Left portrays her as the queen of empathy but many Kiwis aghast at the damage wreaked by Jacinda Ardern’s government

Kiwis are finally waking up to the reality that there’s nothing kind or empathetic about Jacinda Ardern’s destructive economic policies and crippling lockdowns.

Sleepy New Zealanders are finally waking up to the gross ineptitude of their lockdown-happy prime minister.

After enjoying one of the longest political honeymoons in modern politics, thanks largely to adoring media coverage, Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party are facing some ugly poll numbers.

If an election were held today, New Zealand’s conservative National party would form government with the support of right-leaning ACT party, and with a healthy margin, according to the latest 1 News/Kantar poll.

Ardern’s rating as preferred prime minister has dropped to 30 per cent, the lowest it’s been since she became prime minister in 2017, but still slightly ahead of her challenger.

Jacinda Ardern is facing some ugly poll numbers. Picture: Getty

For years the overwhelming majority of local and international media overlooked her many broken promises and harebrained policies to promote Ardern as some crusading compassionista, the queen of empathy.

But there’s nothing empathetic about what she has inflicted on New Zealand — from extreme culture war policies to crippling and irrational lockdowns to destructive economic policies.

For Australia there is also concern about New Zealand’s continuous kowtowing to China.

The left likes to memory-hole that their queen of empathy came to power in 2017 promising to slash immigration numbers and she only secured office after entering into a bizarre alliance with Winston Peters’ nationalist New Zealand First party.

The overwhelming majority of local and international media have overlooked Ardern’s broken promises. Picture: Getty

She then went on to win an election in her own right in 2020.

But if the latest polls are right, she is facing a thumping defeat, and Peters is among those aghast at the damage her government has wreaked.

The NZ First leader responsible for first making Ardern prime minister has been scathing about the direction the country has taken, with an obsession on identity politics and race that Australia is set to follow with Anthony Albanese’s race based referendum aka the “Voice”.

“The disconnect from the liberal elite’s woke cultural agenda and what happens in the real world is now all on show,” he wrote earlier this month.

Jacinda Ardern with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: Nikki Short

He has also highlighted that blabbering about “kindness” is far easier than actually implementing sound policies that improve lives.

“The latest figures show there are now around five times the number of people living in cars than there were before Labour was in government,” he wrote. “How can the ‘be kind’ Labour Party explain that?”

Best-selling author Douglas Murray summed it up best when he said Ardern excels at “performative caring” but lacks competence, adaptability and genuine empathy.

But with the bulk of the New Zealand media firmly behind her don’t be surprised if Ardern manages to secure a third term with the help of the Māori Party and the Greens – though that looks unlikely based on current polling.

Despite the media protection racket many voters have finally worked out that Ardern is more style than substance.