Centre director Professor Shaun Hendy said it had been a pleasure to work with the team on such an “unrepeatable experience”. “[Thank you for] listening to us, for trusting us – it’s been incredible – and if we hadn’t had that trust, it would have all been for nothing.” The World Health Organisation’s Diane Abad-Vergara said the work done by Te Pūnaha Matatini on the Covid-19 response has had significant health and social impacts for New Zealand. It is part of the reason why New Zealand is one of the few countries to eliminate the virus, she said.