It can become necessary when the enemy is simply too strong and an army needs to leave the battlefield to avoid a crushing defeat, or it can be simply to pull back to reach an area that is easier to defend.
Trailing National in the polls, Ardern has decided to retreat and present a smaller target to opponents by postponing the implementation of contentious policies or reducing their scope.
These have already included delaying a draft plan in response to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples until 2024, while watering down “hate-speech” legislation, and immigration restrictions for nurses.
Anything that is unpopular and unwanted will have the volume turned down until after the elections, should Labour win they will resume their scheduled program. A program that will only continue to further extremism (on both sides of the spectrum), identity politics and division.
Great read with a lovely ending.