Ardern ’s biggest task: heroic yet modest
Jacinda Ardern, for the second time in her short premiership – and precisely a year after the first – took charge yesterday. She made clear the coronavirus recession could hit New Zealanders harder than the global financial crisis (GFC), that those unprepared to selfisolate were not welcome here, and that business should prepared for the country’s travel restrictions to be extended.
It was the prime minister at her best: commanding, on top of her brief, and free of the bureaucratic waffle and selfdoubt that sometimes seems to follow her when talking about economic matters.
She wanted to get across the message that the Government wants New Zealand to slow down, not shut down.
The slow down will hurt but its better than the alternatives – such as the situation in Italy, where that nation has effectively been put in lock down, or Ireland, where you can’t go out for a beer.
The Government’s goal, at this stage, is both modest yet heroic: Modest, because most people in New Zealand will go to work today, and that’s what the Government would like to see continue.
Heroic, because in the current circumstances with an effectively closed border and an economy that is going to be hammered, that will be anything but easy. And all while stopping the spread of Covid-19.
Ardern has now set the stage for Grant Robertson’s economic package that will be delivered at 2pm today. This will have to deliver, and be seen to deliver.
The question for this package is this: how do you prop up an industry that has all but dried up – such as tourism – while your Government has also stopped people coming on highly legitimate public health grounds? That’s the level of difficultly that we are facing.
It is the mundane things that we all take for granted being disrupted that causes chaos. And gathering together at an event of more than 500 people is one of those. Getting on a plane. Going to work without worrying about getting sick. Being able to cuddle your grandparents.
Being able to rely on the fact that about the same number of people that flowed through your shop last week will again next week.
Trying to keep these mundane parts of life within reach by deploying the Government’s cheque book and machinery is the challenge. Today we will see if the Government can do it.