Abstract
ABSTRACT The Covid-19 pandemic has severely tested the leadership and communication abilities of political leaders globally. Guiding an effective response to the global pandemic has required leaders to demonstrate not only effective planning and coordination skills, but the ability to communicate clear consistent messages in an empathetic manner as well. In New Zealand the first confirmed case of Covid-19 was recorded on February 28 and over the course of March and April 2020, 1,132 further cases of Covid-19 were confirmed and 19 deaths – a much lower transmission rate than most industrialized nations. On 27 April 2020, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that they had won the battle against community transmission of Covid-19. This paper analyses the speeches and public statements (n = 40) made by Prime Minister Ardern in March and April 2020 through the lens of crisis leadership and crisis communication. In particular, it looks at the use of different mediums (parliamentary statements, daily briefings, Facebook Live broadcasts and podcasts) as mechanisms for engaging in narrative and dialogue with the public. The paper underscores the importance of communication in crisis management and looks at how positive and consistent messaging inspires confidence and social solidarity.
Highlights
The Covid-19 pandemic has severely tested the leadership and communication abilities of political leaders globally
The following research questions were posed in the study: RQ1: What were the key features of the crisis communication approach adopted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the Covid-19 pandemic?
This paper examines the initial crisis communication approach taken by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic
Summary
The Covid-19 pandemic has severely tested the leadership and communication abilities of political leaders globally. On 27 April 2020, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that they had won the battle against community transmission of Covid-19 (Anderson 2020). Such a contained outbreak, in relation to the experiences of other nations, led to widespread praise from commentators, who pointed to Prime Minister Ardern’s effective leadership style and the compassion shown in communications (Clark 2020; Friedman 2020; McCarthy 2020; Smyth 2020; Wilson 2020). The following research questions were posed in the study: RQ1: What were the key features of the crisis communication approach adopted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the Covid-19 pandemic?. RQ2: What were the particular points of emphasis in the messaging of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at different phases of the Covid-19 pandemic?
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