Weekly SOS: Royal Commission – The Day Truth Faced Power

ByNZDSOS Team Reading Time: 11 minutes
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In this extended edition of NZDSOS’ Weekly SOS, we dive deeper into the key highlights from the Vaccine Safety hearing held on 10 July 2025. Subscribe now to receive the Weekly SOS directly in your inbox.

“It was quite something to talk to people who were basically forced to listen.”

Dr Matt Shelton

Last Thursday (10 July), day four of the Covid Royal Commission Public Hearings covering Vaccine Safety, revealed insights into how this inquiry really works. Dr Alison Goodwin and Dr Matt Shelton sat before the Royal Commission – not as vindicated truth-tellers, but as witnesses to a system that shows its hand when it thinks few are watching.

Every New Zealander who believes in fair process and scientific integrity should be interested.

The Setup: Three Acts, Three Standards

Watch the entire appearance by NZDSOS representatives Dr Alison Goodwin and Dr Matt Shelton at the Royal Commission hearing on Vaccine Safety – 10 July 2025

The day’s lineup told the story perfectly:

  • Act 1: Health freedom advocates – questioned intensely by lawyers, required to justify every claim with documentation.
  • Act 2: NZDSOS doctors – rigorously grilled, expected to provide peer-reviewed backing for every statement, facing commissioners who likely haven’t yet read their 300+ page submission.
  • Act 3: Government-funded Fight Against Conspiracy Theories (FACT) Aotearoa – treated to softball questioning while leveling damaging allegations against health freedom advocates. Despite admitting to systematic “de-platforming” and receiving taxpayer funding for censorship activities, faced no scrutiny on its methodology or conflicts of interest.
  • Encore: Professor Graham Le Gros from Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa – received supportive questioning, permitted to make sweeping safety claims without citations, and allowed to dismiss opposing evidence as “mad” or “misinterpreted” without providing supporting studies.

The pattern couldn’t be clearer.

When “Forced to Listen” Isn’t Really Listening

NZDSOS Dr Matt Shelton speaking before the Royal Commission – 10 July 2025

It is likely that the Commissioners have not yet read our 300+ pages of evidence. Think about that: an inquiry into the biggest public health response in New Zealand’s history, and the people running it come unprepared to question the doctors who’ve been documenting harms for four years.

“I do understand that once the public submissions are finished, that’s the time when they really do get stuck in,” Dr Shelton said diplomatically.

Professor Le Gros appeared at the hearing to represent Vaccine Aotearoa, an organisation aimed at securing Covid-19 vaccines for New Zealand and the Pacific – 10 July 2025

Meanwhile, Prof Le Gros was allowed to dismiss thousands of peer-reviewed studies our doctors referenced by simply saying he’d “read everything” and found it unconvincing – without providing a single counter-study.

The Double Standard in Full Display

Fight Against Conspiracy Theories (FACT Aotearoa) accused health freedom groups of “anti-Asian and anti-Semitic” behaviour in their testimony. They received government grants specifically to “combat misinformation” – raising questions about independence and potential bias.

NZDSOS Standard: “Can you refer to any papers from a reliable source which distinguishes mRNA vaccines from traditional vaccines?” demanded the Chair when our doctors explained the fundamental differences.

Le Gros Standard: Allowed to claim the technology is “30 years old” and “our safest vaccine we’ve ever made” based on his authority alone.

NZDSOS Standard: Rigorously questioned about causality, mechanisms, every statistical claim scrutinised.

FACT Aotearoa Standard: Leveled damaging allegations of “anti-Asian and antisemitic” behaviour against health freedom groups while admitting to systematically “de-platforming” speakers. No evidence requested. No documentation required. No questions about government-funded censorship activities.

The Smoking Gun: Medical Council Politicisation

Commissioner Judy Kavanagh at the hearing on Vaccine Safety – 10 July 2025

Commissioner Kavanagh asked the crucial question: “Are you saying that the Medical Council of New Zealand were acting in a politicised way to support government decisions?”

Dr Shelton’s answer was unequivocal: “That’s certainly been our assessment. We do say that most definitely.”

Dr Shelton explained how he was suspended, won in court with the judge saying the Medical Council should stop their actions, only to be immediately resuspended. The Commission Chair then revealed the government’s defense strategy:

Chair Grant Illingworth KC at the Royal Commission – 10 July 2025

Chair: “Government would normally take the count of decisions by the Medical Council and would regard them as reliable… would you accept it was not unreasonable for them to rely on things like Medical Council decisions?”

This is how accountability gets dodged. Government makes decisions based on “expert advice” from institutions they control, then claims innocence when those institutions are proven corrupted.

Dr Shelton’s response cut to the heart: “Sometimes mechanisms break down, and it certainly seems these ones have.”

The Myocarditis Shell Game

Clip: Professor Le Gros downplays myocarditis harm from the vaccines, “That’s just part of life” – 10 July 2025

Watch how the system operates when confronted with inconvenient facts:

Dr Goodwin: Asked the Ministry of Health via OIA how many cases of myocarditis from covid infection they had on record. Answer: They couldn’t provide a single case. Meanwhile, CARM had 900+ cases of myo/pericarditis following vaccination.

The Commission’s Response: Immediately cited a 2024 UK study claiming heart attacks and strokes were lower after vaccination.

Dr Shelton’s Analysis: The study only followed people for 25 weeks and likely suffered from healthy vaccinee effect and window counting errors – where people remain classified as unvaccinated until two weeks after their second dose. NZDSOS also referred the commission to a comprehensive and recent assessment quoted in our written evidence.

Prof. Le Gros When Asked About Myocarditis from Vaccines: “We don’t want to go into the details of that. It’s one of the tough things to deal with… Very rare. Billions of doses have gone out, and we’re talking a few hundred actual cases… That is actually part of life.”

Prof. Le Gros When Asked About Witnesses Casting Doubt That The Virus Could Cause Myocarditis: “Well, yeah, I read everything… That should be debated. Let’s put it this way. That’s, of course, a genuine concern. That should be debated and scrutinised.”

Prof. Le Gros on DNA Contamination Risks: Acknowledged that “you can make a sloppy RNA formulation” and admitted past incidents like SV40 DNA contamination in polio vaccines, though downplayed its risks.

The pattern: Vaccine harms are minimised as “part of life” while covid virus harms deserve genuine concern and debate. Manufacturing problems are acknowledged but downplayed.

What Wasn’t Addressed

Dr Alison Goodwin and Dr Matt Shelton debriefed on their presentation to the Royal Commission with team member, Anna McLoughlin – 12 July 2025

A one-hour public hearing was obviously unable to cover 5 years’ worth of critical evidence. Some data that did not get airtime include:

  • Our Attempts To Alert: NZDSOS’s extensive attempts to warn officials were not covered despite advice that they would be.
  • Pharmacovigilance Failures: Dr Goodwin suggested that adverse event monitoring is a paper shuffle. People reporting injuries to CARM can’t get causality assessments. The system received 58,000 reports in 2021 alone – normally they get 3,000-5,000 for ALL medicines combined.
  • ACC Battles: Vaccine-injured New Zealanders fight bureaucratic wars while disabled. “To add insult to injury, they have to battle and fight, and they’re not in a fit state to battle and fight to get the compensation that they need.”
  • Pathology Cover-ups: Why aren’t New Zealand pathologists doing tissue analysis like European colleagues? “They may see a ruptured aorta and say that’s the cause of death. But they’re not considering what caused the blood vessel to rupture in a 30-year-old.”
  • Missing Safety Data: Dr Goodwin knows much data from the post-vaccine symptom check (PVSC) has been “kept from the public” but was unable to go into detail.
  • Treatment: The assumption that a vaccine was needed whereas our written evidence notes that most people recovered on their own or with supportive care and for those needing more, treatments were available.
  • Medical Ethics: This must be front and centre in all discussions. Scientists are not bound by medical ethics, but every medical doctor should be.
  • Vaccine Mandates: The lack of scientific evidence for prevention of transmission and the lack of demonstrable justification (which includes consideration of alternatives to vaccination) for mandates as required by BORA.

The Future They’re Planning

Most chilling: we watched GP leaders testify that vaccine mandates should be in the “toolbox” for future pandemics.

“I honestly thought that if it came to mandating a medication… that doctors would stand up and say, No, that’s a red line,” said Dr Goodwin.

This is what we’re fighting. Not just accountability for past harms, but preventing future ones.

Crucially, NZDSOS doctors have been documenting concerns since early 2021. Dr Goodwin emphasised: “We were writing to the government as well as the other officials from the beginning of 2021. And so they can’t say they didn’t know.”

This paper trail proves alternative perspectives and evidence were available to decision-makers. Ignoring these warnings represents an active choice, not passive oversight.

Despite significant social media engagement – 780.5K Facebook and 375.1K X (Twitter) views – mainstream media coverage was minimal. Radio New Zealand mentioned every other speaker but somehow skipped NZDSOS in daily updates, except for a token 15 seconds on its Saturday Morning programme.

The message is clear: even when forced to listen, the system ensures the public doesn’t hear.

The real test comes in August when the next hearing will see actual decision-makers questioned in Wellington. But will Jacinda Ardern, Chris James, Dr Siouxsie Wiles, Chris Hipkins, Dr Michael Tatley, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Dr Nikki Turner et. al face the same rigorous examination? Will they be under oath?

Witnesses were not under oath during their testimony, which will likely apply to the officials as well in the next hearing. This absence of an oath leaves room for potential lies or half-truths to go unchecked, but it is a criminal offence to lie to a Royal Commission.

Cautious Optimism, Realistic Expectations

Dr Shelton was thoughtful about what this all means: “We really hope that the Commission gets that and sees how important it is to look after the people and do the right thing in their findings. But that’s a long way away, and we’re certainly not going to rest between now and then.”

He acknowledged many have little faith anything good will come from this process, but emphasised the importance of engagement: “In government, in institutions, and just the same in the inquiry, you find human beings. There are people there. And as long as there are people, there’s always the opportunity and potential to bring people around, find them, find the best of them, let them do the best thing that they can do.”

“But if you just walk away or hurl stones at them at this stage, you’re not going to get anywhere. So we have to try and stay engaged.”

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t ultimately about vindication – it’s about “the sheer scale of suffering and bereavement and loss and pain that so many people are carrying. And it’s not going to stop anytime soon.”

The Commission has acknowledged reports of vaccine-injured people exist but questioned causality. Our doctors have no such doubts about the connection, backed by extensive evidence in their submission.

What We Learned

The Royal Commission experience revealed the system’s nature: it can listen when forced to, applies different standards to different voices, and ensures minimal public awareness through media gatekeeping.

But it also showed something else – the power of persistent, professional engagement. Dr Shelton noted NZDSOS must “carry on behaving, looking, and sounding like the reasonable professionals that we are.”

The 1.15 million social media impressions on NZDSOS’ posts during the week of the hearings prove people are paying attention despite a virtual mainstream media blackout. Truth spreads when people share it.

Looking Forward

As we await the Commission’s February 2026 report, the work continues:

  • Supporting vaccine-injured New Zealanders
  • Documenting ongoing concerns
  • Advocating for transparency
  • Building bridges where possible

We won’t wait with bated breath for the Royal Commission to validate us. We’ve got work to do.

The system showed its hand during these hearings. Now we continue showing ours – with compassion, evidence, professionalism, and persistent engagement.

Time will tell if this leads to meaningful change. But for the first time in five years, we had a voice outside our echo chamber. And hundreds of thousands heard it, mainstream media silence notwithstanding.

That’s a start.

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    I so admire and respect all that you have been attempting to accomplish here and confess to being also somewhat in awe of your determination – surely knowing that the outcome has well and truly been established before anyone even set foot in the building or opened an honest mouth….? My hope and prayer is that you and your brave and caring colleagues don’t also become yet more victims to this ongoing tyranny , through the enormous stress you must be under in your quest for truth and transparency- which simply will not be permitted to happen.

    4
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    You are all exceptional & inspirational persons of absolute integrity. Such integrity may not be valued by the despicable & pathetic lowlifes within our health & regulatory agencies & government, however it is highly valued by the Creator who will reward all according to their deeds. Well done to all of you!

    2
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    Lying is the new truth and being fake the new lifestyle. Dr Matt is 100% correct shut the borders not lockdown the entire country. This was my view as well as a normalJoe Doe but the government hada hidden agenda without a doubt. I mean the fact that Comrade Ardern ran away says it all.

    Last edited 11 months ago by Frans
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    If masks worked why did we have to social distance? If social distance worked why did we have to wear masks? If both worked why were businesses shutdown? Don’t get me going.

    Last edited 11 months ago by Frans
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    Thank you to you all for all you’ve done and are doing, you have my greatest appreciation. Sadly it’s looking like a white wash – just giving the perception that they looked into it. While I’m not holding my breath on the outcome, at least now it is on Public Record. Liars do what liars do and people with integrity do what people of integrity do.

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