Unless they have changed the economy seating arrangements, there is not much of a barrier between rows. If someone sneezes or coughs behind you, you will get a blast of the emission from the gaps and above the seats before the air recirculation could intervene. The only context I see for allowing a breach of the 2m distancing is cost. And that is not even taking into account embarking and disembarking arrangements and passengers moving from seats during the journey.
What its the distance between rows in Air NZ economy? What is the distance between heads when the seat in front is reclined? Is it less than one metre?
Answered my own question. There is just 0.73m between rows on an A320!
https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/seat...s-a320neo-165i