The pandemic response that swept Jacinda Ardern to a second term as New Zealand’s prime minister may end up costing her a third.
Ardern this week scrapped what was left of the rules she deployed to battle COVID-19, bringing an end to two-and-a-half years of tough restrictions that initially served the country well.
But their removal hasn’t come soon enough for some voters, who have grown tired of controls on daily life and are deserting Ardern’s Labour Party ahead of the 2023 general election. An economic slowdown also looms next year as the full impact of pandemic measures such as the closed border plays out.
