Ardern’s desire to help is ‘charitable and caring’

Your correspondent’s review of New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern’s stewardship (Spotlight, 3 September), somewhat misses the point. That most New Zealanders trust Ardern is not rooted simply in clear Covid briefings – many leaders around the world read from the same playbook.

Rather, and though it sounds naive in relation to contemporary politics, it is the belief that her apparent concern for people is not partisan. In any area of life, but in politics particularly, it is difficult to trust those who deliver an unrelenting diet of criticism, adhere slavishly to ideology, or who actively foment division. In New Zealand, there is a widespread belief that Ardern genuinely wants to help.

That kind of perception and relationship is what people are more likely to associate with teachers, friends and family. It is charitable and caring, can extend to government institutions, and when authentic, it is certainly resilient. Globally, the need for leadership of this kind has never been more desperate.

Greg Billington Waitohi Picton,

New Zealand