Reuters: The worst flooding in New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland is heaping more inflationary pressure and is posing a fresh cost-of-living headache for prime minister Chris Hipkins, who is trying to win back support for his party ahead of elections this year.
Hipkins, who replaced Jacinda Ardern as prime minister and leader of the Labour Party last month amid a backlash over Covid-19 restrictions, rising cost of living and a worsening housing crisis, has his work cut out, analysts and political observers say.The intense cost-of-living pressures will be a hot-button issue going into the 14 Oct election, they say, with annual inflation already running at near three decade highs of 7.2%.