Madeleine Chaplan

Sāmoan, Tuvaluan, Chinese, American New Zealander Madeleine Chapman is the current editor of The Spinoff and a former senior editor at North & South magazine. She is the author of Jacinda Ardern: A New Kind of Leader and the co-author of Steven Adams’ bestselling autobiography My Life, My Fight.

What does leadership look like to you?

Madeleine: Leadership means creating an environment that allows others to reach their full potential while feeling supported and appreciated. It also means setting a positive example for how to be in that environment.

How does your community show up in your practice?

Madeleine: Journalism is all about telling stories, which means becoming (sometimes for a short time, sometimes for a long time) a small part of many communities so that you are able to tell their stories authentically and truthfully. These relationships can’t be formed without a network of connections across the country sharing the same goal: to share meaningful stories with New Zealanders about New Zealanders.