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A cross-party committee has been created to consider the Government's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Source: Parliamentary Service
What will the committee do?
The Epidemic Response Committee was established on 25 March 2020 to consider and report to the House on matters relating to the Government’s management of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The cross-party committee will be chaired by the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Simon Bridges, and will consist of 11 members in total, six of whom will be Opposition members. The members of the committee are:
- Kiritapu Allan (Labour Party)
- Hon Paula Bennett (National Party)
- Marama Davidson (Green)
- Hon Ruth Dyson (Labour Party)
- Hon Paul Goldsmith (National Party)
- Dr Shane Reti (National Party)
- David Seymour (ACT Party)
- Fletcher Tabuteau (NZ First Party)
- Michael Wood (Labour Party)
- Hon Michael Woodhouse (National Party)
From 31 March, the committee will meet remotely via video-conference on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10am to 12.30pm. The COVID-19 alert level 4 is expected to remain in place for at least four weeks until late April.
In its first week, the committee will hear from a range of people from sectors including health, business, police, and civil defence. You can check the submitters list to find out more about who will be appearing before the committee.
Where can I watch/listen to the committee meetings?
The committee meetings will be live streamed on Parliament’s website and social media, and on-demand versions of these streams will also be available after each meeting. Streams will only be available when hearings are open to the public.
- Watch the meetings on Parliament TV: digital TV channels Freeview 31, Sky 86, Vodafone 86 (Please note that while every attempt has been made to maintain broadcast quality, PTV viewers will notice a difference.)
- Watch on Parliament's website.
- Watch on Parliament's Facebook page.
- Watch on Vimeo.
- Or, listen on Radio New Zealand.
If you have any questions about live streaming, please contact: parliament.website@parliament.govt.nz
Why is the committee needed?
A function of Parliament is to hold the Government to account and to provide scrutiny over its policies and actions. All parties not in Government have the opportunity to provide this scrutiny during debates in the House, and by asking Ministers oral and written questions.
As Parliament is not meeting while New Zealand is at alert level 4, the Epidemic Response Committee will provide this scrutiny over the Government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Leader of the Opposition will chair the committee.
Read more about what this alert level means for you.
Learn more information about access to Parliament during alert level 4.