The secret diary of .. the Covid inquiry

2026-03-13 - 17:07

Royal Commission: Our report concludes that New Zealand did well in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. On the whole, the decisions taken were considered and appropriate. Mike Hosking: So the report is out and it’s a waste of time and money because it tells you what you already knew, that the Labour government made a total cock-up of it and that its leaders ought to be jailed. Starting with Ardern. I never liked Ardern. Or Robertson. Lock them up and throw away the key, and while that will bring many people a sense of justice and satisfaction, it won’t heal the scars. There were days I had to wear a mask, and wait in line at supermarkets. I will never forget that—and I won’t forgive it, either. I have very deep scarring. Royal Commission: It is difficult to see how the process and information leading to the decision to vaccinate could have been more thorough. David Seymour: So the report is out and it vindicates Act’s concerns that vaccine mandates were unnecessary. In fact much of the report is basically a cut and paste of Act’s criticism of the government as having acted throughout the pandemic as larcenous and homicidal. Robertson is guilty of grand larceny, Ardern of murder. And who was there the whole time, applauding them, wiping their brow, tying their shoelaces? Hipkins. He needs to be locked up. He needs to be kept away from the public. He poses an existential threat. He has scarred this country for life. I have superficial scarring, which is consistent. Royal Commission: The government’s balance sheet is healthier than most other countries, even though New Zealand’s fiscal response to the pandemic was relatively generous. Chris Bishop: The report has confirmed Labour’s $60 billion Covid spend-up, much of it untargeted, left behind soaring debt, rising prices and a serious hangover for Kiwis to deal with. Right now National is dealing with a very deep hangover. You will have seen signs of that in the Prime Minister’s recent travails. Some commentators have described him as a dead man walking and others as a drunk weaving his way out of the bar long after closing time. Many have wondered when I will stage a leadership coup, and give New Zealanders an inspirational figure to look up to. They say I will manage the economy. They say I will provide a safe pair of hands. They say I will unite all Kiwis no matter their race or creed. But that’s not for me to comment. Royal Commission: During the occupation of Parliament, the Speaker activated Parliament’s lawn sprinklers and played music and Covid-19 vaccination messages over a loudspeaker until 10pm in an attempt to disperse the protesters. This was done against police advice. Winston Peters: I was there. I got my suit wet. But did Labour pick up the drycleaning bill? No, the taxpayer had to pay for it, just as it has had to pay for all the mistakes made during the Covid-19 pandemic. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that there were detrimental effects caused by our Covid response. I’m not a rocket scientist. But that depends on your definition. I walked among the protesters at the occupation of Parliament and they struck me as sensible, down-to-earth Kiwis with legitimate concerns, and they said, “There goes Winston Peters. He’s a rocket scientist!” Who was I to disagree? Royal Commission: Some public submitters felt that having the Prime Minister and Director-General Ashley Bloomfield present at the briefings together unduly politicised the information... ... Phrases such as ‘team of five million’ and ‘be kind’ were criticised by some public submitters to our Inquiry as patronising or even hypocritical when aspects of the response, such as long lockdowns in Auckland or the introduction of vaccine mandates, felt ‘unkind’ to some citizens. Jacinda Ardern: My book A Different Kind of Power has been shortlisted for the nonfiction prize at the Ockham NZ book awards on May 13. Wish me luck!