In July 2017, there could have been little doubt as to who would win the General Election in New Zealand. With barely two months to go, the ruling National party had a more than 20-point lead over the Labour Party, and it looked as if they were to win a fourth election in a row. But then something happened: the desperately unpopular leader of the Labour party, Andrew Little, resigned, and he was replaced by the 37-year-old deputy leader, Jacinda Ardern, who became the world’s youngest serving female leader.
Rapid rise to the top
Jacinda Ardern’s rise to the top had been fast. She grew up in a normal family. She studied communications. At the age of 26, she moved to London and worked in a policy unit in the Cabinet Office and later the Home Office. She was also elected as president of International Socialist Youth, which gave her a lot of experience in electoral politics, coupled with her experience in advise and policy work which she had gained when working at the heart of British politics during the Blair years.
In 2008 she became a member of parliament, and youngest MP in the New Zealand House of Representatives. In 2011 she became opposition spokesman for International Development. In March of 2017, she became deputy leader.
Shortly after this, on 1st August, Andrew Little resigned, and she became leader of the opposition, with barely seven weeks until the general election, scheduled to be held on the 23 September. Immediately, the National party’s lead in the polls narrowed. Half of the polls between when she became leader, and the election saw Labour leading. But on polling night, people did not come out for Labour.They received just 37 percent of the vote, to National’s 44, and had 10 fewer seats.
However, with deft negotiation, Jacinda Ardern would be Prime Minister within a month. 61 seats were needed for a majority. National was five seats short, and Labour 15, but Ardern was able to outmanoeuvre Prime Minister Bill English, by going into coalition with the third largest party, the right-wing, populist, nationalist, New Zealand First Party. This gave Labour 55 seats, still fewer than National by themselves, but with a vote of confidence and supply from the Green party (who had eight seats) they were able to form the sixth Labour Government in September 2017.
Events, events, events
Jacinda Ardern’s premiership of New Zealand is most remembered for the many crises which occurred while she was Prime Minister. These events are usually what political leaders are less affectionately remembered for. Harold Macmillan called events the thing which statesmen fear the most, but for Jacinda Ardern, she had an impressive and unique ability to deal with events decisively, giving her an enormous political advantage.
That is not, of course, to say that she didn’t have a domestic agenda. Opposition Labour promises, reaffirmed by Ardern upon taking office, were to reduce poverty and increase welfare payments, among other policy initiatives. She also took maternity leave from 21 June to 2 August, following the birth of her first child. Also she made a large-scale effort to improve relations with Australia. However, many of these policies were forgotten by the events to follow, each taking a terrible toll on the country she loved and led.
Horrific terrorist attack
On 15 March, 2019, something that had never happened in New Zealand took place. A lone gunman, motivated by racism and hatred, drove to a mosque in Christchurch, armed with two semi-automatic rifles, and opened fire. He then drove to another mosque, opening fire there too. His car was rammed, and he was arrested while en route to another mosque, to inflict slaughter on those peaceful worshippers too. He live-streamed the attack, and it was watched by over 200 people before Facebook removed it. The man killed 51 people, and became the only person in New Zealand legal history to receive a sentence of life without parole.
Ardern’s reaction to the crisis was quick and decisive. She immediately announced a period of national mourning, was the first signatory of a national condolence book displayed in the parliament building, and, covering her head, in respect for victims, visited the families, survivors and first responders in person. Ardern was internationally praised for her actions and quick response. A few months later, another tragedy was to occur, one she would be praised for as well.
White island eruption
On the 9 December, 2019, 19 New Zealanders, two Australians and a German were killed when the volcano on White Island, a popular tourist destination, 50 kilometres off the coast, erupted. A further 25 people were injured, with many suffering severe burns. Ardern said about the disaster: “The scale of this tragedy is devastating.” But this, and the appalling Christchurch mosque shootings, were all to be dwarfed by a crisis which massively affected every nation on earth, and would claim well over seven million lives worldwide.
Coronavirus restrictions
The first case of Coronavirus in New Zealand was recorded on February 28th, 2020. In mid-March, Ardern announced the most sweeping travel restrictions of any country, requiring all people to isolate for 14 days after arrival in New Zealand. Four days later, on 4 March, travel to New Zealand was banned to all except permanent residents. On 25 March, a complete lockdown was declared. The nation ground to a stop: all gatherings were stopped, school stopped, work stopped, and people were forced to stay at home.
Internationally and domestically, she was praised for her swift and decisive actions. While other countries flip flopped and floundered, Ardern and her government’s sure course of action was reassuring, and undoubtedly saved lives. Alastair Campbell praised Ardern for “addressing both the human and economic sides of the pandemic.”
I was 11 years old when the country shut down, and I remember that every day, at one o’clock, my mother, father and younger brother would gather around the tv, to watch the daily press conference with the Prime Minister. Her ability to communicate with empathy in times of disaster had previously been revealed during the earlier events noted, but it was in these times that her communication and leadership skills seemed utterly superior to many of her counterparts.
New Zealand was under a nationwide lockdown from March to May 2020. We then went to a series of regional lockdowns, with normality slowly restored in most parts of the country (apart from the largest city, Auckland, which endured lockdowns in August to September, 2020 and from February to March, 2021). A second national lockdown was briefly in effect for a few days in August 2021. In 2020, off the back of the Covid-19 response popularity, Labour won 65 seats and became the first party to win an outright majority in Parliament since the introduction of MMP in 1993. It was an enormous achievement, but it was all to be downhill from there.
Disenchantment and resignation
You can see in the opinion polls that, over time, people got frustrated with the continuation of Covid-19 restrictions. By 2022, many people felt that Covid-19 was no longer an issue, yet New Zealand kept in place several restrictions which many felt were unnecessary. It wasn’t until March 2022 that border restrictions began to be eased. This marked two years of the vital New Zealand tourism industry being completely closed, and there was only so much of being told what to do that the independently minded New Zealand population could manage. While the polls narrowed in 2022, it was not a death sentence. It therefore seemed as something of a shock when, on 19 January, 2022, she announced her resignation. In her statement to the press, she said: “I know what this job takes and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice,”.
She was succeeded six days later by education minister, Chris Hipkins. Hipkins would go on to lose the 2023 New Zealand General Election, with Labour only winning 31 seats. In depressed south Auckland, traditionally a Labour stronghold, the rebellion was most apparent. The perceived economic and social damage of having kept Auckland in lockdown for a total of 163 days over two years was avenged, as Labour was swept from power.
Her legacy
The legacy of Jacinda Ardern remains controversial in New Zealand. She certainly was very popular, and received much more international attention than most New Zealand Prime Ministers do on the world stage, but the general election results speak for themselves. It was a landslide against Labour, a revolt, an act of vengeance for what the public believed the ruling party had done to the country. It serves as an interesting contrast between international and domestic perceptions of leaders. Many of her political counterparts abroad made glowing assessments of her leadership.
Her premiership has been remembered for her handling of the Covid-19 pandemic: the fantastic start, and the overly cautious, damaging end – but there is so much more. Her handling of earlier events was flawless, and her handling of the Covid-19 situation was arguably far superior to that of most world leaders. But it was for this that her party was voted out, and for which she will mostly be remembered at home. She was a political leader of undoubted political and communications skills, empathetic and one whose legacy will be debated for years to come in New Zealand society.
We want to hear your views. Please send any comments to editor@westenglandbylines.co.uk
