Editorial: Covid 19 coronavirus advisory group is a welcome move

A police-manned Covid checkpoint, south of the Bryderwyn Hills. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The Government has appointed a special advisory group, led by business executive Sir Brian Roche, to help ensure we "learn and adapt" when it comes to the Covid-19 response.

In an explanation typical of a statement, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said this new advisory group would "formalise [the Government's] ongoing approach to independent review and improvement around Covid-19".

One of the things Hipkins wants the group to look into is the use of the categories during the last outbreak - the casual, casual plus and close contact categories. Hipkins wants to know if this was a "help or a hindrance". It certainly did appear to be the latter, with obvious confusion during the so-called Valentine's Day cluster.

Another aspect which could be useful to look at would be the extent and time periods of raised alert levels. Has it, for instance, been entirely necessary to lock down all of the Auckland region during the latest community outbreak? Compare this strategy to the closure of selected suburbs around North Shore beaches in Sydney last December.

Sir Brian Roche. Photo / Mark MItchell, File

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the formation of the group has been in discussion for "some time" and was not mustered as a direct result of the recent Auckland outbreak.

"It makes sense to have a group that is doing constant improvement work as part of our response to Covid-19."

Indeed. It also made sense when the NZ Herald called for an inquiry into New Zealand's response to the pandemic back in May last year. In fact, we called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (we're nothing, if not aspirational).

The May editorial said the panel should include authorities in epidemiology, health and crisis management. This expertise has been well covered with the appointments of clinical epidemiologist Philip Hall, public health physician and district health board chief Dale Bramley and former Air NZ chief executive Rob Fyfe.

While it could be said there's no achievement in predicting the inevitable, it would be churlish for us not to welcome the special advisory group.

But, as National leader Judith Collins says, the group is a good idea but it should have been established a while ago.