Commissioners also say the vaccine requirements eroded public trust and call for investment to plan for the next pandemic

Summary

New Zealand’s royal commission into its Covid-19 response found vaccine mandates were reasonable based on available data but acknowledged they harmed social cohesion.

The report praised the country’s elimination strategy for achieving one of the lowest Covid death rates among developed nations while preventing healthcare system collapse.

However, it criticized prolonged lockdowns, weak health system preparedness, and a lack of planning for future crises.

Commissioners urged broad investment in pandemic readiness and emphasized the importance of both frontline and planning staff.

A second phase of the inquiry will review vaccine harms and conclude in 2026.

    • Noedel@lemmy.world
      654·
      3 days ago

      There’s a new government and a complete shift in power. The enquiry is neutral. Nobody’s patting themselves on the back.

      • kaffiene@lemmy.worldEnglish
        20·
        2 days ago

        Yep. The people who brought the enquiry would love for it to criticise the covid response, as they were the ones cheerleading the naysayers

        • shaun@lemmy.world
          411·
          2 days ago

          I’m not against the NZ covid response, but it was far from perfect. And if you actually read the enquiry, it does make a lot of criticism on many aspects. It’s not just this headline.

          • kaffiene@lemmy.worldEnglish
            6·
            2 days ago

            Oh yeah, of course we can always do better. No way you can enact a country wide change like this without some flaws

          • Noedel@lemmy.world
            23·
            2 days ago

            Based on my experience talking to people that probably aren’t from NZ (let alone Auckland), this view is illegal on Lemmy

            • Walk_blesseD@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
              5·
              2 days ago

              Downvoting anything and everything you say because your username is “neocon” on the other hand, is cool and good 💅💅💅

            • Lemminary@lemmy.world
              4·
              2 days ago

              A consensus is not necessarily a hive mind as much as you’d want to believe.

              I see you’re new here and already in the negatives with only two comments. What a rough start.