Jacinda Arden – Showing the World the Power of Compassionate Leadership
In early June 2020, New Zealand announced that it had effectively eradicated COVID-19 and was prepared to reopen its society and economy. The decision on reopening came after the South Pacific island country had reduced community transmission of the coronavirus to nearly zero.
Public transportation and public accommodations will again be able to operate, and people can attend large events again for the first time since a March 23 lockdown.
Over the course of the pandemic, New Zealand has recorded only 1,500 cases of coronavirus and only 22 fatalities. In stark and tragic contrast, at the same time New Zealand made its announcement, statistics for the United States showed about 2 million known cases and a death toll above 110,000.
New Zealand’s successful coronavirus response isn’t only due to the fact that it is a small island nation. The Republic of Ireland, with comparable geography and population, has seen more than 25,000 infections and nearly 1,700 deaths.
Experts give much of the credit to New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. As the face of the country for many across the globe, Ardern has shown tenacity, transparency, and decisive action in addressing the pandemic. She has also demonstrated that her unusual blending of these qualities with empathy, compassion, and even humor can earn a politician justifiable praise as a true moral leader.
How “go hard, go early” saved a nation
Several of Ardern’s government’s measures stand out as particularly effective against the virus, chief among them the fact that it locked down fully and quickly. As Ardern said, “We must go hard and we must go early.”
She closed borders in mid-March, with only 100 cases in the entire country and no deaths. Anyone entering New Zealand after that period was subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The full lockdown policies instituted 10 days later exceeded those of most other countries. Only hospitals, pharmacies, supermarkets, and gas stations were permitted to remain open. Automobile travel was restricted, and people were not allowed to socialize outside their households.
This early, thorough lockdown bought New Zealand precious time to prepare its healthcare infrastructure and to ramp up its capacity for widespread testing and contact tracing. This put its ability to stem the tide of the pandemic far ahead of the United States, which health experts say has squandered a similar opportunity.
Truth-telling and empathy
Another key reason behind New Zealand’s success is Ardern’s communications policy and style. She let New Zealanders know that she was with them, struggling and worrying alongside them, but believing that together they would come through.
An April article in The Atlantic called Ardern possibly the most effective government leader in the world. Because of her combination of empathy and serious-minded straight talk, the people of New Zealand trust her, even when they don’t completely understand all the details involved in a particular government health policy.
Her frequent Facebook Live chats during the pandemic have shown her as perhaps the world’s most relatable politician. She has addressed the nation while at home with her young family, dressed in a sweatshirt after putting her daughter to bed.
Transparency from the beginning
Announcing the lockdown, her government sent a text message to all the country’s residents, telling them, “We are depending on you” to comply with the restrictions. The message let people know that, wherever they were that evening, they must stay for an indefinite amount of time in order to keep everyone safe.
When Ardern briefed the nation in mid-April, she summarized progress, based on scientific evidence, and continued to provide both hard facts and encouragement. She told people that they had it within their reach to do something no other nation had done: to eradicate the virus within their borders.
Throughout the crisis, Ardern continued to help people manage their expectations, pointing out that it would take time to see the true value of the lockdown. People found her messaging clear and understandable, which helped make it easier to support restrictive measures.
With Easter approaching, Ardern showed characteristic tenderness and humor in taking time to publicly respond to a child’s question about whether the Easter Bunny would be able to visit during the lockdown. Don’t worry, Ardern assured the child in what has become a widely shared video clip: The Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy are “essential workers.”
The courage to fight hate
Ardern has been tested before. In March 2019, she provided leadership and comfort to New Zealand after an Australian white supremacist attacked two of the country’s mosques. Fifty-one people were killed and 49 were injured as the attacker streamed his actions live on Facebook.
Ardern quickly condemned the attacks as the work of a terrorist and reaffirmed her country’s position as a welcoming haven for immigrants. She later announced that New Zealand would raise its annual quotas on immigration and that it would tighten gun laws, although gun ownership is common there. And, in a moving speech, she upheld the country’s tradition of respect for diversity and its compassion.
Empowered by idealism
Born in 1980, Jacinda Ardern in 2017 became the country’s youngest prime minister in a century and a half. She had grown up in a small town and was determined to go into politics after seeing many children without healthy meals or shoes to wear. After graduating from the University of Waikato with a degree in communications, she became active in the Labour Party, which she had joined at 17.
Soon after university, Ardern joined the staff of Prime Minister Helen Clark, who became her role model.
In 2005, she traveled to the United Kingdom to live and work, a common practice among New Zealand’s youth. She worked for Prime Minister Tony Blair, focusing on finding better ways for local officials to work with small businesses. Later, as president of the International Union of Socialist Youth, she traveled to China, India, and the Middle East.
Ardern entered New Zealand political life in 2008 when she ran for office as the nominee for a seat where the Labour Party had traditionally been unsuccessful. She lost, but entered parliament as a “list candidate,” under the country’s mixed member proportional system of representation. This made her the youngest member of New Zealand’s House of Representatives.
Her House tenure was distinguished by her push for schools to require instruction in the indigenous Maori language. She also took the government to task over its poor record on climate change.
Ardern’s interests expanded to include cultural issues and the arts, as well as justice, child welfare, and small business. Her 2017 election to lead the Labour Party ushered in her tenure as Prime Minister.
Reopening the country cautiously
Although buoyed by her country’s success in subduing the coronavirus, Ardern remains careful and deliberate in her focus on keeping New Zealand safe. Requirements remain in place mandating that anyone newly arrived in the country quarantine for two weeks. She is realistic in acknowledging that new cases will almost certainly arise, which is why she continues a vigorous public information campaign focused on the importance of social distancing, good hand hygiene, and staying home for those showing symptoms.
There are few heads of state whose actions better define them as a moral leader than Prime Minister Ardern.