Serving the common good at the National level - Covid-19 Response

The nationwide New Zealand response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been nothing short of amazing. The “team of five million” managed to achieve what few other countries have done – eliminate COVID-19 from its shores and put in place a testing regime and border controls to mitigate risks of future cases emerging.

Uniting a country to confront a major external threat like the COVID-19 global pandemic required effective leadership which placed human dignity and the common good at the centre of decision-making. Such leadership required humility for leaders to acknowledge the expertise of advisors; “mobilising the collective effort” to inform, educate and unite people to adopt the actions needed - and explaining why these actions are important. A well-publicised alert level framework also helped the people
to understand what was required and when. All these actions enabled planning - and also served to build trust through providing transparency about Government decision-making.

Serving the common good at the Regional Level - Queenstown Lakes District Council

Queenstown Lakes District Council assisted 2,000 migrant workers who were unable to return to their home countries during the COVID-19 lockdown. Council support workers were able to access accommodation assistance, they used funds from Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups, and - for those with employment, they helped them tap into the government wage-subsidy scheme.

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said there was a looming “humanitarian crisis” as more than 2,000 workers on short-term visas had registered with the council for welfare assistance since the lockdown began. They were getting $240 a week from a Civil Defence fund.

Serving the common good at the Community level - St Vincent de Paul Society

The St Vincent de Paul Society was founded in 1833 and since then has dedicated itself to work in a caring and practical manner to promote justice to those in need. All throughout the world there are established ‘conferences’ working today with that very same mission.

During COVID-19, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Wellington demonstrated how they continued to work for the common good of those in the Wellington area. This conference of St Vincent de Paul is made up of a diverse range of people who are committed to helping make a difference for people facing various challenges.

COVID-19 created a 400% increase in requests for help from St. Vincent de Paul around New Zealand. In Wellington they noted that this situation affected people from all walks of life. They were seeing
a range of family types ranging from large families, grandparents looking after extended families, to migrant workers living in overcrowded housing, coming in for support and many who had never
accessed welfare services before.

For many, asking for help is a brave and courageous act. St. Vincent de Paul, Wellington treat everyone who comes to them with full respect, no matter the circumstances or background of the individual,
always ensuring the common good for all is being upheld.

“There is still work done and we’ll continue to be here as a stable support system for the community.” St. Vincent de Paul, Wellington (28th April 2020)

Thank you for helping my whanau. The kai parcels have helped H and me and our kids through a bit of a tough spot. We had no water – and you got us some water, we were cold, and you got us some blankets, my kids were cold and you got them some jackets, and when we had no kai – you got us some kai . I don’t know what to say, because it has been overwhelming. Thank you.”

Serving the common good at Community level – ShieldsUp 

During the height of COVID-19, doctors, nurses and other medical personnel without the right protective gear were at high risk of getting the virus. A small group of volunteers decided to use their personal 3D printers to make face shields to distribute for free to these essential workers; this protected them and enabled them to continue caring for the sick. Soon more people joined in, and they became a network of over 500 volunteers, all doing what they could to help: 3D printing, managing supplies and orders, communications, and fundraising.

Together they formed the ShieldsUp organisation, which produced and distributed almost 19,000 face shields around New Zealand. By using their knowledge and resources for the common good, ShieldsUp helped keep entire communities safe and healthy during the pandemic.