Fresh hurdle for Ardern as Covid strategy alters

New Zealand’s locked-down cities last week woke to a brave new world of lifted restrictions: state-sanctioned picnics in parks, the prospect of re-opening schools, a chance to reunite with friends and family.

- Tess McClure

Infusing the visions of grass-stained blankets and sharing beers by the beach, however, is a strong dose of Covid anxiety as the virus continues to circulate and the long-held commitment to elimination is cast off.

As New Zealand steps into the unknown with its Covid approach, so does its Labour prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. Having brought the country through the pandemic largely unscathed so far, she was richly rewarded in the polls. Now she faces the difficult task of guiding it through a new era of Covid suppression – and it could be the most significant political challenge she has faced.

“There’s going to be ongoing restrictions, more cases, more deaths – and that’s something New Zealand hasn’t really seen,” said Clint Smith, a political communications worker and former strategist for Ardern.