These days, those who make the biggest noise and disruption often succeed in gaining global attention for their views. The New Zealand tent protests are doing that because the demonstrators have piggybacked on to the larger and more challenging "occupation" of Ottawa.
Most people recognise the benefits of health measures for themselves and others. Some of the protesters in Wellington say they are taking a stand for freedom of choice.
Would those protesters ticketed for parking their vehicles illegally also camp out to be freed from the yoke of being required to have a driver's licence, to have registration and a warrant of fitness for their car, to wear a seatbelt when driving, and follow the road - as opposed to Covid - traffic light rules?
For Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern the New Zealand protests are another unwelcome development, but her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau is under more pressure.
Aside from creating gridlock in Canada's capital, protesters in trucks have caused economic disruption to supply chains by blocking a bridge at the United States border.
The protesters oppose a requirement that truck drivers entering Canada be fully vaccinated. The US has the same rule in reverse and about 90 per cent of truck drivers in Canada are vaccinated. Some protesters have called for Trudeau's removal, even though both federal and regional governments have introduced various measures.
Trudeau defended the rule, one of the federal measures, saying: "The reality is that vaccine mandates, and the fact that Canadians stepped up to get vaccinated to almost 90 per cent, ensured that this pandemic didn't hit as hard here in Canada as elsewhere in the world."
As with New Zealand, people in Canada have broadly supported measures against Covid.
Yet it is clear the political dam has broken worldwide on the coronavirus pandemic, which is serving up a negative twist this year for several incumbent leaders. Both Trudeau and US President Joe Biden have approval ratings of about 40 per cent.
Economic recovery concerns are rising with inflation and business lobbies are pushing hard. Tourism, aviation, and hospitality have been hard hit everywhere. Countries in the north are determined to have a profitable spring, summer, and autumn with or without Covid. In the south, countries don't want to be left out of the action.
Political leaders in various countries also know that aside from the small numbers motivated to protest, there's a much larger group of vaccinated people compliant with Covid requirements who now want to move on. There's a further section of people who are still inclined to be cautious.
In the past few days, there's been a rush of countries overseas easing restrictions.
The Czech Republic is dropping the need for vaccination passports for hospitality venues, hairdressers, and public events. Sweden is halting most testing, and France, Greece and Portugal have relaxed Covid travel restrictions.
The Philippines and Australia are welcoming back international tourists. Coronavirus measures in England are nearly at an end with laws requiring people with Covid to self-isolate expected to be lifted by the end of the month.
Both Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British counterpart Boris Johnson have been struggling in polls and politically need something positive to offer their voters.
A research study in January from Cambridge University, involving more than half a million people in 109 countries, found that the populist style of politics lost support globally during the pandemic.
Now with the pandemic in its third year, and with its economic impacts, the virus has become a struggle for leaders competent and incompetent, traditional and populist, alike.
