Empathy. Honesty. An ability to communicate clearly and without guile to her people.

There are many reasons why New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern has shown herself to be a rare creature in the world of global politics and now we can add “calm in a crisis” to the list.

Having already deftly handled a regional outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic – New Zealand “effectively eliminated” the illness through strict lockdown measures introduced in mid-March – Ardern proved her crisis credentials in an entirely different context today, when an earthquake broke out while she was being interviewed live on-air.

Calm under pressure: this genius TV clip is yet another reason why we love Jacinda Ardern