Ardern on script; eye to the prize First aid training saved wife’s life
Jacinda Ardern has commended the coalition negotiating process in a debrief to the New Zealand public.
The Labour Party leader gave Kiwis an update on how the negotiation process played out and what would happen next, in a video posted to YouTube.
Ardern reiterated the process had been ‘‘robust’’ and ‘‘productive’’, despite some criticism from the public and media about the level of secrecy surrounding the five days of meetings between NZ First and the two major parties.
Labour had also carried out meetings with the Green Party throughout the week, however the Greens were not involved in the meetings with NZ First.
Ardern said the process was an important one, and reiterated her comments from Thursday (the last day of official negotiations with NZ First), that negotiations had been robust and she was happy with the length of time they had taken.
‘‘If you’re going to form a government, of course you need to understand one another’s policy positions, where you have consensus and the kind of government you want to form.
‘‘It’s only natural that that would take a little bit of time,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s exactly the kind of process we need to make sure we give full consideration to the best government to take New Zealand forward,’’ Ardern said. ‘‘It’d be a government I’d be proud to lead.’’
Now there was a short waiting period while parties considered their positions.
National would discuss the agreements they had come to with NZ First, and Labour would do the same.
Labour would also meet with the Green Party, which would then have to meet with its full membership of about 150 people.
And NZ First would meet with its caucus and board on Monday. This meeting followed a full-day NZ First caucus meeting on Friday.
The video gained attraction on social media for an interesting reason - a subtle wink from the Labour leader.
It is unclear whether the wink was intentional, but some speculated it meant Ardern would become the next prime minister.
So, do the eyes have it? Or is Ardern hoping to make it in on a wink and a prayer? When Aaron Sole found his wife Melissa unresponsive and gasping for air while feeding their baby, he knew exactly what to do.
The Rolleston truck driver put their 6-month-old daughter, Sophie, away safely in her cot, called 111 and lifted his wife down to the floor.
For a split second, he wondered if she actually needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but the 111 operator told him she would fight him off if she did not need it.
He did compressions to her chests for six minutes straight until a paramedic arrived with a defibrillator.
Sophie was wide awake and calm in her cot. Her bottle was still warm – Melissa’s heart would have stopped shortly before Aaron came home about 10pm after a late shift.
The couple’s two other children, Annabell, 5, and Caleb, 8, were sleeping.
‘‘It was all just perfect timing,’’ Aaron said.
Aaron had been a Red Cross first responder volunteer for a few years and had done CPR training but never used it.
Melissa was 26, healthy and there were no warning signs.
Six weeks on from that night, she was fully recovered but the enormity of what happened had not ‘‘sunk in yet’’.
‘‘There’s no point dwelling on the could’ve been. I’d rather focus on life night now. I’m still here that’s what matters,’’ Melissa said.
The couple shared their story to raise awareness of the importance of CPR as part of Restart a Heart Day today.
‘‘Just do it [a first aid course],’’ Melissa said.
‘‘It’s only a few hours every two years to get a basic certificate and you never know when you might need it.
"If you're going to form a government, of course you need to understand one another's policy positions.''
Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern
‘‘Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone. You don’t have to be old.’’
People should also find out where the defibrillators were located in their neighbourhood, Aaron said. There was even an app for that.
St John intensive care paramedic Daniel Ohs was there on the night and said Aaron did everything right.
Ohs defibrillated Melissa and her pulse came back.
About 2000 New Zealanders suffer a cardiac arrest every year. For every minute of cardiac arrest without CPR or defibrillation a patient's chance of survival falls by 10 to 15 per cent. Three out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest get a pulse back after that and 16 per cent survive to hospital discharge.
‘‘That was thanks to the good CPR Aaron was doing,’’ he said.
Firefighters arrived and helped get Melissa to the ambulance safely. She had no sustained brain damage from her cardiac arrest, Ohs said.
It was ‘‘very unusual’’ for such a young person to have a cardiac arrest with no apparent cause.
About 2000 New Zealanders suffer from cardiac arrest every year.
For every minute of cardiac arrest without CPR or defibrillation a patient’s chance of survival falls by 10 to 15 per cent, Ohs said.
It takes a St John ambulance 7 minutes on average to arrive in urban areas and 11 minutes in rural areas.
Three out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest get a pulse back after that and 16 per cent survive to hospital discharge. A staggering 84 per cent die.