New Zealand’s COVID-19 Inquiry Excludes All Key Issues

Hot on the tail of Australia’s irresponsible government behaviour toward conducting a review of the government’s response to the COVID-19 event over the last 4 years, the New Zealand government has gone one step further. They are conducting a review, but their government’s Royal Commission inquiry has sparked significant concern amongst health professionals, businesses and the public, due to its limited scope. With most critical aspects of the pandemic response excluded, this inquiry risks failing the very people it aims to protect. Now is the time for every concerned citizen to demand accountability and transparency from their leaders.

The Role and Importance of a Royal Commission

A Royal Commission is intended to be the most thorough form of public inquiry, tasked with investigating significant matters of national importance. For the COVID-19 pandemic, a complete review is essential to understand what went wrong and how we can better protect ourselves in the future. However, by excluding critical areas such as vaccine efficacy, specific clinical decisions, and the role of the private sector, the government has severely limited the inquiry’s potential impact.

Scope of the Current COVID-19 Lessons Learned Inquiry

The scope of the inquiry, as it stands, deliberately excludes several key topics:

• Clinical Decisions by Health Authorities: The inquiry will not examine how critical medical decisions were made during the pandemic, leaving questions about the effectiveness and timeliness of these decisions unanswered.
• Vaccine Efficacy: By not reviewing the effectiveness of the vaccines used, the inquiry misses an opportunity to understand their true impact and to improve future vaccination strategies.
• Private Sector Involvement: Excluding the private sector’s role, except where it delivered services integral to the pandemic response, means overlooking significant partnerships and their outcomes.

These exclusions significantly weaken the inquiry’s ability to provide a full account of New Zealand’s pandemic response, limiting the lessons they can learn for the future.

The Public’s Right to a Comprehensive Inquiry

The public has the right to a comprehensive inquiry that leaves no stone unturned. The omissions in the current inquiry’s scope not only diminish its effectiveness but also erode public trust. How can we be confident that they are better prepared for the next pandemic if they aren’t willing to examine all aspects of their response to this one?

The inquiry’s narrow focus may lead to incomplete conclusions, potentially leaving them unprepared for future public health crises. As citizens, we must question why these critical areas were excluded and what impact this could have on our safety and well-being.

Time To Demand Answers

It is time to take action. Every New Zealander affected by the pandemic—and that’s all of us—deserves answers. Contact your local government representative and demand that the scope of this inquiry be expanded to include the critical areas currently excluded. Your voice can make a difference. Together, we can ensure that the lessons learned from COVID-19 are thorough and meaningful, protecting our future.

If you’re unsure how to reach out, start by sending an email or making a phone call to your Member of Parliament (MP). Share your concerns about the inquiry’s limitations and request a broader investigation that includes the omitted areas. The power of collective action cannot be underestimated; when enough people speak up, change becomes inevitable.

Conclusion

The Royal Commission’s inquiry into COVID-19 could be one of the most important undertakings of our time. But without a comprehensive review, your government risks repeating the same mistakes. Don’t let this opportunity pass—make your voice heard today. Our future depends on it.