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Helen Clark has urged South Africa to take a stronger stand against Robert Mugabe and says New Zealand will talk to other countries about what further sanctions can be imposed against Zimbabwe.
The Prime Minister was commenting after Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the presidential election.
Mr Tsvangirai said a free and fair election was impossible because of the violence and stand-over tactics of President Mugabe's supporters.
New Zealand has a trade embargo and financial sanctions against Zimbabwe and does not give aid to the country, although it gives small amounts to groups working there.
Asked if further sanctions would add to the suffering of Zimbabwe's people, Helen Clark said it was hard to see how things could get worse.
"They can't suffer more. With 165,000 per cent inflation, with murder, torture, it's almost impossible to think things could be worse."
She said although neighbouring African states - including Tanzania and Angola - had at last begun to speak out against Mr Mugabe, South Africa needed to follow their lead and take a stronger stand.
South Africa's support had been important to Mr Mugabe, and had also been a factor in preventing other southern African states speaking out.
"The silence there has now been shattered by quite strong statements, so people are beginning to speak out and South Africa needs to follow the lead of others and make it clear to Mr Mugabe it is not supporting in any form the continuation of the regime."
National Party leader John Key also said African leaders needed to do more to force the situation to a head.
"It is pleasing to see that southern African leaders have, in recent days, moved to distance themselves from the tactics of the Mugabe regime," he said.
"That does not change the fact that too many of them have provided cover for Mugabe for too long."
Helen Clark said NZ hoped the UN Security Council, which is expected to discuss the issue today, would condemn Mr Mugabe's regime and insist on a free and fair election.
"It is a tragic and abhorrent state of affairs when a man who has topped the poll in the first round of a presidential election then finds he and his party and supporters and voters are so intimidated and terrified by thuggery, brutality and murder that he can not proceed to the poll.
"This is not democracy by any definition known to human kind."
