While I find this a stupid and odious law, facts don't support the other portions of your statement. NZ did much better than the US in combating Covid and reopening their economy. The Temperance Movement that begat Prohibition was a product of religious Conservatives.
Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.
It was no coincidence that the temperance movement gained national prominence during the height of the Progressive Era in the US.
Likewise, it was predominantly promoted by the Liberal Party in the UK (pre-Labour) and similar progressive political allies elsewhere on the continent.
Finally, I would not consider the seemingly never-ending national lockdowns with their untold human and economic costs a "success" for NZ. We'll have agree to disagree on that one.