For people under 24, conditions have not been this bad in three decades. Jobs are so scarce that one in three either cannot get enough work or have none at all. About 180 people are leaving the country every day. The exodus is a record, and it is splitting families while thinning local communities and pools of skilled workers.
Polling shows the gloom is widespread. Many people say the economy feels in ruins, jobs are hard to find, the cost of living has become punishing, and the sense of community once treated as a source of national pride is breaking down. There is little sense of genuine progress on policy. Faith in politics is lower still.
A foundation that surveys New Zealanders every year on social cohesion found, in its most recent report, that people — young people in particular — feel far more isolated than they did a generation ago. Attitudes towards multiculturalism are souring, and the population is becoming less hopeful.
The country produces enough food to feed its population eight times over. Even so, about a quarter of adults are skipping meals. Grocery prices, set by a supermarket duopoly, are among the highest in the developed world.
The shift matters beyond one election night. Trust in institutions has weakened, young people are struggling to find work, and a record outflow of residents is dividing families, shrinking communities and draining talent.
New Zealanders voted on Saturday in an unusually low national mood, and a record number deserted the two major parties, leaving neither with a clear mandate.
High inflation means every dollar has to stretch further. New Zealand remains one of the least affordable places on Earth to rent or buy a home.
Only two in five New Zealanders trust the government to do the right thing, and less than half the country trusts the courts.