World Politics – A Wild Year in New Zealand
This has been a crazy year in politics; with governments across the world doing their best to manage in the midst of a global pandemic. Some are doing better than others, but in New Zealand, it has been other stories in world politics that have shared the headlines with the impact of COVID-19.
The pandemic was at the heart of one of the stories that came out of New Zealand this year; and it’s one that is almost impossible to believe. With the entire country in lockdown; the health minister decided that it was the perfect time to go for a ride on his bike to pay a visit to the beach.
His seaside foray went against the rules that he set in place for the lockdown, so it was no real surprise to see such a huge public outcry. David Clark, the minister in question, eventually handed in his resignation to PM Jacinda Ardern.
The PM Was once again called into action a few months ago; to deal with a serious issue with a member of her cabinet. The leader of the opposition in New Zealand made Ardern aware that the then Immigration Minister, Iain Lees-Galloway was engaging in an affair with a member of his staff. It was soon brought to light that Lees-Galloway and the staffer; had been engaging in the affair for roughly a year.
The PM was left with no choice but to fire the minister, a married man with three children.
A Calmer Election Period
Oddly enough; in the lead up to the election, which was held in October this year, things became a good deal more civil. Given what had gone on previously. the Labour Party might otherwise have been in trouble, but as we have seen in world politics this year, the election became all about the pandemic.
New Zealand was one of the countries that was highly praised for their handling of COVID-19; with PM Arderm getting most of the accolades. The harsh reality is that people want to get back to normal as quickly as possible; and it has to be said that New Zealand is ahead of the curve in that regard after responding quickly and taking positive action.
There are always going to be wild stories in world politics; and while New Zealand had more than their fair share in 2020, their new year looks brighter than most.
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