Jacinda Ardern launches re-election campaign

Ardern's rise to become New Zealand's most popular prime minister in a century, buoyed by her response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has left the country largely unscathed, has boosted her prospects in the Sept. 19 election.

She said a loan scheme for small businesses, which allows for no interest loans if paid back within a year and which was to end this month, will be extended until the year-end, and more environmental and infrastructure jobs will be created under a previously announced plan.

Her leadership, widely seen as compassionate and steely, after last year's killing of 51 Muslim worshippers in the country's worst mass shooting, and after the December eruption of a volcano that killed 21, has brought Ardern worldwide admiration.