New Zealand Recommends an Even Harsher Response to ‘The Next Pandemic’

A royal commision praised its draconian COVID-19 mandates and dismissed concerns about the mRNA shots

New Zealand has declared its pandemic response a success, while also suggesting it didn’t go far enough.

A government-commissioned inquiry last week concluded that the country’s handling of COVID-19 was “one of the best in the world.” At the same time, it pointed to what it described as key shortcomings, including a failure to impose certain restrictions and mandates earlier—raising the prospect that future responses could be even more aggressive.

New Zealand drew international attention for some of the strictest pandemic policies in the world. Under then–Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the government imposed sweeping lockdowns and rolled out harsh vaccine mandates that sharply divided the country along vaccination status.

Those who declined the mRNA shots were deprived of human rights. Unvaccinated New Zealanders were barred from restaurants, events, and many public venues, while workers in sectors like health care and education lost their jobs if they refused the injections. By contrast, those who complied were granted their “freedom.”

“The new COVID-19 Protection Framework sets a pathway forward that rewards the rapidly growing number of vaccinated New Zealanders with more freedoms to go about their lives safely,” Ardern said at the time.

Pressed by a reporter on whether the policy effectively created “two different classes of people,” Ardern enthusiastically agreed.

“That is what it is,” she replied, smiling.

The inquiry itself, launched in 2022, examined the government’s decisions during the later phase of the pandemic—from early 2021 through late 2022—when New Zealand shifted away from trying to eliminate the virus entirely and toward managing its spread. It reviewed lockdowns, vaccine mandates, testing and tracing systems, and broader public health strategy.

While the report ultimately endorsed most of those decisions as “considered and appropriate,” it also suggested the government was, at times, too slow to adapt—particularly as new variants emerged. In at least one case, the commission argued that mandates and other measures could have been implemented sooner.

Supporters of the government’s approach have echoed the report’s conclusions. Some media outlets praised the country’s strict measures.

“The country’s strict response, which included lockdowns, vaccine mandates and border quarantine helped to save tens of thousands of lives,” The Guardian gushed when reporting the commission’s findings.

The report strongly defended the use of vaccine mandates as a legitimate tool, even while acknowledging they caused “distress” and economic harm for some New Zealanders. It also dismissed public concerns about vaccine safety as “not grounded in reliable evidence or aligned with scientific consensus.”

In the United States, meanwhile, health officials have pulled back on earlier one-size-fits-all vaccine recommendations. The Department of Health and Human Services last year withdrew its guidance supporting COVID-19 shots for young, healthy populations. Around the same time, Vinay Prasad—the senior FDA official overseeing vaccines—acknowledged that, for lower-risk groups, the benefits of the shots did not outweigh the risks. He also confirmed that children died from the mRNA shots that they never needed in the first place.

Against that backdrop, New Zealand’s endorsement of its mandates—and the suggestion they should have come sooner—raises eyebrows.

The commission emphasized that its role was “not to apportion blame but to ensure New Zealand is better informed ahead of the next pandemic.”

Among its recommendations was to create a new agency to monitor social cohesion and public trust during pandemics.

Former Prime Minister Ardern and then–Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said they accepted the findings, describing the response as largely successful, while conceding there was room for improvement.

“We got a lot right. More than most. But there are areas that could have been better,” they said in a joint statement.

Current Labour leader Chris Hipkins struck a similar tone, calling for stronger institutions and greater public trust ahead of the next global health crisis.

“Are we better prepared for the next pandemic today than we were in 2020?” he wondered.