Government responds to COVID-19 Inquiry

The Government has today released its response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

Emergency support in future shocks to be timely, temporary, and targeted
Key advice in a future pandemic to be made public within five working days
All advice from the COVID-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group (CV TAG) proactively released
All 63 recommendations accepted in some form

"New Zealanders placed enormous trust in their government and made real sacrifices to protect one another. They deserve a clear account of what happened, and this response is about learning from it," Mr Brown says.

"The independent Commission is clear that restrictions stayed in place for longer than needed against public health advice, that Auckland was kept apart from the rest of the country for longer than it needed to be, and that the cost to jobs, businesses, and everyday life was not given sufficient weight alongside the health response.

"The Commission also found that more than half of the $60 billion COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, spread across more than 800 programmes, was not directly related to the pandemic. That has left New Zealanders carrying higher debt and a higher cost of living they are still feeling today."

The Inquiry ran over four years and heard from more than 44,000 New Zealanders. It made 63 recommendations across 23 agencies. The Government has accepted 21 in full and a further 36 in principle, while partially accepting the remaining six.

"Having learnt from the previous Labour Government's mistakes, we are restoring fiscal discipline and making sure that when support is needed it reaches those who need it most, rather than spraying tens of billions of dollars across hundreds of programmes with little to show for it," Mr Brown says.

Three key parts of the Government's response are:

Timely, temporary, and targeted support: Help in any future shock will reach people quickly, wind back as the need passes, and go to those who need it most.
Key advice released within five working days: Cabinet has agreed that in a future pandemic, the advice behind any major decision affecting people's individual rights will be published within five working days.

A broader review of the Health Act: The Government will not proceed with standalone pandemic legislation, and will instead review the Health Act to ensure any future response balances the protection of public health, the economy, and New Zealanders' rights.

Since the Commission presented its findings in April, the Ministry of Health has advised that one of the findings is incorrect. The Commission found that, while former Ministers were informed of advice against two-dose vaccine mandates for those aged 12 to 17 because of myocarditis risks, they were not given fuller advice on vaccine mandates for young people. The Ministry has since advised that fuller advice was in fact provided in early 2022.

In March, the Minister wrote to the Director-General of Health seeking the proactive release of all CV TAG advice. That advice has now been released.

Mr Brown says New Zealanders deserve full confidence that decisions affecting their rights are weighed honestly and communicated openly.

"Restoring trust and confidence in decision-making is critical to maintaining social cohesion and ensuring New Zealanders are willing to make the sacrifices asked of them. 

"No one can say what the next shock will be, or when it will land. This Government is committed to building New Zealand's future, and strengthening our resilience to future shocks is a key part of that." ...