WELLINGTON, APR 14 – When comedian Melanie Bracewell found herself facing weeks of self-isolation as New Zealand went into a coronavirus lockdown, she decided to make videos of herself doing impressions of the country’s prime minister.

Her clips on TikTok have now been watched by thousands across the world, and garnered her many fans – including Ms Ardern herself.

Ms Bracewell says her impressions are not parody – but a homage to someone “she’s very proud of” for steering the country through a pandemic.

New Zealand and Ms Ardern’s government have been praised for swiftly stemming the coronavirus outbreak, with relatively few cases and deaths.