So here's the deal on this virus

[Billy Goat Sverige]

Most of these comparisons are - as you say - meaningless. However, they are useful in terms of trying to discern the possible reasons for the discrepancies later on. Now Sweden's calculation - which so far appears to be correct - is that their demographics and geography allowed them to trade a few thousand deaths more than their neighbours for keeping the economy going.
Perfectly reasonable and rational thing to do, but to compare that with the UK, where a similar strategy would certainly resulted in a much sharper spike in deaths (possibly 100,000-ish by now), hospitals overwhelmed and pictures of bodies stacked in hospital corridors is unhelpful an ignores the wider factors.

I agree. As you say some countries needed to respond with what they thought was best for their own demographics etc. Some countries I feel have looked at the outcomes in Italy and Spain and thought they’d see the same things in their hospitals so took a similar approach when it probably wasn’t necessary (thinking of the other Nordic countries). They’re now put up as success stories when the truth is they probably overreacted a little bit. People keep comparing Sweden to Norway in terms of deaths per million as though Norway has won a competition, when they’d probably wish they got to have another crack at it if it only meant an increase in unemployment by 1% instead of 5% (among other things) with only a thousand or so deaths.

Comparing New Zealand to other countries is properly taking the piss.