𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔸𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒 ℙ𝕄'𝕤

𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔸𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟’𝕤 𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕛𝕦𝕕𝕘𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖’𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕤, 𝕃𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖’𝕤 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕤, ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕣𝕜’𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕂𝕖𝕪’𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕞, 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕.

J

acinda Ardern stands as New Zealand’s most exceptional Prime Minister due to her unparalleled empathy and astute judgment, qualities that defined her leadership through crises and social progress. 

Her tenure (2017–2023) surpassed predecessors like Michael Savage, David Lange, or Helen Clark by blending emotional connection with decisive action, unifying a diverse nation under unprecedented challenges. 

Ardern’s empathy was not mere sentiment but a strategic force that galvanized trust and action. 

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RELATED:

ℝ𝕖𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕘𝕪𝕟𝕪 𝕋𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕤 ℕℤ 𝕎𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟 𝕚𝕟 ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕤

𝟡 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝟙𝟘 𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕠𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕛𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔸𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟 𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕥 - ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕕𝕪

𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕘𝕪𝕟𝕪 𝕒𝕤 𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕞?

ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕞𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕞𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒

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The 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks showcased this: her immediate response—donning a hijab, embracing victims’ families, and declaring “They are us”—resonated globally, earning praise from world leaders. 

This empathy drove rapid gun law reform, banning military-style semi-automatics within weeks, with 65% public support (2019 polls). 

No prior PM, not even Lange with his anti-nuclear stance, matched this blend of emotional solidarity and swift policy impact. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ardern’s daily briefings, infused with compassion and clarity, fostered a “team of 5 million” ethos, achieving one of the world’s lowest death rates (~0.01% initially) and 88% approval ratings in 2020. 

Her empathetic leadership contrasted with Jim Bolger’s drier economic focus or John Key’s charisma without equivalent emotional depth. 

Ardern’s empathy extended to systemic issues. She prioritized child poverty, lifting 18,000 children out through welfare reforms, and engaged Maori communities meaningfully, from the Whakaari/White Island response to the 2021 Dawn Raids apology, addressing historical wrongs no predecessor tackled. 

Critics argue her empathy fell short on deliverables like KiwiBuild (1,366 homes built against a 100,000 target). 

Yet, this reflects ambitious vision, not lack of care, and her ability to connect with diverse groups—Maori, immigrants, rural communities—outshone Clark’s policy-heavy approach or Muldoon’s divisive tenure. 

Ardern’s judgment complemented her empathy, enabling principled decisions under pressure. 

Post-Christchurch, her evidence-based gun reforms navigated rural pushback with precision, a decisiveness surpassing Savage’s welfare reforms, which, while foundational, faced less immediate opposition. 

Her COVID strategy—“go hard, go early”—relied on science, minimizing deaths and economic fallout (GDP fell 2.9% in 2020 vs. 4.9% globally). 

Newspaper cartoon during the height of the Covid 19 lockdowns and mandates. file: 𝔅𝔯𝔲𝔠𝔢 𝔄𝔩𝔭𝔦𝔫𝔢

The clear four-tier alert system reflected sharper judgment than Muldoon’s economic blunders or Key’s slower Christchurch rebuild. 

Ardern’s climate leadership, via the 2019 Climate Change Response Act, set ambitious net-zero goals, outpacing Clark’s incrementalism. 

In foreign policy, she balanced $20 billion in China trade with human rights critiques, a diplomatic finesse unmatched by predecessors. 

Critics point to economic missteps, like rising debt (19% to 30% of GDP by 2023) or housing unaffordability (prices up 44% from 2017–2022). 

However, these were driven by global crises and low interest rates, not poor judgment. 

Ardern’s fiscal prudence kept unemployment low (3.2% in 2022), and her government’s legislative output—legalizing euthanasia, advancing Maori rights—rivaled Savage’s social reforms. 

No PM faced such a confluence of crises (terror, pandemic, economic strain) with comparable results. 

Jacinda Ardern’s empathy unified New Zealand during crises, like Christchurch, with compassionate, decisive judgment in gun reform and COVID policies. 

Conversely, Christopher Luxon’s arrogance and narcissism—evident in dismissive rhetoric and self-focused leadership—alienate diverse groups, prioritizing corporate interests over social equity, lacking Ardern’s inclusive, people-first approach.

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Additional Reading:

ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕦𝕣𝕔𝕙 𝕋𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕣 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜 - 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔸𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥 ℝ𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 "𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒"

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕗 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕'𝕤 ℂ𝕆𝕍𝕀𝔻-𝟙𝟡 ℝ𝕖𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕖

ℍ𝕚𝕡𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕤 ‘𝕣𝕒𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕤𝕦𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕖’ 𝕒𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕚, 𝕤𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕥

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Compared to other giants, Ardern’s edge lies in her modern context. 

Savage built the welfare state, but Ardern’s empathy was uniquely visible, amplified by global media. 

Kirk’s social justice passion lacked her crisis-tested resilience. Clark’s steady governance, while robust, missed Ardern’s emotive connection. 

Key’s economic focus didn’t match her transformative social and environmental strides. 

Ardern’s ability to unify during terror, pandemic, and cultural reckoning—while advancing equity and climate goals—sets her apart. 

Her empathetic, principled leadership redefined New Zealand’s global standing, making her the nation’s greatest Prime Minister.

Analysis: 𝔅𝔯𝔲𝔠𝔢 𝔄𝔩𝔭𝔦𝔫𝔢

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