Abstract The COVID pandemic has offered opportunities for islands and other relatively isolated communities to establish pandemic‐protection boundaries. A July 2020 survey of Waiheke Island residents sought views on how the island had remained COVID‐19 free, despite proximity to a city of 1.6 million (Auckland, NZ). Many attributed that status to ‘pure luck’ or a ‘moat’ effect. However, many also attributed freedom from COVID‐19 to reinforcing high‐level community cohesiveness and shared values. The Waiheke community's response can be seen as a microcosm of New Zealand as an island nation and an exemplar of a response to pandemic threats uniquely possible for small islands.
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