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Questions and Answers Ngā Pātai me ngā Whakautu

Te Tira Ārai Urutā – the Royal Commission of Inquiry has now concluded. You can find out more about the work of the Inquiry below.

Home The Inquiry Questions and Answers

Why was there a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic response?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, significant, complex, and far-reaching impacts on people, whānau and communities. It is important for Aotearoa New Zealand to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic response in order to prepare for future pandemics.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry is the highest form of public inquiry usually reserved for the most serious issues of public importance, so it is the most appropriate type of Inquiry for this purpose.

 

What is the purpose of this Royal Commission?

The Royal Commission was directed to assess the New Zealand Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in a range of areas to draw out the lessons that could be learned to inform future pandemic planning. The recommendations made by the Inquiry focus on how Aotearoa New Zealand can best prepare for and respond to any future pandemics.

On 26 February 2026, the Royal Commission submitted its full suite of reports to the Governor-General of New Zealand. All reports have now been published on the Inquiry’s website: Reports – Lessons Learned

 

Where can I read the Royal Commission’s report?

You can read the reports of both Phase One and Phase Two on the Inquiry’s website: Reports – Lessons Learned

Key material from the Main Reports of both Phase One and Phase Two has also been translated into te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Hindi, Simplified Chinese, New Zealand Sign Language, Braille, Audio, Large Print and Easy Read formats. These can be on the Inquiry’s website here: Reports – Lessons Learned – Translations and alternative formats

Summary videos have also been published on the Inquiry’s website: Reports – Lessons Learned – Translations and alternative formats

 

What happens to the Royal Commission’s reports now?

On 26 February 2026, the Inquiry submitted its full suite of reports (from both Phase One and Phase Two) to the Governor-General, marking the end of the Inquiry’s work.

In a joint media release, Hon. Brook van Veldon and Hon. Simeon Brown announced that the remaining reports from the Inquiry would be publicly released on 10 March 2026. These have now been published and can be accessed on the Inquiry’s website: Reports – Lessons Learned

Minister Brown has been tasked with leading the New Zealand Government’s response to the Inquiry’s reports. He will work with Government departments to review the reports and respond to its recommendations to help Aotearoa New Zealand be better prepared to face future pandemics. You can read more about the Government’s initial response to the Inquiry’s reports on the Beehive website.

All evidence held by the Inquiry will be moved to Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga | Archives New Zealand for record-keeping. Some information will remain confidential to the Inquiry, while other information may be made available to members of the public on request.

More information about what kinds of information may be available for public access is detailed in the final Procedural Minutes published by the Phase One and Phase Two Commissioners:

 

Why were there two phases to the Royal Commission?

Te Tira Ārai Urutā – the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned was first announced on 5 December 2022. The Royal Commission was directed to assess the New Zealand Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in a range of areas to draw out the lessons that could be learned to inform future pandemic planning.

On 25 June 2024, the Minister of Internal Affairs Hon. Brooke van Velden announced a second phase to the Royal Commission. This second phase was to look in more detail at government decisions that were made during the later part of the pandemic, in 2021 and 2022. It was tasked to look closely at government decisions in some areas that overlapped with areas covered by the first phase – namely vaccine mandates, the use of PPE and lockdowns – and also government decision making in areas not previously looked into, such as approval of vaccines and vaccine safety.

Phase One of the Inquiry delivered its suite of reports to the Minister of Internal Affairs on 28 November 2024, which was then publicly released on the Inquiry’s website.

Phase Two of the Inquiry delivered all Inquiry reports to the Governor-General of New Zealand on 26 February 2026. These were then tabled in Parliament by the New Zealand Government and released to the public on 10 March 2026. 

 

What topics were investigated by the Inquiry? 

    • The public health response and delivery of health services – including border closures and MIQ arrangements, the approval of and mandating of vaccines, lockdowns and isolation arrangements, vaccine passes, gathering limits and personal protective equipment (PPE).
    • The provision of goods and services – including the provision of lifeline utilities and services (water and electricity, for example), how education and childcare services were delivered, and other essential services that the Government provides (such as superannuation payments and housing).
    • The economic response – including support schemes that were available to individuals and businesses (like the Wage Subsidy Scheme), exemptions that were put in place for specific industries (farming, for example), and the Government’s economic response more generally. 
    • Government communication, engagement and decision-making – including how people and communities were communicated and engaged with during the pandemic in order to limit the spread of the virus and keep people safe, and what sort of decision-making structures and arrangements were used or put in place during the pandemic response. 

The above was investigated with the following considerations in mind:

    • Legislative and policy settings, and delivery approaches that could be used to improve Aotearoa New Zealand’s preparedness and response to a future pandemic.
    • The interests of Māori in the context of the pandemic, consistent with te Tiriti o Waitangi relationships.
    • How to best support the wellbeing of essential workers (people working in supermarkets or at the border, for example), and communities and population groups (Māori and Pacific people, for example) who are likely to be most impacted by a pandemic.

The key government decisions that took place between February 2021 and October 2022 as part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impacts of those decisions. Specifically, Phase Two was asked to look into the key decisions made by Government in these areas:

    • The use of vaccines to manage COVID-19 – including the use of mandates, the approval of vaccines, and vaccine safety (including monitoring and reporting of adverse reactions).
    • The use of lockdowns in 2021 and 2022 – especially the national lockdown in August and September 2021 and the Auckland/Northland extended lockdown in September 2021.
    • Testing, tracing, and other public health tools – including how Aotearoa New Zealand accessed and developed testing and tracing tools (like RAT tests) and other public health materials (like face masks) and the role the private sector played in getting access to and developing these tools and materials.

Phase Two was asked to determine whether the decisions above were well-informed, with the following considerations in mind:

    • If the Government was sufficiently informed by advice about the impact these decisions might have on our society, our health and education, and on our economy.
    • If these decisions reflected advice given to the Government and took into account international experiences.
    • If these decisions produced unforeseen consequences – impacts that were not, or could not have, been predicted.
    • If these decisions struck a reasonable balance between the public health goals related to COVID-19 and minimising social and economic disruption.

What does the Inquiry’s review of by vaccine safety include?

The Inquiry considered evidence from a range of sources in relation to how vaccines were used as part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of Phase Two, the Inquiry considered government decisions relating to vaccine safety, and whether these decisions were well-informed or produced unforeseen consequences. This required us to look at information regarding:

    • The processes used to approve COVID-19 vaccines for use in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the scientific information that was available at the time.
    • The processes in place for monitoring and reporting of adverse reactions, and the results of that monitoring and reporting.
    • scientific or technical evidence regarding how the COVID-19 vaccines worked and the health effects of the approved COVID-19 vaccines used in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Inquiry was not authorised to conduct its own laboratory studies or clinical trials regarding any COVID-19 vaccines in terms of its overall ‘efficacy’, as per the Inquiry’s terms of reference.

For more information, please refer to this correspondence about this question [PDF, 433 KB] .

 

How did the Royal Commission collect evidence for its reports?

Evidence was gathered in a variety of ways from a wide range of individuals, groups and organisations from across Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad. Both Phases of the Inquiry analysed and considered:

    • thousands of documents from government agencies, experts and other sources
    • in-person interviews and engagements with key individuals, community and advocacy groups, businesses and organisations involved in and/or impacted by the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic through group engagements, interviews and public hearings  
    • a public hearing with evidence given in public by many individuals and representatives of groups sharing their perspectives of the pandemic response
    • thousands of written submissions from members of the public, both living within New Zealand and abroad.

For more information about how evidence was collected and considered by the Inquiry, please refer to the Phase One and Phase Two Main Reports.

 

What happens to the evidence held by the Royal Commission?

All evidence held by the Inquiry will be moved to Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga | Archives New Zealand for record-keeping. Some information will remain confidential to the Inquiry, while other information may be made available to members of the public on request.

More information about what kinds of information may be available for public access is detailed in the final Procedural Minutes published by the Phase One and Phase Two Commissioners: 

 

Are transcripts or recordings of engagements and interviews held by the Royal Commission publicly available?

Records from Phase Two including the public hearing, transcripts of interviews with select former ministers and high-level officials, and high-level summaries of the engagement sessions have been made publicly available on the Inquiry’s website: Record of Inquiry engagements

Additional information about Phase Two’s engagements and public submissions can also be found in the supplementary report: Pandemic Perspectives: Summary of Public Submissions and Engagements

All engagement and interview recordings produced by Phase One and Phase Two of the Inquiry are subject to permanent non-publication orders and are therefore not publicly available. Additional material produced and/or held by the Inquiry may be available for public access if requested via Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga | Archives New Zealand. 

 

Are public submissions made to the Royal Commission being kept confidential?

Supplementary reports focusing on public submissions received by Inquiry have been published on the Inquiry’s website:

Written submissions where permanent confidentiality was requested by the submission provider have been placed under permanent non-publication orders by the Phase One and Phase Two Commissioners.

A submission provider is able to publish and/or share their own written submission if they wish to. 

 

Why did the Royal Commission hold a public hearing?

The purpose of the hearings is to gather evidence on experiences of the pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Government’s response to the pandemic.

The hearings also gave the public insight into the range of information the Inquiry is hearing.

Further information, including recordings and written summaries of the week of public hearings, can be found on the Inquiry’s website: Public hearings 

 

Why did the Royal Commission decide not to hold a second week of hearings?

The Inquiry originally intended to hear from organisations and groups who experienced the pandemic and the Government’s response to it during week one of the hearings and then hear from key decision-makers during week two of the hearings.  

The Inquiry decided not to proceed with week two of the hearings, following the former Ministers decision to decline the Inquiry’s invitation to participate at the hearings.

The hearings were intended to enhance public confidence in the Inquiry’s processes by enabling the public to see former Ministers – who have critical insights into the pandemic response – questioned in public. 

The Inquiry did, however, hold multiple interviews with key decision-makers, and has decided to publish the transcripts of interviews with former ministers and high-level officials. These can be found on the Inquiry’s website: Record of Inquiry engagements

Further information about the Inquiry’s public hearings can also be found on the Inquiry’s website: Public hearings

 

How will the work of the Inquiry benefit New Zealanders?

There will likely be pandemics in the future, and it’s imperative Aotearoa is well prepared to respond in an effective and timely fashion. 

Learning from our COVID-19 experience will ensure New Zealand has appropriate and effective policies and practices in place for the future that will benefit all of us.

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