![]() Pacific peoples make up 8.3% of the population (the largest groups being Samoan, Tongan and Cook Islands Māori), and there are close ties between A/NZ and Pacific nations. A Treaty – Te Tiriti o Waitangi – signed between the Crown and Māori in 1840 plays a key role in Crown–Māori relations and policies. It has an Indigenous Māori population, who make up around 16.67% of the total population. ![]() All dates refer to 2020, unless otherwise signified.Ģ. An overview and timeline of COVID-19 in Aotearoa New ZealandĪ/NZ is a relatively small, island nation in the Western South Pacific, with a population of 5.1 million people. Regular blogs from public health experts are available at Various ( 2020–2021). The last includes all data on cases in A/NZ. Note that three key websites provide detailed information on COVID-19 in A/NZ (Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment, 2020 New Zealand Government, 2020 a Ministry of Health, 2021). In this paper, I provide information on the decision-making processes involved with COVID-19 in A/NZ (Section 2) an overview and timeline of A/NZ's approach to and experiences with COVID-19 (Section 3) discuss the range of measures that the A/NZ government has taken to combat the virus and the issues faced, focusing on International Borders Restrictions Cases, Clusters and Deaths Tracing and Testing and the Capacity of the Health System (Sections 4–8) explore the economic impact of COVID-19 and the Government's responses (Section 9) and reflect on how A/NZ has managed the virus and the future challenges the country faces (Section 10). (Note that ‘Aotearoa’ in an Indigenous name for New Zealand.) By 18 January 2021, there had been a total of 1906 confirmed and 356 probable cases (a total of 2262 cases), with 25 deaths (Ministry of Health, 2021) for a population of 5.1 million. The country has been highly successful at limiting the spread and impact of the virus. The economic, and associated social, challenges will last many years.Īotearoa New Zealand's (A/NZ's) response to COVID-19 has been described by the government as going ‘hard’ and ‘early’, with the goal of eliminating transmission of virus in the community, and in ways that ensure equity (Ministry of Health, 2020 a, 2020 b). ![]() Key challenges for 2021 include swiftly rolling out a vaccine, catching up on delayed health care, and deciding how and when the border can reopen. The country overall was not well prepared for a pandemic, but policy-making has been nimble. The country is most vulnerable at its borders, where arrangements have been of concern advice on testing and the wearing of masks has changed over time while the use and distribution of personal protective equipment has also been of concern. Strong leadership from the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Director-General of Health and high levels of community co-operation have supported the response. A four-level Alert Level framework has guided key actions at different levels of risk. The response has ramped up over time, and has included various levels of: border control advice on hygiene, physical distancing and mask wearing advice to remain at home if unwell and testing and tracing. Aotearoa New Zealand went ‘hard’ and ‘early’ in its response to COVID-19 and has been highly successful in limiting the spread and impact of the virus.
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