COVID-19 Brings the Second Wave of “Jacindamania” to New Zealand

Jacindamania: The term used to express a devout admiration for New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The “Jacinda effect” became a nationwide phenomenon following Jacinda Ardern’s rise to the Labour Party’s leadership in 2017. Valuing progressiveness and inclusivity in politics, Ardern became the youngest head of government in the world in 2018. During her brief time in office, Ardern faced unprecedented crises including the COVID-19 pandemic, a volcanic eruption, and the Christchurch attack, in which a white supremacist killed 51 worshippers in a mosque. In her response to the attack, Ardern got applauded not only for her firmness in banning semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles but also for her message, emphasizing the necessity for unison. Instead of othering the victims of the Christchurch attack as migrants, refugees or Muslims, she uttered three words: “They are us.”

Jacindamania swept across the world as Ardern became the perfect antithesis to right-wing leaders, like Narendra Modi and Donald Trump, whose illiberal policies focus on anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim beliefs. Being perceived as a liberal beacon of hope, the praise for her seemed endless until February, when statistics showed the Labour Party’s decline in the polls. Although Ardern became a worldwide icon, New Zealanders started to criticize their Prime Minister due to the undelivered promises regarding, but not limited to, the lack of housing and compensation for historical dispossession of Maori communities. Due to her decline in popularity, many regarded Ardern as a one-term prime minister up until COVID-19 hit New Zealand.

Ardern began responding to a potential public health crisis even before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The implementation of travel restrictions and self-isolating measures began in mid-February as the first case of the coronavirus appeared in Auckland. The nation went into a strict lockdown with the issuing of a Level 4 restriction in mid-March, a relatively early action for a country with just over 100 cases. While the whole world struggled to battle the outbreak, New Zealand not only managed to control the spread of the virus but eliminated it completely. The country did not see a new case for 100 days until August when new reports of infections emerged linked to imported foodstuff. Since February 2020, New Zealand, with a population of around five million, had a total of 1935 cases with only 25 deaths. A comparison with COVID-19 case counts and death tolls from similarly populated countries outlines the effectiveness and efficiency of Ardern’s action plan against the virus.

Ardern’s clear communication, rapid lockdown strategy, and rigorous testing made her a paragon on effective leadership during times of crisis. Her success emphasizes the importance of relying on public health officials and prioritizing the safety of citizens over the economy, in stark contrast with Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, both of whom saw the worst outbreaks in the world. Ardern has even been dubbed as “the anti-Trump”, considering their adverse responses to the pandemic. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the death rate for every 100,000 people in New Zealand stands at 0.45 deaths compared to 53.04 deaths in the United States. Colman Brunton’s poll showed that while approval ratings of Ardern’s COVID-19 response reach 84% among New Zealanders, leaders of G7 countries only saw an approval rating of 50% from their citizens.

Thanks to Ardern’s handling of the outbreak, the second wave of Jacindamania emerged in the nation. The Labour Party achieved a landslide victory in the general elections on October 17th by winning 49% of the votes. Labour Party secured the first outright majority since 1996 by obtaining 64 of the 120 seats in the parliament. Coalitions have existed as the norm in the country, marking the Labour Party the first party to govern alone in the current system.

Even though COVID-19 ensured Ardern’s victory, it can still be the very issue that will make Ardern face her biggest challenge yet. The economic recession caused by the pandemic can exacerbate the pre-existing issues of housing and child poverty. The leaders of the opposition will most probably try to exploit this situation to shore up their waning popularity. In a way, Ardern’s big win should portend the difficulties waiting for all leaders in the future: dealing with a pandemic is one thing, handling its aftermath can be even more challenging. 

Yet, Ardern’s second premiership does not foreshadow election wins against other populist leaders around the globe. Notably, unlike France’s Marine Le Pen or United Kingdom’s Nigel Farage, New Zealand does not have a populist leadership in opposition, posing a threat to the current government. While Ardern might be thought of and re-elected based on her response to the pandemic, in her second term, Ardern should take care of the undelivered promises in an economy operating well-below its pre-Covid trend.

Jacindamania seems to continue for now. Even though citizens can overlook Ardern’s unkept word due to the still very real pandemic, it will surely not stand for long.