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# NZ Embassy Staff in China Continued Holiday AFTER Wuhan Virus Became Serious
- URL: https://goodoil.news/nz-embassy-staff-in-china-continued-holiday-after-wuhan-virus-became-serious/
- Published: 2020-02-06T20:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2020-02-05T22:22:02.000Z
- Author: General
- Tags: Health, NZ, NZ Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-17 03:24

**Jordan Williams**  
Executive Director  
New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

Our Embassy staff in China continued their holiday after the Wuhan virus became serious.

We received an incredible [tip-off](https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/tip%5Fline?e=8d1357073ebc33070ff9a64e947e9f2d&utm%5Fsource=taxpayers&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=200205%5Ftu%5Fnwsltr%5Flouis&n=3) last week that despite the alarming events in China **our embassy in Beijing was closed while the coronavirus escalated into a global emergency.**

Your humble *Taxpayers’ Union* made enquiries and discovered that the only thing available to Kiwis in Beijing was an answerphone message and advice to seek help from the World Health Organisation!

**It turns out that the taxpayer-funded embassy staff were enjoying an extended Chinese New Year break and no one thought to get back to work after the emergency was declared in Wuhan.**

[We blew the whistle on the closure](https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/wuhan%5Fvirus%5Fnew%5Fzealanders%5Fleft%5Fhigh%5Fand%5Fdry?e=8d1357073ebc33070ff9a64e947e9f2d&utm%5Fsource=taxpayers&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=200205%5Ftu%5Fnwsltr%5Flouis&n=4) and it wasn’t until the discovery was picked up (without credit!) by the [*NZ* *Herald*](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c%5Fid=1&objectid=12303853&ref=goodoil.news) that someone thought they’d better call our holidaying diplomats back from holiday.

**What is the point of a diplomatic post, if it’s not open when New Zealanders actually need it?**

The Beijing post is not humble digs. According to MFAT, $50 million of your money was spent on an ‘elegant and sustainable new building to be the heart of its [official presence in China](https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/r?u=ukwIN-t65VJDRb3%5FsIET0ZotCdKoJXusVaYoqqBhq7eoZqp-ktQLRzEeTxRo%5F31X9%5FemNM1HDkYdnELUikQxWuqKhT9Ao6rw6BCrLl7DIzZdbJAdhcXS2aF-yS%5FuS7VEk%5FjLElHuzYs41PX0IfqmyA&e=8d1357073ebc33070ff9a64e947e9f2d&utm%5Fsource=taxpayers&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=200205%5Ftu%5Fnwsltr%5Flouis&n=7)’ which opened last year. But at the very time Kiwis most needed help, the doors were locked

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