Violent antivax protests give Ardern hope that New Zealand will keep the faith

For just over two years a curving, wooden children’s slide sat outside the prime minister’s office at New Zealand’s parliament. Its sleek, architecturally designed lines cost the taxpayer more than half a million dollars, an amount just shy of that needed to buy a new home.

At its unveiling, Jacinda Ardern said it symbolised her resolve to make her country the best place in the world for children.

Earlier this week, the slide’s structure burned as enraged protesters fought riot police who were trying to end their three-week occupation of parliament’s lawn, the culmination of a growing fringe protest against New Zealand’s zero-Covid and strict vaccine policies.

Its destruction may be seen as symbolism, too, of Ardern’s overall record as prime minister and her promises