And they were doing so well...

Sorry to hear that.  I was ready to move to New Zealand.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has the sole authority to determine when people cast ballots, said she had consulted with all the major parties before delaying the vote, originally scheduled for Sept. 19, to Oct. 17.

Ms. Ardern called the decision a compromise that “provides sufficient time for parties to plan around the range of circumstances we could be campaigning under, for the electoral commission to prepare and for voters to feel assured of a safe, accessible and critical election.”

She also ruled out further change. Even if the outbreak worsens, she said, “we will be sticking with the date we have.”

Then I wonder why it had to be moved in the first place. A gamble that they can get a handle on it, I suppose.

The shift keeps Election Day within the time frame allowed under the law — the latest possible date is Nov. 21 — but it also highlights the national concern as a cluster of at least 58 new cases frustrates investigators, clears the streets of Auckland and suspends scheduled campaign events.

And...

As of Monday, the country has seen four straight days of new cases in the triple digits, for a four-day total of 745 cases. That compares with a peak of about 900 cases per day in late February, after which South Korea managed to keep new daily cases to double digits.

[...]

While the first peak was centered on the country's fourth largest city, Daegu, and a megachurch called the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, this time the peak is centered on the capital, and another religious group called the Sarang Jeil Church.

  NPR

I wouldn't be sorry to see religious organizations go by the wayside all over the globe. Of course, that won't happen. But don't worry, our president assures us that the virus will miraculously go away.