Business as usual despite baby news
It’s exciting news, but business as usual for New Zealand in 2018.
Prime Minister and mother-to-be Jacinda Ardern has described her situation as not exceptional for a modern woman, and soothed possible concerns that the arrival of her baby in June would affect her job.
Announcing her pregnancy yesterday, Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford told New Zealand that even during a short term of parental leave while Winston Peters stepped in, she would keep her mind on the country.
The couple was ‘‘really happy’’ and had ‘‘a plan all ready to go’’, she said.
Peters taking over was ‘‘not unusual’’ as he done so before during her overseas trips, Ardern said.
She said the news was a surprise as they had been unsure of being able to conceive naturally.
From New Zealanders on the street to opposition leader Bill English and world statesmen, the couple was widely congratulated. International media picked up the story.
Australian leader Malcolm Turnbull said it was ‘‘wonderful news’’, while former prime minister Helen Clark tweeted that Ardern had ‘‘a super busy year coming up and much to look forward to’’.
On social media, commenters debated topics such as the effect of the news on women’s lives, and whether the pregnancy had influenced Ardern’s coalition discussions.
After conceiving in September and learning of her pregnancy before becoming Prime Minister in October, Ardern and Gayford kept the news to themselves for three months. They know their baby’s gender, but will continue to keep that quiet.
‘‘There is very little about our life we get to keep secret,’’ she said.
She intends to deliver her baby in Auckland, where the couple lives, but they have a contingency plan for Wellington.
Their child would have the surname Gayford but, like most couples, they would probably argue over the first name, Ardern said.
Gayford and the baby would travel with Ardern as much as possible, and they had received plenty of offers of help, she said. ‘‘New Zealand is going to help us raise our first child.’’