Australia

Support for victory over Jacinda’s stable hands in times of instability

With these numbers, Ardern will be the first prime minister to win a single-party majority government since the change in New Zealand’s electoral system in 1996.

Despite the second wave of “Auckland in August”, New Zealand has managed the pandemic well, with 1527 cases, 25 deaths and no regional infections since September 25. ..

Voters upheld the government’s response to the pandemic in this vote, whose policy decisions fell behind public confidence.

Of course, as Collins points out, flights from New Zealand to Australia or the Pacific take three and a half hours, with borders closed except for returning residents. “The blockage is not difficult. The problem arises from it.” ..

The blockade was an easy part: Judith Collins, leader of the Nationalist Party.credit:Getty Images

And that is the problem Ardern is currently facing. What will the Labor (and perhaps Greens) government do to drive an economic recovery over the next three years?

Three years ago, Ardern promised to change politics during the 2017 campaign. She handed over a cautious Labor Party administration. The government needed to delay or delay the fulfillment of its signature policy promises, including the ambitious Kiwibuild homebuilding program, the light rail project in Auckland, and reducing child poverty.

Meanwhile, Ardern has received local and global praise for the Christchurch massacre, the volcanic eruption of White Island, and of course the COVID-19 response.

The pandemic has changed the economic outlook. New Zealand police will stop the driver at a checkpoint in Auckland and confirm that residents are complying with the coronavirus blockade.

The pandemic has changed the economic outlook. New Zealand police will stop the driver at a checkpoint in Auckland and confirm that residents are complying with the coronavirus blockade.credit:Getty Images

But like economies around the world, New Zealand has fallen into the most severe recession of decades, with GDP of 12.2% between April and June due to lockdowns, tourism cessation and inbound education. Reduced (7% in Australia). Above all, the dollar will be depleted.

But even when the economic news landed in September, the Ardern administration claimed that it was expected to shrink as New Zealand’s first blockade made it difficult and early.

Ardern has promised to focus on job creation and infrastructure spending during the campaign to drive recovery and drive growth (as does the Kuomintang). She did not promise a big ticket, excluding the wealth tax proposed by Greens, despite rising levels of government debt.

The next three years are expected to be a difficult year for the New Zealand government. If imbalanced, Jacinda Ardern will face far more hostile voters in 2023.

James Massora is a Southeast Asian correspondent based in Jakarta. He was previously a Canberra-based top political reporter. He has been a three-time Walkley and Quills finalist, has won the Kennedy Award for Outstanding Foreign Correspondents, and is the author of the Great Cable Rescue.

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