Summarised by Centrist

Advice supporting any major decision that affects New Zealanders’ individual rights during a future pandemic will have to be published within five working days.

The COVID inquiry made 63 recommendations across 23 agencies. The government accepted 21 in full, 36 “in principle” with modifications and the remaining six partially.

Health Minister Simeon Brown said New Zealanders had placed enormous trust in the government and made substantial sacrifices.

“They deserve a clear account of what happened, and this response is about learning from it,” he said.

Future emergency economic assistance is intended to be “timely, temporary, and targeted”. Brown argued the previous response left restrictions in place too long and involved “spraying tens of billions of dollars across hundreds of programmes with little to show for it”.

All advice from the Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group has now been proactively released. That follows controversy over what ministers were told about the risk of myocarditis following vaccination.

However, the government will not create the dedicated pandemic legislation recommended by the commission. It will instead review the Health Act.

The commission said standing legislation covering lockdowns, border closures, quarantine and vaccine requirements should be enacted before another pandemic.

It described such legislation, considered through Parliament before an emergency, as “the guardrail for fundamental rights and freedoms”.

The government says the Health Act review will instead balance public health, the economy and individual rights.

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