A video showing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins claiming that no one was forced to get the Covid vaccine, despite widespread mandates, has been shared by Israel Adesanya to his 1.7 million followers on Twitter.

The Nigerian and New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and former boxer with multiple championships in all three disciplines, shared the video on Friday.

The video was recorded at a press conference where Hipkins was asked about an election promise by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to compensate New Zealanders injured by the vaccine or forced out of employment because of mandates. 

“There is a process for people who are injured in a medical procedure, there’s already processes in place for dealing with that” Hipkins said.

In the video, it shows Hipkins saying “I acknowledge that it was a challenging time for people but they made, ultimately make their own choices.

There was no there was no compulsory vaccination people made their own choices was no compulsory vaccination people made their own choices.”

The video then cuts to Hipkins saying “next year we’ll be in the phase of chasing up people who haven’t come forward to get the vaccination.

It then shows former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying “my message to New Zealanders who have not yet had their first dose, if you want summer, if you want to go to bars and restaurants get vaccinated if you want to get a haircut, get vaccinated. If you want to go to a concert or festival, get vaccinated. If you want to go to a gym or a sports event, get vaccinated. It then get to Hipkins “we can’t leave anything to chance. So that’s why we’re making vaccine mandates.”