New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern had been dogged by rumours she was about to quit, move to New Plymouth

Australia
By William

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The rumors WERE true: how Jacinda Ardern has been dogged by speculation that she was about to step down as Prime Minister and trade her role for a quiet life in the country with her fiancé Clarke.

  • Jacinda Ardern had recently denied that she was resigning
  • Rumors had repeatedly claimed that she would retire.
  • She insisted in October that she was “not going anywhere”.
  • On Thursday he said he ‘didn’t have enough in the tank anymore’

By Kevin Airs for Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly denied that she would resign before the next general election despite ongoing rumors that she was about to.

The Kiwi Labor leader shocked the world on Thursday by announcing that she will resign no later than February 7 after five years in office.

But the rumors began in earnest in October, when government circles erupted with gossip. Ardern, 42, was about to resign.

She responded angrily to the speculation at the time, insisting categorically that she would stay and fight in the October 2023 election despite plummeting polls.

“I heard this,” the New Zealand prime minister said in a radio interview late last October. ‘This rumor has been floating around for my entire five-year time in government.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly denied that she would resign before the next general election despite constant rumors that she was about to step out.

‘I have no plans to change my role as leader, I’m not going anywhere. I’ve said this on the show several times.

“There are rumors going around and it’s just part of the paper, but this isn’t the first time I’ve had this and it also came up in the last election.

“I am the Labor leader and I have no plans to change that.”

She also dismissed speculation that she and her partner Clarke Gayford were ready to give up the rat race for a quiet new life in rural New Plymouth on the North Island’s west coast.

She added: “While I’m here I might as well dismiss the rumor that I’m moving to New Plymouth, as lovely as it is, I don’t intend to move either.”

The leader has enjoyed greater popularity abroad than at home in the face of harsh Covid lockdowns during the pandemic and rising inflation and cost of living.

But the prime minister said she faced similar rumors ahead of the 2017 election when a whisper campaign claimed she was too ill to be prime minister.

“I think that reflects a time when I had an unfortunate complication with tonsillitis, something called angina,” he added.

‘That was the basis on which it started. New Zealand, in different ways, is riddled with gossip and rumours, and I’m happy to respond to things like that.

“But ultimately what I hope is that people see me for who I am.

She also dismissed speculation that she and her partner Clarke Gayford (pictured) were ready to give up the rat race for a quiet new life in rural New Plymouth on the North Island's west coast.

She also dismissed speculation that she and her partner Clarke Gayford (pictured) were ready to give up the rat race for a quiet new life in rural New Plymouth on the North Island’s west coast.

“I am sincere, I face problems as they arise, I am someone who has the courage to be in politics in the first place, let alone take on this job in these exceptional circumstances.

‘I’m strong enough for this job.’

However, he admitted on Thursday that he no longer had the “heart and energy” to continue in the role.

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

‘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.

Jacinda Ardern’s resignation speech

“Being Prime Minister has been the greatest honor of my life and I want to thank New Zealanders for the tremendous privilege of leading the country for the past five and a half years.

“Having such a privileged role comes responsibility, including the responsibility of knowing when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not.

“I have given my all to be prime minister, but it has also cost me a lot. You can’t and shouldn’t get the job done unless you have a full tank plus a little in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges that inevitably present themselves.

“Having reflected over the summer, I know I no longer have that little bit more in the tank to do the job justice. It’s that easy.

I have spoken to the Governor-General this morning to let him know.

‘In addition to our ambitious agenda that has sought to address long-term issues such as the housing crisis, child poverty and climate change, we also had to respond to a major biosecurity raid, a domestic terrorist attack, a volcanic eruption and a one on one hundred year global pandemic and ensuing economic crisis. The decisions that have had to be made have been constant and weighty.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished in the last five years despite the many challenges that come our way. We have turned child poverty statistics on its head and achieved the most significant increases in social support and public housing stock seen in many decades.

‘We have facilitated access to education and training while improving wages and conditions for workers. And we have worked hard to advance issues related to our national identity. I believe that teaching our history in schools and celebrating Matariki as our own indigenous national holiday will make all the difference for years to come.

“And we have done so while responding to some of the greatest threats to the health and economic well-being of New Zealanders, possibly since World War II.

“The Labor team is incredibly well placed to contest the next election. They are the most experienced team in the country and have proven that they have the skills to respond to whatever is thrown at them.

“I’m leaving not because I think we can’t win the election, but because I think Labor can and will win it. We need a new set of shoulders for the challenges of this year and the next three.

“As for my time at work, I hope to leave New Zealanders with the belief that they can be kind yet strong, empathetic yet decisive, optimistic yet focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader, one who knows when it’s time to go.

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