Abstract
New Zealand’s Alert Level Four lockdown was one of the strictest in the world. The vast majority of New Zealanders not only approved of the restrictions, but also abided by them. We argue that in a democratic society like New Zealand, it would not have been possible for the restrictions to be enforced without there being a high degree of social capital. In this chapter, we compare New Zealand’s level of social capital to that of other countries and discuss why New Zealand having high social capital has been important in the fight against COVID-19. We also discuss some lessons from behavioural economics about the conditions under which strict lockdowns become more difficult to enforce, the longer the restrictions are in placePlace.