Editorial: Jacinda Ardern documentary is good news for all New Zealanders

Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern during her valedictory speech in Parliament, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

EDITORIAL

News that the New Zealand Film Commission is putting $800,000 towards a documentary about former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern has generated a wide range of opinions.

Some praise the decision, while many say it is not a project worthy of such hefty backing and the money could be put to better use.

The documentary will focus on the rise of violent extremism and online hate in New Zealand, while covering Ardern’s leadership. The two of them are intrinsically linked, after all, and no one could document one without covering the other.

The New Zealand Film Commission has said the documentary was not authorised or endorsed by the former Prime Minister and she has no editorial involvement.

“It is important to note this is not a biopic. Rather, the documentary explores the rise of violent extremism and online hate in New Zealand, following Jacinda Ardern’s leadership trajectory as an example of how these forces played out through one of the most tumultuous periods in modern times,” the commission said in a statement.

“The documentary records a period of New Zealand’s history.”

Despite that, many have expressed their opposition to the funding of this film, which is expected to cost $3.2 million to make.

The controversy is hardly surprising. Ardern is used to being a divisive figure due to the nature of the decisions she had to front during her time in office, from the Christchurch terror attack to the decisions around how New Zealand tackled the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some people can’t seem to be able to read her name without having some kind of allergic reaction and it seems like there is nothing she can do that a group of people won’t have a problem with. The former PM could be building houses for the homeless and some people would take umbrage against the way she pours the concrete.

Still, we must not let her name, and what it came to signify to some people, distract from the ultimate goal of such a project: to document an important time in the history of our country. In addition to that, the documentary will also lift New Zealand’s profile overseas.

While some people have expressed concerns around the commercial viability of the documentary, which is being made for the cinema circuit rather than going straight to streaming or TV, it’s important to note that commercial viability is only one measure of success, at least when it comes to a product like this.

With extremism reportedly on the rise across the globe, we have the opportunity to stand out on the world stage as a beacon of hope.

We must not let tall poppy syndrome get in the way of who we are as a country. Even if you don’t like Ardern, for whatever reason, isn’t raising her profile worth it if it raises the profile of Aotearoa New Zealand as a whole?