In March 2020 the country closed its borders and adopted a nationwide lockdown in an effort to eliminate COVID-19. What followed were some of the most extraordinary months and years in public health in our lifetime.

Five years on, and with Aotearoa New Zealand set to become a global case study in pandemic management, Simon Wilson meets three key figures to help understand the country’s pandemic story so far, and discuss what might await us.

Physicist Professor Shaun Hendy (The Covid Response) takes us behind the scenes of the advisory team at Te Pūnaha Matatini (NZ’s Centre for Research Excellence) and unpacks the science that guided critical decisions.

Dr Kimiora Raerino’s (Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa) Toitū Ngā Marae recounts interviews with ten Tāmaki Makaurau marae leaders to hear about their key role in the local health response, and their proactive and community minded approach. Dr Raerino will be joined by chair of Ruapotaka Marae, Lavinia McGee-Repia.