Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: clear, consistent, compassionate. Photo / Getty Images
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: clear, consistent, compassionate. Photo / Getty Images
Editorial
EDITORIAL:
As New Zealand prepares this week to exit alert level 4 lockdown and make our first tentative steps towards a new normal, it is timely to reflect on the tests, trials and triumphs of the past unprecedented month.
It seems likely history will judge New Zealand's initial response tothe pandemic favourably.
The Government's decision to "go hard and go early", backed by a largely impressive public health response and the strength and determination of New Zealanders to stay the course, appears to have paid off - at least in terms of the human cost of the virus when we look at the fate of so many countries.
Our low death toll, while undeniably sad, and our low number of cases, must be considered remarkable in the circumstances, and credit should be given where it is due. Regardless of their political affiliations, most would surely concur we have had the right leader at the right time in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern - whom the Atlantic praised as being "possibly the most effective leader on the planet" and a Government whose approach of elimination not just containment has meant "New Zealand isn't just flattening the curve. It's squashing it", as the Washington Post gushed.
The Government's decisive action and Ardern's clear, consistent communication and empathy have helped New Zealanders to remain calm, comforted and confident amid the crisis. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has provided a similar level of quiet and informed assurance.
Which other prime minister thought about kids in lockdown and designated the Easter Bunny an essential worker? What other governments will be remembered as instructing their citizens to "be kind" as part of their official messaging?
There have been glitches. There was confusion about some of the alert 4 rules (including notable faux pas by Health Minister David Clark), and the alert level 3 expectations have caused some anxiety and uncertainty for parents and education providers with back-to-school nerves. Questions are also being asked about issues apparent in our health response, and an independent review into the supply and distribution of personal protective equipment is welcome.
In terms of the longer-term impact of the crisis, it is early days. We may later look back and feel fortunate in our leadership at crunch time but the long months and years ahead, when strategic thinking and decision making will be vital and a likely global food crisis and severe economic recession await, may prove a far harder row to hoe.
