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.
In this thread, many people making judgements based on incorrect facts and ignoring that New Zealand’s biggest city had about a years worth of strict lockdown over the 2 year period from 2020-2021. In this thread you’ll also find New Zealanders from outside of Auckland commenting about their personal experience on behalf of everyone from the country.