1.0 Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned
1.0 Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned | Te Tira Ārai Urutā
More than three years after the last COVID-19 restrictions and mandates were lifted, many New Zealanders still have questions about the national response to the pandemic. Subject to our terms of reference, this second and final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned aims to address that need.
By many measures, Aotearoa New Zealand's response to the pandemic was enviable. We recorded lower case numbers and fewer COVID-19 deaths per capita than nearly all comparable countries. Our health system did not collapse. The economy rebounded strongly from the initial shock and unemployment rates remained low throughout the pandemic period.
But in 2026, post-pandemic New Zealand seems a bruised and more divided place to many. Questions about the response and its consequences still linger. Our national response may have won international acclaim, but how deeply has the pandemic scarred our society and economy – and who has borne the brunt? Could some pain have been avoided or at least lessened? And what should Government do to ensure New Zealand enters a future pandemic better prepared for the challenges we know it will bring?
These are some of the central questions this two-phase Royal Commission of Inquiry has been charged with answering. Since it was established by the Government in December 2022,20 the Inquiry has worked to identify lessons from the COVID-19 response and make practical recommendations to better prepare New Zealand for another pandemic.
Phase One of the Inquiry – which released its report in November 2024 – assessed the entire COVID-19 period, looking at seven broad areas of the response that were especially challenging for the country and its decision-makers. They included the introduction of border restrictions, the use of mandatory measures to achieve public health benefits, efforts to keep the health system going, the management of the economy, the use of vaccinations and more. On the basis of this assessment, the Inquiry's report set out six broad future-focused lessons, along with 39 recommendations to give them practical effect.21
20 The two phases of the Inquiry were established under the Inquiries Act 2013, together with the Royal Commission of Inquiry (COVID-19 Lessons) Order 2022 (which came into force on 8 December 2022) and two amendment orders, effective 2 August 2024 and 26 September 2024 respectively.
21 The three-volume main report also included technical appendices (presenting additional epidemiological, legal and governance information) and was accompanied by three companion reports: a summary report, 'Experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic' (summarising public feedback provided in Phase One), and a standalone document containing all the lessons and recommendations from the main report. All are available at https://www.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz/