Last week I heard the magnificent unicorn of a national leader, Jacinda Ardern, speak at the Town Hall in Melbourne. The room was packed with an audience who seemed excited simply to be in the presence of New Zealand’s Prime Minister. Despite our soaring expectations, nobody left disappointed.

Her topic was governance, and why good government should matter to ordinary citizens. It sounds like the subject of a university essay, not fodder for a warm and captivating speech. That is, however, just what Ardern delivered. She described how political environments permit leaders to either capitalise on fear or choose another path and the importance of doing the latter.