Jacinda Ardern and the Labour Party have won at least 49% of the popular vote in the New Zealand election. Combined with the 7.5 % of the their coalition partner, the Green Party, this is hailed as a landslide.
One New Zealand Herald article stated:
Covid-19 changed everything, including old allegiances.
Jacinda Ardern picked up supporters from National through her management of the crisis, and Labour has held on to them throughout the campaign by highlighting its pandemic response.
And tonight's result confirms what has been evident in political polls since the disease was first detected in New Zealand in February - that the public have confidence in Ardern to lead New Zealand through the ongoing challenges it has brought.
My husband and I were “stuck” in New Zealand for the first 5 months of the pandemic. We had gone to visit our daughter and son-in-law for our annual visit when the lockdown occurred. As the Prime Minister stated “we will go fast and we will go hard.” I cannot overstate how comforting it was to observe the rational, science-based approach that enabled New Zealand to crush the spread of COVID-19.
The daily 4 pm briefings by the Prime Minister and Dr Ashley Bloomfield (the director-general of health and the public face of the country’s battle against the disease) were so well done. Both expressed empathy for those affected by the disease and for the “team of 5.5 million” who were affected by the lockdown. For 7 weeks, my husband and I (and our son-in-law) never left the property, other than for walks in our neighborhood. Our daughter, a veterinarian, split her clinic into 3 teams (1 vet, 2 nurses in each) and worked a 3 days on, 6 days off) schedule. She was our designated grocery shopper. Only grocery stores and pharmacies were open.
The borders were closed.
No take-out.
No restaurants open.
No driving to anywhere else for recreation.
No gatherings, no retail shopping, no school.
After the lockdown, there were ZERO cases.
When we decided to return home in June, there had been zero cases for 90+ days.
When New Zealand re-opened the borders for returning Kiwis, a few cases escaped into Auckland and else where, creating a new cluster. Acting swiftly to isolate the cases (and through excellent contact tracing) COVID was crushed again.
As summer now approaches in New Zealand, life is (almost) back to normal. There are crowds, unmasked, at rugby games. Schools are open. People are enjoying days at the beach. Many residents are helping to support the tourism industry by taking vacations in-country.
Borders are still closed, other than for returning residents. I hope that effective vaccines are really on the way — otherwise, I’m not sure when or how we will be able to visit again.
Jacinda Ardern has been admired before, notably for her empathetic response to the massacre at the mosque in Christchurch (and the immediate ban on assault weapons). Her leadership throughout the pandemic has been exemplary.
Yesterday evening she stated that “New Zealand has shown its greatest support in the Labour Party for at least 50 years ... in urban areas, in rural areas, in seats we may have hoped for, and equally in seats we may have not expected"
Just shows what clear communication, effective science-based policies, an ability to inspire compliance and adequate financial support from the government can achieve.