PM announces breakthrough pregnancy
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she is pregnant.
Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford said they were expecting their first child in June. ‘‘We’re both really happy. ‘‘We wanted a family but weren’t sure it would happen for us, which has made this news unexpected but exciting,’’ she said in a statement.
‘‘Yesterday I met with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters to share the news and to ask him to take on the role of acting prime minister for a period of six weeks after our baby is born.
‘‘As is the case when I am overseas, Mr Peters will act as prime minister, working with my office while staying in touch with me.
‘‘I fully intend to be contactable and available throughout the sixweek period when needed.
‘‘Mr Peters and I have a great relationship, and I know that together we’ll make this period work.
‘‘I will make arrangements for appropriate ministers to act in my other portfolios over the six weeks I am away from Parliament.
‘‘At the end of my leave I will resume all prime ministerial duties,’’ she said.
‘‘Clarke and I are privileged to be in the position where Clarke can stay home to be our primary caregiver.
‘‘Knowing that so many parents juggle the care of their new babies, we consider ourselves to be very lucky.
‘‘We consider ourselves lucky for another reason.
‘‘Clarke and I have always been clear we wanted to be parents but had been told we would need help for that to happen.
‘‘That’s made this news a fantastic surprise.
‘‘We first knew of my pregnancy on the 13th of October, but as many couples do in the early stages, we kept it to ourselves.’’
Ardern will be the first New Zealand prime minister to give birth during her time in office, but not the first one worldwide. Pakistan’s former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had her first child in 1990 while in office.
Interestingly, if the prime minister’s baby is born when due in June, Gayford, as the primary caregiver, would miss out on the new extended paid parental leave period of 22 weeks, which would come into effect on July 1. Labour to lead the country for the next three years.
Peters had guaranteed he would make a decision public by October 12. He then said the decision would be made but not made public, and then broke his own deadline.
On October 13, a Friday, Peters famously wore a tie emblazoned with the acronym ‘‘TGIF’’ and told media he was still in contact with both National and Labour parties to nail down fiscal and policy issues.
Over that time, he held a number of meetings with both the leaders of the Labour and National parties.
On Thursday, October 19, Peters announced NZ First had sided with Labour, after coalition talks. before the election, speaking openly in the past about wanting children and a family.
After she became leader of the Labour Party, she was asked by
host Mark Richardson, and host Jesse Mulligan, what her baby plans were.
Ardern clashed with Richardson, saying his comments that employers should know women’s baby plans before hiring were ‘‘totally unacceptable’’ in 2017.
She told him he had gone too far.
Richardson had said: ‘‘I think this is a legitimate question for New Zealand, because she could be the prime minister running this country - she has our best interests at heart, so we need to know these things.’’
The questions, which were asked of the then-leader of the Opposition, less than 24 hours after she had been appointed, were decried by many as sexist, or antifeminist.
However, Ardern took the question in her stride, saying she didn’t have a problem with being asked about weighing advancing her political career against having children.
‘‘I’ve been really open about that dilemma because I think probably lots of women face it,’’ she said.
‘‘For me, my position is no different to the woman who works three jobs, or who might be in a position where they are juggling lots of responsibilities.
‘‘You’ve just got to take every day as it comes and try and see if you can make the best of the lot you’re given.
‘‘So I’m not pre-determining any of that, just like most of the women out here who just make their lives work.’’