‘Shocking silence’ over climate crisis in New Zealand election campaign draws criticism

Flooding in Napier, New Zealand after Cyclone Gabrielle in February. A government report released this week, days before a national election, says ‘extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity’. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

In the lead up to New Zealand’s 2017 election, Jacinda Ardern, the then soon-to-be prime minister, called the climate emergency her generation’s “nuclear-free moment” – a reference to the bold stance the country took against nuclear power.

Her comments signalled renewed urgency in shaping New Zealand’s response to combatting one of the globe’s greatest existential threats. But six years on, with the country’s general election just days away, the climate emergency has been sidelined against discussions of crime, “co-governance” and the cost of living.