Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Liberal Torchbearer

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- On March 15 a gunman attacked Muslim worshippers during afternoon prayers in Christchurch, livestreaming the atrocity to Facebook. As the nation reeled from the horror, Ardern showed true leadership. She reached out to the Muslim community, wearing a hijab in a show of respect. But her acts weren’t purely symbolic. Ardern moved quickly to ban the weapons used in the massacre, achieving in days what the U.S. hasn’t been able to do after decades of gun violence. She also rallied the leaders of countries such as France, the U.K., and Canada to support her push to pressure social media platforms to stop the spread of hate speech.