The government has accepted all 63 recommendations from the official inquiry into New Zealand's Covid-19 response, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced today.

The inquiry's recommendations came in two batches: 39 in the first phase and 24 in the second, which focused mainly on how vaccine mandates were rolled out. The final report was delivered in March, with the government indicating at the time that it expected to respond by July (Beehive, 10 March 2026).

Of the 63 recommendations, 21 were accepted in full, 36 accepted in principle, and 6 partially accepted. The recommendations cover 23 government agencies (Beehive, 28 July 2026).

The government accepted what it called the central lesson from the inquiry: New Zealand needs to prepare now for future pandemics, because the next one could be different (Government Response document, 29 July 2026).

Brown said the changes would be completed within 12 months where possible (RNZ, 29 July 2026).

One concrete commitment is that in future pandemics, the government will release the advice behind any major decision affecting people's rights within five working days. During Covid-19, the legal and health advice behind big restrictions like lockdowns and vaccine mandates was not shared quickly enough for the public or Parliament to properly examine. Five working days is fast for government, where advice is usually kept confidential and information requests can take weeks.

The government has decided not to create a new pandemic-specific law. Instead, it will review the existing Health Act. A new law would have let Parliament build a legal framework from scratch with its own rules and safeguards. The Health Act is an old, broad law that was pushed beyond what it was designed for during Covid-19. By reviewing it rather than starting fresh, the government is betting that targeted changes can fix the gaps without the cost and effort of a whole new bill.

The distinction between the three types of acceptance matters. Full acceptance means the government will do what the recommendation says. Accepted in principle means the government agrees with the idea but might change how it is carried out. Partially accepted means some parts are taken up and others are not.

With 63 recommendations spread across 23 agencies, the coordination work will be substantial. The 12-month target is ambitious given the number of agencies involved and the law changes required.

The inquiry's focus on mandates in its second phase speaks to one of the most debated parts of the Covid-19 response. Mandates affected people's jobs, their ability to access services, and personal freedoms. How the government turns the inquiry's recommendations on mandates into actual policy will be closely watched.

The broader context here is that accepting all 63 recommendations "in some form" means none was rejected outright. That sends a signal the government is not willing to publicly disagree with the inquiry's findings. The real test will come in how the recommendations are actually carried out — particularly which ones accepted "in principle" end up being watered down, and whether the Health Act review gives the legal clarity the inquiry was looking for.

For ministers and officials, the next 12 months will mean turning 63 accepted recommendations into working policy across nearly two dozen agencies, under a deadline they set themselves, knowing that whatever they come up with will be tested when the next pandemic arrives.