"Ardern even cancelled her long-planned wedding to TV star fiancé Clarke Gayford in the ultimate act of virtue signalling aimed at showing New Zealanders she's going through the hell of lockdown too," Wootton went on.
"While most governments have tried to quell public panic over Omicron, given the proven mild nature of the variant, Ardern's regime has done the opposite.
"While the rest of the world is finally waking up to the need to live with Covid long-term, New Zealand remains trapped in March 2020, with terror and paranoia enveloping a country that was once famous for producing hard men like Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary, fearless rugby giant Jonah Lomu and bunjee [sic] jump inventor AJ Hackett."
"Rather than preparing for the inevitable over the past two years, socialist Ardern is hamstrung by a creaking health system with less than 200 intensive care beds to service five million citizens."
In the column, Wootton says New Zealand's approach to keeping the virus out has impacted him personally, not being able to return home to visit family.
"Of course, for the first few months, I reluctantly accepted Ardern's Chinese-inspired hardline approach, which kept Covid out of the country before much was known about the virus.
"But two years on, and with Kiwis being jabbed for a third time, I remain separated from my beloved mum, dad and sister who, alongside my partner, are the most important people in my life by some distance."
"Completely agree with Dan here," Brooke said on Twitter supporting the column.
It isn't the only international criticism aimed at the New Zealand Prime Minister with controversial British media personality Piers Morgan weighing in on Twitter.
"Given over 90 per cent of New Zealand's eligible population has had at least two doses of Covid vaccine, and Omicron is indisputably a significantly less severe strain of the virus, I'm not sure why Jacinda Ardern is implementing draconian new restrictions and cancelling her wedding?" he said on Twitter.
Some of his followers pointed out that the UK would do well to take guidance from New Zealand's attempts to stop the Covid spread.
"NZ have had 52 deaths from Covid. That's not 52 thousand – it's just 52. Considering the UK has had over 150,000 what's your question again?" one person wrote.
"It's called common sense. History will show that her leadership has been pretty much exemplary," added another.
Responding to the tightening of measures in New Zealand, British MP Mark Jenkinson wrote: "Thank the Lord we're in the UK."
Nile Gardiner, a former aide to Margaret Thatcher, added that the restrictions equated to "left-wing insanity in New Zealand".
However, Ardern has also received praise for setting an example in her leadership, even if it means suffering a personal sacrifice, by postponing her wedding.
On Sunday, Ardern was forced to call off her own wedding as she tightened Covid-19 restrictions in the face of an outbreak of the Omicron variant.
It came after there were nine confirmed cases of the variant detected earlier this month from a family who travelled between cities, flying into Auckland for a wedding, as well as the infection of a flight attendant on the aircraft they flew on.
It was enough to see the country impose its "red setting" restrictions from midnight Sunday.
These include limits on crowd numbers, including a limit of 100 fully vaccinated people at events, as well as mandatory face coverings on public transport and in shops.
"My wedding will not be going ahead," she confirmed after detailing the new restrictions.
"I just joined many other New Zealanders who have had an experience like that as a result of the pandemic and to anyone who is caught up in that scenario I am so sorry."
Ardern and Gayford have never announced their wedding date, but it was believed to be scheduled for some time in the next few weeks.
The new restrictions are set to remain in place until at least the end of next month.
"Such is life," the New Zealand leader said when asked how she felt about setting regulations which ended her planned nuptials.
"I'm no different to thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill. That will far outstrip any sadness I experience."
New Zealand has reported 15,104 Covid-19 cases and 52 deaths since the pandemic began.
Tough border restrictions and snap lockdowns have been in place for much of the past two years.
- With news.com.au
