Jacinda Ardern’s One Support: The Tyre Recycling Triumph Amid a Legacy of National Betrayal
When future generations look back on Jacinda Ardern's time as Prime Minister of New Zealand, they’ll find no shortage of failures. Her tenure was marked by strict lockdowns that crippled the economy, a housing crisis that spiraled out of control, and a vaccine rollout that left countless Kiwis—myself included—dealing with serious consequences. Yet, if we’re being generous, there’s one thing she can claim partial credit for: supporting the Tyrewise tyre recycling initiative.
Though Ardern can’t take full credit for implementing this project, she did lend her backing to it—a rare bright spot in a tenure that otherwise left the country reeling.
New Zealand’s Tyre Problem: A Crisis She Didn’t Create (For Once)
For decades, New Zealand faced a growing mountain of end-of-life tyres (ELTs). Over four million tyres reached the end of their usable life every year, with most of them ending up in landfills or illegal dumps, posing environmental and public health hazards. Successive governments had talked about addressing the issue, but no one took real action.
That changed with the Tyrewise initiative, a product stewardship scheme designed to finally tackle the country’s tyre problem. Tyrewise was created by industry stakeholders, not the government, with the aim of holding manufacturers, importers, and retailers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their tyres, from production to disposal and recycling. By giving the program her support, Ardern ensured it gained the traction it needed to succeed. While Tyrewise wasn’t her brainchild, her administration at least did one thing right by backing it.
The $30 Million Filter: A Success, But That’s Not the Whole Story
Before getting to Tyrewise, it’s worth noting that not everything Ardern touched turned to dust. One of her administration's notable successes was the $30 million air filtration system aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Unlike many of her other projects, this one worked—it did exactly what it was designed to do, filtering pollutants and helping lower emission levels in key areas.
However, even this success was overshadowed by Ardern’s bigger failures. While the filter was a win for environmental policy, it did little to address the bigger crises that her leadership exacerbated: the pandemic fallout, economic damage, and social division. The filter might have worked, but many of Ardern’s other policies failed miserably.
The Vaccine Rollout: A Devastating Failure
Nowhere was this more apparent than in her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccine rollout. Jacinda Ardern didn’t just lead New Zealand through one of the strictest lockdowns in the world; she also convinced the entire country that mass vaccination was the only way forward. For many of us, that decision came with life-altering consequences.
Ardern's government pushed the vaccine with relentless force, leaving little room for personal choice. Many of us felt coerced, and when adverse effects started to emerge, we were left to deal with the fallout on our own. I was one of those affected, and the government offered no support, no accountability, and no acknowledgment of the damage done.
The narrative remained that the vaccine was essential for public safety, while those of us who experienced adverse effects felt abandoned and ignored. Ardern’s government was quick to mandate compliance but slow to offer solutions for those harmed by the vaccine. It left many of us feeling betrayed by a government that seemed more focused on control than genuine public wellbeing.
Tyrewise: The Token Victory in a Sea of Failures
The Tyrewise initiative stands as one of the few policies during Ardern’s leadership that didn’t completely fall apart. But even here, it’s important to note that this wasn’t Ardern’s own project. She merely supported a system created by the industry. While that support was crucial to its success, it doesn’t erase the long list of failures her administration is remembered for.
Tyrewise has done good: it’s reducing waste, creating jobs in recycling, and repurposing millions of old tyres into useful products like playground surfaces and road construction materials. But it’s one small success in an otherwise disastrous legacy.
Ardern’s policies on housing and the economy left Kiwis struggling. The vaccine mandates divided the nation and left many of us—especially those who were adversely affected—feeling completely abandoned. Tyrewise, in this context, is just a rare token of success in a sea of incompetence. It’s something her administration didn’t completely fumble, but does it make up for everything else? Not in the slightest.
The Pandemic Fallout: The True Legacy of Ardern’s Policies
While New Zealand can be thankful that we won’t be buried under piles of old tyres, the damage caused by Ardern’s heavy-handed pandemic response will take years to repair. Businesses were destroyed by the prolonged lockdowns, and many families are still struggling to recover. The housing market remains out of reach for many, and the ripple effects of the vaccine rollout continue to be felt.
Those of us who suffered from vaccine-related issues are left asking: where was the "kindness" Jacinda preached about? The government’s unwillingness to take responsibility for the consequences of its actions is a bitter pill to swallow. And no amount of tyre recycling will undo the harm caused by her draconian policies.
Conclusion: One Token Success Doesn’t Redeem a Legacy of Harm
Yes, Jacinda Ardern supported the Tyrewise initiative, and yes, it’s a program that is genuinely making a positive difference in New Zealand’s environmental landscape. But let’s not get carried away—this was a small victory in a term otherwise defined by failure, mismanagement, and overreach.
While we can celebrate Tyrewise for reducing tyre waste and contributing to a more sustainable future, it doesn’t make up for the wreckage Ardern left behind in almost every other area. For those of us affected by her disastrous policies—whether it was the vaccine rollout, the economic damage from lockdowns, or the skyrocketing housing crisis—one successful tyre recycling scheme doesn’t come close to offsetting the lasting harm she caused.
At the end of the day, we’re left asking: what’s the point of cleaning up old tyres when the country itself is still in ruin...