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Summarised by Centrist
Veteran journalist David Cohen says his new unauthorised biography, Jacinda: The Untold Stories, is a book for New Zealanders “tired of spin and ready for something real.”
For over a year, Cohen has researched one of the most polarising political figures of our time, interviewing more than 100 people from across politics, media, and public life. “There’s been a tsunami of syrup around her,” he said.
“This book tries to cut through it,” he told The NZ Herald.
The book promises an independent and unfiltered look at Ardern’s life and leadership. Cohen said the aim was to avoid the binary thinking that dominates journalism: “You love her, she’s St Teresa, or she’s demonic. That’s so reductive; it robs people of their humanity.”
Among those quoted are politicians from Labour, National, and NZ First, as well as broadcasters Mike Hosking and Heather du Plessis-Allan. Some describe Ardern as uniting, others as divisive. The result, Cohen says, will “annoy both extremes.”
Cohen admits he ended the project “respecting her a little less.” He voted for her in 2020 and received COVID vaccinations, but calls the mandates “a mistake” that infringed basic rights.
He also explores speculation over Ardern’s future. Those close to her, he says, are “adamant she’s going for it”, referring to the UN secretary-general role.
Cohen insists Centrist, which funded and markets the book, “didn’t interfere.” His work has appeared in the NZ Herald, Listener, RNZ, Spectator, Daily Telegraph, Australian, and Guardian.
Jacinda: The Untold Stories is out 10 November.
Read more over at The NZ Herald (paywalled)
