58 pages • 1-hour read
A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, gender discrimination, antigay bias, racism, religious discrimination, death by suicide, illness, and death.
Vulnerability and Compassion as Leadership Qualities
During her time as New Zealand’s prime minister, Ardern gained worldwide recognition as a compassionate leader. In her youth, she had feared that her sensitivity would preclude her from a successful political career, but she ultimately discovered that it was a strength rather than a weakness. She wanted people to remember her time in office for “kindness” and believes that future world leaders could benefit from following this example. A major message of her memoir, referenced even in the title A Different Kind of Power, is that power can come from vulnerability and compassion as much as from more conventional sources like confidence and assertiveness.
Vulnerabilities such as anxiety and imposter syndrome pushed Ardern to prepare thoroughly for responsibilities and challenges. These included public speaking and debate competitions as a youth, various jobs and roles throughout her life, and press conferences and public engagements during her political career. She notes that “[w]hile [Parliament’s] debating chamber might be stately, it can also feel like a fighting ring” (137). Her preparation and lack of complacency meant that she was better equipped to deal with challenges and issues when they arose, giving her power in difficult situations. Her willingness to be open about her vulnerabilities helped her connect with people (for instance, by giving and accepting comfort following the Christchurch terrorist attacks). In addition, Ardern became the target of sexist rhetoric and criticism when she became only the second elected national leader in world history to give birth in office. However, her doing so empowered women everywhere by illustrating that motherhood and professional or political success are not mutually exclusive.
Throughout her memoir, Ardern praises political and community leaders who exhibit compassion and vulnerability, highlighting the positive impact of such a leadership style on communities. Her father, for instance, showed great compassion for Murupara’s citizens, striving to understand and aid them and governing by consent rather than force. He relied heavily on communication and de-escalation, and respected their mana, or dignity. For example, he allowed a gang member to turn himself in rather than publicly arresting him. Through this approach, he overcame the community’s collective mistrust and hostility toward governmental authority.
Grant Robertson was another of Ardern’s role models and one of her early mentors and close friends. Consistently kind, compassionate, and unashamed to show his vulnerabilities, he inspired such loyalty in Ardern that she twice backed his bids for Labour Party leadership. One of the most striking examples of a vulnerable and compassionate leader in Ardern’s memoir is Imam Lareef. In the wake of the tragedy of the Christchurch shootings, he spoke out in thanks for the love and support that the people of New Zealand showed his community. His strength uplifted those affected and refocused the narrative around the attacks onto the shared humanity and resilience of the grieving community. Ardern is effusive in her praise for the Imam, explaining the meaningful impact of his positive attitude on her, and holding him up as a role model for all aspiring leaders.
In the penultimate chapter of A Different Kind of Power, Ardern summarizes her opinion of this theme in a direct address to future leaders, her younger self, and the reader. She states her belief that embracing vulnerability and compassion is crucial to producing the kind of leaders the world needs.
Duty and Moral Responsibility in Private Life and Public Office
Many of Ardern’s life choices, up to and including her involvement in politics, stem from a firm sense of duty and moral responsibility. She developed these values in childhood, influenced by her parents and the Mormon values in which she was raised. Her political career and experience of motherhood only strengthened these convictions, though she struggled at times to prioritize the competing demands of her private life and public office. Thus, the tension between meeting her duties and moral responsibilities in both her private life and public office created challenges: “I was days away from learning if I would run a country, and now, as I sat in a bathroom in Tawa, New Zealand, I was seconds away from learning if I would do it while having a baby” (3).
Ardern’s parents were role models to their daughters as they grew up, and the memoir’s early chapters show that Ardern’s mother and father were both guided by principles of duty and moral responsibility. Her mother was dedicated to both her family and her community, supporting her husband in his career and caring for her home and children, even to the detriment of her own well-being. She always worked hard in jobs, in volunteering roles, and as a homemaker, and she passed this work ethic and sense of responsibility on to Ardern and Louise, supporting them in getting their first jobs delivering leaflets and in the local fish-and-chips shop. Ardern’s father went beyond his call of duty as a police officer, making himself available at all hours to the community of Murupara and governing with compassion even as he advanced through the ranks. Ardern’s other family members share similar values, as evident in her grandfather Harry’s steadfast support of family gatherings and his staunch paternal relationship with Ardern’s father despite their lack of a biological connection.
Ardern’s early exposure to poverty in Murupara and subsequent interest in world news informed her opinion that the government had a moral responsibility to help people. This influenced her political convictions and motivated her membership in the Labour Party, where her first experiences in political office reinforced the belief that politicians have a duty to their constituents. Ardern’s career-long focus on child welfare and her introduction of the Well-being Budget are prominent manifestations of this worldview in action. Ardern is adamant that she never sought leadership roles or positions of power, but instead accepted responsibilities as they were thrust upon her because she felt it was her duty to do so. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, her duty to protect the citizens of New Zealand guided her decisions.
Despite persistent attempts to balance a career in politics with her duties as a mother, Ardern often felt as though she was forced to choose between the responsibilities of her private life and public office. One instance in which this was particularly evident was when her mother was taken to the hospital after a seizure, and Ardern chose to send her infant daughter to her sister under the care of a DPS officer. Though Ardern did not regret this decision, she nonetheless agonized over the “trade-off” between her various responsibilities, as well as Neve’s later inquiries as to why she worked so much.
Social Issues That Threaten Collective Well-Being
As New Zealand’s prime minister, Ardern faced unprecedented challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Christchurch terrorist attacks. In addition, she implemented historic reforms and policies to improve public welfare. Social issues like poverty, bigotry, and mistrust were significant factors and catalysts in these issues and reforms.
Ardern’s first encounter with these social issues was in Murupara as a child. The bigoted policies of the colonial and postcolonial governments had scarred the Māori community, and its people thus had little trust in governmental authority as represented by Ardern’s father. In addition, poverty was rife in the town and had been since the privatization of the forestry industry decades earlier. As she grew up, Ardern became aware of the many ways that government policy could mitigate or exacerbate such social issues, and she later became determined to use her political influence to safeguard collective well-being. She focused heavily on addressing child poverty throughout her time as an MP and during her two terms as prime minister. She believed that improving children’s quality of life was central to promoting long-term and wide-reaching social improvement. Her Child and Youth Well-being Strategy and updated food in schools programs implemented reforms that she had spent her career in the opposition drafting. With Grant’s help, she implemented the Well-being Budget to accurately track and actively promote quality of life improvements and invested heavily in mental health initiatives. These measures addressed some of the most striking issues she had encountered during her own childhood, including the loss of her best friend’s brother to death by suicide.
Additionally, Ardern fought against bigotry throughout her life and career, even leaving the Mormon church because its antigay rhetoric did not align with her personal beliefs. As a woman in politics, she faced significant scrutiny and sexism from opponents and the media, but her success made her a feminist icon to working mothers everywhere. Her government also addressed historical anti-Māori racism by mandating the teaching of New Zealand history in schools and through the work of Kelvin Davis (New Zealand’s first Māori deputy prime minister) to promote and celebrate Māori culture. The Christchurch terrorist attack, a hate crime motivated by anti-Muslim bigotry, showcased the devastating consequences that unchecked prejudice and radicalization can create. The outpouring of love and grief from across New Zealand and the international community, led by “chief mourner” Ardern, refuted all forms of bigotry and violence. The Christchurch Call to Action, which Ardern spearheaded, remains a significant initiative aiming to address and combat the spread of bigotry and radicalization online.
Mistrust in the government and the scientific establishment intensified throughout the world in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the prevalence of misinformation (false information spread inadvertently) and disinformation (false information designed to mislead and cause harm) caused huge numbers of people to lose faith in government institutions. Right-wing media outlets and social media propagated and spread conspiracy theories, and such disinformation campaigns resulted in violent protests and antisocial demonstrations in major cities all over the globe. Ardern witnessed protesters occupying the lawn of parliament for 23 days and was able to disperse them only through force. Ultimately, Ardern could not stop the rising tide of mistrust and hostility during her time as prime minister, and it remains a significant threat to collective well-being.
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