The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 has found the previous Labour Government’s use of lockdowns during the pandemic was among the most stringent in the world and its vaccine mandates caused division in New Zealand society.
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden received the report from phase 1 of the inquiry this week.
“The delivery of the phase 1 report marks the conclusion of phase 1 of the inquiry,” she says.
“Phase 1 commissioners, professor Tony Blakely and John Whitehead, have now resigned from their roles.
“In June I announced there would be a second phase of the inquiry into Covid-19, covering outstanding matters of public concern including vaccine mandates and safety as well as the impact on social and economic disruption.
“Phase 2 will begin gathering evidence from November 29, 2024, and I strongly encourage the public to have their say on the matters in scope of the inquiry by emailing InquiryintoCOVID-19lessons@dia.govt.nz.”
Blakely and Whitehead say that by mid-March, 2020, the Labour Government knew it needed to respond strongly to stop the virus, given the risk it would otherwise overrun New Zealand’s health system and cause many deaths.
At the end of March the Government closed the borders and put the whole country into lockdown.
“Almost overnight, the routine and familiar was upended. Everyday activities we took for granted – going to work or school, catching up with family and friends, a quick trip to the shops – were suddenly out of reach.
“Our lives were governed by strict rules that were rolled out rapidly and rolled back again as outbreaks waxed and waned.
“To navigate this new landscape, we acquired a whole new vocabulary: alert levels, locations of interest, PPE, RAT tests, traffic lights.”
The commissioners say most Kiwis learned to live with the unknowns, the instability and the “sheer strangeness of it all”.
“We recognised that, however tough things seemed here, many other countries had it far worse.
“International comparative studies have since borne that out. Our Covid-19 mortality rate was much lower than most other countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Our health system was never overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases, although it was often strained in other ways.
“While our use of lockdowns was among the most stringent in the world, it was relatively sparing: we spent more of 2020 free from onerous restrictions than people elsewhere.
“A generous economic response cushioned people from the worst of the pandemic’s immediate impacts and – initially at least – Aotearoa New Zealand’s social and economic outcomes were better than most other OECD countries. “
But still, the pandemic hit Aotearoa New Zealand hard, and it was harder on some people than others, they say.
“For more than 4000 New Zealanders who died between 2020 and the end of October, 2024, Covid-19 either caused or contributed to their deaths.
“Many others became seriously ill and some remain so today, due to long Covid.
“A disproportionate share of the health burden fell on Māori and Pacific peoples.
“And of course the pandemic’s impacts extended well beyond health.
“Some people lost jobs or businesses, while others in essential roles had to keep working when they didn’t feel safe to do so.
“Rights most of us take for granted were curtailed. Families were separated from relatives overseas, and some New Zealanders were unable to get home.
“Ongoing disruptions in the education sector saw some young people drop out.
“Women gave birth without the support of friends or family. People died alone or with only a few loved ones present.
“In 2024, the country is still reckoning with the array of economic and social challenges which the pandemic either caused or worsened.
“Whatever satisfaction we draw from the fact that Aotearoa New Zealand emerged from the pandemic in considerably better shape than many other countries, we cannot look away from the undeniable harm New Zealand sustained.
“Contentious public health measures like vaccine mandates wore away at what had initially been a united wall of public support for the pandemic response.
“Along with the rising tide of misinformation and disinformation, this created social fissures that have not entirely been repaired.
“Certain groups, many already disadvantaged or vulnerable well before the pandemic, were left worse off when it subsided.”
