Ardern faced extreme threats, likely to need ongoing security: Analysts

AUCKLAND - Ms Jacinda Ardern is likely to require an unprecedented level of security for a former New Zealand prime minister, given the extent of the abuse and threats she faced while in office.

Ongoing police protection for retired leaders is unusual in the South Pacific nation, where politicians are able to revert to life as a private citizen once they retire. But Ms Ardern, who announced her shock departure last week, was the target of some of the darkest and most extreme online abuse, according to research by the University of Auckland.

"The vitriol is, quite frankly, off the charts," said Dr Paul Buchanan, a former intelligence and defence policy analyst who was a consultant to US security agencies. "The threats to her will not go away simply because she steps down. Some of these people are capable of taking violent action against her."

Dr Buchanan believes New Zealand's Diplomatic Protection Service, a specialised arm of the police responsible for security, will assess the risk to Ms Ardern and her family and provide 24-hour security for the foreseeable future.