EDIT: since my account has been rate-limited... The msn article below was released before the stats and is purely speculation. The stats before covid already indicate an increase, and NZ has long had fluctuating child poverty rates, which the current government is attempting to address. However it is essential to realise that this increase is largely driven by the effects of the previous government, and the housing and rental market - not the effects of Covid-19. https://www.cpag.org.nz/the-latest/current-statistics/latest...
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/number-of-children-i...
https://www.cpag.org.nz/news/?m=202107
"An additional 18,000 children were probably pushed into poverty in the 12 months to March 2021, even without taking rising housing costs into account, according to new modelling in the report, entitled The first year of Covid-19: Initial outcomes of our collective care for low-income children in Aotearoa New Zealand"
"This increase in child poverty of around 10% comes at a time when property owners have seen their wealth rise at an accelerated rate," said McAllister. "Loss of income related to job loss was probably inevitable for many families; but loss of income to the point of inadequacy - or further inadequacy - was due to political decision-making.
"The Government avoided one massive health and economic crisis but it enabled another one - that of poverty, homelessness and inequality - to grow rapidly."
Sure, for people that can't work from home it has been harder. But Government support has been set at a level well above the unemployment benefit. That is paid to employers to pass on to staff so the employment relationship is continued with strong encouragement to pay at least 80% of the employees normally wages. While it has been hard for some it hasn't been impossible. There have been no reports of abnormal bankruptcy levels (business or personal) or mortgagee sales.
Some people have used the fact that the support is higher than the unemployment benefit as evidence that benefits are set too low.
In fact, some lower paid workers look forward to a lockdown as a 'covid holiday'. That has pissed a few people off.
But all of that is way, way better than asking why are thousands of Kiwis dead? Did my [Nan|Mum|Brother|best friend|insert other person you care about] really need to die, 'for the economy'?
As a result NZ has had one of the lowest infection rates in the world. Also, those actions let them "return to normal" quicker then anywhere else.
It worked.
Perhaps you feel that the mid-evil practice of nailing the doors and windows shut and posting a guard outside of a quarantine house, would be more reasonable? Pray that the village stays safe while the sick were imprisoned?
People were inconvenienced. Nothing more.