Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s former prime-minister, has made an eleventh-hour appearance to throw her support behind the party she once led, just days out from the country’s general election.
Ardern, who was elected in 2017 on a wave of ‘Jacindamania’ and enjoyed extraordinary popularity for much of her leadership, led the governing party for nearly six years up until her shock resignation in January 2023. But the former leader has been noticeably absent in the lead up to the 14 October election.
Ardern is in the United States undertaking a fellowship at Harvard University. Alongside making guest appearances in classes, spending time with students and speaking in forums, she said she is using the time “to think, to reflect” on the time she spent in office.
But in a Facebook live video on Wednesday morning, Ardern wanted to put to bed any questions that she did not have an opinion about the election. She said her absence was a deliberate choice to ensure her successor, Chris Hipkins, could take the reins.
“I haven’t been very present this election,” Ardern said. “Part of that decision really needed to be to hand over the political mantle to others and to the wonderful team I had the privilege to work alongside – the Labour team.”
The decision to do so was a “big thing”, after 15 years in politics, Ardern said.
“Having said that … I would hate for anyone to think that simply because I have removed myself from political debate I no longer have an opinion.
“Every voter, or at least the vast majority of voters have opinions, and I too am a voter.”
Support for Labour has picked up in a Guardian Essential poll days before the New Zealand election – but not enough to overcome an advance by the populist group New Zealand First, which is expected to propel a rightwing coalition to power.
Ardern encouraged viewers to vote for what they believe in – both for the present, and the future of New Zealand – before stating which of her own beliefs have guided her vote. Those included the wellbeing of children, climate change and environmental issues, health and education.
“If you voted for me in 2017, then thank you for that, but it probably means you were also voting for issues of child poverty and climate change … and the Labour party has had two terms in office – long enough to make progress, but not long enough to finish the job.”
“Our country needs them to finish the job.”
Ardern finished her online appearance by commenting on Hipkins. “I have worked with both the individuals who are vying for the role of prime minister and I know Chris Hipkins as a dad, and I know him as a friend, I know him as a minister, I know him as a person.
“I can hand-on-heart tell you that what he says is true. He, for decades, has been driven in politics for one simple driving purpose, through the good times and the bad, and that is people.”
