No New Zealand region will escape the current economic downturn, but some rural communities will face bigger impacts than others. This publication looks at how to identify and target support at communities most affected by COVID-19.

The COVID-19 crisis has renewed concerns about the dangers of misinformation and its persuasive effects on behaviour. The US response to the pandemic is deeply divided along partisan lines. This study measured the effects of cable news in the US on regional differences in compliance with recommendations by health experts.

Businessman and former federal MP Clive Palmer claimed that use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine contributed to Australia’s low death rate during the coronavirus pandemic. He said the Covid-19 death curve had flattened after the federal health minister announced the drug would be made available for hospital patients. Mr Palmer’s claim is baseless.

In just a few short weeks, COVID-19 became part of the global lexicon, uttered daily in tones of dread and as shorthand for the pandemic now afflicting the world. But how was its name derived; likewise, the names of other fatal viruses?

The third report in this series discusses how New Zealand can leverage its high international standing and hopefully COVID-19-free status for economic and diplomatic advantage. The insights from this paper have been informed by two focus groups comprising experts in domestic and international trade, diplomacy, and strategy.