Read this today, as you might have as well:
https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/taylor-ardern-not-first-letter-far-most-difficult
Paraphrasing all the events, he summed it up quite nicely that it was entirely brand management. All of the slogans :"They are us", " Team of 5 million" are long gone, whilst her "brand" still appears on Vogue and the likes.
What started as "We're all in the same waka" became a "waka for one".