Prime Minister
After unexpectedly being elected New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister in 2017, Jacinda Ardern’s time in office would coincide with tragedies like the mass shooting at a mosque in Christchurch, the eruption of White Island, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout it all, she takes everything in stride and handles each situation with grace while trying to raise a baby at the same time. Directors Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz could have easily made documentary Prime Minister a straightforward underdog story about a woman who overcame immense odds to enact positive change. While that aspect is certainly there, the filmmakers primarily exemplify Ardern’s leadership as a beacon of hope during a time of heavy political division.
The feature opens with Ardern telling students at Harvard University that we “have to rehumanise people again” for meaningful debate to resume. This focus on compassion and kindness becomes the feature’s main thesis and the core ideology behind the politician’s career. She talks of being inspired by the story of Ernest Shackleton’s miraculous Antarctic expedition, where he managed to get his entire crew to safety after their ship got stuck in pack ice. It’s a story that’s shaped her moral compass and philosophy, and while some may dismiss her worldview as ideologically optimistic, it nevertheless proved effective. The changes to gun laws in the aftermath of Christchurch and her commitment to saving lives during New Zealand’s COVID lockdowns demonstrated that what’s morally right can be the best and most effective course of action.
The feature is mainly comprised of footage recorded by Ardern’s now-husband Nick Gayford alongside audio interviews from the National Library of New Zealand’s Political Diary Oral History Project. This gives the documentary a more intimate feel as viewers get a glimpse behind the curtain to see how events took an emotional toll on her. Scenes of the former PM reflecting on those interviews likewise lend further perspective to her thought processes at the time.
Small jabs are made towards Donald Trump and Boris Johnson (particularly in their response to COVID) throughout, but it’s images of the 2022 riots that led to fires being set in the grounds of New Zealand’s parliament that act as a powerful symbol of the rift in current politics. With violent rhetoric still on the rise, Ardern’s message of empathy is more poignant than ever, and filmmakers Walshe and Utz show exactly why in this inspirational documentary.
Andrew Murray
Prime Minister is released nationwide on 5th December 2025.
Watch the trailer for Prime Minister here:
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