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June 26, 2024
Peters cooks up coalition row over Covid inquiry
Claudette Hauiti
Posted On June 26, 2024
New Zealand First has invoked the “agree to disagree” clause in the coalition agreement for the first time with regards to the expanded Covid-19 inquiry.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says the inquiry, started under Labour, will move into a second phase in November with new commissioners and expanded terms of reference.
It will focus on matters of ongoing public concern including vaccine efficacy and safety, the extended lockdowns in Auckland and Northland, and the extent of disruption to New Zealanders’ health, education, and business.
The current commissioners, Professor Tony Blakely and John Whitehead, will resign in November after delivering a report on the first phase of the inquiry.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says he wants the commissioners sacked immediately and their work scrapped, because Professor Blakely’s direct involvement with the previous government’s administration and direct planning of the Covid pandemic response led to a perception of bias which would undermine the credibility of that part of the inquiry.
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