Note that this blog post is very political and somewhat negative. If that's not your thing, feel free to ignore it; I'll be posting more lighthearted stuff in the future.

Many people look to today's New Zealand, especially under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, as a beacon of progressiveness in an increasingly divided world. She stood with dignity as her country faced an earthquake, a white supremacist incursion, and a pandemic that nobody could have seen coming. A feminist icon, she carried a baby while continuing to serve as Prime Minster. She's an aspirational figure, a guidestone, for all New Zealanders, one that all young Kiwis look up to in awe. The country she leads is a veritable paradise: it provides free healthcare and great social services, and its idyllic landscape and environment shows how we can combat climate change.

Some of what I said above is true. And plenty of people seem to agree with such depictions.