A Setback for Freedom: NZ Supreme Court’s Ruling On NZ Defence Force Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate

On April 11, 2025, the New Zealand Supreme Court delivered a decision that has left advocates for bodily autonomy (and human rights) reeling

Overturning the Court of Appeal’s February 2024 ruling, which had declared the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) internal Covid-19 mandate unlawful, the Supreme Court yesterday upheld the mandate’s legality.

In a rare and disturbing move, the Supreme Court also ordered the four NZDF applicants to pay over $30,000 in costs to the Crown. This ruling not o…