The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons
Learned will next week hear a range of perspectives on the
pandemic as the Inquiry’s first public hearing
begins.
The Inquiry’s ‘Pandemic Perspectives’
public hearing will take place between Monday 7 July and
Friday 11 July. This hearing will allow Commissioners to
hear from groups, organisations, and individuals from around
Aotearoa New Zealand about their experiences of the pandemic
and the Government’s response to COVID-19.
“The
Pandemic Perspectives public hearing will allow us, in the
open, to hear a range of experiences as well as suggestions
for future pandemic responses. It is important we listen to
these voices and ask key questions, so we can develop robust
findings and recommendations,” says Grant Illingworth KC,
Chair of the Inquiry.
Individuals, organisations and
experts will talk about the effects of key public health
decisions, including social division and isolation, health
and education, and business
activity.
Commissioners are focusing the
hearing on three key areas of the Inquiry’s terms of
reference and that have been key themes raised in public
submissions already received by the
Inquiry:
· Lockdowns in 2021, in
particular the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland
from September 2021.
· Vaccine approvals and
safety.
· Introduction and use of vaccine mandates
throughout 2021 and 2022.
The hearing schedule and
list of witnesses is available on the Inquiry’s
website:
https://www.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz/the-inquiry/public-hearings/public-hearings-session-one-perspectives-on-the-pandemic
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A
second and final public hearing will take place from 20
August to 27 August in Pōneke Wellington, where
Commissioners will hear from key decision makers who led the
Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and from
senior public servants.
“As Commissioners, our job
is to identify lessons from the country’s COVID-19
response to ensure that as a nation, we can be better
prepared for future pandemics,” says Mr Illingworth.
“Our goal is to provide recommendations – that can be
understood by all New Zealanders – to help build a strong
response for the future.
“We need a well-organised,
resilient, robust defence, and we need to be able to come
together as a country to face future
pandemics.”
Alongside the public hearings, the
Inquiry has also held interviews with key decision makers,
met with individuals and organisations who experienced the
pandemic and the response to it, gathered 31,000 public
submissions, and sought extensive written evidence from
Government departments and other organisations.
“We
are encouraged by and thank the 31,000 of you who shared
your experiences through our recent public submissions
process. I also thank the huge number of people and
organisations we’ve met in engagements up and down the
country. Your experiences and perspectives are vital to our
work,” says Mr Illingworth.
The ‘Pandemic
Perspectives’ public hearing will be streamed on the
Inquiry’s website so it can be watched live by the public.
Registered media will be able to attend the hearing for
reporting purposes. A range of accessible resources will
also be available during and after the hearings. Due to
physical limitations, the Inquiry cannot accommodate members
of the
public.
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