22 JACINDA ARDERN

You know anything with ‘mania’ added on to it is big news in the media. Far bigger than ‘-gate’, and far more sustained than ‘-fever’, anyway. And when Jacindamania took hold in the build-up to last year’s election after she was thrust into the leadership position with just a few weeks to campaign, it showed how the media can be used to ascend the political ranks (or, in the case of Donald Trump, how the media can be abused to ascend the political ranks).

The media’s main role is to reflect society. Andin it, either as workers or subjects – can also change society. The leader of the nation will always have eyes trained upon them. But the meteoric rise of Ardern – young, female, progressive, approachable, empathetic, witty, attractive and pregnant – was not just a story of popularity. It was a story of how the media has helped to bring about cultural change.