Wellington
New Zealand plunged into recession for the first time in a decade on Thursday, as data confirmed a record-breaking economic collapse that forced Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to defend her pandemic response ahead of next month’s general election. The 12.2 per cent contraction in April-June was “by far the largest” since records began, national data agency Stats NZ said, with the country put into a strict lockdown for almost two months and the country’s borders closed. Ardern rejected opposition accusations that the tough measures had pushed the economy “off a cliff”, saying the restrictions helped contain the virus, which allowed business to resume far earlier than in many other countries. The centre-left leader, who will go to the polls for re-election on October 17, also pointed out that New Zealand had recorded just 25 Covid-19 deaths, out of a population of five million.—AFP
