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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Henry Cooke

A royal commission gives New Zealand a chance to reckon with what Covid did to us

Protesters against New Zealand’s Covid vaccine mandates and restrictions gathered pace in early 2022.
Protesters against New Zealand’s Covid vaccine mandates and restrictions gathered pace in early 2022. Photograph: Dave Lintott/AFP/Getty Images

It’s hard to describe just how good New Zealand felt as summer began at the end of 2020.

Aotearoa had seemingly got through the pandemic unscathed, relying on a zero-Covid or “elimination” strategy. We had been in alert level 1 since October, meaning there were no real restrictions on daily life, with huge music festivals and parties going ahead while much of the western world was still struggling with lockdowns.

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