Jacinda Ardern’s COVID years

Jacinda Ardern’s COVID years – the story behind the press conferences

Jacinda Ardern’s COVID years - Centrist

Jacinda: The Untold Stories is the unauthorised biography that goes behind the carefully managed pandemic narrative. Based on more than 100 interviews, it examines how one leader turned daily briefings into global PR — and what was lost along the way.

Written by journalist David Cohen (RNZ, The Listener) with Rebecca Keillor (Vancouver Sun), this deeply researched account explores New Zealand’s COVID response, the culture of control it created, and the lasting impact on a once-adored prime minister.

Order your copy today — available now at Centrist.nz

Key themes

  • Inside the Beehive bubble: Decision-making and messaging during lockdowns

  • The COVID cult of personality: How Ardern’s empathy became a political brand

  • Winners and losers: Business, media, and trust in government after 2020

  • Global spotlight: How the world fell in love with the “Jacinda model”

By David Cohen and Rebecca Keillor — award-winning journalists bringing context, balance, and depth to a story many thought they already knew.

 Jacinda: The Untold Stories — the unauthorised biography of New Zealand’s most talked-about leader.

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