The first of two major probes into the pandemic was released on Thursday, calling for broad investment to plan for the next pandemic.
A headline finding is that New Zealand had one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 deaths per head of population among developed countries.
The most contentious of the issues surveyed was the use of lockdowns and vaccine mandates, which helped to curb the spread of the virus, but at the cost of social cohesion and trust in government.
"Contentious public health measures like vaccine mandates wore away at what had initially been a united wall of public support for the pandemic response," Commissioners Tony Blakely, John Whitehead and Grant Illingworth wrote.
"Along with the rising tide of misinformation and disinformation, this created social fissures that have not entirely been repaired."
Another finding was "it was reasonable to introduce some targeted vaccine requirements based on information available at the time", but the case was weaker from early 2022 when the Omicron variant took over.
No recommendations around the future use of mandates were offered.
Labour's Chris Hipkins agreed with some of the criticisms in the commission's findings. (Mark Coote/AAP PHOTOS)
Former COVID-19 minister Chris Hipkins, now the Labour leader, called the report "really useful" and agreed with some of the criticism - including his lengthy 2021 lockdown in Auckland.
"We lost the room in Auckland," he said.
"There were two things that were incredibly challenging. One was vaccines and the second was issues around the Auckland lockdown."
The report found the health system was not well prepared, but New Zealand's elimination strategy was "highly effective in preventing the health system from being overwhelmed and protecting vulnerable groups".
Inquiry chair Dr Blakely, a University of Melbourne epidemiologist and public health specialist, said it was vital that government planned effectively for the next major life-upending event.
"We don't know when it's going to be and we don't know what it's going to be but we can plan for scenarios," he said.
In a rebuke to the government's current public sector cuts aimed squarely at non-frontline workers, Dr Blakely said those working behind-the-scenes would be vital.
"I'll be blunt here ... you need people in the back office. People in the back office are useful. They're not just a waste of time," he said.
"You need both your front office people that are doing the day-to-day stuff, as well as your back office people on planning and preparation."
Commissioners met with former prime ministers and key decision-makers among around 1600 people at 400 meetings across New Zealand.
The royal commission was established by Jacinda Ardern's Labour-led government, which oversaw the response.
A second phase of the investigation was added in early 2024 by the conservative coalition government, which argued the first probe had "significant limits" on what it could consider.
Dr Blakely rejected the notion that commissioners were in the thrall of the Labour government.
"Those who think that Dr Blakely is a patsy for the previous government ... you'll get a huge surprise when you open that report," he told NZ media outlet Stuff.
One area which was off limits was any vaccine harms, which will be reviewed in the second probe.
Speaking to the Science Media Centre prior to the report's release, Dr Blakely suggested the government had not told him when it would be made public.
"I'm hopeful, even optimistic, that it will be released soon," he said.
"And I encourage it to be released soon ... the next pandemic may not be far away. We need to get on and prepare."
The next phase of the commission begins gathering evidence on Friday, and is due for completion in February 2026.
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