Show Notes
As New Zealand rushes to lock down and build a Covid response, a critical system begins to falter. Behind the scenes, the country’s Covid testing system teeters on the edge of collapse, and scientists and officials scramble to fix it in real time. Meanwhile broadcaster Paddy Gower confronts the virus itself – and his own addiction – and Kiwi songwriter Jack Buchanan goes viral after giving voice to the public’s mood with a homemade hit.
Made with the support of NZ on Air for Stuff by Te Pūrongo Productions.
More from Quarantine Nation
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After months of believing the virus had been beaten, New Zealand is forced to confront a harder truth and accept that Covid isn’t finished. New variants slip through the cracks, cases re-emerge and lockdowns return. Auckland, in particular, is furious. People are agitated and desperate to get on with their lives, bristling at travel restrictions and mandates. But scientists and modellers can see that more infectious variants are on the horizon. Will this ever be over?
As the pandemic grinds on, the country begins to fracture and a culture war erupts. Just as breakthroughs in the laboratory are finally delivering hope in the form of vaccines, misinformation and disinformation begin to spread and online arguments spill into real life. Meanwhile, New Zealand is drawn into a global feud comparing its approach to Sweden’s. We meet the leader of Sweden’s response to ask him what he makes of it.
Comedian Mike Minogue becomes an unlikely essential worker, fronting a public health message meant to encourage the country to stay the course. It’s all part of a top-down effort to sell key messages. At the same time, community-led initiatives are carrying on, and getting results, even if they are sometimes off-message. From marae in Auckland to iwi checkpoints in the north, people are innovating and adapting to protect themselves and their communities.
Awkward online meetings, face-filter mishaps on important calls and frayed tempers: lockdown life is strange, exhausting, and occasionally hilarious. We explore how New Zealand is adapting to confinement, from binge-watching Tiger King to tuning in to the country’s new appointment-viewing show – the 1pm press conference. As routines dissolve and new rituals form, presenter Hilary Barry makes an unexpected discovery in the back of her wardrobe. Meanwhile Kiwi nurse Jenny McGee has her life turned upside down when her world-famous Covid patient outs her.