Threats against Jacinda Ardern have almost tripled over three years

Anti-vaccination is one of the major reasons behind spike in threats

Threats against New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern have reportedly almost tripled over the last three years amid pushback against Covid-19 vaccination.

Threats to Ms Ardern that involved the police have spiked from 18 in 2019 to 50 in 2021, according to data provided to Newshub under the Official Information Act. In 2020, police recorded 32 threats against the prime minister.

Ms Ardern faced severe abuse and backlash from anti-vaccine groups for mandating vaccines and imposing strict Covid-19 restrictions. The opposition to regulating firearms following the March 2019 terror attacks in Christchurch was also a contributing factor to the rise in threats.