A submissions portal and awareness campaign was launched on Monday to support further public submissions on key topics as part of the next phase of the Covid-19 Inquiry, said its chair, Grant Illingworth, KC.

“A focus for this phase of the Inquiry is reviewing key decisions made by the New Zealand Government regarding certain aspects of the Covid-19 response. We will use this assessment to provide advice to the Government on how Aotearoa New Zealand could make decisions during future pandemics.”

Illingworth said an important part of the Inquiry is hearing from New Zealanders about their experiences of the pandemic response, and how they were affected.

“To help us provide this advice, we want to hear from individuals and communities on how certain key Government decisions affected or changed their lives during the pandemic. By sharing these experiences with us, you’ll help the Inquiry provide carefully considered, practical recommendations to the New Zealand Government that will help us prepare for and manage any future pandemics.”

Phase Two of the Inquiry began gathering evidence from November 29 2024, including accepting early submissions from the public and organisations.

“We’ve been encouraged by the number of people who have taken the time to engage with us in this early part of the second phase of the Inquiry, and we’re looking forward to hearing from a further wide range of people,” said Illingworth.

Phase Two has been directed to review key decisions the New Zealand Government made in certain areas between February 2021 and October 2022. A key decision is one made by the Government that had a significant impact on a large number of people or had a significant cost at a national or regional level (or both).

The Inquiry’s focus will be on three main areas:

• Vaccines, including the use of mandates, the approval of vaccines, and vaccine safety
• Lockdowns, especially the national lockdown in August and September 2021 and the Auckland/Northland extended lockdown late 2021.
• Testing, tracing, and other public health tools, for example RAT tests.

When reviewing these decisions, the Inquiry will consider potential lessons on how best to balance people’s health, social needs (including things like education and contact with friends and family) and economic impacts.

“While we will build on the work of Phase One of the Inquiry – specifically, by looking at certain issues in more depth, like lockdowns and mandates – the Inquiry will also consider matters of public concern not clearly addressed in the first phase, including vaccine safety,” said Illingworth.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has had significant effects for all New Zealanders, and hearing from the public is an important part of our work. On behalf of my fellow Commissioners and I, thank you for taking the time to engage with the Inquiry and contribute to Aotearoa New Zealand’s pandemic preparedness.”