Final Covid verdict: 'Scars' remain, but Ardern says 'we got a lot right'

The final report into New Zealand’s handling of Covid has found the handling of the pandemic was generally strong, but says it has left the country dealing with difficult economic and social fallout.

The second and final phase of the Covid inquiry covered the period from February 2021 to October 2022 when Covid was in the community. The previous phase looked at the period when New Zealand was following an elimination strategy.

Accusations of 'significant failures' as Covid inquiry findings released - Watch on TVNZ+

The inquiry has faced criticism from some who were in government at the time, including then Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson who declined to appear at public hearings, calling them a “show trial”.

But Health Minister Simeon Brown said today: “This report is an important step in understanding the impact of the decisions that were made and how we can learn from them."

The report confirmed, as reported at the time, that the Auckland lockdown in late 2021 went on six days longer than recommended by then Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

It also found that advice from health experts that under-18s in work shouldn’t be mandated to have two vaccine doses, because of the risk of cardiac myocarditis, wasn’t followed.

Another finding was that the Auckland-Northland border stayed in place over the 2021-2022 Christmas period when it was advised it could be reopened.

It also criticised some aspects of the then Labour government’s economic approach, saying policies around stimulus and inflation “became unaligned” from mid-2021.

The final document issued today says: “Overall, this report concludes that Aotearoa New Zealand did well in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. On the whole, the decisions taken and methods used during the Covid-19 response were considered and appropriate. We have also identified where they were lacking.”

It added: “The pandemic, and the response to it, has left scars. During the period examined in this phase, people continued to die and others suffered long-term health impacts. Some lost all faith in government and other institutions, and remain disengaged, sceptical or even hostile towards them today.

“We heard from many people who were angry about the restrictions that remained in force during this time, despite changing circumstances. We heard from others who considered some public health measures weren’t adequate or safe.”

Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern and former deputy prime minister Grant Robertson responded to the report's findings, saying the government "got a lot right" in its response to the pandemic.

"We got a lot right. More than most. But there are areas that could have been better.

"While in office we established the Royal Commission to independently compile what worked, and what we could learn from. We accept the overall findings and recommendations of both reports. 

"The job now is to ensure NZ is better prepared for the next pandemic."

Arden and Roberston said they joined the Commission in "urging the Government to take the findings of both reports and implement them as a matter of urgency".

"The Commission's observation - 'there is no scenario in which NZ - or any other country - could have confronted the pandemic without some cost' will be just as true for the next time. Our best safeguard is to ensure we are as well prepared as we can be.

"Over the last four years, we have fully cooperated with both phases of the inquiry, including many hours of interviews, and wish to extend our thanks to the Royal Commission staff for their important work on behalf of New Zealand."

Health Minister Brown responded to the report by saying that people supported the initial pandemic response in 2020.

However, he added: “The Commission has also found that restrictions continued longer than public health advice recommended, and that the economic costs were not given sufficient weight alongside the health response.

"The report also found the cost of living pressures New Zealanders are still feeling today – and the ongoing lack of social cohesion for some – are part of that story.”

He said the $60 billion Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund spanned 821 programmes and claimed around half of those were unrelated to the pandemic. The Commission, Brown said, found many investments, including “shovel-ready” projects, were not appropriate.

The Government said it was reviewing the Commission's findings and expects to give its response by July.

"New Zealanders made enormous sacrifices and placed enormous trust in their government. We owe it to them to understand what happened and learn from it,” Brown said.

Labour Leader Chris Hipkins today acknowledged the findings from the report, saying the Labour government's decisions during the "unprecedented global crisis" had "helped protect New Zealanders".

"Like the first report, this inquiry finds New Zealand’s response to Covid-19 was robust, with decisions that were considered, appropriate, and guided by the best evidence available at the time," he said.

"What now matters most is how we use the lessons learned. It is vital that when New Zealand faces its next major challenge, our institutions are resilient, our processes sound, and public trust strengthened."

Hipkins questioned whether the country was better prepared for another pandemic under the National government.

"National needs to answer a simple question: Are we better prepared for the next pandemic today than we were in 2020?”