Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the election will be pushed back four weeks, from Sept. 19 to Oct. 19. 

She said during a briefing the decision was made after consulting with leaders of every political party. 

Arden said the government landed on a date that “provided sufficient time for parties to plan around a 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.” 

The decision comes after New Zealand extended a lockdown on Friday in Auckland after facing its first COVID-19 outbreak in more than three months. The country had gone 102 days without any reported coronavirus cases. 

New Zealand has reported a total of 1,622 coronavirus cases and 22 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.