Nau mai haere mai - welcome to your New Zealand newsletter and life without COVID-19.

On Monday, New Zealand hit the historic milestone of zero active cases and lifted almost all restrictions. But it is a cautious celebration. While the pandemic continues to spread elsewhere, the challenge of keeping the virus out remains. University of Otago public health experts Michael Baker and Nick Wilson, who both helped shape New Zealand’s COVID-19 response, explain why we should wear face masks in some circumstances and need to keep improving contact tracing - and they argue it’s time to overhaul a fragmented health system and set up a national health agency to lead on disease control and prevention.

Protests against systemic racism and police violence are sweeping the globe, highlighting the intersection between two pandemics: COVID-19 and racism. In New Zealand, thousands marched in solidarity with those protesting George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, but AUT social justice researchers Katey Thom and Khylee Quince ask why the well-documented police bias against Māori and other minorities hasn’t mobilised New Zealanders in the same way.

Pacific Island nations have largely avoided the worst health effects of COVID-19, but its economic impact has been devastating. Massey University development experts Regina Scheyvens and Apisalome Movono argue the Pacific should be included in the proposed trans-Tasman travel corridor, given that the economies of many Pacific countries depend largely on tourists from New Zealand and Australia.

You’ll find much more to read in this newsletter and on The Conversation’s New Zealand page. If you value hearing directly from leading experts, please consider becoming a supporter of The Conversation Australia and New Zealand. At a time of so much uncertainty, your support makes a real difference. Many thanks for reading. Noho ora mai.