Latest news with #GrantIllingworth
NZ Herald
11-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Covid inquiry: Time to cut Dame Jacinda Ardern a break – Fran O'Sullivan
Sowing dissension when this country could more usefully focus on setting an ambition that might persuade more talented New Zealanders to build their futures here instead of heading for the departure lounge. Fact: Ardern has agreed to give evidence to phase two of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Government's response to Covid-19. If she cares deeply for her reputation – and I am sure she does, given the global acclaim that has come her way after her memoir A Different Kind of Power – she will agree to do that in public during the commission's hearings. Ardern doesn't have to come back to New Zealand for that. If the commission calls her – and it should – it can take evidence via Zoom as is now commonplace in transnational court hearings. Subjecting the former Prime Minister to running a gauntlet of personal and potentially physical abuse by insisting she gives evidence in New Zealand will just set off another wave of paranoid behaviour. It won't help in getting to the facts and motivations which coloured prime ministerial decision-making in the Covid years in the dispassionate manner that is needed. The economic trade-offs where the money printers went overtime and dollars were flung at business – critics lament that now. The country has a debt bubble to digest. But it is notable that some critics come from companies that took the Government's financial handouts but did not remit them back when their fortunes improved. The shareholders were winners. The taxpayers were 'tail-end Charlie' here. Go figure. Commission chair Grant Illingworth, KC, has said the inquiry will take public evidence from those affected by 'social division and isolation, health and education, and business activity'. This is important so New Zealand can learn the hard lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and craft strategies for when the next pandemic arrives, as it certainly will. It will also provide a bloodletting for those who were most cruelly affected by the former Labour Government's Covid policies. Hearing from the 'victims' is long overdue. And there are personal stories aplenty, as most can attest. The commission also wants to hear from key decision-makers (and experts) about major decisions and their consequences so lessons can be learned. But the inquiry would be incomplete without hearing from Ardern, former Finance Minister Grant Robertson, former health supremo Sir Ashley Bloomfield and others within the tight Beehive circle that ran the country during the Covid years. It is undeniable that Ardern's performances at the 1pm 'podium of truth', where she and Bloomfield updated daily on the latest Covid situation, were required viewing. Her most impressive attribute was her mastery of that press conference. Her coining of the 'team of five million' (drawn from the late Sir Peter Blake's slogans to build public support for his America's Cup campaigns) to unite New Zealanders in 'fighting the virus' was also masterful. And it worked – at least in the initial phases of the pandemic response. People stayed home. The hospitals were not overrun. Lives were saved – although it is noticeable that the current world Covid death rate statistics show that many other countries did better than New Zealand in the long run. But Ardern's Covid honeymoon was quick to sour. Just one year after she pulled off a historic victory by catapulting Labour to an outright win in the October 2020 election, Ardern's reign hit stumbling blocks. Her Government's tardiness in getting sufficient New Zealanders vaccinated before the mid-August 2021 Delta outbreak helped pave the way for a punishing Auckland lockdown. This was Ardern's toughest year as Prime Minister. Cap that with the politically naive decision not to speak with protesters on Parliament's front lawn – instead of at least speaking with their leaders as commonsense former PM Jim Bolger advocated – and it is not surprising that the tide went out on her prime ministership. It was obvious to anyone coming down from Auckland to Wellington during this period that our political leaders were in a bubble of their own. I went to political journalist Tova O'Brien's farewell from the press gallery on the day we were finally allowed to travel domestically again. It was a different world. No paranoia about drunk citizens hassling or mugging people and acting thuggishly, which had become all too commonplace in the Auckland CBD, where I had spent the past four months. It was all bonhomie and drinks aplenty. The atmosphere also brought into sharp focus the lack of reality that coloured those 1pm press conferences to those watching from Auckland. Bizarre traffic light systems, for instance. The Prime Minister's empathetic response to the March 2019 Christchurch massacre, where 51 Muslims were murdered at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques, had earlier propelled her to international superstardom. The world's tallest building – Dubai's Burj Khalifa – had been lit up with a giant image of Ardern embracing a woman at a Kilbirnie mosque. Her leadership was tested not just by the terrorist attack, but by the Whakaari/White Island disaster and the pandemic. It's ironic that few thank her now for throwing so much money at the crisis. That's the pain of having to pay all that debt back. But there is room to examine all of this dispassionately – not try to (figuratively) hang her again as the more deranged attempted when they wheeled out their noose on Parliament's grounds.
RNZ News
07-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Watch live: Royal Commission of Inquiry into New Zealand's Covid-19 response public hearing
The first public hearings into New Zealand's Covid response continues on Tuesday. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 is looking into the government's response to the pandemic and its effects. This week's hearings particularly concentrate on the impact of the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland in 2021 and on vaccine mandates and safety. Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic response chair Grant Illingworth KC. Photo: Screengrab / Covid 19 Inquiry Monday hearing included perspectives from business sectors based in Auckland, Northland and Waikato. On Tuesday, the Inquiry will hear from research perspectives on the social impacts of lockdowns, as well as from the disabled community, carers and whānau. Perspectives from support organisations for older people and the Pasifika health and social services sector will also be heard. The Commission has also requested former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern appear for questions . Labour leader Chris Hipkins told Morning Report it was up to Ardern to decide whether she'll front and it was important the inquiry operate independently. Hipkins said he had been cooperating with the inquiry as much as possible and he was working through answering "a relatively big list of questions" sent last week. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
06-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Watch live: First public hearings into New Zealand's Covid-19 response begin
The first public hearings into New Zealand's Covid response get under way on Monday - with a focus on lockdowns and vaccines. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 is looking into the government's response to the pandemic and its effects. It is the first time submissions will be heard publicly, with the sessions livestreamed. You can watch it at the top of this page and follow updates in our live blog above. This week's hearings particularly concentrate on the impact of the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland in 2021 and on vaccine mandates and safety. In a minute issued on the Inquiry's website chair Grant Illingworth KC said that would include the effect on "social division and isolation, health and education, and business activity. "We will also hear from experts about the key decisions and their consequences, and lessons to be learned from what happened." The hearings would be in secure hearing rooms, with commissioners, witnesses, lawyers and media present. There was no provision for public attendance beyond those submitting but the live streams would run and be available as recordings as well, the minute said. Witnesses would be questioned by lawyers helping the inquiry, and commissioners could ask questions. A second public hearing was due next month in Wellington. That was to hear from key decisions makers who "led and informed" the government's response to the pandemic. This Royal Commission was set up under the previous Labour government, but its brief was expanded under the current government, with Illingworth taking the chairing role. A report from the first phase was delivered last year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
06-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
First public hearings into New Zealand's Covid-19 response to begin
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 is looking into the government's response to the pandemic and its effects. Photo: RNZ The first public hearings into New Zealand's Covid response get underway today - with a focus on lockdowns and vaccines. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 is looking into the government's response to the pandemic and its effects. It is the first time submissions will be heard publicly, with the sessions live-streamed. This week's hearings particularly concentrate on the impact of the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland in 2021 and on vaccine mandates and safety. In a minute issued on the Inquiry's website chair Grant Illingworth KC said that would include the effect on "social division and isolation, health and education, and business activity. "We will also hear from experts about the key decisions and their consequences, and lessons to be learned from what happened." The hearings would be in secure hearing rooms, with commissioners, witnesses, lawyers and media present. There was no provision for public attendance beyond those submitting but the live streams would run and be available as recordings as well, the minute said. Witnesses would be questioned by lawyers helping the inquiry, and commissioners could ask questions. A second public hearing was due next month in Wellington. That was to hear from key decisions makers who "led and informed" the government's response to the pandemic. This Royal Commission was set up under the previous Labour government, but its brief was expanded under the current government, with Illingworth taking the chairing role. A report from the first phase was delivered last year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
04-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Pandemic Perspectives Focus Of COVID-19 Inquiry Public Hearing Next Week
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned will next week hear a range of perspectives on the pandemic as the Inquiry's first public hearing begins. The Inquiry's 'Pandemic Perspectives' public hearing will take place between Monday 7 July and Friday 11 July. This hearing will allow Commissioners to hear from groups, organisations, and individuals from around Aotearoa New Zealand about their experiences of the pandemic and the Government's response to COVID-19. 'The Pandemic Perspectives public hearing will allow us, in the open, to hear a range of experiences as well as suggestions for future pandemic responses. It is important we listen to these voices and ask key questions, so we can develop robust findings and recommendations,' says Grant Illingworth KC, Chair of the Inquiry. Individuals, organisations and experts will talk about the effects of key public health decisions, including social division and isolation, health and education, and business activity. Commissioners are focusing the hearing on three key areas of the Inquiry's terms of reference and that have been key themes raised in public submissions already received by the Inquiry: · Lockdowns in 2021, in particular the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland from September 2021. · Vaccine approvals and safety. · Introduction and use of vaccine mandates throughout 2021 and 2022. The hearing schedule and list of witnesses is available on the Inquiry's website: A second and final public hearing will take place from 20 August to 27 August in Pōneke Wellington, where Commissioners will hear from key decision makers who led the Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and from senior public servants. 'As Commissioners, our job is to identify lessons from the country's COVID-19 response to ensure that as a nation, we can be better prepared for future pandemics,' says Mr Illingworth. 'Our goal is to provide recommendations – that can be understood by all New Zealanders – to help build a strong response for the future. 'We need a well-organised, resilient, robust defence, and we need to be able to come together as a country to face future pandemics.' Alongside the public hearings, the Inquiry has also held interviews with key decision makers, met with individuals and organisations who experienced the pandemic and the response to it, gathered 31,000 public submissions, and sought extensive written evidence from Government departments and other organisations. 'We are encouraged by and thank the 31,000 of you who shared your experiences through our recent public submissions process. I also thank the huge number of people and organisations we've met in engagements up and down the country. Your experiences and perspectives are vital to our work,' says Mr Illingworth. The 'Pandemic Perspectives' public hearing will be streamed on the Inquiry's website so it can be watched live by the public. Registered media will be able to attend the hearing for reporting purposes. A range of accessible resources will also be available during and after the hearings. Due to physical limitations, the Inquiry cannot accommodate members of the public.
