Unapologetically ‘relentlessly positive’, Jacinda Adern is one of the rarest types politicians: One that people like!
Gusty, inspiring and strongly principled, New Zealand’s third female Prime Minister – and their first to give birth while in office – has returned to work just six weeks after the birth of her beautiful baby girl, Neve Te Aroha. And New Zealanders could be not be happier to have her back in the boss’s seat.
Incredibly honest and open, Adern spoke with Woman’s Day about just how difficult that transition back to work has been.
“I’m looking forward to being back and doing a job that I love, but equally I know I’ll miss having all that time with her. It’s been lovely,” says Adern.
“I feel ready to go back, but I’m not going to gloss over it. There are going to be moments – oh gosh, there will be.
“It’s been the fastest six weeks of my life – it’s just flown by,” says Jacinda. “And yet when I look back on the first photos when Neve arrived and see just how much she’s grown, it also seems like it has to have been forever.”
Hailed as one of the world’s most influential and inspirational people, especially for women who want to have both a career and family, Jacinda Adern meets that reputation and then some.
The fact that she doesn’t take herself too seriously is just one of the reasons we love her so. We’ve listed some more awesome reasons below …
She’s a freaking DJ!
Proud music lover, Jacinda Adern is not opposed to spinning a few tracks herself. A notable fan of drum and bass music #CanYouEven, Adern has been known to make sporadic DJ appearances ever since her high school days. Probably most impressive is the set she performed at Auckland’s Laneway Festival in 2014, which included Beyoncé, Andre 3000 and The Smashing Pumpkins.
She busted a crime in her teens
With an important party for her social life later that evening, a teenaged Adern was finishing her shift at her after school job in a local fish and chip shop when a good looking young fella came into the shop and placed an order. While Adern was out the back she heard the till open. He’d robbed the joint. Adern reported the incident to police then headed off to the party … and there he was. If Adern called the police again she risked potentially having the party shut down, ruining her social life for good. However she couldn’t stop thinking about her employers and how hard they worked, so she hatched a plan. Sending her girlfriend in to outrageously flirt with the boy, Adern was able to secure his phone number to pass onto police. Huzzah!
She committed to politics at just 17 years of age
Adern joined the New Zealand Labour Party at 17 where she worked for former Labour leader Helen Clark before moving to London to work for Tony Blair’s office. In 2008 she became New Zealand’s youngest ever MP at just 28 years of age. Just under 10 years later, after leading the party for only two months, at age 37 Adern became New Zealand’s third female Prime Minister #GetItSister
She is the first Prime Minister of New Zealand to march in a gay pride parade
She is the Prime Minister every country needs! Ardern has described herself as a social democrat, a progressive, a republican and a feminist. Confidently tackling social issues, Adern voted in favour of same-sex marriage, something she feels very strongly about, in her 20s Adern left the Mormon religion she was raised in because of the churches stance on same-sex marriage. Adern also believes abortion should be removed from the Crimes Act and is supportive of legalising cannabis. Ardern believes the retention or abolition of Māori electorates should be decided by Māori and supports compulsory teaching of the Māori language in schools, famously declaring that daughter Neve Te Aroha will speak both English and Māori.
She’s doing motherhood just the way she wants to
Adern became only the second elected leader, after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990, to have given birth in office. Unapologetically unmarried to partner, Clarke Gayford, the 40-year-old TV host of a popular fishing show, Adern is doing motherhood just the way she wants to. The first prime minister in the nation’s history to take maternity leave while in office, Adern has returned to work just six weeks after the birth of daughter Neve Te Aroha. Dad, Gayford will be taking over parenting duties with baby Neve allowed to cuddle with her mother during debates and while Adern is being briefed. New Zealand’s Parliament has simply had work to become more baby-friendly, and Adern has no problem with that #FistBump.
She had a social media account for her cat!
Adern’s pet polydactyl cat, Paddles became a social media star when Adern created a Twitter account for her. The world loved Paddles as much we love Adern, however sadly Paddles was hit by a car last November and didn’t make it. The ‘First Cat’ of New Zealand is fondly remembered.
