Book excerpt: The dramatic story of New Zealand's response to a global pandemic For the first time in history, on 15 March 2020 the New Zealand government closed the country's borders. What followed was a story unprecedented in almost every way imaginable. Featuring Finance Minister Grant Robertson, science communicator Siouxsie Wiles, Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult, funeral directors Francis and Kaiora Tipene, Student Volunteer Army founder Sam Johnson, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Adviser Juliet Gerrard, businesswoman Jenene Crossnan and Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly - from a kura kaupapa principal to real estate agents: The Covid Chronicles is a multi-stranded account of one of the most extraordinary times in Aotearoa's history, and the lessons we must heed for our future.