Questions and Answers Ngā Pātai me ngā Whakautu

Why is 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 for the most serious issues of public importance, so it is the most appropriate type of inquiry for this purpose.

What will the Royal Commission do?

The purpose of the Royal Commission is to strengthen Aotearoa New Zealand’s preparedness for future pandemics. The Royal Commission will do this by assessing the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and providing recommendations on how Aotearoa New Zealand can prepare for and manage future pandemics. As part of this work, Phase Two will assess key decisions made by the Government in regards to the use of vaccines, the use of lockdowns, and testing and tracing technologies and non-pharmaceutical public health materials during 2021 and 2022. The Inquiry will assess the process of making these decisions and the impact they had.

Why are there two phases to the Royal Commission?

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned was first announced on 5 December 2022. The purpose of the Royal Commission was to investigate Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to COVID-19 in order to prepare for future pandemics.

After the 2023 election, the coalition Government indicated that it intended to expand the terms of reference for the Royal Commission. The terms of reference set out details about how the Royal Commission will operate, like what topics it should investigate.

The Minister of Internal Affairs announced on 25 June 2024 that the Royal Commission would be conducted in two phases. Phase One would cover the original terms of reference of the Royal Commission and would produce a report and conclude on 28 November 2024.

Phase Two of the Inquiry will consider matters of public concern not clearly addressed in the first phase, like vaccine safety. It will also build on the work of Phase One; specifically, by looking at certain issues in more depth, like lockdowns and mandates. 

What is included in Phase Two of the Inquiry? What is not included?

You can read the full terms of reference for both Phase Two and Phase One here.

What do you mean by vaccine safety?

The Inquiry will be considering available evidence from a range of sources on the use of vaccines during the COVID-19 response. The Inquiry intends to consider vaccine safety by assessing the following areas: scientific or technical evidence regarding the health effects of COVID-19 vaccines used in Aotearoa New Zealand, the functionality of the vaccine itself, and the processes used to approve the vaccine.

However, while the Inquiry intends to consider a wide range of evidence on many aspects of vaccine safety, the Inquiry is not authorised to conduct its own laboratory studies and clinical trials regarding any COVID-19 vaccine in terms of its overall ‘efficacy’.

For more information, please read our correspondence on this question here [PDF, 433 KB] .

Will the Royal Commission identify ways to ensure New Zealand has a strong pandemic response in the future?

Yes. Phase One of the Royal Commission commented on the effectiveness of New Zealand’s initial elimination strategy, and later minimisation and protection strategy. Considerations included how effective these strategies were in limiting the spread of the virus and its impact on vulnerable groups and the health system. Phase One looked into this in the context of New Zealand’s circumstances, what was known at the time, and the strategies adopted by other countries.

Phase Two will assess key decisions made by the Government in regards to the use of vaccines, the implementation of lockdowns, and testing and tracing technologies and non-pharmaceutical public health materials during 2021 and 2022. The Inquiry will assess the process of making these decisions and the impact they had.

Will the Royal Commission consider the recent health reforms in its work and recommendations?

No. The recent reforms to New Zealand’s health system, including the organisational arrangements for public health services are excluded from the Royal Commission’s scope. Phase One did, however, identify lessons that can be learned about people’s expectations of health services and how they need to be maintained during a pandemic.

Will individual cases or particular clinical decisions be assessed by the Royal Commission?

No. The Royal Commission’s scope does not include reviewing clinical decisions and the application of COVID-19 response measures to individual cases. This is because other organisations are responsible for making judgements in these areas, for example the Health and Disability Commissioner. The role of the Royal Commission is to assess Aotearoa New Zealand’s COVID-19 response as a whole and to make recommendations to ensure that we learn the lessons from the COVID-19 response.

What other areas are out of scope for the Inquiry?

The New Zealand Government sets out the topics in scope for the Inquiry’s investigation in its terms of reference. The Inquiry is only able to make findings and recommendations on these topics.

Areas out of scope for the Inquiry include things like Long Covid, and Parliamentary processes during the COVID-19 response period. For a complete list of topics not included in the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference, click here.

Will the response of the private sector be part of the Inquiry?

The operation of individual private sector businesses is excluded from the Royal Commission’s scope, except where the private sector was responsible for delivering services integral to a pandemic response.

Phase Two will consider the impact of private sector involvement (or non-involvement) in the procurement, development, and distribution of testing and tracing technologies and non-pharmaceutical public health materials from February 2021 to October 2022.

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.

When will the report be completed?

The Phase One report of the Royal Commission was released on 28 November 2024. The Phase Two report will be completed by 26 February 2026.

Will there be public hearings?

The Inquiry currently intends to hold public hearings later in 2025. We will make information available soon on the format of these hearings, including any opportunities for members of the public and others to participate.  

Phase One did not hold public hearings.

If you have any questions for the Royal Commission, please email us on InquiryintoCOVID-19lessons@dia.govt.nz.

I want to share sensitive information with the Inquiry – what protections are there for whistleblowers?

Witnesses appearing before the Inquiry have the same immunities and privileges that apply to witnesses in civil proceedings.

People who are summoned by the Inquiry, such as a person who is providing evidence at a public hearing or who is responding to an order made under section 20 of the Inquiries Act 2013, are considered witnesses.

As our public submissions process is an optional evidence-gathering method, members of the public who provide a submission are not considered to be witnesses, and therefore do not receive the legal privileges and immunities that a witness would.

The best way for someone making a public submission to share sensitive information is to either make an anonymous submission or to request permanent confidentiality for their submission.

If you have any questions or concerns about sharing sensitive information, please email us on InquiryintoCOVID-19lessons@dia.govt.nz for advice on your specific situation.

Will any submission I make to the Inquiry be confidential? 

Any personal information provided to the Inquiry, such as your name and contact details, will be kept confidential permanently. 

Your submission will also be kept confidential for the duration of the Inquiry. That means that only the Inquiry will be able to read your submission until after the Inquiry’s report is complete. You can also request permanent confidentiality by ticking the box in this survey.  

Permanent confidentiality means that no one can read your submission except you and the Inquiry (including parties we have engaged to work with us). You may wish to request permanent confidentiality if your submission contains information you would not like anyone else to know, like personal medical information or commercial details about your business. Permanent confidentiality means that no one can share your submission anywhere publicly, including you.  

The Inquiry may use information or direct quotes from your submission in our final report or other communications and products we produce. We will remove any identifying information, like names or specific details, before we use any part of your submission. 

After the Inquiry ends, all submissions will be sent to Archives New Zealand. Submissions that have been granted permanent confidentiality will not be available for the public to access. However, those where confidentiality was not requested can be made available from Archives New Zealand if requested, for example, by a researcher or someone else with an interest in the work of the Inquiry. 

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