I just read Jacinda Ardern's memoir. No wonder she didn't last
But by page 60, I've cried twice. By the book's end, I've laughed, wept and was extremely proud of Neve, the child of Ardern and husband Clarke Gayford. Born in Ardern's first year as prime minister and who must be close to seven now, Neve asks her mother what we all really wanted to know: Why did she leave her job as prime minister after six years?
One thing is clear in this book. Ardern does not shy away from talking about the emotional impact of leading a nation through a massacre, through floods, through the COVID-19 pandemic, through the insanity of conspiracy theorists. That cumulative burden is the reason – but not the only reason.
'Women shouldn't have to choose – the way our mothers so often did – between being good at their profession and being a good mother, or daughter,' she writes. 'There should be support networks, a village, whatever you call it, that can help them be all of those things without completely losing themselves in the process.'
It is surprising to me, though, that the book does not really detail the relentless hatred to which Ardern was subjected, particularly after the pandemic. As New Zealand academic Suze Wilson has documented over time: 'A troubling feature of the commentary about New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has been its abusive, violent, sexist and misogynistic tenor.' There is the odd anecdote, a particularly useless male politician, trying to get Ardern to weigh in on gender, a number of people making irrelevant comments about her appearance, media commentators.
But don't think for one minute that Ardern is all sweetness and light. She doesn't criticise too many people, but for David Seymour, she makes an exception. She is no fan of Seymour, New Zealand's freshly appointed deputy prime minister. He leads the ACT Party, a kind of libertarian hotchpotch. Her first real interaction with him is in 2022 when he caves in to the requests of a 'freedom' convoy to meet with a politician. Ardern has already refused. Her view? 'How could I send a message that if you disagree with something, you can illegally occupy the grounds of parliament and then have your demands met?'
Later, she writes, he was the only MP to vote against banning semi-automatic weapons after the mosque massacres.
But in the months after the convoy, after a rowdy question time in parliament, her press secretary, Andrew Campbell, comes to her office: 'So, today in the House when you sat down after your questions ended, it seems your mic was still on ... and it seems to have picked up your voice as you called David Seymour an arrogant prick.'
Loading
Phew, she thinks. In her mind, she called him much worse.
I'm surprised at how well written it is, how it balances humour and pathos, kindness and hardiness – and I can't find a hint of a ghostwriter, although many thanks to editors. But after reading this, I'm not surprised she gave up after six years. Too hard for anyone really human.
She has advice though for people who want to be politicians. It's about humility, empathy and more.
'The things you thought would cripple you will in fact make you stronger, make you better. They will give you a different kind of power, and make you a leader that this world, with all its turmoil, might just need.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
US axes mRNA vaccine contracts, casting safety doubts
President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday announced it would terminate 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccines, questioning the safety of a technology credited with helping end the Covid pandemic and saving millions of lives. The announcement, made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., marks his latest effort to weave vaccine skepticism into the core of US government policy. "We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted," Kennedy said in a statement. The health department's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is "terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu," he added. "We're shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate." The changes affect Moderna's mRNA bird flu vaccine -- a move the company itself disclosed in May -- as well as numerous other programs, including "rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations" from pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Sanofi. In total, the affected projects are worth "nearly $500 million," the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said. Certain late-stage projects were excluded from the move "to preserve prior taxpayer investment." "Let me be absolutely clear: HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them," Secretary Kennedy said. "That's why we're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions." Since taking office, Kennedy, who spent two decades sowing misinformation around immunization, has overseen a major overhaul of US health policy -- firing, for example, a panel of vaccine experts that advise the government and replacing them with his own appointees. In its first meeting, the new panel promptly voted to ban a longstanding vaccine preservative targeted by the anti-vaccine movement, despite its strong safety record. He has also ordered a sweeping new study on the long-debunked link between vaccines and autism. Unlike traditional vaccines, which often use weakened or inactivated forms of the target virus or bacteria, mRNA shots deliver genetic instructions into the host's cells, prompting them to produce a harmless decoy of the pathogen and train the immune system to fight the real thing. Though in development for decades, mRNA vaccines were propelled from lab benches to widespread use through President Trump's Operation Warp Speed -- a public-private partnership led by BARDA that poured billions into companies to accelerate development. The technology's pioneers, Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work contributing "to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times." ia/jgc
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Victorian business owners upset at WFH laws
Western Australia's Premier has likened Victoria's proposed working from home laws to COVID lockdowns. Roger Cook suggests former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews poorly handled the pandemic, and that working from home has become part of Victorian culture. Business owners are expressing concern over the new laws, labelling them 'productivity-sapping' and 'anti-business'.
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Rwanda agrees to take deportees from the US
Rwanda has become the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration's plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil. Makolo didn't provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches. She said details were still being worked out. The State Department said the US "works with Rwanda on a range of mutual priorities" but wouldn't comment on details of the deportation deal and what it called diplomatic conversations with other governments. The US sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the US illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations. It said those deportees' home countries refused to take them back. The US has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, Panama and El Salvador under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the US illegally. In March, using an 18th-century wartime law, the US deported more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre, which was built to hold alleged gang members. Human rights groups have documented hundreds of deaths as well as cases of torture inside its walls. Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the UK to accept migrants who had arrived in the UK to seek asylum. The contentious agreement was criticised by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain's new Labour government took over. Britain's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants. Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the US Rwanda, a relatively small country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed over 800,000 people in 1994. Government spokesperson Makolo said the agreement with the US was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because "our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation". "Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade," she said. There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees. Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said "appeasing President Trump pays". "This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration," he said. Rwanda has become the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration's plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil. Makolo didn't provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches. She said details were still being worked out. The State Department said the US "works with Rwanda on a range of mutual priorities" but wouldn't comment on details of the deportation deal and what it called diplomatic conversations with other governments. The US sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the US illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations. It said those deportees' home countries refused to take them back. The US has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, Panama and El Salvador under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the US illegally. In March, using an 18th-century wartime law, the US deported more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre, which was built to hold alleged gang members. Human rights groups have documented hundreds of deaths as well as cases of torture inside its walls. Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the UK to accept migrants who had arrived in the UK to seek asylum. The contentious agreement was criticised by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain's new Labour government took over. Britain's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants. Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the US Rwanda, a relatively small country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed over 800,000 people in 1994. Government spokesperson Makolo said the agreement with the US was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because "our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation". "Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade," she said. There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees. Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said "appeasing President Trump pays". "This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration," he said. Rwanda has become the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration's plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil. Makolo didn't provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches. She said details were still being worked out. The State Department said the US "works with Rwanda on a range of mutual priorities" but wouldn't comment on details of the deportation deal and what it called diplomatic conversations with other governments. The US sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the US illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations. It said those deportees' home countries refused to take them back. The US has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, Panama and El Salvador under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the US illegally. In March, using an 18th-century wartime law, the US deported more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre, which was built to hold alleged gang members. Human rights groups have documented hundreds of deaths as well as cases of torture inside its walls. Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the UK to accept migrants who had arrived in the UK to seek asylum. The contentious agreement was criticised by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain's new Labour government took over. Britain's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants. Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the US Rwanda, a relatively small country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed over 800,000 people in 1994. Government spokesperson Makolo said the agreement with the US was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because "our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation". "Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade," she said. There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees. Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said "appeasing President Trump pays". "This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration," he said. Rwanda has become the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration's plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil. Makolo didn't provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches. She said details were still being worked out. The State Department said the US "works with Rwanda on a range of mutual priorities" but wouldn't comment on details of the deportation deal and what it called diplomatic conversations with other governments. The US sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the US illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations. It said those deportees' home countries refused to take them back. The US has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, Panama and El Salvador under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the US illegally. In March, using an 18th-century wartime law, the US deported more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre, which was built to hold alleged gang members. Human rights groups have documented hundreds of deaths as well as cases of torture inside its walls. Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the UK to accept migrants who had arrived in the UK to seek asylum. The contentious agreement was criticised by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain's new Labour government took over. Britain's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants. Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the US Rwanda, a relatively small country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed over 800,000 people in 1994. Government spokesperson Makolo said the agreement with the US was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because "our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation". "Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade," she said. There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees. Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said "appeasing President Trump pays". "This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration," he said.
