Public Hearings He horanga tūmatanui
The Royal Commission is holding public hearings.
The first session of public hearings took place between 7 July 2025 and 11 July 2025 in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. These hearings gathered evidence from a wide range of groups and individuals around Aotearoa New Zealand about their experiences of the pandemic, and the Government’s response to it.
The second session of public hearings will take place from 20 August 2025 to 27 August 2025 in Pōneke Wellington. These hearings will gather evidence from key decision makers who led and informed the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Purpose of the hearings
The purpose of the hearings is to gather evidence from those who led Aotearoa New Zealand’s pandemic response and from a wide range of groups and individuals about their experiences of the pandemic, and the Government’s response to it.The hearings will also give the public insight into the work of the Inquiry and showcase the range of perspectives being heard in the course of the Inquiry’s work, and are intended to help people will feel more informed about the work of the Inquiry and also have greater understanding, and confidence, in the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations.
The hearings will focus on Government decisions relating to lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and vaccine safety. These have been identified as issues of particular focus for the public, as well as areas where further evidence gathering is required.
The hearings are one of the many methods the Inquiry is using to gather information. The Inquiry has also held interviews with key decision makers, meetings with organisations and individuals who experienced the pandemic and the response, and gathered extensive documentation on the pandemic response, as well as hearing from 31,000 people through public submissions. Members of the public can gain insight into what the Inquiry is hearing through these methods through this website or our Inquiry newsletter.
Attending the hearings
The hearings will be livestreamed through the Inquiry’s website. To view the livestream, visit the webpage for the session of hearings you wish to view.
All livestreams will have captions available.
Session one: perspectives on the pandemic
Session two: key decision makers
Media will also be present at the hearings – click here to view the media protocol and media coverage application form [PDF, 128 KB] and click here to view the accessibility recommendations for media. [PDF, 71 KB]
In-person attendance will not be available for these hearings.
A report on the hearings in accessible and other language formats will be available following each session of hearings.
Click the links below to learn more about each session of hearings.