New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of its governance on the construction industry

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the construction industry. The pandemic caused wide international disruption to employment, supply chain, costs, skills, and other aspects, and it caused huge uncertainty. Around the world, governments dealt with the crisis in different manners. This study investigates the ways New Zealand responded to this pandemic and examined the effects of its governance on the construction industry. This is done through examining and analysing government records and guidelines in response to COVID-19 at different stages and alert levels. Relevant government information portals and websites such as “Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment”, “Construction Sector Accord”, and “Covid.govt.nz” are investigated to find guidelines and information to help the construction industry respond to the impacts of COVID-19. These guidelines and information were compared to understand how similar these recommended responses were. The findings show the mitigating implications and solutions to the construction industry’s current disruption and demonstrate the similarity of the recommended solutions.