Summarised by Centrist
Did the Jacinda Ardern government push to achieve a stronger global position, considering how much attention she received from international news reports between 2017 and 2023?
Is the current government under Christopher Luxon able to pick up the mantle?
Otago University authors Peter Grace and Robert Patman are asking.
Launching their book ‘New Zealand’s Foreign Policy under the Jacinda Ardern Government: Facing the Challenge of a Disrupted World’ the authors ask if the chance to “influence the world on some of the most pressing global challenges” was “squandered” by former PM Jacinda Ardern.
They compare dozens of headlines about Ardern in major world newspapers. They observe Ardern was “a headline stealer” with favourable international leadership acclaim, especially compared to Christopher Luxon, who has hardly received a mention.
They argue, however, that despite the contrast in notoriety between the former and current PMs, New Zealand is a middle power, but Luxon needs to navigate carefully to maintain capital:
“In principle, most New Zealanders seem to highly value an independent foreign policy, but in practice often fall back on the idea that a relatively small state can be no more than a cog in a big machine.”