calm.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ruled out lockdowns in the event of an Omicron outbreak, but all of New Zealand will shift to the more restrictive 'red' traffic light of the COVID-19 Protection Framework, which last year replaced the alert levels. 

House Speaker Trevor Mallard.
House Speaker Trevor Mallard. Photo credit: Getty Images

The entire country is currently at orange, meaning there are no gathering limits for the vaccinated. At red, gatherings are capped at 100 for the vaccinated and hospitality guests must be seated and separated. 

Omicron, though less severe than other variants, is more contagious, and once it gets hold in the community, it's expected to spread quickly, meaning lots of people will have to isolate themselves at home. 

The isolation period for COVID-19 cases in the community is at least 14 days, including 72 hours symptom-free. The isolation period for close contacts is 10 days. You will need to be tested immediately and on day five and day eight. 

Booster vaccination shots are one way to help prevent adverse effects of Omicron. You can get a booster shot if your second dose was administered four months ago.