Appendix 2: Key groups of the all-of-government response to Covid-19
Co-ordination of the all-of-government response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
| Group | Members |
|---|---|
| Border Executive Board | Chaired by the Comptroller of the New Zealand Customs Service. Comprises the chief executives of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Ministry of Health. The members of the Board were made jointly accountable to the Minister for Covid-19 Response for delivering strategic improvements to the border system and the other outcomes that Cabinet expects. |
| Cabinet External Relations and Security Committee (see Figure 2) |
Chaired by the Prime Minister (who also holds the portfolio of National Security and Intelligence). Comprises 11 other Ministers, including Ministers with portfolio responsibilities for Biosecurity, Defence, Disarmament and Arms Control, Emergency Management, Foreign Affairs, and Health. |
| Cabinet Social Wellbeing Committee (see Figure 5) |
Chaired by the Minister for Social Development and Employment. Comprises 16 other Ministers, including the Minister for Covid-19 Response and the Minister of Health. |
| Covid-19 Chief Executives' Board (see Figure 4) |
Chaired by the Chief Executive of DPMC. Comprises the chief executives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Development, The Treasury, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the New Zealand Customs Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Justice, Te Puni Kōkiri, Crown Law Office, and the Public Service Commission. The Deputy Chief Executive of the Covid-19 Group is also included and a permanent Red Team function was incorporated in late 2020. |
| Covid-19 Community Panel | Nine members representing Māori, Pacific people, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, rural, youth, older people, other ethnic groups, and the health sector. |
| Covid-19 Group Leadership Team | Chaired by the Deputy Chief Executive of DPMC’s Covid-19 Group. In 2020, this team comprised the Group’s Chief of Staff and its heads of Strategy and Policy, Communications, and Planning and Operations. |
| Covid-19 Independent Continuous Review, Improvement and Advice Group (Improvements Group) |
Appointed by the Minister for Covid-19 Response. The Chairperson and four other members represent sectors or are considered experts in a desirable field. They are expected to engage relevant agencies and wider stakeholders (including iwi, private sector, non-government organisations, and vulnerable communities, as appropriate). |
| Covid-19 Ministers (Covid-19 Ministerial Group) |
Ministers with Power to Act from Cabinet on the Government’s response to Covid-19. In February 2020, the Group comprised the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Health, and the Minister for Trade and Export Growth. In March 2020, the Group comprised the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Kelvin Davis, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Education, the Minister for Social Development, the Minister of Health, and Hon James Shaw. In August 2020, the Group comprised the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Attorney General, the Minister of Health, and the Minister of Justice. |
| Covid-19 Chief Executives’ Strategic Readiness Group | Chaired by the Chief Executive of DPMC. Set up as a sub-group of the Public Service Leadership Team to focus on longer-term Covid-19 issues. Included the Deputy Chief Executive of DPMC, the Comptroller of the New Zealand Customs Service, and chief executives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Ministry for Social Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Justice, the Treasury, and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service. This group evolved into the Covid-19 Chief Executives Board. |
| Emergency Management Assistance Team | This is a deployable capability that was established in 2019 as part of the emergency management reforms. It is managed by NEMA. Emergency Management Assistance Team members are drawn from across central and local government and emergency services. They are people with the appropriate skills, experiences, and attributes to support emergency responses, including working in emergency co-ordination centres. |
| Epidemic Response Committee | Chaired by the Leader of the Opposition. Comprised 11 members of Parliament in total, six of whom were from the Opposition. |
| Hazard Risk Board | Chaired by the Deputy Chief Executive of DPMC’s National Security Group. Included chief executives (or their delegates) of DPMC, the New Zealand Police, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry of Transport, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and NEMA.* |
| Intersectoral Pandemic Group | A group with a role in all-of-government pandemic planning (referred to in the New Zealand Influenza Pandemic Plan). Membership is not set out in that plan or other public documents. |
| National Response Group | Comprises senior leaders from the Covid-19 Group, the Ministry of Health, and NEMA. |
| National Response Leadership Team | Chaired by the Chief Executive of DPMC. Comprises the Director-General of Health, the Chief Executive of NEMA, the Deputy Chief Executive of the Covid-19 Group, the Secretary to the Treasury, the Solicitor General, and the Commissioner of Police. |
| Officials’ Committee for Domestic and External Security Co-ordination (ODESC) |
Chaired by the Chief Executive of DPMC. Comprises the right mix of chief executives, depending on the crisis and as determined by the Chairperson. |
| Public Service Leadership Team | Includes all chief executives of government departments. The Public Service Act 2020 sets out the full membership of this team. Regular meetings of this group are chaired by the Chief Executive of DPMC. Formal meetings (in line with the Public Service Act) are chaired by the Public Service Commissioner. |
| The Quin | Chaired by the All-of-Government Controller. Comprises the Director-General of Health, the Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, an All-of-Government Strategy and Policy Lead, and an All-of-Government Strategy Operations Command Lead. |
| Strategic Covid-19 Public Health Advisory Group (Strategic Group) | Appointed by the Minister for Covid-19 Response. Comprises up to six members, who are experts in epidemiology, infectious diseases, public health, and modelling. |
| Watch Groups | Chaired by the Deputy Chief Executive of DPMC’s National Security Group. Comprised of relevant senior officials able to commit resources and agree actions on behalf of their organisation. |
* These were the members according to DPMC’s National Security System handbook (2016). When the handbook was published, NEMA and Fire and Emergency New Zealand were known as the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management and the New Zealand Fire Service respectively.