News & Achievements

With Omicron in the community, it’s vital we all do our bit to help to slow the spread, keep each other safe and protect our health system. One of the most important ways we can reduce the risk of Omicron is to get a booster dose as soon as we’re eligible.

As countries around the world experience Omicron outbreaks, we’re taking steps now to ensure we’re as prepared as possible and our communities are protected.

Quite a bit! This Government was elected to take on the toughest issues facing Aotearoa – and that’s what we’re doing. Since the start of the pandemic, protecting lives and livelihoods has been a priority, but we’ve also made progress on long-term challenges, to deliver a future the next generation can be proud of.

This year, keeping Kiwis safe from COVID will remain a key priority of the Government – but we’re also pushing ahead on some of New Zealand’s biggest long-term challenges. In 2022, we’re working to get more Kiwis into homes, reduce emissions, lift children out of poverty, and ensure people get the healthcare they need, when and where they need it.

Welcome to 2022! As we look ahead to another year of progress on the big issues facing our country, we’re taking a look back at the year that’s been and everything the team of five million achieved together in 2021.

Over the past year, we’ve continued addressing the biggest issues facing New Zealand: COVID-19, child poverty, housing affordability, and climate change. There’s plenty to get on with in 2022, but – as the year comes to a close – we’re taking a moment to reflect on the progress we’ve made. 

We’re delivering on our promise to make New Zealand smokefree by 2025, with a bold new plan that will save thousands of lives.

Protecting Kiwis from COVID-19 has been and remains a central focus of our Government – but, even with the challenges of the pandemic, we’ve continued to make progress on long-term issues like housing affordability, water quality, climate change, and child poverty.

We’re taking the next steps in our COVID response, with our plan to safely and carefully reopen. The COVID Protection Framework has been designed to protect lives and livelihoods while ensuring we can do more of what we love. New Zealand’s move into the framework, on Friday 3 December, marks a shift into a new way of managing COVID-19.