evidence: COVID-19 cases soar in New Zealand, in dramatic shift New Zealand was once heralded for its handling of COVID-19. But these days, infections are rising and the government is having to cope with unrest from anti-vaccination protesters. New Zealand is in the throes of skyrocketing COVID-19 infections, marking a dramatic shift for the small country in the South Pacific. For much of the pandemic, it had successfully suppressed the virus, but daily cases that numbered in the hundreds just two weeks ago jumped to more than 22,000 by Friday. NPR's Julie McCarthy has this report.