Matthew Hague: Lawyer on the impact of the Covid Inquiry findings on current legal cases

There's a belief the latest covid Royal Commission findings may provide assistance to current legal issues.  

The first phase of the Inquiry into the pandemic response is being presented today, but it's unclear when the Government will release it.  

Chaired by Professor Tony Blakely, it says mandates caused pain to a substantial minority.  

Matthew Hague told Ryan Bridge this won't directly form the basis for further legal challenges. 

But he says it may be helpful for ongoing challenges, such as the Supreme Court decision and Employment Court cases. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The head of the COVID nineteen inquiry, says vaccine mandates
caused huge pain to a substantial minority during the pandemic
and the government should consider where the benefits outweigh the harms. Well,
I could have told you that for nothing. Today, Professor
Tony Blakeley hands over the first phase of the inquiry
to the Internal Affairs Minister Brook van Valden. He says

(00:21):
the damage to social cohesion needs to be considered before
planning for future outbreaks. Matthew Haig was a lawyer who
defended a New Zealand Defense Force personnel who didn't want
to get the COVID JAB when it was mandatory. He's
with us this morning, Matthew, Good morning the boding run.
I'll go through the exact comments in just a second,
but what's your your brief reaction to that.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
My action is in some way it does state the obvious,
the soiluquill. Part of me wonders if the little adverse
comments that Blakeley and the commission does make is a
way to pre enter the second inquiry that's to be
headed by different commissioners.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
What you think the second one might have gone harder
and they're preempting it.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
I think so. Yes, There's been widespread criticism of Professor Blakeley,
who is an epidemiologist who gave direct advice to key
government decision makers throughout a pandemic, including doctor Bluefield. Isn't
seem to be impartial. And I wonder if the address comment,
which really they have no choice but to make, is

(01:23):
that way to premp the second quarry.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Is there anything legally that can be I mean, once
this report comes out, can it form the basis of
any kind of further legal challenges.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
No, not directly, although I think whatever comment and evidence
they do present it might be helpful for even challenges
that are ongoing today. In twenty twenty four, we're still
waste on a Supreme Court decision, there's still cases before
the Employment Relations Authority, there are still mandates now in
New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yeah, and well that's true. How do you think the
people who you represented will feel reading what's out in
the Herald this morning?

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Fatigued and I'm surprised.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Thanks so much for your time. Great to have you
on the show. Matthew Matthew Hague, lawyer who defended a
client who didn't want the COVID JAB but was forced
to get it anyway twenty four minutes after that. Report,
by the way, is going to the government today and
we don't know when it will see the light of day.
I'll just read a couple of words from it here.
This is from Professor Blakely. He's the epidemiologist of the
first phase of the Royal Commission into COVID, and that

(02:22):
is an incredibly important lesson out of the pandemic. When
you're doing these types of mandatory things like mandatory vaccination,
they really need to be in a context where the
benefits far out weigh the harms. Mandates were justified for
frontline healthcare workers, border officials, and high risk places like prisons,
but he says, as far as it's reached beyond that,

(02:43):
I think we have all learned that has to be
done very cautiously, even if the majority of the population
are of the view that it should be happening.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
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