We need to talk about the pandemic

Tony Blakely

Opinion

by Tony Blakely

The worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is more than likely over. Now is the time to reflect on our experience of what happened and think carefully about how we’d approach a similar crisis in the future.

The good news is the mahi of “learning the lessons” is already under way. Late last year, the Government announced a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 Lessons Learned, Te Tira Ārai Urutā.

Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to Covid-19 was strong compared with other countries, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t reflect on what was done and why. For example, if the next pandemic is similar in nature to Covid-19, what could we do differently or better? At the same time, the next pandemic could be more severe — so it’s important we look at international experiences to understand what they have learned and could be applied here.

While the Covid-19 pandemic might be called a “1-in-100-year event”, we will experience future pandemics. There is a nagging and well-founded concern that the risk of “big pandemics” is on the rise due to human encroachment into natural ecosystems, meaning viruses have a potentially greater chance of jumping to humans. Given this, it’s important we take the time now and look to our recent experience, to ensure we are as prepared as possible for whatever may eventuate.

Everyone in New Zealand, and indeed many Kiwis living overseas, was impacted by Covid-19. We all made sacrifices for the collective good. Some of those sacrifices had profound impacts at the time, and some will be long-lasting: the loss of freedoms, the loss of employment or income and, for some, serious illness or even the loss of a loved one.

It’s for this reason the inquiry’s scope is broad. We’ll be looking at everything from border closures and lockdowns to education outcomes, the use of vaccine and mask mandates, the MIQ approach, the welfare response and key economic policies made by the Government, along with many other pandemic-related topics.

To date, our focus has been on gathering and looking at the many documents and reviews that have already been produced or undertaken both here in Aotearoa, and in other countries. There is a wealth of information we have already begun to analyse, which will help inform the inquiry.

But just as important is hearing from the many organisations, communities and individuals across Aotearoa about their involvement, experiences and insights of the pandemic. A priority for me and my commissioner colleagues, Hekia Parata and John Whitehead, will be the meetings and conversations we have up and down the country as we undertake this inquiry.

We’ll be conducting the inquiry in a non-adversarial way that supports identifying key lessons, by making it easy for people to share their experience. This means the way we seek information and gather evidence will be less formal than holding public hearings, for example. Our focus is on what we can learn to ensure New Zealand is prepared for the future, not on assigning blame or finding fault.

Everyone will have the opportunity to have their say or share their story. In addition to the commission getting out and about, from November we’ll be inviting public input and submissions from anyone. You’ll be able to do this through our website: www.Covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz

The unfortunate reality is that there will be another pandemic. While it might be uncomfortable, for us to be best prepared we really do need to talk about what has happened and how we responded. Our goal is to distil the lessons we identify to help ensure Aotearoa can respond as well as possible to the next pandemic, safeguarding the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders in the most effective and fair way possible.

■  Professor Tony Blakely is chair of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 Lessons Learned