King beats Ardern to deputy role
LABOUR leader Andrew Little says rising star Jacinda Ardern did not want the deputy leadership.
This comes after he confirmed yesterday that the veteran MP Annette King will retain the position until the next election in 2017. ‘‘[Jacinda] hasn’t sought the role . . . Jacinda’s strength is of course her outreach and getting out there, especially in Auckland, where I need her to be the most active,’’ Little said. ‘‘This is not a reflection of Jacinda’s talents.’’
Little previously signalled King’s appointment was an interim measure while he sized up potential candidates in his first 12 months in the job.
Ardern said it was ‘‘absolutely correct’’ she had never put herself forward for the role.
‘‘I was always happy to do whatever job Andrew wanted me to do. This has been portrayed as if there was somehow this massive internal contest, which is certainly not how it felt as a member of the team, so absolutely it was right that Andrew wanted to deal with that,’’ she said.
Little has spoken to individual members of his caucus over the last few months in the leadup to a reshuffle and his meeting with Ardern did not involve specific questions about the deputy leadership.
He had not asked MPs who their preference was for a deputy – he asked them if there was any role they wished to be considered for and any role ‘‘they wanted to ditch’’.
Ardern has never seen the role as a vacancy and backs King in the job. ‘‘Annette, since I’ve been in Parliament, has been both a friend and mentor to me . . . We are really close,’’ she said.
Whether Ardern liked it or not the deputy leadership whittled down to a two-horse race in recent months, with King seen as the safe and experienced choice, while Ardern offered something new and fresh.
From Geneva, where King is leading a New Zealand delegation at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, she said she was ‘‘very happy to do whatever Andrew and the caucus want and happy to carry on in the role’’.
Little said he wanted to get the announcement out of the way before leaving for a two-week trip to China and Britain.
‘‘I became aware of the rising tide of commentary and made the judgment that it was better to put the issue to bed before I went away, so that when I get back I can focus on [Labour Party] conference issues . . . without this being one of them.’’
Little said Ardern was on an ‘‘upward trajectory’’ and doing a great job of her portfolios.
This means the Labour leadership is a complete Wellington package – a move many thought Little would avoid. He denied keeping Ardern out of the deputy seat was about protecting his own leadership. While he was new, he said it was about stability.