New Zealanders overall are discourteous and impatient drivers and we are reminded of these failings pretty much every time we drive on the road. Our road.
Letters: Empathetic leadership, Ports of Auckland, Donald Trump and Steve Braunias
18 Dec, 2020 04:00 PM
6 minutes to read
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the Whakaari / White Island commemorations in Whakatane on December 9. Photo / Maori TV
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the Whakaari / White Island commemorations in Whakatane on December 9. Photo / Maori TV
NZ Herald
Letter of the week: Peter Jansen, Henderson
In shedding a tear at the White Island memorial Jacinda Ardern broke the shibboleth of a female leader being allowed to show emotion without penalty.
Past women leaders were required to don a suit of emotional armour in order to appear as strong as their male counterparts. Thus Margaret Thatcher appeared as tough as teak, Indira Gandhi was harshly firm, Theresa May remained permanently stoic dealing with the Grenfell Tower fire and neither Jenny Shipley nor Helen Clark could afford to publicly promote traits such as compassion and kindness lest it convey