Michelle Duff

In April, she could do no wrong. Aotearoa boasted of a prime minister whose phenomenal leadership had precipitated a change of Government in a mere seven weeks, the second world leader in history to have a baby while in office, and whose strong and empathetic leadership had steered the country through some of its darkest days following the Christchurch terror attacks.

The world was watching and we were mostly proud. When Ardern announced her pregnancy, we patted ourselves on the back for being such a progressive nation. When she drew the country together and said ‘‘they are us’’, of our Muslim wha¯ nau after the devastating events of March 15, we nodded in approval.

Many, too, praised her earlier, when she told the United Nations that ‘‘Me Too must become We Too’’ and preached a message of inclusivity in stark contrast to the nationalist rhetoric of Donald Trump.

When I was commissioned to write a book tracking Ardern’s path to the country’s top office – exploring the dynamics that made it possible and the repercussions for gender equality – it was still early days for New Zealand’s second youngest PM. In many ways, it still is – she has yet to serve a full term, making any real analysis of her lasting impact difficult. But looking at the poll results alone, we can see that Ardern and her Government need to make some very tangible headway on their promises if they want to see another term.

It should be noted that, at 38 per cent, Ardern’s approval rating now is one per cent higher than when she became

PM in October