‘Best mother I could be’: Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern as she quits politics
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, during her valedictory speech to Parliament in Wellington, said that motherhood was no hurdle to leadership or politics.
In her final speech as a leader, the 42-year-old, who was globally lauded for her determined management during the 2019 pandemic, said that she was calling it quits with her political journey. She also said that she was quitting knowing that she was the “best mother” that she could be.
“I leave knowing I was the best mother I could be,” Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday. “You can be that person, and be here,” she added.
In her final speech, she discussed fertility, asked women not to let motherhood hinder their leadership visions and urged global leaders to keep politics out of the climate change issue.
“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. Imagine my surprise when, a couple of months later, I discovered I was pregnant,” she said.
Jacinda Ardern’s announcement to step down as the prime minister was an unexpected move in January. Critics opined on her choice to opt for motherhood over her career. Her decision sparked global reports and commentary and a few even mocked her for failing to manage both, her career and motherhood.
“Politicians are human. We give all that we can, for as long as we can, and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time,” she had told her Labour Party at the time of announcing her resignation.
Jacinda Ardern opened up about her fertility journey in her speech and said that stress had contributed to a range of factors preventing her pregnancy.
Speaking about climate change, Jacinda Ardern said it was a “crisis” and it was “upon us”. She urged the House to “please keep politics out of climate change”. She said the issue required progress.
In January, at the time of her resignation, she said that she would not seek re-election.