Make a Submission (NZSL)

Overview

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned was established in December 2022. The purpose of the Inquiry is to learn lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic response to help Aotearoa New Zealand prepare for the future.

The first phase of the COVID-19 Inquiry ran until 28 November 2024, including a public submissions period in early 2024. Phase Two of the Inquiry is now underway. Phase Two is looking at some additional topics that were not covered in Phase One, as well as looking in more detail at some of the topics included in Phase One, such as mandates and lockdowns.

Phase Two’s primary focus is reviewing key decisions made by the New Zealand Government in response to COVID-19 during 2021 and 2022. Specifically, we are looking at key decisions the Government made in the following areas: 

Vaccines, including mandates, approvals, and safety 
Lockdowns, particularly the lockdowns of late 2021 and the extended Auckland/Northland lockdown 
Testing and tracing technologies, like RATs and the COVID-19 Tracer app, and public health materials, like masks.

We will be using our review of these key decisions to give advice to the Government on how Aotearoa New Zealand could prepare for and respond to any future pandemics. Phase Two will only make recommendations to the Government regarding the topics included above. 

How you can take part 

We want to hear from you about how key decisions in the areas explained above (like the use of longer lockdowns, or making RAT tests free, for example) affected or changed your life, or the lives of your whānau or friends.  

You could tell us how these decisions by the Government had an effect on your work or business, your relationships, important life events, your health, or your education, for example.   

You can do this by filling in the online submission form, which you will find by clicking the ‘Make a submission’ link at the bottom of this page. 

In the form, you will have the option of either writing your submission in the text box provided, or attaching a Word document or PDF that contains your written submission. You can only upload one document.  

You can also use Videomail to record a video of yourself making a submission in NZSL. To do this, click on the button that says ‘Make a Videomail submission’ on the next page. We recommend right-clicking on the link and opening it in a new tab so you can return to the main submission form to complete your demographic information afterwards. Clicking on ‘Make a Video submission’ link will take you to the Videomail website.

Once you arrive there:

Click ‘Record video’ and record yourself using NZSL to make your submission.
Enter your email address in the ‘From’ field
Enter any message you want to share with the Inquiry in the ‘Message’ field
All other fields have been filled out for you
Click ‘Send Videomail’ to send your submission to the Inquiry
Return to the submission form and complete any demographic information you wish to share by typing it into the form. Please make sure you include your email address so we can match your Videomail video to your submission. If you do not wish to fill out any demographic information, you can skip this step and the next step.
Submit your submission form
The Inquiry will match your Videomail submission to your demographic information using your email address.

After you make your submission, you will be asked some questions about yourself. Providing this information is optional, but we really encourage you to fill it in. This information helps our Inquiry better understand your perspective and makes sure we hear from a range of people. It also means we can contact you about your submission if we need to. 

If you are having trouble using the online form, please email the Inquiry on InquiryintoCOVID-19lessons@dia.govt.nz or call 0800 500 306. You can use NZ Relay to call 0800 500 306.

How your information will be treated 

Any personal information provided to the Inquiry, such as your name and contact details, will be kept permanently confidential.

Your submission will also be kept confidential for the duration of the Inquiry. That means that only the Inquiry (including parties we have engaged to work with us) will be able to read your submission until after the Inquiry’s report is complete. Alongside your name and personal information, you can also request permanent confidentiality for the rest of your submission by ticking the box in this survey.  

Permanent confidentiality means that no one can read your submission except you and the Inquiry. You may wish to request permanent confidentiality if your submission contains information you would not like anyone else to know, like personal medical information or commercial details about your business. Permanent confidentiality means that no one can share your submission anywhere publicly, including you.  

The Inquiry may use information or direct quotes from your submission in our final report or other communications and products we produce. We will remove any identifying information, like names or specific details, before we use any part of your submission. 

After the Inquiry ends, all submissions will be sent to Archives New Zealand. Submissions that have been granted permanent confidentiality will not be available for the public to access. However, those where permanent confidentiality was not requested can be made available from Archives New Zealand if requested, for example, by a researcher or someone else with an interest in the work of the Inquiry. 

More information 

If you need further information about the Inquiry or about making a submission, you may wish to read a summary of our terms of reference or our frequently asked questions. 

Please note this information is available in written English.  

Thank you 

The Commissioners know the pandemic has had significant effects for all New Zealanders, and that will remain front of mind as the Inquiry progresses. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with the Inquiry. Hearing from people like you is a vital part of our work. 

Submissions close on Sunday 27 April 2025 at midnight. 