Stamping out COVID-19 in New Zealand: Legal Pragmatism and Democratic Legitimacy

Abstract

This paper recounts the New Zealand government's legal response to the COVID-19 pandemic (up to October 2020), including legal underpinnings of the lockdown (and challenges to it); the bespoke legislative framework adopted during the pandemic for health orders; the way legitimacy for public health measures was built through accountability in various forms; and what the response tells us about New Zealand's constitutional culture.