Why New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern Has Been Named The World’s Greatest Leader

Jacinda Ardern is New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister and has recently topped Fortune’s list of leaders. She has led the country since 2017 and the COVID-19 crisis turned the world to look in her direction. The term ‘Jacindamania’ has been coined to depict her success.

In 2017, as New Zealand’s Labour Party plummeted in the public polls, Jacinda Ardern became leader. A no-fuss, positive personality type, Ardern rose to the challenge and got people to do something the failing party couldn’t, she got them to listen. How did she do that? She spoke out and she spoke up. Seven hours after becoming Labour leader, Ardern called out sexist comments asking her when she was going to have a baby.

Featuring on The AM Show, Ardern was questioned by co-host Mark Richardson, he said: “If you are an employer of a company you need to know that type of thing from the woman you are employing … the question is, is it ok for a PM to take maternity leave while in office?” 

In response, she said, “It is totally unacceptable in 2017 to say that women should have to answer the question in the workplace, it is unacceptable, it is unacceptable.” Her retaliation made international headlines, applauded for reminding people that women have a larger part in society than being ‘babymakers’. 

Since the start of her term, the world’s youngest head of state has taken swift action in times of trouble. On Mar. 15, 2019, a gunman entered two mosques in Christchurch and opened fire, resulting in a death toll of 51. The PM quickly tightened the nation’s gun laws and removed 60,000 prohibited firearms from circulation. Most semi-automatic weapons were banned less than a week after the tragedy took place.

Her use of compassion when reassuring Muslim communities that something would be done in light of the attack, confirmed her impactful leadership skills. Many looked at other western leaders’ anti-immigration rhetoric as a stark contrast. 

The PM further took her compassion to refugees, rescinding a policy that stopped those from African and Middle Eastern nations from settling in New Zealand unless they had proven family connections. 

Like any politician, Ardern has failed to deliver on some of her early promises. Pledges surrounding child poverty, climate change and affordable housing have reportedly seen inconclusive results of change. Whilst in headlines worldwide, domestically her relationship with the people of New Zealand was somewhat distant. Everything, however, changed in February 2020 when coronavirus met the nation on its shores. 

Her effortless leadership and popularity were one thing but her response to the coronavirus pandemic is what made her stand out. An early lockdown packed with strict measures kept the virus under control. She kept herself calm, which in turn kept the country calm. In April 2020, she reassured children that the Easter bunny and tooth fairy were both essential workers. Her compassion for people and policy once again became her key to winning. 

While the U.K. never formally closed its borders, on Mar. 16, 2020, Ardern closed New Zealand’s borders to non-citizens and residents. Professor Martin Berka, an economist at Massey University said, “Doing this early on with only over a few thousand cases [worldwide] at the time, allowed them to basically stop the influx and stop the community transmission.” She did what many failed to do, get a hold of the virus before it got a hold on the nation. 

The Prime Minister's message was: “We must go hard and we must go early.” When entering lockdown, supermarkets, hospitals, and other essential places such as petrol stations, were the only ones deemed necessary enough to stay open. Socialising was forbidden beyond households. A hard lockdown, strict quarantine policy for arrival into the country and a positive leader, made New Zealand one of the first COVID-free nations.

After winning her second term in October with a landslide victory, Ardern’s political career is far from over. Many have championed her humanizing politics, keeping mental health, wellbeing and New Zealand’s roots at the heart of her campaigns. It’s evident why she was named the world’s greatest leader following her successful COVID response journey. New challenges surrounding a weakened economy, her failure to actively address homelessness and child poverty, must be resolved before she retains the title for another year. But as her campaign read, “Let’s keep moving.”