Kindness and Control: The Political Leadership of Jacinda Ardern in the Aotearoa New Zealand COVID-19 Media Conferences

Aotearoa New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s management of COVID-19 media conferences demonstrated a complex negotiation expressions ‘kindness’ and political ‘control’ as Ardern sought to unify the national public implement emergency that closed border suspended civil liberties freedom movement. This article considers distinctive positive leadership style while also demonstrating ways it is grounded in exigencies field. A critical reading conference answers reveals four nominated categories: assertions, conflict/disagreement, delineation politician role/responsibility, evasion. The categories map terrain agreement disagreement they locate subject position on terrain.