COVID INQUIRY: HAVE YOUR SAY

We ran a submission tool enabling our supporters to leave feedback on what should be included in the expanded terms of reference for the Covid-19 Inquiry.

We called for the stigmatisation and suppression of freedom of speech, particularly in the exercise of “soft power,” to be thoroughly examined.

Feedback has now closed.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT SCOPE OF THE INQUIRY?

The public health response and delivery of health services

This includes things like border closures and MIQ arrangements; the approval and mandating of vaccines; lockdowns and isolation arrangements; as well as vaccine passes, gathering limits, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

The provision of goods and services

This includes things like how people’s everyday needs were met during the pandemic, such as the provision of lifeline utilities and services, e.g., water and electricity; how education and childcare services were delivered; and other essential services that the Government provides, like regular superannuation payments or housing.

The economic response

This includes things like how support to individuals and businesses was provided, like the wage subsidy, for example; exemptions that were put in place for specific industries like farming, for example; and the Government’s economic response more generally.

Government communication, engagement, and decision-making

This includes things like how people and communities were communicated and engaged with during the pandemic, in order to limit the spread of the virus and ensure people were kept safe, and what sort of decision-making structures and arrangements might be used or put in place during a pandemic that continues for a long time.

We called for the Royal Commission to examine the following:

• Whether government policies and actions inhibited free speech in New Zealand, including the exercise of ‘soft power’ as opposed to explicit censorship
• Whether legal protection was sufficient for people who faced repercussions for their opinions held on the COVID response
• Whether academic freedom in New Zealand universities was faithfully upheld
• The effects of the government's COVID response on New Zealand's social cohesion

We received over 4,000 submissions.