Pandemic perspectives focus of COVID-19 Inquiry public hearing next week

The Inquiry’s ‘Pandemic Perspectives’ public hearing will take place between Monday 7 July and Friday 11 July. This hearing will allow Commissioners to hear from groups, organisations, and individuals from around Aotearoa New Zealand about their experiences of the pandemic and the Government’s response to COVID-19.

“The Pandemic Perspectives public hearing will allow us, in the open, to hear a range of experiences as well as suggestions for future pandemic responses. It is important we listen to these voices and ask key questions, so we can develop robust findings and recommendations,” says Grant Illingworth KC, Chair of the Inquiry. 

Individuals, organisations and experts will talk about the effects of key public health decisions, including social division and isolation, health and education, and business activity.

Commissioners are focusing the hearing on three key areas of the Inquiry’s terms of reference and that have been key themes raised in public submissions already received by the Inquiry:

• Lockdowns in 2021, in particular the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland from September 2021.
• Vaccine approvals and safety.
•  Introduction and use of vaccine mandates throughout 2021 and 2022.

The hearing schedule and list of witnesses is available on the Inquiry’s website.

A second and final public hearing will take place from 20 August to 27 August in Pōneke Wellington, where Commissioners will hear from key decision makers who led the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and from senior public servants. 

“As Commissioners, our job is to identify lessons from the country’s COVID-19 response to ensure that as a nation, we can be better prepared for future pandemics,” says Mr Illingworth. “Our goal is to provide recommendations – that can be understood by all New Zealanders – to help build a strong response for the future.

“We need a well-organised, resilient, robust defence, and we need to be able to come together as a country to face future pandemics.”

Alongside the public hearings, the Inquiry has also held interviews with key decision makers, met with individuals and organisations who experienced the pandemic and the response to it, gathered 31,000 public submissions, and sought extensive written evidence from Government departments and other organisations.

“We are encouraged by and thank the 31,000 of you who shared your experiences through our recent public submissions process. I also thank the huge number of people and organisations we’ve met in engagements up and down the country. Your experiences and perspectives are vital to our work,” says Mr Illingworth.

The ‘Pandemic Perspectives’ public hearing will be streamed on the Inquiry’s website so it can be watched live by the public. Registered media will be able to attend the hearing for reporting purposes. A range of accessible resources will also be available during and after the hearings. Due to physical limitations, the Inquiry cannot accommodate members of the public.