To bribe or not to bribe? That is the question🤔

Fiona from Henderson

Not sure where to start, but here goes …

The pressure for all of us, well not all of us but a vast majority of us, to get vaccinated for not only our own benefit, health and wellbeing, but also for good of the whole nation and mankind (so to speak), has been all over every single news outlet, social media platforms, online services etc …

It began with a trickle for us to trot down to the vaccination place to get our first vaccination.
Some have even had their second dose of the vaccination – well done.

Now, slowly but surely the speed has ramped up. The numbers have increased for those who have now entered the ‘vaccinated club’, again well done.

There will be those who refuse to get vaccinated for whatever reason, whether it is personal or medical. I do struggle understanding with the personal reasons but will respect their choice.

The public push to get the percentages up to get vaccinated is almost at full speed, and it’s been ‘interesting’ for lack of a better word right now, to watch this.

Those of us who have joined the vaccinated club, did so not only out of duty for our fellow mankind, but more importantly, to try and keep ourselves alive during this nightmare pandemic.

What I’m struggling with now regarding the push to get vaccinated, is the hand holding, the enticements, the bribes and the rewards the soon to be freshly vaccinated people are now being offered e.g. a car, a holiday, extra money in the pay packet, food etc …

Will all of those people who have already been vaccinated be getting any rewards that are currently on offer, to congratulate us for being responsible adults and stepping up early to get vaccinated?
Will we heck!

So why are they bribing people to get vaccinated now?
Has it shown to be an effective way of getting those bodies through the door?
Or has it merely shown people's greed?
When they start talking about vaccinating people in the fast food drive through, you know it’s becoming desperate.

We need to find a way that works for the whole of New Zealand, each and everyone of us. We can’t fix the world, but we sure as heck can start to fix ourselves here in New Zealand and prepare our loved ones around us to do the same.

I wish I knew the right answer on this or how to motivate people to get in with the rest of us in the vaccinated club, believe me, I’ve sat here for ages trying to think of a solution that would appease both sides, but I can’t.

All I know is that there will be people who will point the finger at the Government, at the Department of Health, at overseas stats, at the delay in getting the vaccine; HOWEVER none of those niggles that those people always throw out there have anything to do with this.

Do we really need to be enticed, bribed or even rewarded for doing something that will keep each of us alive in the long run?