Abstract
New Zealand has been comparatively fortunate, with a total of 2,372 confirmed or probable cases of Covid-19 infection and 26 deaths to date. The economic impacts are, so far, less severe than originally expected, with unemployment currently sitting at 4.9%. New Zealand has enjoyed a summer of relative normality, with the absence of the virus in the community making large events and domestic holiday travel possible. Health officials have just started vaccinating front-line border, managed isolation and healthcare workers and a public vaccination campaign will likely commence later in the year. However, the pandemic is far from over, and New Zealand is particularly exposed to longer term international economic trends yet to fully manifest. Also, a new case was discovered in Auckland on 14 February, and as of 28 February 2021, a 7-day lockdown has been imposed on New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, with the rest of the country under heightened restrictions while the outbreak is contained.