New Zealand prime minister names daughter Neve
Ardern says she was blown away by well-wishes locally and internationally
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed her newborn daughter would be called Neve as she left an Auckland hospital on Sunday, and expressed hope that one day a woman giving birth in office would no longer be a “novelty”.
Speaking publicly for the first time since her delivery on Thursday — which made waves around the world — Ardern said she and her partner Clarke Gayford had settled on the full name of Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford for their first child.
“We chose Neve because we just liked it, and when we met her we thought she looked like she suited the name,” the 37-year-old told reporters as she cradled her daughter in her arms. Ardern, who said the couple kept a shortlist of names, added that Neve meant “bright and radiant and snow”, while Te Aroha was the name of a rural town some 140 kilometres southeast of Auckland where her family is from.