Category Archives: Jacinda Ardern

The attempts to be funny continue to be contemptible, said one happy punter in the comments the other week, and yet again it is time to face that Thursday combination 15 questions on topical news and general knowledge, peppered with a few jokes. The Pokmon questions reign of terror may be over, but rest assured there are still two hidden Doctor Who references to spot, the regular presence of Kate Bush and Ron from Sparks, and inexplicably some anagrams exactly when you least want them. It is just for fun, there are no prizes, but there are bonus points on offer if you can make the quizmaster laugh with your comments. Let us know how you get on.

The Thursday quiz, No 27

1.WORLD NEWS: New Zealands prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said: Sorry, a slight distraction after what disrupted one of her press conferences?

Reveal

2.TELECOMS DISASTER: A man was arrested in Cairo after accidentally doing what with a phone?

Reveal

3.MUSIC: Which artist last week smashed the UKs record for streams of a song in a week after there were 24m streams for her new single?

Reveal

4.RELAXING NEWS: Adults in which country will be permitted to grow up to four cannabis plants in their homes or gardens under laws that will make it the first country in Europe to legalise production and consumption of the drug?

Reveal

5.SPORT: The mens T20 Cricket World Cup has got under way, and jolly entertaining it has been too. Which two countries are hosting it?

Reveal

6.COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING: Which of these operas by Giacomo Puccini was the earliest to be performed in public?

Reveal

7.FLAGS OF JOY: This extremely British-looking flag is the state flag of which Australian state?

Reveal

8.GEOGRAPHY: Annapolis is the state capitol of which US state?

Reveal

9.GCSE SCIENCE CORNER: Physics today. Which of these formulas best describes Newtons second law of motion?

Reveal

10.NORTHERN IRELAND: The spectacular Giants Causeway (Clochn an Aifir) is a world heritage site and simply one of the best places to visit in the British Isles. But what are the mysterious columns made of?

Reveal

11.SPOOKY TIMES: Heres a picture of a tiger with a pumpkin. It is Halloween at the weekend, but which of these seasonal festivals on the wheel of the year takes place at the same time as Halloween?

Reveal

12.THE GHOST OF LIBERACE: Thats a Sparks song from 1994 about how hes always hanging round, hovering over farmland, lingering over towns. But thats not important right now. Did Liberace once successfully sue the Daily Mirror for libel in the UK for implying that he might be gay?

Reveal

13.ENSEMBLE CASTS: Which British comedy show included regular characters Pauline, Mickey, Mr Chinnery, Uncle Harvey and Auntie Val? Plot twist it is anagram time

Reveal

14.SHOOT FOR THE MOON: Nasa has announced plans to launch an uncrewed flight around the moon in February 2022, paving the way for astronauts to once again set foot on Earths satellite. But when did a person last set foot on the moon?

Reveal

15.AND FINALLY: What is currently winning New Zealands bird of the year competition?

Reveal

If you do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers, please feel free to email martin.belam@theguardian.com but remember, the quizmasters word is always final, and you dont want him turning up to trick or treat you at the weekend.

See the original post:

Ardern's calm, cannabis farms, and a little bit of Liberace take the Thursday quiz - The Guardian

In 2006, two lacquered wooden chests and a crate of champagne were ferried 507km from Samoa to Tokelau, a collection of atolls scattered across the Pacific which are home to 1,500 people. Over three days the chests were carried between atolls to collect ballots in a referendum on whether Tokelau should move, finally, towards self-governance.

Since 1946, Tokelau one of the most remote places in the world has been classed by the United Nations as a non-self-governing dependent territory: a colony. First colonised by Britain in 1877, in 1925 Tokelau was essentially given to New Zealand, which has administered it since.

Over the following century decolonisation movements accelerated globally and the list of non-self-governing territories shrank from 72 to 17. Officials from both New Zealand and the UN hoped that in 2006 Tokelauans would shrink the list even further; the champagne crate was brought in anticipation of a Yes vote.

Those hopes were dashed. The referendum fell 36 votes short of the required two-thirds majority. The champagne was packed away. It became apparent that while New Zealand and the UN were eager for Tokelauan self-determination, some Tokelauans were confused and concerned. Although the proposal for self-governance (an intermediary step short of independence) would have involved Tokelau maintaining a close political relationship with New Zealand, one resident of Atafu atoll explained at the time that, Theres a fear all around here [that] after 10 years, New Zealand might say, OK, youre ready to go on your own. After a second attempt failed in 2007, discussions about self-governance all but disappeared. According to Kelihiano Kalolo, the Ulu-o-Tokelau (national leader), We havent discussed this for quite a long time Nobody ever talks about it.

That will change in December, when Kalolo will reinvigorate the self-governance discussion by tabling a paper in Tokelaus general fono (parliament) pushing Tokelauans to imagine a new future for the atolls ahead of the centenary of New Zealand rule in 2025. His proposal represents the latest salvo in Tokelaus fraught debate over whether decolonisation must always involve independence.

Kalolo will propose three options for Tokealauans to consider: self-governing in free association with New Zealand, full independence from or integration with New Zealand. Two other nations, Niue and the Cook Islands, already self-govern in free association with New Zealand. Prior to the referendums, self-governance advocates argued it would minimise New Zealand paternalism and allow Tokelau to receive aid from more countries. Tokelaus government relies on the sale of fishing licenses for its large exclusive economic zone and roughly $16m in New Zealand aid annually. New Zealand has previously emphasised that if Tokelau moved towards self-governance, residents would still have access to New Zealand support and passports.

In July, Tokelauans saw the benefits in an unpredictable world of a close affiliation with New Zealand, when the HMNZS Wellington dropped anchor near Nukunono atoll and two sailors in full protective gear used a small inflatable boat to bring ashore 12 boxes of Covid-19 vaccines. Nukunonos elders watched the delivery with delight, singing songs under a banner reading Welcome.

Recognising abiding concerns among some Tokelauans that self-governance would jeopardise that relationship, Kalolo said he will also push residents of the atolls to consider options like full integration with New Zealand a significant change from the referendums, which only proposed self-governance or remaining a dependent territory.

That willingness to consider options other than self-governance was welcomed by Ioane Teao, the president of the Wellington Tokelau Association in New Zealand and a longtime critic of political leaders on the atolls. Its news to me that theyre including integration, because that option was not proposed to the people last time Im glad to hear theyre now placing it on the table.

Integration is supported by many in the Tokelauan diaspora, which is at least five times larger than the population of Tokelau itself. Teao, for example, worries that self-governance could endanger the diasporas relationship with Tokelau or negatively empower a small political elite on the atolls. By opting for self-governance or independence, said Teao, My worry is that we may be setting Tokelau up to fail.

As this debate emerges, New Zealands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has taken a hands-off approach. Ross Ardern, the current administrator of Tokelau and father of New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, emphasised his commitment to partnering with Tokelau to achieve a self-determination outcome that fits the local Tokelauan context Where a self-determination option involves an ongoing relationship between Tokelau and New Zealand, the nature of that relationship will be one that is acceptable to both and New Zealand would expect that Tokelau would lead on that.

Its a different approach to that taken by MFAT previously. Prior to the referendums Neil Walter, then the administrator, advocated so forcefully for self-governance that some Tokelauans nicknamed him af (cyclone). Judith Huntsman, an Auckland University academic who specialises in Tokelaus politics and history, said the focus on self-governance which characterised previous discussions of Tokelaus future was the result of the UN and MFAT suppress[ing] options like integration. Huntsman has previously suggested New Zealands forthright support for self-governance was largely because MFAT wanted to get New Zealand off the UNs formal list of colonising powers.

This is the irony of previous self-governance efforts: they often seemed more driven by outsiders than by Tokelauans themselves. In 2004, a press release attributed to the Ulu-o-Tokelau said of self-governance, Weve said this to the UN and to New Zealand Why do we want to do this? Is it to satisfy you or to satisfy us? So few Tokelauans openly advocated for self-governance that Walter confessed at the time that, Id be glad of an independence firebrand, frankly.

Kalolo hopes to change that sentiment by prompting Tokelauans to reclaim control of and consider every option for their future. In a book co-written with Huntsman, he emphasised that the oft-spoken saying during the [2006] Referendum [was]: Ko au e h malamalama I do not understand. In an interview he emphasised, I just want people to understand the three options Whether people are willing to take up self-determination again or not, thats their choice.

Read more:

Is it to satisfy you or to satisfy us? Why New Zealands Pacific colony doesnt want independence - The Guardian

Auckland businesses are asking Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to shift down into the third phase of alert level 3 as they struggle nearly three months into lockdown.

Heart of the City and the Newmarket, Parnell, Ponsonby and Takapuna business associations are asking for the region to get moving in an open letter. Its asking the Government to urgently support local economies and save businesses, especially as the region is on the cusp of being 90 per cent vaccinated.

Government handouts are a lifeline, but all we really want to do is trade, the letter said, noting Auckland was entering its 11th week, or 77 days, in lockdown following the outbreak of Delta in the community.

READ MORE:* New Covid-19 levels welcomed but South Canterbury frustration lingers* Give us a date: Businesses want Government to draw a line in the sand on Covid-19 framework transition date* Business leader frustrated South Island still waiting for Covid timeframes

Our businesses are suffering more than ever. There have been numerous closures already. The prospect that many of our businesses will not be able to resume trade for at least a further month will have major implications on livelihoods, well-being and families.

Ricky Wilson/Stuff

Auckland has been in lockdown for 77 days.

While many businesses were able to carry on, the business associations retail, hospitality, arts, events, entertainment, tourism, and personal service sectors are disadvantaged.

The group was requesting an immediate change to alert level 3, step 3, under the existing alert system.

The framework and guidelines were already in place and business following the guidelines could trade safely, the associations said.

Newmarket business association chief executive Mark Knoff-Thomas said it was doble.

We can do it responsibly, safely and follow the guidelines sets out in the existing framework, rather than going a bit rogue. If you are out and about in Auckland, its getting pretty busy. As a community we are getting to the end of its tolerance, possibly.

People were beginning to break the rules and giving them a bit more freedom, while still giving them a framework to follow would be preferable, he said.

Ryan Anderson/Stuff

As Auckland shifted to alert level 3 business around the city amps up, with Ponsonby Rd full of people waiting outside cafes to get their contactless coffee.

ACT leader David Seymour said step 3 would mean the ability to operate would make little different to public health at this point but a world of distance to the livelihoods of so many small businesses.

After visiting Auckland this week Seymour said he observed businesses doing their best to operate under restrictions.

They are putting on a brave face behind the mask. Their revenues are often down 80 per cent, they are losing money every week. I heard that there are people borrowing from relatives, running up against their mortgages, and holding out paying suppliers to stay afloat, he said.

According to recent data, business closures in Auckland were up 13.8 per cent in September compared to last years monthly average, credit bureau Centrix said earlier this month.

Christchurchs were up 10 per cent, while Wellingtons were at 97 per cent of average.

Companies Office data compiled by Dot Loves Data showed 9524 business closures in August. In the previous two months, there had been almost 12,000 closures.

SUPPLIED

Restaurant Association of New Zealand chief executive Marisa Bidois says an estimate 1000 hospitality businesses had permanently closed since the start of the pandemic, as at September 2021.

By comparison, in the three months between February and April, only 5241 businesses closed.

Dot Loves Data government director Justin Lester previously said the jump was significant but would not reflect the effects of the latest lockdown yet.

A month ago, the Restaurant Association reported that an estimated 13,000 job losses due to 1000 hospitality business closures had taken place since the start of the pandemic.

Following the return to alert level 4 in August 2021 we expect the fallout to be significantly higher over the next three to six months, Bidois said.

More:

Businesses plea for restrictive settings in Auckland to be loosened - Stuff.co.nz

by Andrew Hamilton

National Vanguard contributor Douglas Mercer recently profiled White-hating, Left-wing (Labour Party) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. His article presents a good overview of upper-class anti-White psychology and behavior. Some of that information is recapitulated here.

A word about Arderns racial background and underlying motivations.

Jacinda Ardern, 41 (born 1980), is Anglo-Saxon: predominantly English, but with significant Scottish and Scots-Irish contributions. Her only non-Anglo-Saxon heritage is 6% Danish.

Her patrilineal ancestry, a popular Web site tells us, can be traced [back] to her twenty-sixth great-grandfather, Rafe de Arderne [a Norman].

Ardern was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. Her fathers twin brother is a high official in the Mormon hierarchy there.

With the exception of Judaism, which is still going strong but restricted to Jews, Leftism, philo-Semitism, and anti-White racism are the major living religions of our day.

Illustrating this, Ardern left the LDS Church in 2005 because it wasnt homosexual enough to suit her ideological tastes (I assume it has made giant strides since), and in 2008-2009, at 28, became President of the Vienna-based International Union of Socialist Youth, founded in 1907 as the youth wing of the Second International. Today it is part of the Socialist International. During her tenure she spent time in various countries, including Jordan, Israel (of course), Algeria, and Communist China.

Ardern identifies as an agnostic who adheres to no organized religion. That, of course, depends on how you define religion.

Her domestic partner since 2013 is Clarke Gayford, 44 (born 1976), a New Zealand radio and TV personality. The System bestows the formal title spouse of the prime minister of New Zealand upon him, even though the two are not married.

The couple announced their intention to tie the knot in 2019, and in May 2021 an article said the PM had finally picked her wedding dress, but theres no sign theyve actually married.

With Gayford we again encounter a rare contemporary example of primarily Anglo-Saxon heritage (English, Scottish, Welsh) though with the addition of 1/32 (3.125%) Maori admixture via his great-great-great-grandmother.

He must be classified as White. The point is: Draw the line conservatively, then end all future gene (in)flow. Just shut it down. Any admixture in the future flows away from us.

The couple finally had a child in January 2018, when Ardern was 37 years old. Now 41, its unlikely shell have more biological children, at least without artificial intervention.

The baby girl was named Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford.

The first name Neve is European, the middle name Te Aroha is Maori (the name of a New Zealand mountain peak, and the town her Mormon uncle was born in, close to where Ardern grew up). Ardern, feminist fashion, is apparently an unhyphenated part of the girls surname coupled with Gayford.

The child is 1/64th (1.5625%) Maori through her father.

So, with Ardern and her husband we confront the White problem.

The specification and identification of biological race is the first step, the necessary precondition, for preserving the race.

After determining who is biologically White, it is necessary to advance to the second step: Figuring out why this set of people think and act the way they do, especially when hatred, extremism, totalitarianism, and genocide combine to form a fanatical racist religion that obsesses so many of them. The external and even internal lives of such people frequently revolve around intentionally doing as much harm as possible to other members of their race in accordance with the dogmatic tenets they adhere to.

In a strange August 1, 2021 ceremony at Auckland Town Hall, Ardern issued a formal state apology for Whites historic racism toward and mistreatment of Pasifika people (a PC term for Pacific Islanders).

The event came on the heels of similar apologies to Chinese intruders (who once had to pay a tax) and Samoa (a former New Zealand colony) issued by former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark, a well-heeled Socialist International representative and high-level UN administrator. (Jewrys change agents live high off the hog.)

This as Whites are murdered, replaced, legally discriminated against, vilified, raided, dispossessed, silenced, and locked into Communist-style dictatorships by Arderns own and allied governments. No morality or hint of remorse for the obscene worldwide human rights abuses being inflicted upon millions here and now. No, sir.

Chutzpah. Pretty God damned rich.

Fulsome pandering in four languages Maori, Tongan, Samoan, and English (presumably Ardern was tutored to memorize or read her script phonetically, the way actors do in movies) was comical in its theatrical pidgin falseness:

I stand before you as a representative of those who did you harm, she said in Samoan.

While no amount of rain can remove the bitter salt from the ocean waters, I ask you to let our spiritual connectedness soften your pain, and allow forgiveness to flow on this day.

The Great White Mother.

Judging from Mercers account, Ardern has significant psychological issues. Mentally and ideologically she closely resembles another Left-wing showboater who exhibits pronounced (dysfunctional) feminine traits, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau is a little less than half French-Canadian, the remainder mostly Scottish and English. Through some remote Dutch colonial ancestors he is 0.78% Indonesian and Malaysian (1/256th each), making him the first Prime Minister of Canada with documented non-European ancestry.

Thats the anti-White Establishment committing genocide, not Andrew Hamilton speaking. Its racist bookkeepers meticulously reckon admixture in White celebrities. The haters regard even small amounts of non-European ancestry as good PR, and a positive step on the road to our extinction.

Arderns (apparent) desire to psychologically and emotionally abase herself before ostensibly superior non-Whites is not a sign of health.

On the other hand, do not overlook the fact that the ritual was not private, outside the gaze of the public eye. On the contrary, it was flamboyantly exhibitionistic, performed in front of a live audience in the bright glow of Jewrys press and cameras. It was a Hollywood-style production broadcast to the nation and the world.

Doubtless it will, as intended, affect the beliefs and behavior of millions of passive, unthinking viewers who naively accept media and social media propaganda at face value. But the underlying dishonesty is glaring.

Self-abasement is humiliation of oneself based on feelings of inferiority, guilt, or shame.

But Ardern does not feel remorse. She is self-righteous. She condemns other Whites the sinners. (The press specifically cited the sins of New Zealands past.) She is a holy person.

Her extremist beliefs benefit her personally. She is wealthy. She is privileged. She is the Prime Minister of New Zealand and an actor on the world stage.

She is awash in status, which writer Tom Wolfe forcefully contended was the primary motivator of White behavior among achievers. Not truth, not justice, not doing the right thing, but ambition, seeking and attaining status. Thats why Jews insure that status and money are unobtainable through White activism.

Finally, Ardern is powerful in the sense of possessing the ability to change society strictly in accordance with an agenda imposed from above. She cannot do anything contrary to the Party Line. She possesses no independent, no genuine power of her own. The power she wields is purely derivative. Yet it is egoistically satisfying.

In short, shes perched near the pinnacle of the social pyramid.

She can and does hurt, jail, kill, and destroy the lives of evil White people, and enjoys doing so. Such behavior gives Leftists pleasure, as can readily be seen in media, social media, and countless state-funded, state-sanctioned, and System-instigated assaults, riots, show trials, interracial rapes, and killings in New Zealand and around the world.

* * *

Source: Author

Follow this link:

Straight Outta Hollywood: The Jacinda Ardern Humiliation Show ...

ANALYSIS: Today at 10am, New Zealanders will find out exactly what this nations post-vaccinated world will look like and when it is likely to arrive.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, joined by ministers Grant Robertson, Chris Hipkins and Peeni Henare, will today unveil the next steps in opening up a society now divided by lockdowns and hemmed in by internal boundaries.

A couple of weeks ago, Stuff broke the news that the Government was considering a traffic-light system to replace the alert level system when vaccination levels got high enough. The Prime Minister on Monday confirmed that some form of that system would be introduced. There has been some blowback from both experts and Mori groups during consultation on the plan.

Todays announcement is also expected to outline the broader regulatory architecture that will accompany a post-alert level New Zealand.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

PM Jacinda Ardern is about to unveil the next steps the nation will take in regards to the pandemic.

READ MORE:* Covid-19: 94 new cases in Delta community outbreak, largest daily case total* Covid 19: Government faces cost-of-living crunch as Auckland stuck in lockdown* Covid-19: Healthline could be 'overloaded' in new self-isolation scheme* Government's Covid-19 policies set to drastically change within weeks

Any move to the new system will not occur until the target vaccination rate, which will be set today, is reached.

But the headline rate itself may not be the only metric. The Government has been under significant pressure to ensure that the Mori vaccination rate in particular as well as rates in other specific communities also hit a high level before restrictions are eased.

This is a big moment as the Government, which has received plaudits for its elimination approach, now officially prepares to step away from it. It has been trying to prepare the public for this significant shift for several weeks now, with mixed success.

Covid-19 is here to stay, and it will be tolerated at some level in New Zealand. For a country used to dealing with Covid case numbers as the metric that mattered under elimination, there will now be a shift towards numbers about hospitalisation and serious illness.

This is not a matter of wishing for a different future, or letting the virus in. It is here. Today is about dealing with the reality.

It is also expected that the Government will unveil the rules around vaccine certificates, how they are used and the surrounding rules for businesses. This will be a key part of the picture of how large events and places with a lot of people can be managed.

That will also make today the day that the unvaccinated part of the population will learn just how much more restricted everyday life will be them. The announcement almost a fortnight ago that health workers and teachers would have to be vaccinated was just the beginning.

There is also expected to be an economic component to the announcements made today, with Finance Minister Grant Robertson expected to release a new business support and recovery package for Auckland in particular.

Ricky Wilson/Stuff

The announcement comes as Auckland languishes under level 3 restrictions.

Announcements on the future on MIQ are not expected today, but Hipkins has signalled that changes will be announced early next week.

Today must be all about certainty or at least as much certainty as the Government can give in this Covid era. It will also be about giving a national goal that has to be reached before life as sort of normal resumes.

This change has been coming for some weeks, and now we will see what it looks like. The PM and senior ministers have known this day would come.

It is time for the Government to deliver concrete policies and targets. Anything less at this point will likely be judged a failure.

Link:

Covid-19 NZ: The biggest day for the Government since the first day of the first lockdown - Stuff.co.nz

The Governments traffic light system for Covid-19 is meant to provide a path to freedom, but festival organisers are worried that freedom will come too late for summer.

Promoters Association president Brent Eccles is pleading with the unvaccinated to promptly get the jab, after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern indicated more freedoms would arrive as soon as regions started hitting 90 per cent vaccination.

However, Eccles feared for summer festivals as he said many New Zealanders risked leaving it too late to get vaccinated.

supplied

Concert promoter Brent Eccles says the country urgently needs to get vaccinated, or summer festivals could be cancelled.

The new traffic light system would allow events to go ahead even if Covid-19 was spreading in the community. However, Ardern said it wouldnt come into place until at least November 27, or when regions started hitting 90 per cent vaccination rates.

READ MORE:* Covid-19: South Island could relax restrictions before the rest if vaccination targets are reached* Covid-19 NZ: Government sets 90% vaccine target to move to traffic-light system with no national lockdowns* Mounting opposition to Government's proposed new 'traffic light' system for Covid-19 restrictions

For events to go ahead with Covid-19 spreading, organisers would have to check the vaccine certificates of guests to continue. Events wouldnt be able to continue in a red alert, which would be activated if hospitals were struggling to cope.

Eccles said the review date of November 27 would leave little room for festivals organisers to prepare. That would give promoters just a month to organise New Years Eve shows with the new requirements.

If this drags on any longer were in a scary place, he said.

We are being tested right now and as I said, we want to be good citizens. We want to give the kids hope that shows will happen. But man, its difficult.

Lief Pribievi/Supplied

Festivals will need an orange or green setting to go ahead.

Eccles said a major concern was around what happened if we didnt reach 90 per cent vaccination.

Its very frustrating and there is an awful lot of money, business and jobs on the line. At what point do you go, weve said it so many times, and you havent done it, and you are holding the country to ransom?

I feel for the Government having to make a decision based on that, but its what weve come to.

At red, major events would not be able to go ahead. The Governments description of red indicated it would be used when hospitals were becoming overloaded.

It said red restrictions, which involved indoor gathering restrictions and the cancellation of major events, would be needed to protect health system facing unsustainable number of hospitalisation.

Splore director John Minty said event organisers needed more information about how likely it was New Zealand would enter red alert.

At this stage, there doesnt seem to be any elaboration on when we go from orange to red, he said.

He said the industry supported vaccine passports and was planning to have these in use over summer.

Lawrence Smith/Stuff

Splore Festival owner John Minty says more clarity is needed about when a red alert would be issued.

But its a difficult time for promoters. Even at 90 per cent vaccination, who knows what will happen? A sudden surge could still mean you cant go ahead and do your gig.

Without knowing more about what would take New Zealand into red, Minty said the new traffic light system did not give event organisers any more certainty.

People are planning events months and years in advance, he said.

What sort of notice do you get ahead of this? Will it be like the old system with 24 hours notice before a lockdown?

Continued here:

'You are holding the country to ransom': Promoter's plea to unvaccinated as summer plans still hang in the balance - Stuff.co.nz

Imagine, if you can, what its like to make decisions on which the lives of tens of thousands of other people depend. If you get things wrong, or delay deciding, they die.

Your decisions affect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in huge economic disruption, mass layoffs and business closures. Imagine you must act quickly, without having complete certainty your decisions will achieve what you hope.

Now imagine that turning your decisions into effective action depends on winning the support of millions of people.

Yes, you do have enforcement capacity at your disposal. But success or failure hinges on getting most people to choose to follow your leadership even though it demands sudden, unsettling, unprecedented changes to their daily lives.

This is the harsh reality political leaders around the world have faced in responding to COVID-19.

As someone who researches and teaches leadership and has also worked in senior public sector roles under both National and Labour-led governments Id argue New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is giving most Western politicians a masterclass in crisis leadership.

When it comes to assessing New Zealands public health response, we should all be listening to epidemiologists like Professor Michael Baker. On Friday, Baker said New Zealand had the most decisive and strongest lockdown in the world at the moment and that New Zealand is a huge standout as the only Western country thats got an elimination goal for COVID-19.

But how can we assess Arderns leadership in making such difficult decisions? A good place to start is with American professors Jacqueline and Milton Mayfields research into effective leadership communication.

The Mayfields research-based model highlights direction-giving, meaning-making and empathy as the three key things leaders must address to motivate followers to give their best.

Being a public motivator is essential for leaders but its often done poorly. The Mayfields research shows direction-giving is typically over-used, while the other two elements are under-used.

Arderns response to COVID-19 uses all three approaches. In directing New Zealanders to stay home to save lives, she simultaneously offers meaning and purpose to what we are being asked to do.

In freely acknowledging the challenges we face in staying home from disrupted family and work lives, to people unable to attend loved ones funerals she shows empathy about what is being asked of us.

The March 23 press conference announcement of New Zealands lockdown is a clear example of Arderns skillful approach, comprising a carefully crafted speech, followed by extensive time for media questions.

In contrast, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pre-recorded his March 24 lockdown announcement, offering no chance for questions from the media, while framing the situation as an instruction from government, coupled with a strong emphasis on enforcement measures.

Where Ardern blended direction, care and meaning-making, Johnson largely sought compliance.

Read more: As NZ goes into lockdown, authorities have new powers to make sure people obey the rules

Arderns approach also strongly reflects what well-known Harvard leadership scholar Professor Ronald Heifetz has long argued is vital but also rare and difficult to accomplish when leading people through change.

Ardern has used daily televised briefings and regular Facebook live sessions to clearly frame the key questions and issues requiring attention.

Also consistent with Heifetzs teachings, she has regulated distress by developing a transparent framework for decision-making the governments alert level framework allowing people to make sense of what is happening and why.

Importantly, that four-level alert framework was released and explained early, two days before a full lockdown was announced, in contrast with the prevarication and sometimes confusing messages from leaders in countries such as Australia and the UK.

The work of another leadership scholar, the UKs Professor Keith Grint, also sheds light on Arderns leadership approach during this crisis.

For Grint, leadership involves persuading the collective to take responsibility for collective problems. Much of the prime ministers public commentary has been dedicated to exactly that and its been overwhelmingly effective, at least so far, with a recent poll showing 80% support for the governments response to COVID-19.

Grint also argues that when dealing with wicked problems which are complex, contentious and cannot be easily resolved leaders must ask difficult questions that disrupt established ways of thinking and acting.

Its clear this has happened in New Zealand, as shown in the suite of initiatives the government has taken to respond to the pandemic, including its decision to move to a national lockdown relatively fast compared to many though not all countries.

Read more: Where are we at with developing a vaccine for coronavirus?

Of course, not everything has been perfect in New Zealands or Arderns COVID-19 response. Ongoing, independent scrutiny of the governments response is essential.

But as my own research has argued, expecting perfection of leaders, especially in such difficult circumstances, is a fools errand.

Its never possible. Nor should we allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good when speed and enormous complexity are such significant features of the decision-making context.

Whether youre comparing Arderns performance against other Western leaders, or assessing her efforts using researchers measures of leadership excellence, as a New Zealander I think there is much to be grateful for in how she is leading us through this crisis.

Stay in touch with The Conversations coverage from New Zealand experts by signing up to our weekly newsletter delivered to you each Wednesday.

Continued here:

Three reasons why Jacinda Ardern's coronavirus response ...

Its hard to keep up with ouradroitPrime Minister who apparently doesnt like answering questions,such as the one about where does life begin, put to her when she was enthusiastic about making abortion more readily available. We are still waiting.

And now, a notunexpectedsequel to the extraordinary tractor protest, organised by Groundswell New Zealand,whichsaw thousands of farm vehicles travelling the length and breadth of the country. Through 55 towns and cities, farmers protested at ongoing interference from our hard-left government, including unworkable regulations and unjustified costs.

These protests took place in July from the bottom of the South Island to the top of the North, crossing through Auckland, from Southland to Kaitaia. The leader of the Green Party, James Shaw, disgracefully dismissed this extraordinary event at the time as a group of Pakeha farmers down south. Yet an estimated 60,000 people were involved, hardly what Shaw dishonestly claimed. And why the disparaging Pakeha, long objected to by many New Zealanders?

We are used to politicians not telling the truth which no doubt contributes to their being among the least respected sectors of the population. But any blatant misrepresentation of a fact rather gives the show away, bringing home to us how little we should trust those makingstatements they must know are untruthful, particularly if they do not want to face up to what is actually happening, or when their extremist policies are being challenged.

More slipperyare the politicianswho manage to simply avoid answering a questionif they dont think the answer will reflect well on them or dont want to acknowledgeits implications.Ardern has shown herself adroit at such evasion, refusing torelease informationin relation tothefarmer protest group.A complaint has now been made to the Office of the Ombudsman abouther decision to withhold thisinformation.Groundswell NZsco-founder,Bryce McKenzie,said the group hasnot heard from Ardern before or since the protests,buthad requested ameeting with her while memberswere in Wellington to address the environment select committee.

We got an email back fromher office saying she was busy, he said. We have not heard from any Government ministers, only opposition MPs. It is disappointing, because we think an estimated 60,000 people deserve a response from the Government about the things they are concerned about.

How extraordinarythatArdern,constantlypreaching toNewZealanders tobe kind to one another, isdelivering such a snub to representatives of the farming communitynationwide. She is too busy to listen to them basically an insultinganswer,given that sheis apparentlynever too busy to listen tothe small minorityof dissident part-Maorispushing for constitutional change to achievenotjust co-governance, buta veto over decision-making by the majority of thecountry as with thenow signed-off healthlegislation. He Puapua, thedocument planning for this apartheid policy,had to be prised out of her governments hands, originally heavily redacted. But then, our elusivePM claimed she had not readit although her cabinet ministers were reportedly working to see how its provisions could be implemented.

Our determined Prime Minister must know very wellNew Zealanders dont support racial separatism.It did not stop her passing legislation to implement two health systems one forpart-Maori New Zealanders and one for all other New Zealanders.Inspite of thedefinitionofwho can legitimately call themselves Maori conveniently removed some time back, the Maori Health Authority now has a veto over any decisions of theparallelhealth systemrepresentingthe majority of New Zealanders.

Sheis also tooseemingly toobusyto explain why sheinaccurately claimsthat the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi established a partnership between Maori and the Crown which she uses to justify the divisive racist policiesshe is implementing. He Puapuashows Labours plan to establish two governments in New Zealand by 2040. By thistime thehierarchiesi.e.the governing bodies of our most powerful andwealthyneo-tribes (as a result of the never-ending hundreds of millions of dollars diverted to themfrom taxpayers these recent decades)willpreside over all aspects of New Zealands policy-making.

OnArderngoes,hercoalition pushingher Three Waters Plan toconfiscate waterassets from local communities, andhand over all water management to four mega-authorities underjoint council andneo-tribalcontrol. While she is far too busy to meet with representatives of our farmers, there have been 60 consultation meetings with Maori groupsover this Three Waters Planbut littleor no consultation with everybodyelse, inspite of provisions in the Local Government Act requiring councils to consult widely with all members of thepublic,not justpart-Maoris - (intermarriage was so successful that there are nolonger full-blooded Maori).Needless to say, each of theproposed four new entities of would have a tribal veto hanging over their heads.Yet 40 of New Zealands 67 councils are against,or undecided about,this $120 billion plan. Sotaxpayers are now payingfor infantilised cartoonson television to bepersuadedit would be an excellent idea for local councils to be robbed of their assets.

I am reminded ofTakisobservation in a recent Spectatorof how successful a country Switzerland is.Itspeoplespeakfour different languagesGerman, French, Italian and Romansh,with no animosity towards oneanother and that the tribalismthatexacerbates and fuels mistrust in othercountries does not exist here.He goes to the heart of the matter, when he points out that this is because the Swiss practise direct democracy,havingno intention of being governedby agenda-driven autocrats.

Such a descriptioncanarguably be applied to Ardern,when her ministers havenow been told to avoid answering questions aboutdumpedCovid-19documents. Aleaked email, sentto Beehive staff,has directed them to issueonly brief written statementsin response to media queries about the documents.Donotput minister(sic)up for any interviews on this,itinstructed. The directive stated that the Government,because of its overwhelming public support,hasno need to respond, and shouldinstead leadthe changing conversation.The Prime Ministers office has directed all ministers not to give interviews on thisCovid-19document dump, saying there is no real need to defend themselves.So much for a government answerable to the people of the country.

What we are undergoing isa revolution by stealth. The Swiss would nevertolerateanArdern ordering her ministers to do as she says. Well awarethat power corrupts,theywould not have allowed herto presideforlonger thanone year, virtually ruling the country.

On the contrary, the President of the Swiss Confederation, elected forthatyear of office by the United Federal Assembly, is primus inter pares first among equals. Chairing the Federal Council meetings,and mediating in the case of disputes. in urgent situations, he/shecan order precautionary measures.

Thanks to the damage that our dominating Prime Minister is inflicting upon New Zealand, including the shocking imposition of an apartheid system of racial preference, New Zealanders are perturbed about what is happening, including very probably the majority of part-Maori, no more supportive of racist agenda than the rest of the country.

Given a largely lacklustre National opposition led by an unpopular leader who shows no sign of stepping down for the sake of the party, but with dubious contenders ready to challenge, our outlook is bleak.

Without adopting the very successful controls that the Swiss people fought for, to determine their own directions seewww.100days.co.nz we have very little hope of winning back this country. With them, it is an entirely different matter, as the most successful democracy in the world shows us.

Continued here:

Jacinda Ardern an agenda-driven autocrat? | The ...

Jacinda Ardern's first term as Prime Minister has been recognised at home and around the world as a masterclass in leadership. Open, honest and authentic, Jacinda is a new type of leader - one that unites strength with kindness, boldness and compassion.

As we head into the 2020 election, we're taking a look back at some of the key moments that have characterised Jacinda's leadership during her first term in Government.

Jacinda Ardern's leadership throughout New Zealand's COVID-19 response has been globally recognised. Many people praised her daily televised COVID-19 briefings with Ashley Bloomfield and her Facebook Lives for keeping the New Zealand public up to date with the latest developments and information regarding alert level changes.

The Prime Minister led the Government in going hard and early to stamp out the virus, keep New Zealanders safe, and cushion the economic impact.Herfocus now is on getting the latest resurgence under control and making sure we put in place more financial supports to recover and rebuild.

Were in a position to safely open the economy back up (much quicker than many other countries), and Jacinda is leading the charge in our recovery through Labours five point plan to rebuild New Zealand, which includes creating jobs, getting people into training, and helping local businesses recover and rebuild even better than before.

On March 15 2019, a lone gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, killing 51 people. Jacinda Ardern moved swiftly to denounce the gunman and his actions, stating in a press conference: "You may have chosen us, but we utterly reject and condemn you."

Jacinda also moved quickly to tighten New Zealands gun laws, banning military-style semi-automatic firearms just six days after the attacks, and removing over 62,000 prohibited firearms from circulation through the gun buy-back scheme. On top of this, in May 2019, Jacinda joined France's President Emmanuel Macron to lead the Christchurch Call to Action, a coming together of 48 countries, the European Commission, two international organisations, and eight tech companies with the goal of eliminating terrorist and violent extremist content online.

Another tragedy hit New Zealand when Whakaari/White Island erupted on December 9 2019, eventually taking the lives of 21 people.

Jacinda Ardern met with first responders in Whakatne following the eruption, where she recognised the emergency service personnel for going above and beyond the line of duty: "They have done an incredible job under devastating circumstances."

Later, in an address to Parliament, speaking to the families of victims, she said: "I say to those who have lost and grieve you are forever linked to our nation and we will hold you close."

The Government provided assistance for the Whakatne communitys immediate needs through the Whakatne District Council Mayoral Relief Fund.

Under Jacinda Ardern's leadership, our Government passed the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill. This landmark legislation is at the centre of the Government's work to reduce our net carbon emissions to zero by 2050 and protect future generations of Kiwis from the potential impacts of climate change. The Act passed with unanimous support. In the House, Jacinda told MPs New Zealand was on the right side of history.

Jacinda worked with Finance Minister Grant Robertson to deliver New Zealand's - and the world's - first Wellbeing Budget in 2019. The Budget signalled a new approach to the way governments work, by placing the health and wellbeing of people at the heart of what we do.

Todays Budget shows you can be both economically responsible and kind. We are turning the corner on issues others have written off as too hard for too long while keeping the books in order.

Following the positive reception to our 2019 Budget, in 2020 Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson delivered the second Wellbeing Budget, focused heavily on supporting New Zealand's recovery from COVID-19 by creating jobs, helping people into training, and backing businesses.

In 2019, in the wake of the March 15 terror attack, Jacinda urged other world leaders in attendance at the UN General Assembly to shift away from attitudes of nationalism, to instead recognise how all nations depend on one another. "What if we no longer see ourselves based on what we look like, what religion we practice, or where we live," she asked, "but by what we value? Humanity. Kindness. An innate sense of our connection to each other."

Addressing pay inequity for women was something Jacinda campaigned on before we entered Government. With the passing of the Equal Pay Amendment Bill in July 2020, she made good on Labours campaign promise by making it easier for employees to raise a pay equity claim.

Under Jacinda Ardern's leadership, the Government also has begun providing free period products in schools for those who need them, starting with 15 Waikato schools and expanding to all state and state-integrated schools on an opt-in basis in 2021.

Jacinda Ardern attended the 2018 Pride Parade alongside Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

She said: "Lets all recommit to keep doing the work thats required and make sure that we show that international solidarity so that everyone can celebrate who they are, no matter where in the world they live."

Among the long list of achievements under Jacindas leadership are the Families Package, child poverty reduction legislation, the Winter Energy Payment, extended paid parental leave and rolling out free, healthy lunches in schools.

These are only a few examples of the many ways the Government has made progress for New Zealanders. The full list is so long that when Jacinda was challenged to run through the Governments achievements in just two minutes after two years in office - even she couldnt get through the list in time!

Watch the video here.

In May 2020, Jacinda Ardern was doing a live TV interview when a 5.8 earthquake hit the Beehive in Wellington.

When asked if she was okay to continue with the interview, without flinching, she glanced at the still-wobbling flag stands and coolly said: "Im good. We're just having a bit of an earthquake here."

Do you have more examples of Jacinda Ardern's leadership to add to the list? Share to your friends on Facebook or Twitter and let us know!

Original post:

10 times Jacinda Ardern was a true leader - NZ Labour Party

If you are not vaccinated, there will be everyday things you will miss out on, the prime minister says.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the framework will provide people with greater clarity moving forward. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

A new Covid-19 response framework is being finalised and will be released on Friday, providing people with greater clarity, Jacinda Ardern said.

"It will become very clear to people that if you are not vaccinated there will be things that you miss out on, everyday things that you will miss out on," Ardern told Morning Report.

"It's about both rewarding people who have gone out and done the right thing but also keeping away people who are less safe."

She said by the time the framework is ready to move to, the government is confident vaccine certificates will be ready.

It's like an alert level system, she said.

"We've always said once we're vaccinated it will be different, so we need to therefore design what that looks like."

Ardern said the government is drawing some distinctions though, they don't want an environment where people can't access necessary goods and services to maintain their lives.

"We can't say someone can't get health services, medical needs, pharmacies, food."

The government is supporting providers who are providing incentives for people to get vaccinated, she said.

"Anything that they identify will work for their community has our backing."

Ardern said domestic travel is being looked at separately from the framework to be announced Friday, and work is being down to see if there is a way to safely allow movement.

"But that would have a number of checks around it - is there a way that we can use vaccine certificates but also acknowledge that even if you're vaccinated it is still possible for you to have asymptotic Covid."

The border is putting a lot of strain on Auckland the more time is it needed, she said.

"At the same time, the rest of New Zealand wants to remain... Covid free or be in the position to extinguish Covid cases as they arrive. So we've got to balance those two needs."

Epidemiologist Rod Jackson told Morning Report the government needs to go hard on those who just haven't yet got around to getting a vaccine - "With no jab, no job, no fun".

The second group of people who aren't vaccinated however, don't trust the system, he said.

"And for those we have to find the people that they trust.

"The only game in town is to buy time until we get everyone vaccinated."

The government has signalled a vaccination target will be part of the soon to be announced framework.

Jackson says if 95 percent of the population is vaccinated, there will be death, disease and hospitalisations for the last five percent.

"Those were the 5 percent who were the first to get Covid in Europe last year, those are where most of the deaths are, those are where most of the hospitalisations are...For the rest of us, we're all going to get Covid again.

He said people don't realise that.

"There's two ways to get vaccinated. You either get vaccinated by the virus, and that's brutal, one in 10 hospitalisations in this latest outbreak. If you get Covid after you've been vaccinated it will happen slowly because the vaccine is fantastic for dealing with severe disease but it only slows down infection."

Slowing down infection is the key problem a vaccinated population faces, he said.

"Because Covid spreads so rapidly, even if the vaccine has reduced your risk of going to hospital from one in 10 to one in 100. That is still one in 100 of a lot of people if Covid is spreading rapidly."

A flexible approach is needed, he said.

Read the rest here:

Everyday activities won't be available to the unvaccinated - Jacinda Ardern - RNZ