The voters of New Zealand yesterday delivered a ringing endorsement in a time of crisis to the progressive side of politics, in the form of a resounding victory for NZ Labour, and their progressive leader Jacinda Ardern. Elected Labour leader only in August 2017, Ardern looked anything but a future success just two months before a general election, while I was there at that time Labour were polling at 23% support, disastrous! In one of the most remarkable turnarounds Ardern and her Labour party won the October 2017 election, but only as a minority government going into coalition with the Greens and Winston Peters NZ First party. Labour launched an ambitious progressive plan of economic and social reform. With a minority government, and a inexperienced leader, Labour looked anything other than a short one term proposition at best.

In her three years of government Ardern has had to deal with four major cries. In March 2019 a crazed rightwing extremists shot and killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques, later that year in December the Whakaari (White) Island volcano tragedy occurred and 21 people lost their lives. Like the rest of the World New Zealand has had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, both from a health, and a economic prospective. On the health from through Ardern's leadership NZ is the envy of the world in dealing with the heath issue. Unlike the conservatives, Trump in America, and Johnson in Britian, whoes do nothing conservative policies led to thousands of deaths and a befuddled economy in their countries, Ardern's actions in New Zealand saved thousands of Kiwi lives. On the economic front Labour has an ambitious program to tackle the issues in a progressive way, again unlike the conservatives of the world who offer nothing more than future health and economic doom and gloom.

Australia badly needs its own version of Jacinda Ardern. Morrison, no, Albanese certainly not. Where do we look?

Dear Paul,

I so admired the PM's handling of the Christchurch
massacre. She showed so much empathy and handled
such a difficult situation so brilliantly.

I am glad that she has been given another term in office.
She's earned it.

As for Who deserves to rule Australia?

I'm sure there must be heaps of capable young people
out there. At present though - nobody comes to mind,
yet.

Who knows, if Trump loses the election he said he'll leave
the country. Perhaps he'll move to Australia?
(joking).

Hi Foxy,

In times of crises, be it war, depression, a natural disaster of some kind, or even a pandemic, the people look for, and expect leadership. Leaders come and go, actually they are a dime a dozen, every party has one, and no shortage of aspirants for the top job. Fortunately most political leaders are never put into that invidious position of having to lead successfully during an extreme crises. Such an extreme crises is with us now, and the populace wherever they be, Australia, America, New Zealand or somewhere else in the world are expecting decisive leadership. Unfortunate most political leaders lack the qualities necessary to take proper command in a extreme cries. From world history, Churchill and Roosevelt had the necessary qualities to lead their respective nations in times of extreme crises, John Curtain was such a political leader in Australia, taking over from the incompetent Robert Menzies at a very dark time in Australia's history, and leading the country successfully throughout WWII.

New Zealand as a small country has had more that its fair share of disasters over the past couple of years, however, and rather surprisingly, Jacinda Ardern has shown herself to be an outstanding leader at these times of national crises.

BTW, Australia has it own Dangerous Donald, we have Crazy Clive. Imagine the state of the nation had Crazy Clive been in total command in 2020. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

New Zealanders are fed like sheep warm media propaganda that we are better off under a socialist system. Just like Chairman Dan in Victoria. NZ just has to wait 20 years till the population changes and a new breed of welfare dependents are in the majority. The population has risen from 2,000,000 to almost 5,000,000 in 70 years and that rate of growth cannot continue into the future, that is why so many are seeking passage to AUS.

The CCP will be rubbing its hands. NZ voters have given the 'open sesame' to their mean little country. What is happening with the Communist debt trap in New Guinea will now go full throttle in NZ, with Winston Peters no longer having to support the extremist Ardern. Only Australia in the region is left standing against China - for the time being.

Gideon Rozner, in an article titled "Danger Across The Ditch As Incompetent Leader Ardern Wins Office", describes Ardern as a brilliant politician (whatever that is) but a "a grossly incompetent administrator". New Zealand is in for a dangerous three years", he says.

New Zealand could end up being a failed state (getting help from Communist China?) if their economic problems are not sorted out very soon. Their largest 'industry'', tourism, has been trashed by you-know-who, and doesn't look like being resurrected in the near future.

The OECD has a grim forecast for an Ardern New Zealand. GDP will fall by 10% this year; unemployment will be 9% in 2021; debt will be up to 56% of GDP by 2026. All thanks to Ardern, who is "perhaps the worst person to lead New Zealand through this economic turbulence".

We are also reminded that, in 2017 when she just squeaked in, Ardern promised that 100,000 homes would be built, but delivered only 500. She promised to drive down CO2 emissions, alleviate homelessness and child poverty. But all have risen.

That's Ardern "progressive" politics. Rozner compares the NZ circus with Victoria.

Rozner hopes that whatever "horrifying plans that Labour has in store, Jacinda Ardern is just as hopeless at actually implementing them in her second term as she was in her first".

There are 27 million four-legged sheep in New Zealand, and about 5 million two-legged ones. The former will be OK. The latter deserve everything coming their way. They asked for it, and once again, voters will get what they deserve.

I remember the US President being busy backing a
commentator who equated the hijab with treason.
While the New Zealand Prime Minister quietly donned
a headscarf to visit stricken Muslim communities.

Progressive seems an awkward name to give leftish parties.
I know why, they use that term to promote their own hopes.
They propose policies that have a poor history of success.
Then promote them as new and advanced in technique.
Unfortunately they are related to Marx and his 19th century comrades.

New Zealand, from something I read the other day is in a much bigger
debt hole pro-rata than Australians.
Being smaller than Australia they could employ similar polices with
better effect for the con virus.

seeing Jacinda get such a huge vote kinda reminds me of Kevin Rudd. The more 'educated' we become the dumber we become. Most kiwis are clueless!

I don't like term progressive. Implies that left is superior.

strengths and weaknesses on both sides, so I prefer to describe difference over extent of support for government intervention in most policy areas

Any government who had fortitude to shut their doors to outsiders and protect the people will win support at the next election.

I don't particularly like Adern; or Palaszczuk too much either for that matter, but I will hand it to them on this issue.
They were smart, they shut the borders, largely protecting the majority of their citizens and they will both win their elections.

All you people who criticised her should remember this when Palaszczuk wins the Qld election.
It was her job to look after all of us, not just you.

It is probably time though to start thinking about ending those border closures.
But we've still got 200 odd active cases, and 9 more cases in the last 24hrs, but were getting closer, but it only takes one wayward case to throw us all back in the deep end.

Foxy,

Wasn't Jacinda guilty of cultural appropriation?

shonkyminister, how fortunate New Zealand is to have a woman PM of the calibre of Jacinda Ardern, honest, hard working, unlike NSW which is run run by a female shyster in Gladys Berejiklian.

Apauling,

Having worked in NZ for the past 2 years, the picture is much clearer. In February before Covid, in spite of a lacklustre opposition and JA's international rockstar status, NZ labour was trailing in the polls and heading for defeat after a string of cock-ups by a cluster of incompetent labour ministers.

The NZ economy has shrunk by >12% (nearly double that of Aus), and is flagged to drop much further in the new year. It will be later in 2021 when the full impact of unemployment as the job keeper subsidy stops and shrinking wages/ tax revenue will hit and Labour will have no one else to blame.

Given Labour's dismal policy record over the last 3 years, the next 3 years aren't looking too bright.

shonkyminister,

Are you saying New Zealanders are experiencing the Morrison Recession, just like Australia. Gee, I thought they might have kept it with the Aussie boarders, but exporting recession to NZ, that's a first for ScumÒ' and Friedbrain.

Pauliar,

Here they are suffering the Jacinda recession which is twice as bad as the Aus recession and even worse than the Dancession in Victoria brought about typical left whinge incompetence.