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The role of the Opposition in our political system is vital.
It is responsible for asking questions, for challenging Ministers, and for generally holding the Government of the day to account.
All of this is supposed to be on behalf of the New Zealand public.
What it is not supposed to do is peddle baseless conspiracy theories and sow the seeds of fear in the middle of a national crisis.
Covid-19 has reared its ugly head in New Zealand again, and all the information we have suggests the Ministry of Health and the wider Government response plans kicked in quickly.
Testing has ramped up, contact tracing is under way, and information is being disseminated to the public quickly and clearly.
But National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee questioned when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern knew about the outbreak, outlining a series of apparently suspicious events to imply the Government was not being transparent with the public.
Those events included director general of health Ashley Bloomfield telling New Zealanders to prepare for a second wave, and to have masks prepared.
"Then you saw the Prime Minister’s visit to the mask factory ... along with Dr Bloomfield, after 103 days of no community transmission having a test himself — all very interesting things to happen a matter of hours before there was a notification of the largest residential part of New Zealand going into Level 3 lockdown," Mr Brownlee said.
The fact that Dr Bloomfield and the Prime Minister have both been saying a second wave was inevitable for weeks appears to have been conveniently forgotten.
In contrast, Act New Zealand’s initial response to the new outbreak was a prime example of the role of the Opposition.
"We see our role as offering helpful feedback where possible and constructive criticism where necessary," leader David Seymour said.
"We will be asking the questions that need to be asked to help people have certainty and transparency through this period."
It was measured, clear and concise, supporting the public health response while also asking tough questions to ensure that response was robust.
Mr Brownlee’s response was instead reminiscent of how former National leader Simon Bridges misjudged the mood of the nation in the early days of the outbreak. That did not end well for either Mr Bridges or his party.
If the horror show of 2020 has taught us anything, it is that the public have no time for partisan political bickering and fearmongering during a genuine emergency.
If the National Party wants to present itself as a Government in waiting, it would do well to take heed.