Following a nearly five-year engagement, the wedding had been a long time coming as the couple had originally planned to marry in 2022 but postponed it due to the country’s Covid restrictions at the time.  

“13.01.24 Worth the wait. ”, Ardern wrote on Instagram, next to a stunning wedding photo of herself and Gayford at Craggy Range vineyard. 

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Ardern wore a fitted ivory sleeveless, cowl-neck halter gown with a high neckline and low back by New Zealand fashion designer, Juliette Hogan – who is reportedly a close friend of Ardern. Her shoes were from Mount Maunganui designer Chaos and Harmony, the New Zealand Herald reports. 

The couple’s daughter, Neve, walked down the aisle with her father, wearing a dress made from Ardern’s mother’s wedding dress. 

Details of the event were kept private, but it’s believed only family and close friends, as well as a handful of Ardern’s former political colleagues were invited. Among them were Ardern’s successor and former prime minister Chris Hipkins. 

During her emotional remarks to reports when she resigned as prime minister in January 2023, she had said, “To Clarke, let’s finally get married”. 

Ardern’s resignation shocked many as she stepped down after five-and-a-half years as prime minister, citing burnout by saying she did not have “enough in the tank”. 

“It’s about knowing when you’ve got what it takes and what is needed to lead, but also have the courage to know when you don’t,” she said.

During her time as PM, her leadership style earned international recognition for navigating the country through a number of crises, including the Covid-pandemic, a horrific mass shooting in Christchurch and the White Island volcano eruption.

One year since departing politics

After stepping down from Prime Minister, a job she called ‘the greatest role of my life’, Ardern has been continuing her advocacy work and enjoying more family time. 

In April 2023, she was appointed a trustee of the Prince of Wales’ environment award, the Earthshot Prize, which was created by Prince William to fund projects that aim to save the planet.

Ardern said since Earthshot’s creation she had believed in the prize’s “power to encourage and spread not only the innovation we desperately need, but also optimism”.

Since resigning as PM, she’s also temporarily joined Harvard University after being appointed to dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School. And she’s taken an unpaid role in combating online extremism. 

In June 2023, Ardern was made a Dame Grand Companion for her leadership through a mass shooting and pandemic. This title is one of NZ’s highest honours. 

That same month, Ardern also announced she’d be writing a book on being ‘your own kind of leader’. There’s much anticipation for the book as she’s promised to expand on her unique style of leadership. 

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Since departing parliament, Ardern has kept a low profile on political matters but has shared a bit of her life on social media, noting her precious time spent with family. 

In an adorable birthday post on Instagram last July, she wrote: “Can’t remember the last time I had a birthday that was quite as normal as this one. Tea and toast in bed, work, and dinner with my loves. Feeling very lucky today…and just a little older. ”

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Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke MP is just 21 years old and won the seat of Hauraki-Waikato in October’s general election.

On Wednesday night, Maipi-Clarke from Te Pāti Māori (the Māori party) stood before the Parliament chamber to deliver her first speech in the House.

She began with an invigorating haka, with her family, friends and members of the whānau (Māori word for family/community) joining from the balcony above.

Maipi-Clarke spoke both in Māori language, Te Reo, and English.

“We’ve come so far, but we’ve got a long way to go,” she said.

“We are here, we are sailing, we are navigating – just like our ancestors.”

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At 21 years old, Maipi-Clarke was given advice before entering Parliament House as the youngest MP in more than 150 years – “to not take anything personally, or it will eat you up.”

“Well, Mr Speaker,” she said, “I can’t help but take everything personally that has been said in this chamber.

“In only a couple of weeks, in only fourteen days, this government has attacked my whole world from every corner.

“How can I not take anything personally when it feels like these policies were made about me?”

Two weeks ago, thousands protested on the streets of New Zealand, after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s government announced they will abandon plans to review the Treaty of Waitangi, signed between the Crown and Māori leaders 180 years ago. The government also announced they would reduce the incorporation of Māori language in government organisations.

Despite legislation that passed in 2022 to phase out smoking in New Zealand, Luxon’s government announced they would also scrap this law. Smoking and tobacco-induced lung cancer disproportionately affects Māori people in the country.

It is because of this reason – the house “tampering with things they shouldn’t touch” – that Maipi-Clarke felt the need to step into Parliament and represent her people, especially coming generations.

“I am not fearful of this place, or this debating chamber,” she said in her speech.

“No matter what comes out of this government, I will make sure our kids hear us.”

Maipi-Clarke said it wasn’t always on her radar to become a parliamentarian at such a young age.

“At 21 years old, I can definitely say this was not the plan. I was perfectly fine growing my kūmara (sweet potato) and learning maramataka (Māori lunar calendar),” she said.

“But this House kept tampering with things they shouldn’t be touching, and that’s why I left the māra (garden) to come here.”

The New Zealand Parliament sat in silence and hung on to every word of Maipi-Clarke’s powerful speech, but the young leader said that it wasn’t her moment – this moment was for her people, past, present and future.

“Every time you hear my voice, it will echo of my ancestors. Every time you look me in the eyes, you will see the children that survived,” she said.

“Over the next three years, you will see history rewrite itself without a pen.”

The end of Maipi-Clarke’s was met with applause and a standing ovation from the Parliament chamber. As fellow Te Pāti Māori members congratulated her, her supporters in the balcony broke out in song.

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New Zealand mother Siva Auvae was days away from her 32nd birthday before her life was cut short by her 32-year-old partner. She was killed on the second last day of the UN’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Emergency services were called to a street in the Moreton Bay suburb of Kallangur, just north of Brisbane, at about 7pm on Saturday night. According to reports, neighbours had seen Auvae screaming and running from her house down the street. 

Police, paramedics and fire officers found her collapsed on the road, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Auvae died later on the scene.

Meanwhile, the home she had run from was set alight. Emergency services found the 32-year-old man in the house, suffering from severe burns. 

He was arrested on the scene and taken to hospital for treatment. The man died overnight in hospital from his injuries.

Detective Inspector David Harbison believes the man set the house on fire “deliberately” following the incident, which authorities are still investigating.

“At this point, police do not believe there are any other persons unaccounted for or involved in this tragic incident,” Detective Inspector Harbison told reporters on Sunday.

“Detectives are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything in the area around the time of the incident, or may have relevant dashcam or CCTV footage that may assist, we ask those persons to come forward.”

Police said the couple had moved from NSW to their Queensland home in Kallangur just one week prior to the incident.

There were no children in the house and impacted by the incident on Saturday night, authorities confirmed. Auvae’s youngest of four children is less than 12 months old.

Tributes

Auvae was a much loved mother, daughter, sister, cousin and friend to many. Some have posted tributes on social media, honouring her life.

“I’ll look for you in the next life my stunning cousin,” one person wrote.

“You enriched all our lives with just your existence & I’ll never forget your beautiful qualities & nature. The love, care & protection you poured into your babies, we see cousin.

“Aroha mutunga kore, mō āke tonu atu (Love that never ends, forever).”

A friend of Auvae’s posted a link to a donation page on social media, appealing for donations to help the family bring her body back to New Zealand, so she can be laid to rest with her whānau (Maori family/community).

“I know it’s a close time to Christmas, but it’s also a time women are isolated by their partners from their family and silently abused in their own homes,” the friend wrote.

“I know there are real monsters in this world and I pray that God was with her and guiding her so that she wasn’t alone.”

Hine Kerrich, Auvae’s first cousin, created the donation page to help the family bring her home.

“Siva was a much loved Mum, daughter, sister and friend and her life was taken far too soon,” she wrote on the page.

A global movement that began in New Zealand, ‘She is not your rehab’, posted on social media about Auvae’s death and calling on men to do better.

“This cannot be our legacy. We must HEAL the mamae (pain) that runs deep in our communities,” the post read.

“We must support our brothers by calling them forward into a life FREE of violence. Your childhood trauma wasn’t your fault BUT YOUR HEALING NOW IS ABSOLUTELY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.”

Domestic violence in Australia

Siva Auvae is the 59th woman killed in 2023 in Australia from violence, according to statistics from Destroy the Joint’s Counting Dead Women.

This equates to an average of more than one woman killed each week this year. There are still three weeks left of 2023.

The 32-year-old man killed his partner, Siva Auvae, on the penultimate day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a UN-led campaign.

The theme of this year’s 16 Days – which drew to a close on Sunday 10 December, Human Rights Day – was “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls.”

Family and domestic violence is an epidemic gripping the nation and the globe. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIWH) estimates one in six women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former partner since the age of 15.

If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via 1800RESPECT.org.au or text 0458 737 732. 

If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au.

Feeling worried or no good? No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn. Speak to a 13YARN Crisis Supporter, call 13 92 76. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In an emergency, call 000.

PHOTO CREDIT: Facebook

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Last week, Prime Minister Chris Luxon made his first school visit since he won the federal election in October and formed his new government. During his visit, the conservative former businessman made a pledge that his government would “refocus the curriculum on academic achievement and not ideology, including the removal and replacement of the gender, sexuality, and relationship-based education guidelines.” 

“All that has been raised with us over the course of the last year has been by parents about some of the sexuality training,” Luxon said. 

“All we’re asking for is because we’ve been caught between curriculum, we want a well-defined curriculum agreed to by experts that actually makes sure that the content is age-appropriate, that parents have been consulted, and importantly that parents have an ability to withdraw from the education as well.”

“It’s been very variable even within schools and between schools because the guidelines have been just that – guidelines – that have been variously interpreted,” he continued. 

“They actually need a clear curriculum definition, expert opinion, age appropriateness, parents consulted and actually having an option to participate or not participate.”

New Zealand Educational Institute’s President Mark Potter described his initial reaction upon hearing Luxon’s plans as one of “dismay.”

“The one thing our children don’t need is less education in the area of relationships and health,” the Wellington-based primary school teacher told AAP, adding that the curriculum is already age-appropriate.

“You’re not going to talk about things that alarm people at a young age,” he said. 

The current guidelines on gender and sexuality education require schools to consult with parents on the content and method of instruction. The guidelines also allow parents to withdraw their child from the classes should they choose — a freedom that isn’t afforded to any other part of the curriculum, according to Tabby Besley, managing director of Aotearoa’s rainbow charity InsideOUT Kōaro. 

Besley believes that schools are responsible for providing students with a physically and emotionally safe environment free from discrimination – an endevour that would be viable through gender and sexuality education.

“If young people aren’t getting that in schools, they’re gonna be getting it from their peers and from the internet where parents don’t have control of what they engage with,” she said.

New Zealand’s shift away from broader access to gender and sexuality education is in stark contrast to the momentum gathering here in Australia around the issue, largely due to the advocacy of Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent and Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Youth Advisory Committee. 

Her efforts led to the implementation of holistic and age-appropriate consent education in schools nation-wide since the beginning of this year. 

Last month, Contos addressed the National Press Club where she spoke about the power of consent education and Australia’s potential to be a world leader in preventing sexual violence.

“In terms of education, we need consent and respectful relationships education to span more than Kindy to Year 10. Years 11 and 12 are important for sexual development, and the conversation must continue throughout them,” she said.

“We need more comprehensive porn literacy to counteract the indoctrinating force that’s distorting the sexual landscape for young people.”

In September, she published her book, “Consent Laid Bare”, which has already been tipped as this year’s most important book. 

Meanwhile, a concerning wave of anti-wokeism is rising in New Zealand. 

The Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, has campaigned against Māori cultural representation and frequently criticised what he calls “woke virtue signalling in policies.” 

Recently, he clarified what he meant by the word, ‘Woke’: “Woke means like a lot of you, you woke up yesterday thinking you know a lot more than the rest of us, and got a greater sense of consciousness about these issues,” Peters said last week. 

This, coming from a white male who once threw around the phrase “two Wongs don’t make a white” and called journalists who pulled him up on it “Nazi politically correct police.”

Luxon’s latest pledge to axe gender and sexual education was applauded by anti-trans lobby groups Resist Gender Education and Speak Up For Women. 

Last week, the new government announced it will repeal stringent anti-tobacco laws, prompting fears for the health and mortality of thousands of lives. 

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At last – after the hype and advance mass-merchandising – the Barbie movie is here. Part spoof, part action fantasy, part Barbie doll virtual museum, it’s a full-blown product placement experience – but ironic as much as iconic.

The movie sets off feeling like a post-pandemic party. It’s an opportunity to be frivolous after a time of adversity, and to reclaim the pink of life – especially, perhaps, for fun-starved Gen Z. Given Barbie first appeared in 1959 as a baby boomer’s plastic mini-mannequin, dress-up fashion doll, that’s real inter-generational reach.

But to early critics, the doll evoked the mass production of white, American tween culture. To feminists seeking women’s liberation, Barbie symbolised a culture that objectified women, treating them quite literally as living dolls.

All this is captured in the first part of the film, where “Stereotypical Barbie” and “Just Beach Ken” are brilliantly brought to life by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The film playfully toys with the long history of Barbie debates, subtly feeding into the backstory.

Just as impressively, no expense has been spared on set and accessory design. Watching the actors breathe, think, move and play like dolls is hilarious and spooky.

Of course, real people playing dolls might suggest those feminist fears have been realised. Except for the fact that Barbie Land in this film is an empowering matriarchy, full of dreams coming true, and where the dolls are leading perfect lives of substance.

Unlike real-world America, there is a woman president. Equity, diversity and the acceptance of all body types are on display. All of which support Barbie manufacturer Mattel’s claim to create the dolls as “role models” for women’s advancement in a changing world.

And then the aspirational matriarchy starts to malfunction. Stereotypical Barbie develops bad breath, flat feet, cellulite and a fear of death. A leak in the portal to the Real World means dark and crazy drawings by that Barbie’s owner are having a voodoo effect. She must travel there to sort things out.

‘I am Kennough’

The movie turns dark, with tag-along Ken discovering patriarchy in the Real World and taking it back to Barbie Land. With Ken largely invisible in the film’s merchandising and girls-night-out launches, we’ve been set up for the surprising plot twist.

Gosling proceeds to own the screen and make this the Ken Movie. He rejects being “just Ken” and instead acts, dances, prowls and flexes to steal the show. (He calms down later, accepting that Barbie does not want to be his girlfriend.)

An appendage no more, it is Ken, not Barbie, who whines about blonde fragility and every night being a girls’ night, and who now sings of seeking to push women around and take them for granted.

This is where the movie is at its most profound. Ken, not Barbie, is the victim of sexism. As Barbie has flourished, Ken has been left behind. Kens are the objectified, excluded second sex.

There are echoes here of the American feminist Susan Faludi’s writings. In the early 1990s, she saw feminism as being defined in a sign hoisted by a little girl at the 1970 Women’s Strike for Equality march: I AM NOT A BARBIE DOLL.

By the end of that decade she described the betrayal of the American man, and a crisis of masculinity. Emasculated men, she wrote, were left behind in the wake of women’s progress. But as the inhabitants of Barbie Land discover in the film, matriarchy can be just as damaging as patriarchy. Better to mix pink and blue to make purple instead of them competing.

Rejects save the day

Writer-director Greta Gerwig and her collaborator (and husband) Noah Baumbach feed the dichotomy of being “for” or “against” Barbie. But they ultimately render that debate history.

Enter Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) and Alan (Michael Cera), outcasts and rejects of Barbie Land, who want “nobody in the shadows”. These are the real heroes who save the day, deprogramming the brainwashed Barbies. It is one more layer of irony in a film about a doll once accused of brainwashing girls.

Indeed, when Barbie cries at one point about being ugly, providing irony within irony, narrator Helen Mirren steps in to suggest that Margot Robbie was probably not the right actress to cast to make that point.

By the end of the film, Barbie has become real and ordinary. Replete with genitalia, she liberates herself from her plastic-fantastic dream world – without Ken – to live in the unruly real world. In a full circle, the doll becomes human.

So, must women’s empowerment come at men’s expense? The historian of patriarchy Gerda Lerner once addressed this very question. She said the idea was an outmoded construct that

no longer serves the needs of men or women and in its inextricable linkage to militarism, hierarchy, and racism it threatens the very existence of life on earth.

As in the finale of Gerwig’s film, Lerner’s feminist vision was for everybody to stand in the sunshine. In a world emerging from COVID and grappling with the general grimness of war and climate change, Gerwig’s Barbie is both an exuberant opiate and a comment on the state of global feminism.

Perhaps most ironically, however, it may signal market saturation for Barbie. Surely this must be her peak moment, a massive last hurrah, after which the doll and all she has represented for over 60 years recede into history. Then again, Hollywood loves a sequel.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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In an Instagram post on Friday, Ardern shared that one of the questions she’s been most asked since leaving office is “will you write a book?”. And while her answer was at first “no”, it looks like she’s reconsidered and will be working with publishers Penguin in NZ and Australia, Macmillan in the UK and Crown in the US. 

“When I left parliament there were a few questions I got asked quite often – are your family happy to have you back (mostly ) and will you write about your time in office?”, Ardern wrote in her post. 

“At first, my answer was no.  I didn’t want to write a book that hauled over the internal politics of the last five years, and then someone convinced me that I didn’t have to. That maybe it might be worth expanding on some of the things I talked about in my valedictory instead—like the idea you can be your own kind of leader and still make a difference. And so that’s what I’m planning to do.”

While the release date is still to be determined, the book is likely to garner a significant amount of attention and anticipation. 

“There’s no set date for when it will be done- the Christchurch call-work on violent extremism and terrorism online is keeping me pretty busy- but I hope when it’s done, it’s the kind of book that would have made a difference to my 14 year old self,” wrote Ardern.

Her “Christchurch call-work” is part of an entity she founded after the Christchurch massacre that saw a lone white supremacist gunman attacking two mosques. Ardern told the media that she still felt a “sense of duty” to the victims.

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In January, Ardern resigned as New Zealand’s prime minister after five years of leadership. She delivered her valedictory in April, saying she hopes she demonstrated that “you can be anxious, sensitive, kind and wear your heart on your sleeve. You can be a mother or not. You can be an ex Mormon or not. You can be a nerd, a hugger a crier. You can be all these things and not only can you be here. You can lead just like me.”

Since then, Ardern has been reporting to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on the progress being made to counter violent extremism on social media. She also works for Harvard University and is a trustee on Prince William’s climate change charity, the Earthshot Prize.

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It comes after Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Monday that Willow-Jean Prime would enter cabinet as conservation minister. 

With Prime in the country’s cabinet, there’s now a total of 10 women and 10 men. Her promotion also brings Māori representation in the cabinet to a record of six ministers.

“It is a great privilege to be promoted to cabinet,” Prime said, adding that it’s “also very special to be part of history”.

“I look forward to being ‘a very active contributor around the cabinet table’ as the Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said in his Post-Cab Press Conference,” Prime said, joking that this made her laugh “because he and others have probably noted my passion and enthusiasm”.

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Speaking to the importance of having a gender equal cabinet that reflects the New Zealand population, Hipkins said, “I think it’s a good milestone to achieve. We achieved 50/50 representation in parliament in this parliamentary term, I think that’s a very welcome thing, and now we have that around the Cabinet table as well.”

Back in 2020, under former prime minister Jacinda Ardern, the country had elected its most diverse parliament ever, with increased numbers of women, Māori and LBGTQ+ members. 

And in 2022, New Zealand hit the gender equality milestone of having a majority female parliament.

Now that the body of senior ministers in cabinet has reached a 50/50 gender equal split, the number of female ministers overall, including those outside cabinet, has surpassed the number of male ministers.

Known for taking a lead on gender equality, New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote in 1893, and the first woman was elected to the country’s parliament in 1933.

Following Ardern’s resignation as prime minister, Hipkins stepped into the role in January and has promoted three women to the top level of government since then – Prime, along with Ginny Andersen and Barbara Edmonds. 

While gender parity is welcomed, Hipkins says he chose to appoint Prime based on her skills and existing portfolios as the minister for youth and associate minister for health and for arts, culture and heritage.

New Zealand now has the highest number of female lawmakers in the OECD. And according to IPU data, it’s is one of only 6 countries that have gender parity in their national legislatures. 

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So just how much did she give during her time as prime minister?

Ever since she became the world’s youngest female head of state at age 37, Ardern has given New Zealand and the world a “kind but strong” style of leadership- exactly what she hoped her legacy would hold. 

Promoting diversity and gender equality, shutting down sexist reporter questions, leading with empathy after the Christchurch attack and leading the country through a pandemic— below are some of Ardern’s shining moments.

Promoting diversity and gender equality

There were more women, people of colour and LGBTQI MPs in Ardern’s government than ever before in NZ history. 

In October of last year, NZ hit a gender equality milestone, with women making up the majority of its parliament for the first time. 

In 2020, Ardern made it easier for women to negotiate with their employers for equal pay, when the parliament passed the Equal Pay Amendment Bill.

That same year, she made a commitment to end “period poverty” by giving all school-aged people who have periods free sanitary products. 

Ardern was also the first PM to ever march in a Pride parade.

And she’s broken down gendered stereotypes of what a ‘real leader’ looks like by showing the world the realities of parenting and running a country. In 2018, Ardern made headlines for being the first person ever to bring her child to a United Nations General Assembly meeting. While she gave her speech, her partner Clarke Gayford held baby Neve.

Giving a world-leading response to COVID-19

Ardern’s leadership on COVID-19 in New Zealand’s has been globally applauded, especially during the first year. From the beginning of the pandemic, Ardern worked diligently to put policies into place that worked towards elimination of the virus. 

Ardern’s collaboration with health experts and overall strategy proved largely successful for the safety of New Zealand communities. 
In 2020, herself and her parliamentary cabinet even took a 20 per cent pay cut in solidarity with New Zealanders who had lost their jobs and livelihoods as a result of the pandemic.

Shutting down sexist reporters

Unfortunately, Ardern has had to deal with a fair deal of sexist questions from male reporters over her time in office. Nevertheless, she’s always managed to handle these situations gracefully– unafraid to call reporters out and put them in their place. 

Hopefully, there will come a time when female leaders no longer have to put up with such archaic lines of questioning, but Ardern’s quick and tactful responses will be a lasting part of her legacy. 

Leading with empathy after the Christchurch attacks and White Island volcano eruption

After the horrific murder of 50 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch in 2019, Ardern stepped up to say “never again” by swiftly labelling the incident a terrorist attack and working to successfully ban semi-automatic rifles in New Zealand. 

She also brought much-needed emotion and empathy centre-stage as she honoured victims’ and their families after the attack. 

Wearing a hijab, Ardern called for solidarity among all New Zealanders and visited with Muslim families to tell them they are welcome and supported in NZ by saying, “You are us”. 

Later that year, another disaster occurred in NZ when White Island Volcano erupted, killing more than 20 people and injuring many others. Ardern stepped up again with powerful empathy to praise the efforts of first responders and offer support to them and the victims’ families. 

Pushing aggressive climate action policies

Back in 2019, Ardern’s government committed to net zero emission by 2050 with landmark climate legislation and historic cross-party support.

She declared a climate emergency in NZ in December 2020, calling climate change “one of the greatest challenges of our time”. 

And in March 2021, New Zealand became the first country to require that banks, investment managers and insurers disclose the effects of climate change on their businesses. 

Later that year, Ardern announced that NZ would reduce its net greenhouse emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 as the country looked to be more ambitious on climate change.

Amplifying Maori voices and culture

Ardern introduced a new public holiday in New Zealand to celebrate Matariki, the start of the Maori New Year. 

And in October of last year, she delivered a Crown apology to a Maori tribe for warmongering and breaches to the Treaty of Waitangi. The apology, which she called a “momentous occasion”, was 30 years in the making and saw the government agree to a $NZ165 million redress and the return of 36 culturally significant sites.

Bringing ‘humanity’ to politics

Ardern’s public image is synonymous with a kind and empathetic leadership style. She’s been very vocal about her goal to bring “a bit more humanity” to politics in order to encourage others to become politicians.  

During her resignation speech today, she reiterated this goal saying she hopes to be remembered as a leader who pursued kindness. 

After giving a heartfelt “thank you” to New Zealanders for allowing her to serve in what she “considers to be the greatest role of her life”, Ardern said she hopes to leave behind the belief that “you can be kind but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused.”

“That you can be your own kind of leader. One that knows when it’s time to go.”

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“After having a laugh about it, Jacinda Ardern and I are going to auction a signed copy of the Hansard (official record) of her calling me an “arrogant prick” to raise money for pricks everywhere, a great cause, the Prostate Cancer Foundation,” Seymour shared on Twitter on Thursday night.

Earlier this week, Seymour had asked Ardern in parliament if she could give an example of her “making a mistake, apologising for it properly and fixing it”. Ardern responded to the question referencing her government’s managed isolation policy during COVID-19 and said she would perhaps do things differently if it happened again.

Ardern then resumed her seat next to her colleague Grant Robertson and was caught quietly saying “he’s such an arrogant prick”. Her microphone was still live at the time, so the comment was picked up and recorded in the parliamentary Hansard.

Ardern later apologised to Seymour, with him accepting the apology saying it wasn’t “the end of the world”.

“She said, as my mum would say, ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it’,” he told Newshub.

“I agree with the sentiment and it is all good as far as I am concerned. I just said, thank you and I hope you have a very merry Christmas. At the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world.”

People are now able to able to bid on a print out of the parliamentary Hansard, with all proceeds going to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. At the time of publishing, the current bid sat at $45,200.

“In the spirit of a Kiwi Christmas, two political foes unite to raise money for a good cause. You will receive a framed printout of the Parliamentary Hansard co-signed by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern and one-time arrogant prick, ACT Party Leader David Seymour. All proceeds to the Prostate Cancer Foundation,” the bidding website states.

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The apology, which Ardern described as a “momentous occasion”, was 30 years in the making and culminated in the government agreeing to a $NZ165 million redress and the return of 36 culturally significant sites.

Ardern delivered the formal address in both Maori and English, saying the Crown regrets its needless acts of war against Maniapoto and the hurt it has caused. About 3000 people were in attendance to hear the apology.

“This is a momentous occasion for both Maniapoto and the Crown and marks the beginning of a renewed relationship,” Ardern said at the apology ceremony.

“The Crown is truly sorry for its many breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and profoundly regrets its horrific and needless acts of war against Maniapoto.

“The Crown commits to working with you in good faith to revitalise and rebuild Ngāti Maniapoto.

“Today’s apology represents the beginning of the renewed partnership between Maniapoto and the Crown, based on mutual trust, co-operation and respect. A partnership that doesn’t neglect the past but that acknowledges it.”

Maniapoto is based in Te Rohe Pōtae (the King Country) and has an estimated population of 45,930 members, according to the 2018 census.

The apology acknowledges the Crown breached the treaty by confiscating land, acting unjustly by sending Crown forces across the Mangatāwhiri River during the Waikato War, indisciminatey killing non-combatants and looting and destroying property. It also acknowledges the Crown failed to protect Maniapoto tribal structures from the operation and impact of the Native land laws, leading to alienation of the tribal lands Maniapoto had been connected to for centuries.

The Maniapoto Deed of settlement was signed in November 2021.

 Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little said he hoped the apology could lay the groundwork for partnership going forward.

“When Maniapoto rangatira signed the Treaty in 1840, they expected to build a partnership with the Crown – an expectation reinforced in the 1880s through a series of agreements between the iwi and the Crown called the Ōhākī Tapu,” Little said.

“But for more than a century after this, the Crown repeatedly broke the promises it made leading to devastating loss of life and land, and social and economic deprivation.

“Te Rangiwaituhi marks a day of restoration, partnership and heralds a new beginning in realising the promises made to Maniapoto in 1840. I hope that through the apology we can lay the groundwork for a new partnership to provide for the future wellbeing and prosperity of Maniapoto.”

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Prime Minister Ardern called to expel Iran from the U.N.’s top women’s rights body at a press conference on Monday, saying it is “not sustainable for a country that continues to so brutally attack the rights of women to belong to a pre-eminent global body dedicated to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.”

UN Watch has praised Ardern for her latest announcement, encouraging her to initiate the process by introducing a draft resolution prepared by them.

In February this year, New Zealand became one of the 54 members of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). 

In a controversial move last year, the council elected the Iranian regime to the Commission on the Status of Women. As a member of ECOSOC, New Zealand is now being urged to introduce a resolution to remove Iran’s regime.

Although Prime Minister Ardern noted “the starting point will be engagement with the UN Secretary-General,” António Guterres’ office has said he has no involvement on elections of countries to UN bodies, and that this was a matter for member states.

“We have always believed in dialogue and diplomacy as key tools, but we also believe in sending clear messages on behalf of those who are less able to,” Ardern said.

“So on that basis, New Zealand will now suspend indefinitely our human rights dialogue with Iran. We don’t see the utility of holding talks that aren’t accompanied by progress, and, worse, provide legitimacy to them that their actions don’t warrant.” 

“We are also calling on United Nations member States to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.”

“It is our duty to add our voice to this call and to uphold the mandate and values of the commission.”

Ardern said she has requested advice on further actions her government can take to “amplify” her “condemnation of Iran’s human rights abuses” and demonstrate her country’s support to all those in Iran — especially women and girls standing up for democracy and human rights at very significant risk to their lives.

NZ’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the “decision sends a strong signal that bilateral approaches on human rights are no longer tenable with Iran, when they are denying basic human rights and violently suppressing protests of those who stand up to them”.

“Recent events continue to show Iran’s position on human rights is deteriorating, not improving,” Mahuta said. “Aotearoa New Zealand continues to be appalled by the use of force by Iranian authorities in response to peaceful demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini last month.”

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It comes as Soraya Peke-Mason was sworn into parliament on Tuesday, replacing former Speaker, Trevor Mallard.

Peke-Mason’s swearing in means there are now 60 women in New Zealand’s parliament, compared to 59 men.

The milestone means New Zealand has joined just a handful of other countries to have at least 50 per cent women in their parliaments. Other nations to have achieved the milestone include Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, about 26 per cent of lawmakers are women globally.

New Zealand has long been a leader in gender equality, being the first country to grant women the right to vote, back in 1893. Women were given the right to stand for election in New Zealand in 1919. The first woman was elected to the country’s parliament in 1933.

Who is Soraya Peke-Mason?

Peke-Mason is now the newest member of the governing Labour party, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

“Whilst it’s a special day for me, I think it’s historic for Aotearoa New Zealand,” Peke-Mason told reporters on Tuesday, the day she was sworn into parliament.

Before entering parliament, Peke-Mason spent 18 years on the Rangitīkei District Council including 12 years as a councillor, and six years on the community board. She has a business background in industries including construction, tourism, and forestry.

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