– “… Ardern has locked down New Zealand so firmly…”
New Zealand isn’t locked down at all. The whole country is covid-free, except the border quarantine centres. No restrictions, no masks, no covid.
So I doubt that Amazon Studios’ decision is about restrictions, and the article you linked doesn’t even mention covid:
– “[Amazon Studios] said the shift in locations was part of a plan to expand its production space and consolidate its footprint in the UK.“