Monday’s announcement by the New Zealand government indicated that it would open an inquiry into how the country handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Future governments can learn from this experience.
The government stated in a statement that a Royal Commission, which is a public inquiry at the highest level of New Zealand, would examine the overall response. This would include economic measures such as fiscal or monetary policy responses, but not reviewing specific central bank decisions.
It would be possible to identify lessons that can be used in the future pandemic.
Prime Minister Jacinda Adern stated in a statement that “it had been more than 100 years since we experienced an epidemic of this magnitude.”
New Zealand was once a shining example of how to tackle the coronavirus. Its quick response to the pandemic, and its geographical isolation, kept it COVID-19-free until 2021. This won Ardern strong domestic support.
Protests began earlier in the year because of anger at vaccine mandates for workers in certain sectors, such as education and health, and tight border closures. Some political parties are also blaming the government’s financial response for three-decades of high inflation.
