Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato Reaction to the New Zealand government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown has ranged from high praise to criticism that its actions were illegal and its management chaotic. Partly in response to the concerns, and to put the continued containment of the disease on a firmer legal footing, the COVID-19 Public Health Response …

Mahmoud Elkhodr, CQUniversity Australia New Zealanders finally have access to the Government’s new tracing app to help people monitor their movements as lockdown continues to ease. As businesses can now open, the NZ COVID Tracer app allows people to keep a register of the places they visit. This “digital diary” can be used to contact people if it finds they …

Victoria Plekhanova, Massey University The New Zealand government’s recently announced NZ$50 million subsidy package to support local media was necessary and urgent – even if it came too late to save the Bauer magazine titles from closing. But the injection of government cash did not address the underlying cause of the decline of New Zealand’s media, which predates the COVID-19 …

Kris Gledhill, Auckland University of Technology As New Zealand approaches the end of its strictest lockdown period, a debate has begun about whether it was legal in the first place. This is important because people are being prosecuted for breaching the lockdown. Naturally, lawyers are getting involved, so things are going to get technical. Some lawyers tend to speak in …

Adrian Esterman, University of South Australia Compared to many other countries around the world, Australia and New Zealand have done an exceptional job controlling COVID-19. As of May 7, there were 794 active cases of COVID-19 in Australia. Only 62 were in hospital. The situation in New Zealand is similar, with 136 active cases, only two of whom are in …

Robin Gauld, University of Otago New Zealand’s budget brings a significant funding injection for health and disability services, amounting to around a 9% increase. It is the most substantial increase for the health sector in some time, and in this regard, aligns with the government’s 2019 well-being budget. Overall, the budget provides an additional NZ$4.3 billion over the next four …

Norman Gemmell, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington May 14’s budget will surely be remembered as the “pandemic budget”. It might seem like the worst possible timing – economic uncertainty rages, Treasury has had to abandon its usual economic “forecasts”, and the pandemic’s viral economic spread is far from over. On the contrary, this may be very good …

Jonathan Boston, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Budget 2020’s focus on “jobs, jobs and jobs” is understandable, commendable and vital. COVID-19 poses the largest threat to paid employment since the Great Depression almost 90 years ago. The number of people receiving Job Seeker Support (Work Ready) – the main benefit available for the unemployed – rose almost …

In ancient Rome, a victorious general would parade through the city to the temple of Jupiter in a gilded chariot amidst a frenzy of adoration. But to keep the triumphant commander tethered to reality, the trusted slave holding a laurel wreath above his head would whisper repeatedly in his ear: “Memento mori” — “Remember you are mortal!” It is advice Jacinda Ardern …

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted the tourism sectors in New Zealand and Australia and worldwide. Travel underpins the highly valuable two-way trade and investment relationship. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, New Zealand was the most popular outbound travel destination for Australians with 1.5 million visiting in 2019, and trans-Tasman travel accounting for 40% of all foreign visitors here. Likewise, …