Purpose

The authors unpack the critical role of rhetoric in developing and justifying the New Zealand (NZ) government's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Green's (2004) theory of rhetorical diffusion, the authors analysed government documents and media releases before, during and after the lockdown to reconstruct the government's rationale.

Findings

The blending of kairos (sense of urgency and “right” time to act), ethos (emphasis on “saving lives”), pathos (fear of disruption and death) and selective use of health-based logos (shrinking infection rates), prompted fast initial adoption of the lockdown. However, support for the rhetoric wavered post-lockdown as absence of robust logos became apparent to the public.

Research limitations/implications

The authors implicate the role of rhetoric in decision-makers’ ability to successfully elicit support for a new practice under urgency and the right moment to act using emotionalisation and moralisation. The assessment of the NZ government's response strategy provides insights decision-makers could glean in developing policies to tame the virus.

Practical implications

This study’s analysis demonstrates the unsustainability of rhetoric in the absence of reliable information.

Originality/value

The authors demonstrate the consequences of limited (intermittent) evidence and disregard for accounting/accountability data in public policy decisions under a rhetorical strategy.

中文翻译：

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新西兰应对 COVID-19 的言论

目的

作者揭示了修辞在制定和证明新西兰 (NZ) 政府 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 封锁策略方面的关键作用。

设计/方法/方法

使用格林 (2004) 的修辞传播理论，作者分析了封锁之前、期间和之后的政府文件和媒体发布，以重建政府的基本原理。

发现

kairos（紧迫感和“正确”行动时间）、精神（强调“拯救生命”）、悲情（对破坏和死亡的恐惧）和基于健康的标志的选择性使用（降低感染率）的混合，促使锁定的快速初始采用。然而，由于缺乏强有力的标志对公众来说变得明显，对言论的支持在锁定后动摇了。

研究限制/影响

作者暗示修辞在决策者在紧急情况下成功获得对新实践的支持以及使用情绪化和道德化采取行动的正确时机的能力中的作用。对新西兰政府应对策略的评估为决策者在制定控制病毒的政策提供了参考。

实际影响

这项研究的分析表明，在缺乏可靠信息的情况下，修辞是不可持续的。

原创性/价值

作者展示了在修辞策略下公共政策决策中有限（间歇性）证据和无视会计/问责数据的后果。