Summarised by Centrist
Auckland University’s Global Vaccine Data Network faces an uncertain future after the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) review ended its US$10 million funding stream more than a year early.
Associate Professor Helen Petousis-Harris, who has long defended New Zealand’s COVID vaccine policies, described the decision as “gutting, but not really surprising.” She claimed it would destabilise science and undermine public trust.
She said the team was “four years into it, so we’ve achieved a huge amount of the work, which is now really bearing the fruits.”
Petousis-Harris insisted the project, which draws on data from more than 300 million people worldwide, was producing “ground-breaking” work.
The project now requires about US$2 million to finish its work, with UniServices CEO Greg Murison confirming efforts to salvage the project. New Zealand’s Ministry of Health said it had not received any request for local funding.
