A recap of former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's final address to New Zealand Parliament. Video / NZ Herald
Jacinda Ardern has sent a powerful message that people can be “anxious, sensitive, kind and wear your heart on your sleeve”, while still also leading a country: “Just like me.”
Ardern’s valedictory speech on Wednesday capped more than five years as Prime Minister of New Zealand, marked by a series of tragedies in the mosque attacks, Whakaari eruption, Covid-19 pandemic - and Ardern’s globally respected responses to them.
Fiancé Clarke Gayford and their young daughter Neve were front and centre in a packed public gallery full of family and friends and colleagues, including former prime ministers, iwi leaders, public health officials and members of the Islamic community.
In a speech full of laughter and tears, Ardern went through her achievements and reflected on where more work had to be done, particularly on child poverty and climate change calling for MPs to “take the politics out of it”, while acknowledging the “weight” of carrying a country on her shoulders at times.
“I still struggle to talk about March 15,” she said referring to the terrorist attack that left 51 Muslim worshippers dead.
‘You can be that person, and be here’
She also shared a strong message to those thinking about entering politics but not thinking they are tough enough.
She revealed she was a “worrier”, anxious and sensitive, a crier and a hugger, a mother. She even went to former colleague Trevor Mallard “for advice on how to harden up” - an anecdote that drew howls of laughter.
She revealed she was often so nervous before Question Time she couldn’t eat.
“You can be that person, and be here,” Ardern said.
She also shared a deeply personal experience of when she and Gayford were trying to conceive a child, just prior to becoming Labour leader in 2017.
“I had not long experienced a failed IVF round when I became leader of the Labour Party.
“I thought I had found myself on a path that meant I wouldn’t be a mother.
“Rather than process that, I campaigned to become Prime Minister,” she said to laughter.
“A rather good distraction as far as they go.”
In the gallery was a large contingent of her family, including her parents Ross and Laurell Ardern, her staff and colleagues along with former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and Geoffrey Palmer, and former director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
Ardern started by recalling writing her maiden speech when she was 28. She looked back at her aspirations then and said she was proud she believed she had achieved those.
Deputy Prime Grant Robertson hugging former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after her valedictory speech. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ardern said she got used to having her Prime Ministership “distilled down” to a list of priorities including a domestic terrorist attack and a pandemic.
The former PM recalls her 2017 campaign as “frenetic”, remembering a situation during those weeks when she fell asleep on a plane and woke up to ask if she was “still the leader of the Labour Party?”
Ardern spoke of her passion for action on climate change, which she once called this generation’s “nuclear-free moment”, and about working to get cross-party support to get the Zero Carbon Act across the line.
“When I came here 15 years ago we spoke about climate change as if it was a hypothetical. But in the intervening years, we have seen first-hand the reality of our changing environment.
“Now I know there is politics in almost everything, but we also know when and how to remove it. When crisis has landed in front of us, I have seen the best of this place. Climate change is a crisis. The one thing I ask of this house is; please, take the politics out of climate change.”
Ardern said she has “enjoyed immensely” working with the Green Party, in particular co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson.
She spoke of work to honour the Treaty of Waitangi, including “crossing the bridge more often” and setting up Te Arawhiti, the Ministry of Māori Crown Relations, headed by Kelvin Davis, along with the Māori Health Authority, teaching New Zealand history in schools and instigating Matariki - the first indigenous public holiday.
“The path we travel as a nation won’t be linear and it won’t always be easy,” Ardern said, adding that she was happy she “took on the hilly bits” during her time as PM.
Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Mark Mitchell
She spoke about addressing child poverty, having set for the first time targets to reduce it.
“In 2017 when we formed Government almost one in five children were in poverty. As I leave, there are fewer than 77,000 children living in poverty,” Ardern said. “But now, we just need to keep going.”
“I’m not here to say now that everything is perfect, it is not,” Ardern continued.
“Politics has always been about progress. Sometimes you can measure it, and sometimes you can’t.
“There are very few things I have sought to do in politics that have an end point... politics have never been a tick list for me.”
An historic day dawns
My favouritestest Prime Minister of the 42 years since I first voted will deliver her valedictory speech at 5:30pm
She opined that most of her achievements would not feature “heavily” in history books, excepting the Covid-19 pandemic and tragedies.
Ardern said there were still people that would ring her as PM that would reduce her to a “cold sweat”.
“I remember all too vividly a visit to Auckland University when Minister Hipkins got a dreaded health call - the outbreak of Delta. I rang [partner] Clarke and said, ‘code red’.”
She recalled a conversation with Chief Science Advisor Dame Juliet Gerrard who said they might have a vaccine in five years “if we’re lucky”.
“We had something better on our side [than luck]. We had science,” Ardern said, speaking of how quickly the vaccine was developed.
Of her response to Covid-19, she acknowledged “we didn’t get everything right”, but urged the public to remember “what it was all for”.
Ardern spoke of her experience confronting anti-vax protesters, saying she once tried to correct a protester who was talking to her about conspiracy theories. But she realised she could not get through to her.
“I was idealistic enough to think I could make a difference.
“I could not single-handedly pull someone out of a rabbit hole. But perhaps collectively we all have a role to play in stopping people falling in in the first place.”
March 15
Ardern said she still struggles to talk about March 15.
“On the way down [to Christchurch] I saw the front page of the paper. I saw a member of the Muslim community covered in blood.”
She recalled speaking to that person only hours later.
“As he stood to speak, I did not know what to expect, but what came next was one of the most profound memories I have of that period.
“He thanked us. Here was someone who had been through the most horrific experience I could imagine, and he thanked New Zealand and expressed gratitude for his home. "
The NZ Muslim community has “humbled me beyond words,’ Ardern said.
She said there was more work to do to combat extremism.
“But the most significant task for all of us as a nation is to live up to the expectations that those who experienced it have of us. To deserve their thanks.”
Ardern said of Parliament all she did she “did not do it alone”.
She thanked her Diplomatic Protection Service staff and drivers - telling a story of how a motion sickness kit had been fitted to her cars when transporting her family.
Deputy Prime Grant Robertson hugging former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after her valedictory speech. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ardern said her press secretaries must have had the worst job considering she so disliked being in the media. “My dad stopped watching the news for five years.”
Her mother had a different approach, during Covid sending her Ardern her own personal thought for the day.
They mostly uplifting except one, “which I thought was a bit grandiose, even for a dedicated mother”.
“It read ‘remember, even Jesus had people who didn’t like him’.”
Of her daughter Neve, Ardern said: “Gosh, I love how independent you are already.”
Four class of 08 buddies sharing a moment and a ‘cheers’ after a beautiful valedictory speech. So much appreciation for this woman’s outstanding leadership. You worked hard for NZ and never lost sight of who you are and what you stand for. Thank you Jacinda:) Go well my friend x pic.twitter.com/WZJKnn5Qkp
“You are fiercely loyal and always had my back, but you are also a fighter. You believe in three things fiercely, social justice, protecting our oceans, and that a good tea should have decent brew time.
“Thanks for keeping my cup full, and for personally enduring so much rubbish. You’re a keeper.”
The former PM paid special mention to Finance Minister Grant Robertson.
“It’s fair to say I took the title of Deputy Prime Minister very literally,” she said. “I did not take on [any challenges] alone. I took them on with Grant.”
Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ardern made mention of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, and recalled conversations they had over the years. “We’re all in good hands,” she said.
Ardern spoke of the challenges of having a career like hers while also wanting to have a family.
“When I was 37 years old I was told there were a range of factors that meant I hadn’t been able to get pregnant, and stress was probably one of them.
“We decided to use the help of science, but as so many couples experience, that wasn’t straight forward.
“I had not long experienced a failed IVF round when I became leader of the Labour Party. I thought I had found myself on a path that meant I wouldn’t be a mother.
“Rather than process that, I campaigned to become Prime Minister. A rather good distraction as far as they go.”
She said it was then a “surprise” a few months later when she was pregnant, and acknowledged the “incredible support” to be a mother in office.
Walking into Question Time on Wednesday, Hipkins said he did not discuss honours appointments ahead of them being made.
Former Prime Minister John Key was made a knight at the Queen’s Birthday honours in 2017, months after he left the role.
“We don’t talk about those things before decisions are made on them,” Hipkins said - “ultimately, it’s a royal prerogative.”
Tributes from friends and former adversaries are flowing in as Ardern prepares to bow out of Parliament.
Ardern posted to her Instagram saying it was a big day and she was feeling emotional.
“Big day today. Spending a few hours packing and sorting papers for the archives, and then this afternoon I give my last speech to Parliament,” she said.
“Lots of mixed emotions … and a very long list of things to do!”.
Ardern has kept out of the limelight since announcing her resignation in January. She has agreed to only two formal interviews since leaving office, both of which aired on Tuesday night.
The photo is up @NZParliament. Thank you @jacindaardern for your calm and strong #leadership. And the very good place you put New Zealand and New Zealanders in. You have shown everyone what can be done if we keep kindness and people at the core. pic.twitter.com/agl79SbtfT
The interviews displayed the emotion that is likely to be on show this evening, with Ardern at times holding back tears.
In interviews with 1News, she said that, while she did not quit because of the anger directed against her, she felt that, if her resignation led to the temperature of politics reducing, then “that would be good for New Zealand”.
However, she said that, for the most part, her time at the top “has been amazing”.
She was proud of the progress Labour had made in “pushing against things that were difficult”.
“We had some hard debates but part of me did think, if I did go, maybe we can just take a breath because I knew I was a flashpoint for some people.”
The Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand released a joint statement paying tribute to Ardern
“Four years ago, after the horrific terrorist acts blew New Zealand and our Muslim community onto the global stage, Ms Ardern clearly identified with Muslim women by donning the hijab in solidarity with us as we mourned. This was a powerful act and statement, done at the time when other countries where banning Muslim women from wearing the headscarf in public.
“Although Muslim women represent only about half of one per cent of the population, as Prime Minister, Ms Ardern was accessible to the Islamic Women’s Council and she instructed her ministers and the relevant public servants to meet with us and listen to the challenges facing our community, thereby ensuring Muslimah needs were thoroughly and appropriately considered,” the council said.
Former Labour leader Andrew Little told Newstalk ZB that Ardern would go down as “one of the greats”.
“As a prime minister over five years, the number of kind of extraordinary challenges she’s had to deal with – the natural disasters, the pandemic and what have you – it would be testing for anybody,” he said.
“Absolutely every issue that comes across the table, she engages with the relevant minister in some considerable depth. She’s just been an extraordinary talent.”
Political reaction to her legacy
National leader Christopher Luxon also paid tribute to Ardern.
“She showed exemplary leadership through the Christchurch massacre and she made all New Zealanders proud,” Luxon said.
“I think it’s a very, very tough job being Prime Minister, she did it to the very best of her ability.
“She obviously kept our profile internationally in a good place, which is important, and I wish her nothing but success and wish her and her family the best for the future.”
Luxon said like other former prime ministers he thought she could continue to play a “useful role” for New Zealand on the international stage.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said she would remember Ardern for her “strength in the face of some deep, dark harrowing moments”.
“And for her sacrifice, because I’m a mum too, for her sacrifice as a mum and the heaviness that only a few people really understand that it takes to lead a political party, less lead as a prime minister.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said Ardern had led the country through “unprecedented challenges” while also as a young woman experiencing “some of the worst misogyny we’ve ever had”.
“But as a testament to her strength and her mana she showed you can sock it to the mysoginists, and other wahine are hopefully going inspired, be more motivated to step up to those spaces.”
Ngarewa-Packer said Ardern had been a great advocate and brave in pushing kaupapa for Māori that others “shy away from”, but she could have gone further.
“I think she had an opportunity to be a great leader for Māori ... but when she got to trying to be really transformative that’s when we saw the misogyny rise.
“It became more about her than the politics she was trying to enforce.
“She had an absolute mandate. She had the strongest Māori caucus we’ve ever seen.
“She had the support at multiple kaupapa, Rātana, Waitangi, she could have really shaken it up.
“But the reality is, is that you know, as we saw the kickback from the extreme right, and we saw the kickback because Aotearoa is not really ready, and it was too much for one Pākehā wahine to carry.”
Ardern will formally cease to be an MP on April 15.
