ACT Party Leader David Seymour has pushed back at Chris Hipkins’ suggestion that the expanded COVID-19 Royal Commission is giving a platform to conspiracy theorists.

Hipkins told the New Zealand Herald, “I think that the terms of reference have been deliberately constructed to achieve a particular outcome, particularly around providing a platform for those who have conspiracy theorist views.”

In response, Seymour said Hipkins should “show some humility towards the COVID inquiry, because it’s an inquiry into his own actions.”

“As COVID-19 Response Minister, then Prime Minister, Hipkins called the shots in question, and people deserve a right of reply,” Seymour said.

“Instead it sadly seems that he is continuing the very attitudes that people are concerned about. Too often the Government didn’t listen, especially to concerns other than COVID. The inquiry is here in part to put that right. People don’t deserve to be shouted down before they have their say.

“Whatever Chris Hipkins thinks of the submitters’ opinions, he ought to recognise that the impacts of his policies on these New Zealanders were very real. Chris Hipkins himself was central to extended lockdowns, border closures, and vaccine mandates. His decisions saw businesses shuttered, livelihoods lost, families separated, and our social cohesion scarred.

“Until now, New Zealanders have been denied real accountability for the COVID-19 response. In Labour’s toothless version of the inquiry, there were no public hearings. Key decisionmakers were not questioned publicly. The narrow terms of the inquiry ignored the real pain of lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

“It was a masterclass in dodging accountability, and that’s why ACT expanded the inquiry’s focus and opened hearings to the public.

“Chris Hipkins needs to show respect for the Royal Commission, as he could well be asked to front up to it in public hearings. His willingness to answer difficult questions in good faith will be a measure of his respect for the people and the democratic process.”