New Zealand vs. Australia: A love letter

I’ve a spring in my step this week off the back of Labour’s landslide victory in New Zealand. Every speech delivered by Jacinda Ardern is a masterclass in inspirational leadership and communication. Her victory speech on Saturday night was no exception. It was a refreshingly inclusive message at a time when, in her words:

”We are living in an increasingly polarised world. A place where more and more people have lost the ability to see one another’s point of view. I hope that in this election, New Zealand has shown that this is not who we are. That as a nation we can listen and we can debate.”

With Jacinda making such an impact on the global stage, I’m frequently asked if I think about returning to live in New Zealand.

The grass is always greener as they say and it’s tempting to view New Zealand as a utopia. In reality they face many of the same issues we are facing across the globe including increasing social inequity, homelessness, domestic violence and an alarming youth suicide rate. Māori people are disproportionately represented in lower income households, and the prison system. Jacinda has proven more than capable in a crisis but has yet to make a significant impact on these long standing issues. The three year term in New Zealand is short, too short perhaps to expect systemic change. And now, like much of the world, New Zealand faces an economic recession. The Labour campaign slogan “Let’s keep moving” feels increasingly urgent. We all have a tough journey ahead, and I’m confident New Zealand has made the best choice to lead them through it, perhaps they’ll carve a path for us all.

I’ve lived in three countries during my life, spanning almost fifty years. The first twenty-three were spent in Christchurch. Ten years in Sydney and an accumulated six years in London. September 1st marked the ten year anniversary of my life in the Illawarra on the south coast of NSW.

When I left New Zealand in the early nineties, I was proud to be a citizen of an officially bicultural country that recognised Māori as the tangata whenua (people of the land). What I discovered in Sydney and London were multicultural cities and experiences. 

I fell instantly in love with the diversity of Australia’s people, it’s landscape and climate and I’m developing an ever deepening connection to Dharawal country, where I’m so fortunate to live. Nestled between the ocean and the lush escarpment, an hour south of Sydney, there is seemingly an abundance of natural beauty and opportunity. I wish I knew more about First Nations people and I accept it is my responsibility to educate myself and my family. I know there is much to learn from the world’s oldest living culture. New Zealand will always be my first love, and I remain a proud Kiwi, but I chose to live in Australia. It’s been a lucky country for me, it’s where my children were born, and I’m grateful to call Australia home.

And while I believe Jacinda Ardern is extraordinary, I don’t believe she is unique. She is currently one of many leaders, overwhelmingly women, demonstrating their competence. Rather than go back, I’m committed to identifying the qualities and capabilities that are serving Jacinda and her peers so well, developing them in our leaders, and voting for the men and women here who embody them.