Then came the telling line. “Every time I do a New Zealand interview, I message Clarke and say I’m feeling a bit squirmy.”
It is no surprise. Abroad, she is met with applause. At home, she is remembered as the face of division and government overreach.
There is a hint of self-awareness in her discomfort. Perhaps she understands, on some level, that while she presents an image of compassion and unity to the world, many New Zealanders are still living with the consequences of the decisions her government made.
Her memoir and media tour are not just about storytelling. They are a calculated attempt to reshape her reputation, assisted by a global media that rarely questions her narrative. Ardern wants to be remembered as a unifier. But many recall her leadership as defined by control, exclusion, and distrust.
Her government presided over one of the most polarising periods in modern New Zealand history. Families were split. Friendships ended. Citizens were separated not by belief, but by whether or not they complied.
The vaccine rollout became a symbol of coercion. Many lined up not out of trust in the science, but out of fear of losing their jobs. When asked in 2021 about creating a two-tier society, Ardern replied, “That is what it is.”
Those words should never be forgotten. Nor should the rules that followed, rules that restricted movement, participation, and access to basic services, all sold under the soft message of kindness.
“Be Kind” became a national slogan. In practice, it meant “do not question.” Millions of dollars were spent on communication campaigns, compliance measures, and policing so-called disinformation.
Entire departments were formed to manage speech. These were not built for clarity. They were designed for control. Disinformation initiatives were stacked with far-left activists more interested in silencing opposition than protecting truth.
When thousands of New Zealanders marched to Parliament to voice concern, they were ridiculed and ignored. One senior minister described them as a “river of filth.” That same minister now leads a union that claims to stand for workers. The irony is obvious.
Her defenders often cry misogyny when she is criticised. Yes, women in politics face abuse. That does not mean all criticism is sexist. Where were those defenders when women on the political right were vilified? Nowhere. Because the issue was never gender. It was ideology.
Under Ardern’s leadership, the New Zealand Bill of Rights was breached. Police were given authority to enter homes without a warrant. Courts found aspects of her government’s pandemic response unlawful. None of this gets mentioned during her international interviews.
In her conversation with Barry, Ardern was asked whether she still felt she could return to New Zealand given the lingering resentment. Her answer came quickly. “Of course, New Zealand is home.” But her nervous laugh and clipped tone revealed something more honest. For all the praise overseas, she knows her standing here is unresolved.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the pandemic response is moving into its final stage. It may provide a more honest evaluation of her government’s actions. Whether that evaluation is accurate or softened remains to be seen.
But if Jacinda Ardern writes another memoir, a more appropriate title might be The Authoritarian: How I Left New Zealand Divided and in a Mess.
Broadcaster Chris Lynch is an award winning journalist who also produces Christchurch news and video content for domestic and international companies. This article was originally published by Chris Lynch Media and is published here with kind permission.
It is no surprise. Abroad, she is met with applause. At home, she is remembered as the face of division and government overreach.
There is a hint of self-awareness in her discomfort. Perhaps she understands, on some level, that while she presents an image of compassion and unity to the world, many New Zealanders are still living with the consequences of the decisions her government made.
Her memoir and media tour are not just about storytelling. They are a calculated attempt to reshape her reputation, assisted by a global media that rarely questions her narrative. Ardern wants to be remembered as a unifier. But many recall her leadership as defined by control, exclusion, and distrust.
Her government presided over one of the most polarising periods in modern New Zealand history. Families were split. Friendships ended. Citizens were separated not by belief, but by whether or not they complied.
The vaccine rollout became a symbol of coercion. Many lined up not out of trust in the science, but out of fear of losing their jobs. When asked in 2021 about creating a two-tier society, Ardern replied, “That is what it is.”
Those words should never be forgotten. Nor should the rules that followed, rules that restricted movement, participation, and access to basic services, all sold under the soft message of kindness.
“Be Kind” became a national slogan. In practice, it meant “do not question.” Millions of dollars were spent on communication campaigns, compliance measures, and policing so-called disinformation.
Entire departments were formed to manage speech. These were not built for clarity. They were designed for control. Disinformation initiatives were stacked with far-left activists more interested in silencing opposition than protecting truth.
When thousands of New Zealanders marched to Parliament to voice concern, they were ridiculed and ignored. One senior minister described them as a “river of filth.” That same minister now leads a union that claims to stand for workers. The irony is obvious.
Her defenders often cry misogyny when she is criticised. Yes, women in politics face abuse. That does not mean all criticism is sexist. Where were those defenders when women on the political right were vilified? Nowhere. Because the issue was never gender. It was ideology.
Under Ardern’s leadership, the New Zealand Bill of Rights was breached. Police were given authority to enter homes without a warrant. Courts found aspects of her government’s pandemic response unlawful. None of this gets mentioned during her international interviews.
In her conversation with Barry, Ardern was asked whether she still felt she could return to New Zealand given the lingering resentment. Her answer came quickly. “Of course, New Zealand is home.” But her nervous laugh and clipped tone revealed something more honest. For all the praise overseas, she knows her standing here is unresolved.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the pandemic response is moving into its final stage. It may provide a more honest evaluation of her government’s actions. Whether that evaluation is accurate or softened remains to be seen.
But if Jacinda Ardern writes another memoir, a more appropriate title might be The Authoritarian: How I Left New Zealand Divided and in a Mess.
Broadcaster Chris Lynch is an award winning journalist who also produces Christchurch news and video content for domestic and international companies. This article was originally published by Chris Lynch Media and is published here with kind permission.
12 comments:
Did Hilary ask about the recent $20 million donation from Melinda Gates to the Ardern coffers? She is well and truly part of the global elite now and should not be above scrutiny.
Touché
The damage she did to this country regarding her management of covid pales into insignificance to the wider damage she inflicted to our economy and social fabric.
It’s always important to get informed before casting aspersions, so I watched her interviews on Stephen Colbert, CBS & Oprah.
On Colbert she said:
“You can try & appeal to people by using fear or blame, or you can actually tackle the issues affecting people’s lives and you can do it with a people-centred approach that has kindness and empathy and strength and courage and resilience”.
Propagandising and gaslighting are as natural to her as breathing.
Looking back, it is still very hard to not resent Winston for going against the clear majority winner in 2017 and choosing the worst PM we have ever had.
To not resent him for denying us a better NZ where we would have had reasonable - not perfect - Covid policies, govt books in much better shape, a public service that just did their jobs, education based on facts not myths, sex-ed that focused on the basics, and a guarantee for all women that when they walked into a female only space or sport they wouldn’t come across a man.
The blame for the elevation of this awful creature & the subsequent destruction of everything we have ever valued, starts with him.
that contemptable narcissist and her ilk, are the reason I removed 'organ donor' from my licence-no way do I want her kind with my bits, if I fall over tomorrow!!!!
Yes, Winston got us into this mess in a fit of personal pique .
We trusted him, and he failed us.
Same for Luxon, we trusted him to reverse these racist policies, he is failing us in every way.
No respect for him - he has to fall on his sword and hand the reins to someone like Seymour who is committed to proper action.
Yes - as long as people understand that the real enemy for TPM is ACT - not National or NZF. Their aim is to exterminate ACT . A rough road ahead.
Adern claims "of course nz is home" about returning to nz. But she doesnt have to enter a lottery system to aquire access, then quarantine for 2 weeks.
In an interview on C.B.S. she was asked if she would ever return to N.Z. and she said no, never. So, some good news out of this, if we dare believe her.
It was great to see Chris get some column inches in the U.K. Mail, normally they seem to just cut and paste from our M.S.M. .
I have been watching, on mute, .I couldn't suffer hearing her voice, the Utube video of her interview with Stephen Colbert.
The comments are truly vomit inducing.
The damage done by Ardern and her coterie of treasonous weasels in Govt will take a generation or more to repair, if it ever can be. The NZ she ran into the ground with her deluded and deceptive tyranny may never recover its confidence or its unity.
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