Jacinda Ardern organised, engaged and focused from age 5, says long-serving teacher

New mum Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been remembered by a school teacher as hard-working and organised.

Deborah Taylor became a teacher at Galatea School in 1986 and only moved on at the end of term 3, 2017, 31 years later.

Jacinda Ardern attended the school from 1985 to 1987 and made a lasting impression.

As a part-time teacher at the time, Taylor worked across multiple classrooms.

"She was in the same class as my son," Taylor said.

Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern in Rotorua. Photo/File

"I did remember her when I heard of her rising through the ranks of politics.

"She was really highly organised, a very engaged and focused learner, polite and respectful and worked well with everyone and set very high goals for herself."

Taylor said Ardern had displayed leadership qualities even from age 5 to 7.

A 7-year-old Jacinda Ardern can be spotted in the front row to the right of teacher Alison Silcock in pink. Photo/Supplied

"She showed those skills really early on. She controlled and managed her own learning and set very high standards for herself, but also had really great people skills," she said.

"As soon as I heard her name I thought, hang on a minute I recognise that name and I remember that girl so I looked it up.

"I said we had this young woman at Galatea School and I remember her. I told all the other teachers and they also remembered her in the same way I did."

Taylor was pleased to hear of Ardern's pregnancy when she first found out.

7-year-old Jacinda Ardern at Galatea School in 1987.

"I think my reaction to that was, here we have a prime minister who is very talented and is a partner and a mum. Any prime minister can be involved in a whole range of different aspects to their lives and she represents many different aspects."

In May Ardern told the Rotorua Daily Post her memory of Rotorua was as "the big smoke".

"When we used to live in Murupara once a week on a Saturday we would drive to Rotorua to go to the supermarket and it was always a highlight of my week. It was the big smoke for me."