Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern has shared her thoughts on why her public approval dropped in the months leading up to her resignation from politics in January 2023.
Ardern recently appeared on The Graham Norton Show alongside actor Kate Winslet, comedians Alan Carr and Seth Meyers, and singer Cat Burns. The episode aired on Saturday morning (NZT) as part of her UK media tour promoting her new documentary, Prime Minister, Stuff has reported.
During the show, host Graham Norton questioned her about the decline in her popularity ahead of her departure from office. “What went wrong? What was the tipping point?” he asked. In response, Ardern said the global political climate had changed, with increasing aggression and hostility directed at political leaders.
“I don’t think it is just any one leader who has experienced that shift. It has shifted, and amongst all of that, I do think we’re at a moment in time, as reported by Stuff.
“I think in response to that moment in time, my plea is for people is to not give up on the prospect that politics can be better. “Expect decency in politics, expect kindness in your politics. I do think we will come back to that,” as quoted by Stuff.
During the BBC programme, Ardern also received praise from Winslet for how she managed learning about her pregnancy during the coalition talks with New Zealand First following the 2017 election. She became Prime Minister just a week later after Winston Peters agreed to form a government with Labour.
“Oh my god, she is so amazing,” Winslet, best known for her role as Rose in Titanic, said. “You are so amazing,” Stuff has reported.
Although the episode has already aired overseas, it is yet to screen in New Zealand and will be available on the TVNZ app from December 12.
In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4 last week, Ardern spoke about keeping her pregnancy private for 20 weeks while dealing with severe “pretty bad morning sickness and nausea,” as quoted by Stuff.
She said she wanted to ensure no one questioned her dedication to the role and hoped to show that “you could both be a competent leader and a present mother simultaneously,” Stuff has quoted.
“I am not going to lie, those first 20 weeks were hard, but they were also doable,” Stuff has quoted.