Jacinda Ardern resignation: Editorial - The crucifixion of a Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern waves as she arrives at a 2020 election night event at Auckland Town Hall. Photo / Mark Coote/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Editorial

EDITORIAL:

Much will be written about Jacinda Ardern’s tumultuous time as Prime Minister of New Zealand and the attributes she exhibited in the face of unprecedented challenges.

Ardern’s shock resignation on Thursday at what was meant to be a routine caucus retreat press conference triggered tributes from around the world where her empathetic leadership style resonated far and wide.

Former National MP and rival for the Auckland Central electorate, Nikki Kaye, acknowledged this in a gracious social media post, saying Jacinda showed immense dedication and a lifelong commitment to the Labour Party and New Zealand.

“I think it is important to acknowledge that the PM has led through a particularly tough time in history with the pandemic which led to a lot of pain and loss for a lot of people here and abroad. As I have met with other people from different countries it is clear that Jacinda has been admired from many different parts of the world. Her reputation internationally has been of overall huge benefit to New Zealand. I have also personally witnessed the many New Zealanders who have supported her and the inspiration she has provided for many young people as someone who has been socially progressive.”

The toll on Ardern was writ on her face at her resignation announcement in Napier. It was the yin to the yang of her triumph on the Auckland Town Hall stage in August, 2017 when, amid a sea of joyous red, she proclaimed “everybody, let’s do this!”

Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern MP at the 2017 campaign launch in the Auckland Town Hall. Photo / Michael Craig, File

Looking back now, we can see the burden of office and all that she has endured in the 1911 days in charge was wearing Ardern down.

In end-of-year interviews, her cheery words about looking forward to the work ahead rang shallow; her shoulders were less open; her renowned smile forced. The pressure was also audible in her uncharacteristically nasty comment about Act leader David Seymour, caught on record on the final day of Parliament for 2022.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Premier House, Wellington for an end-of-year interview with Thomas Coughlan. Photo / Mark Mitchell, File

For all the political campaigns waged against Ardern and her governments, however, her stepping down is no victory for her parliamentary rivals. Ardern’s tenure coincided with some of the least effective opposition in New Zealand political history. While National has steadily built support in recent months, it has come off record lows and leader Christopher Luxon trailed far behind Ardern as preferred prime minister.

Previous prime minister Helen Clark noted what has more likely brought the Ardern administration to a close in a statement that read, in part: “The pressures on prime ministers are always great, but in this era of social media, clickbait, and 24/7 media cycles, Jacinda has faced a level of hatred and vitriol which in my experience is unprecedented in our country.”

It is sobering to consider that Ardern attempted to confront one of her most powerful, and ultimately most draining, enemies for all the world to see.

The Christchurch Call to Action Summit on May 15, 2019 in Paris, France, was initiated by Ardern two months after the Christchurch mosque shootings of March 15 that year. There, she challenged social media giants to assess how their algorithms funnel extremist content to people.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Christchurch Call summit in Paris in 2019. Photo / Supplied, File

These algorithms detect when a social media user lingers on a vitriolic or conspiratorial post and then swiftly directs more of the same. As the individual pauses further on this, increasingly extreme content is offered up. In a short time, an individual can be surrounded by memes and links, affirming their skewed view is shared by a huge, even a majority, crowd.

Such has been the spread of anti-Ardern sentiment, we have all seen it. Examples were printed off and copied onto banners during protests attended by those who had gorged in the trough.

New Zealand’s first leader to be comfortable with digital media, Ardern readily understood the power to disseminate her communications but she also became the first of our prime ministers to be on the receiving end of its full malevolent potential.

The result, as actor Sam Neill commented this week, was a disgraceful and embarrassing “pile on” by “bullies, misogynists, and the aggrieved”.

Ardern’s resigned comment about being “human” tacitly speaks of the tide of rumour and mistruths she and her family have been deluged with: an inhuman and relentless monster.

By offering hugs rather than stoic nods; clasped and surrendered hands rather than dominating gestures; and caring smiles over fiery, popularist rhetoric, Ardern provided her detractors with a vulnerability and a target for their invective.

Optimism and charm ultimately failed to disarm the darker forces of an extremely vocal sector that had been force-fed rancorous hatred and anger.

The breaking of Ardern’s resolve is a chilling testament to the power of negativity and a warning to every person of sound reason and civilised discourse.