The Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry has been thrown into uncertainty following the resignations of executive director Helen Potiki and senior legal counsel Kristy McDonald KC and Nick Whittington.
While the trio has yet to publicly state their reasons, a report in legacy media suggest they stepped down due to “concerns over the inquiry’s processes”.
Their departures have raised serious questions about the inquiry’s direction, particularly as the coalition government remains divided over its scope.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden declined to speculate on the resignations but insisted the final report must still be delivered by February 2026.
Meanwhile, the Department of Internal Affairs confirmed a transition process is underway to replace key personnel.
The resignations add pressure to an already contentious process, with the governing parties in disagreement over how the inquiry should proceed.
Originally launched under the Labour government, the inquiry has faced criticism for its limited scope, prompting the coalition to expand its mandate to include vaccines, lockdowns, and testing.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters remains skeptical, arguing that the revised inquiry is still too narrow.
Why waste time and money. The evidence is clear and the verdict is GUILTY.
Time to start rounding these covid fraud agents up and start the justice. Bring back the death sentence.
Crown Law appointed the lawyers to assist the Commission. But investigating the government would create a conflict of interests.
So many people resigning from the government agencies that one has to wonder what they are running from. Robert F Kennedy Jnr being appointed to head the Health and Human Services in Trump’s cabinet is going to cause much uncertainty for those who were part of the covid scam because of what will eventually come out.