Jacinta Ardern resigns: Anthony Albanese posts sweet tribute to ‘great friend’

Anthony Albanese said goodbye to his ‘great friend’ Jacinda Ardern with a sweet photo after his New Zealand counterpart announced his surprise resignation.

The prime minister expressed his respect and admiration for Ms Ardern minutes after the leader revealed that she had “nothing left in the tank”.

He tweeted a sweet photo of himself and the outgoing prime minister in mid-embrace during a visit to Sydney when the leaders met for bilateral talks in June.

“Jacinda Ardern has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength,” Mr. Albanese wrote.

‘She has shown that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities.

‘Jacinda has been a fierce supporter of New Zealand, an inspiration to many and a great friend to me.

“I look forward to working with the next Prime Minister of New Zealand and I wish Jacinda Ardern and her family all the best in the next chapter of their lives.”

Despite describing Ms. Ardern as her ‘great friend,’ leaders have not always seen eye to eye, recently butting heads over a contentious immigration issue.

Albanese was forced to abandon plans to solve a critical nursing shortage after Ardern rejected a campaign designed to attract New Zealanders to Australia.

Both countries experienced severe shortages of skilled labor during the Covid pandemic due to repeated border closures.

Ms Ardern slammed the suggestion as a “flat no” during a press conference in Sydney, prompting her counterpart to defend the campaign.

Mr Albanese assured Ms Ardern that the growth of Australia’s nursing capacity would not come at the expense of ‘our friends’ in New Zealand.

‘We have common skills shortage challenges. That is also part of the global challenges,” he told reporters during the visit in July.

‘What we want to do is work together to achieve results that benefit both New Zealand and Australia rather than compete with each other.

“That’s one of the reasons we engaged here today in such a constructive way.”

Despite this bump in the road, the leaders spent the visit enjoying the Vivid light show on Sydney Harbor and trading their favorite vinyl records.

The leaders also discussed deportation laws, climate change issues and how to deal with an increasingly aggressive China in the Pacific region.

The meeting came just months before Ms Ardern announced she was stepping down in an emotional press conference on Thursday.

His resignation takes effect on Sunday if the Labor Party can choose his replacement, or on February 7 if the process drags on.

Ms Ardern said she hoped to find the energy and heart over the Christmas holidays to stay at work, “but I haven’t been able to do that.”

‘I’m human. Politicians are human. We give everything we can for as long as we can, and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time,’ he said.

I know what this job requires. And I know I don’t have enough in the tank anymore to do it justice. I’m leaving because with such a privileged job comes great responsibility.

‘The responsibility of knowing when you are the right person to lead, and also when you are not.’

Ms Ardern stepped down at 42 after becoming leader just over five years ago on October 26, 2017, and was New Zealand’s youngest PM.

She insisted that her party trailing the rival National Party in the polls ahead of the next election had nothing to do with her decision to resign.

“I’m not leaving because I think we can’t win the election, but because I think we can and we will,” he said.

“But we need a new set of shoulders for the challenges of this year and the next three.”

Ms Ardern faced unrelenting criticism for implementing some of the world’s toughest covid restrictions, including lockdowns where New Zealanders couldn’t even buy takeaways and a border closure of more than two years.

But he denied that the constant attacks, which continued into the past year as the economy faltered and the cost of living rose, played a role in his decision.

‘I’m not leaving because it’s difficult. I know when I have enough left in the tank to do it justice. If I continued, I would be doing New Zealanders a disservice,” she said.

The resigning prime minister was asked if she would take up a post at the UN after leaving office and did not give a direct answer.

Instead, he insisted he had “no plans” other than to kick back with daughter Neve and marry fiance Clarke Gayford after their wedding was called off due to Covid restrictions.

“I’m really looking forward to spending time with my family once again…so for Neve, Mum can’t wait to be there when you start school this year, and for Clarke, let’s finally get married,” she said.