Jacinda Ardern says flattening the curve was ‘not sufficient’ for New Zealand

She said the target grew from an early realisation the nation’s health system simply could not cope with a big outbreak.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (Sam James/AP)

New Zealand this year pulled off a moonshot that remains the envy of most other nations – it eliminated the coronavirus.

But the goal was driven as much by fear as it was ambition, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed in an interview with The Associated Press.