OPINION:
When Jacinda Ardern returns to Parliament’s bearpit on Wednesday for her last hurrah, it’ll be the first time the former PM has had anything to say — for public consumption at least — since her resignation announcement nearly 11 weeks ago.
Such a silence is not unusual. Exiting leaders generally give their successors the space to get on with the job and make the changes they see fit. So it’s appropriate that we haven’t heard a peep from Ardern since January 19.
If nothing else, that silence has fed a high pitch of expectation for her valedictory statement.
What a helter-skelter 11 weeks it has been since Ardern signalled she was bowing out. Chris Hipkins has stamped his authority, not just on the prime ministership but also the country.
After the changing-of-the-guard frenzy passed, and the new leadership was installed, Hipkins got the Government’s focus fixed on the things that matter right now, as he set about courting the centre ground.
He lit the so-called policy bonfire, dumping some unpopular measures and parking others, and switched attention to the bread and butter issues facing New Zealanders.
A cost of living package has boosted earnings for working families and those on benefits. The minimum wage has been raised. And for those feeling the pinch, there’s the likelihood of more to come.
Sure, there have been distractions. In recent days the PM sacked Stuart Nash over a flagrant breach of Cabinet confidentiality, and has had to rebuff claims of a cover-up over what the PM’s office knew about Nash’s wrongdoing. Former Te Whatu Ora chair Rob Campbell was dismissed by Ayesha Verrall for delving into politics. And two former Labour ministers serving on Crown boards irked Hipkins by flouting rules on political neutrality.
But the verdict overall on Labour and Hipkins’ stewardship has been favourable. Labour has rallied in the polls, while support for National has softened. Hipkins’ approval ratings have surged ahead of those of his rivals. Clearly, people like the cut of his jib.
Of course, some think that the goodwill could be highly perishable.
There’s talk of dark days ahead as high interest rates bite, economic activity possibly shrinks further, labour shortages persist and the dire impacts of the January and February deluges continue to be felt.
For now, though, Hipkins is navigating a path and demonstrating a style that is revitalising Labour’s election prospects.
But this Wednesday the spotlight momentarily switches back to Ardern and the legacy she leaves behind.
Michael Cullen once depicted a valedictory as an opportunity to deliver one’s own funeral oration, or a progress report thereon. But the reality is that they’re far from sombre occasions.
There’s generally plenty of good humour as the departee takes the opportunity to tell stories, dispense thank-yous, reflect on how politics and Parliament have changed, and ruminate on the highs and lows.
Ardern unquestionably has had her share of both.
Eighteen months into the prime ministership, her compassionate handling of the 2019 terror attack on Christchurch Muslims won her acclaim and respect at home and abroad. As did the lead role she played, alongside France’s Emmanuel Macron, in the ensuing Christchurch Call initiative, aimed at eliminating terrorist and violent extremist content online.
Now signed by nearly 60 countries, it will stand as a key legacy of Ardern’s prime ministership.
Much has been written about her skilful performances on the world stage more generally. Leaders and media around the globe admired her empathetic leadership, intelligence and values. The benefits this brought to New Zealand’s brand and reputation are considerable.
Some important policy gains at home also adorn Ardern’s slate of achievements. They include Best Start, which restored for the first time in 40 years a universal child payment for families with a newborn child. And after the early KiwiBuild blunders, Ardern’s Government eventually began to deliver big-time on housing, with 12,000 state and community house provider homes being added on her watch. The Zero Carbon Act, setting the framework for climate policies, progressed because of her and James Shaw’s expert advocacy.
But it was Ardern’s leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic that will most define her time at the top.
During the early, uncertain days of the pandemic, she was a calm and reassuring voice, as the Government’s “go hard and go early” strategy saw the border closed until citizens were vaccinated and protected. It was an approach that saw New Zealand record the lowest mortality rate among OECD nations.
It was Ardern’s stellar role in the management of the pandemic crisis that propelled Labour to a crushing victory in the 2020 election, a victory that was aided, admittedly, by National’s ineptitude and internal strife.
During 2021, with Auckland in lockdown, the border still closed and hostility over vaccine mandates and other restrictions mounting, the public mood began to sour. Ardern became the lightning rod for a growing sense of grievance, which boiled over during the ugly occupation of Parliament’s grounds in February last year.
The personal impact that she endured has been well documented. Ardern was the target of consistent abuse and threats, including death threats. It is difficult to imagine the levels of stress that she and her family must have endured.
Yet amid all this there were pressing political challenges to grapple with, as the pandemic was followed by the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression.
It will be interesting to see whether Ardern has more to say on Wednesday about the reasons behind her departure.
Perhaps she doesn’t need to. Her statement in January that she knew what the job took, and that she no longer had enough in the tank to do it, encapsulated it neatly.
Ardern reminded us that day that politicians are human.
They give all they can for as long as they can, and then it’s time.
Acknowledging that was a tough call for Ardern. But it was the right one — as Hipkins’ rejuvenating effect attests to.
- Mike Munro is a former chief of staff for Jacinda Ardern and was chief press secretary for Helen Clark.