The 700-page report from the first phase of the inquiry, which looked at lockdowns, the border response, MIQ, and vaccine mandates, was handed to internal affairs minister Brooke van Velden about 2pm.
Labour Leader and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he had read the summary, but not read the 700-page report in full yet.
"The Covid-19 global pandemic was an incredibly challenging time for a lot of New Zealanders," he said, noting that lockdowns and restrictions were hard on families.
"There's nothing that can happen now that will compensate for those that were not there when someone passed away, not able to be there for the birth of a child."
Hipkins said the report would be valuable for the future.
"I think it's a really useful report. It is really important that we learn from the overall pandemic experience, that we are prepared for a future pandemic. Because it's not a question of if it will happen, it's when."
Hipkins, the former Covid-19 response minister, said he agreed the pandemic did affect social cohesion as a whole. Vaccines and the lengthy Auckland lockdown were particularly difficult.
"I've spoken before about that that I think we lost the room in Auckland," he said.
Public sentiment and public willingness around different measures constantly shifted during the pandemic, Hipkins said.
"We saw that the longer any restrictions were in place, the less likely people were to comply with them. …I think that we should always reflect on that."
Hipkins did not say that he thought mandates were a mistake.
"I don't think they were a mistake, but I do acknowledge they came at a very big cost."
The inquiry would provide valuable intelligence on what to do the next time a pandemic strikes, he said.
"I accept the Royal Commission's finding that there will be things we could do differently.
"… With the benefit of hindsight, we do get the opportunity to learn from our experiences and I think it's important that we do do that."
The Parliament occupation of 2022 showed it was clear to see social cohesion being challenged, he said.
Hipkins said he would want to study the full report before weighing in too much on the recommendations it makes.
"[The commission] found that the vaccine mandates were justified, the vaccine passes were justified, but, they have also made some recommendations about the vaccine mandates going too far and in some areas being in place too long in some areas."
Hipkins said he understood that many people didn't want to reflect too deeply on all of the upheaval of the pandemic.
"It's still quite traumatic for people to look back on that period."
