Daily Times

New Zealand being a trans-pacific island is one of the farthest located places from our region which has seldom figured in news, except for its world class cricket team. It is a silent and sedate place only known for its grassy highlands and meadows, and a refuge for those who want to enjoy their peace.

In recent times, i.e in March 2019, a dastardly terrorist attack by sporadic shooting by a religious fanatic took place inside a mosque in Christchurch city in which about 50 Muslims were killed and more than 40 got injured. Since such an occurrence was never expected in a place like New Zealand, therefore it almost shook the entire world. But more than this horrific tragedy, the image of Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand emerged in all its glory. Whenever I recall this massacre, the image of Jacinda Ardern, weeping, sobbing and crying over the dead and consoling the injured and bereaved families comes alive to my mind. It appeared to all viewers as if it was her personal loss. It was indeed a rare sight to see the head of the government reacting to this tragedy as if the tragedy had befallen on her own kith and kin. It was not I alone who was deeply touched by the person of Jacinda Ardern, but the whole world who watched this gory drama on TV.

Speaking about the massacre of Christchurch mosque she emphasized that these Muslim “brothers, daughters, fathers and children… were New Zealanders. They are us.” She also showed a strong resolve to change gun laws which she did within a month after the tragedy. In a speech in memory of the deceased she refused to give him the attention he craved for doing this crime and insisted: “We in New Zealand will give him nothing, not even his name.” The world press commended her as “the Real Leader who showed dignity, grace, and courage.”

I also read a book by Michelle Duff written on her life and career.

Born in Hamilton in 1982, Ardern completed her graduation in 2001. After spending some time as a researcher in the office of former Prime Minister Helen Clark, she went to London, and worked in the Cabinet office and was elected President of the International Union of Socialist Youth. After returning back she was first elected as an MP in the 2008 general election, and worked in home Parliament for 9 years when Labour lost power, but she again got elected as M.P in February 2017.

Ardern was unanimously elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in March 2017. In the General Elections of the same year she steered her Labour party to victory and became New Zealand’s 40th P.M. She became the world’s youngest female head of government at the age of 37. Ardern later became the world’s second elected head of government to give birth to a baby child while in office (after Benazir Bhutto) when a daughter was born to her on 21 June 2018.

Jecinda Ardern by temperament and ideology is a social democrat and a progressive. As the Head of the NZ’s first Labour Government she has focused on the New Zealand housing crisis, child poverty, and social inequality. She was the Prime Minister for hardly a few months when in March 2019, the above mentioned tragic terrorist attack, the first of its kind, in NZ was carried out by some terrorists on Christchurch mosque, killing over 50 Muslims with sporadic shootings. She handled this crisis with remarkable tact and wisdom. She described the incident as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.” A white supremacist was arrested at the spot. Ardern established a royal commission of inquiry to probe the incidence. She made urgent arrangements for the treatment of the injured in the hospitals, and made special arrangements for dispatch of the dead bodies to their respective countries. The footage of the Prime Minister’s personal involvement with the bereaved families became viral in the media, and a spate of condolence messages started pouring into her office, as if it was the personal tragedy of the Prime Minister.

She was one of fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue. Forbes magazine has placed her in 38th position among the 100 most powerful women in the world in 2019

After Ardern’s ascension to the leadership, Labour rose dramatically in opinion polls. Ardern intends to reduce child poverty by half in New Zealand within a decade, for which she has introduced a number of reforms including the government’s flagship Families Package which gave special health package to women and children

Between September to November 2019, she visited a number of countries, and also attended various international conferences. She criticized America for Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel which according to her “took us backwards, not forwards.” On 24 September 2019, Ardern became the first female head of government to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting with her infant baby. In her address to the General Assembly on 27th September, she praised the United Nations for its multilateralism, expressed support for the world’s youth, and called for immediate attention to the effects and causes of climate change, and for the equality of women.

In reaction to the massacre of Christchurch mosque, on 10 April 2019, that is less than one month after the mass shooting, Jecinda Ardern got a bill passed through New Zealand Parliament with almost unanimous support of the House, that banned most semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles, Those who violate the law will face up to five years in prison.

Ardern has described herself as a social democrat, a progressive, a republican and a feminist. Ardern has spoken in support of same-sex marriage, and she voted for the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013. In 2018, she became the first New Zealand prime minister to march in a pride parade. Ardern supported liberalizing abortion law by removing abortion from the Crimes Act 1961. In March 2020, she voted for the Abortion Legislation Act that amends the law to decriminalize abortion.

She was one of fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue. Forbes magazine has placed her in 38th position among the 100 most powerful women in the world in 2019.

She was included in the 2019 Time 100 list and shortlisted for Time’s 2019 Person of the Year. The magazine speculated that she might win the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize among a listed six candidates, for her handling of the Christchurch mosque shootings, but it did not so happen.

, Ardern has become a global icon for her strength and decisiveness while uniting a country in shock and mourning.

To control Covid 19, when none of the countries in our region was cognizant of its dangers, Ms. Ardern imposed a complete lockdown in New Zealand on 25th March 2020. During its peak New Zealand recorded 1,154 confirmed cases and 22 deaths from Covid-19 in late February. But due to timely measures, the Covid 19 did not spread further for which Ardern has been widely praised for her handling of the crisis. Most businesses were shut, schools closed and people told to stay at home. After more than five weeks, the situation improved and restrictions were relaxed. But borders remained shut. With that Corona cases dropped. In mid-May, the restrictions were further relaxed. On June 8, no corona case was reported and with that Ms. Ardern lifted all bans and declared New Zealand free of corona. Since then, New Zealand has reported no new Covid-19 cases for more than two weeks. Under her leadership, New Zealand is corona-free country.

The writer is a former member of the Provincial Civil Service, and an author of Moments in Silence