Three and a half months ago Jacinda Ardern was going down badly in the polls with Labour led by Andrew Little.
In rapid succession she has taken over the Labour leadership, lifted Labour to a creditable election result, negotiated her way into becoming New Zealand’s Prime Minister, and has just mingled with world leaders at the APEC summit in Vietnam.
Ardern has risen to each occasion.
Vernon Small: Jacinda Ardern passes Apec summit test
“Oh, there’s Vladimir Putin over there,” was how she put it in a nutshell when chatting to the media, and showing off the Apec leaders’ “silly shirt”.
As an aside, she has been super-accessible to the media on the visit to Vietnam for Apec.
The wheels were barely up on the Air Force plane leaving Wellington before she was wandering down the back to the cheap seats to have one-on-one chats with reporters.
It brought back memories of John Key at his most media friendly and was also a reminder of Key’s last Apec summit, in Peru, when he disappeared behind the first class curtain and stayed there. It was only days before he stepped down and was a signal we all missed at the time.
Good leaders maintain good rapports with journalists. They need each other for success.
Was the summit itself a success for Ardern?
Well, she had the photo-op handshake with Donald Trump and it was, she said, “standard”.
That was the only contact she had with Trump, probably wise at this stage.
Now for Ardern, she’s off to the East Asia Summit, which kicks off in Manila on Monday.
There the focus will shift to geopolitics from trade (though the unexciting RCEP trade deal is on the agenda).
Ardern’s next test is whether she and Foreign Minister Winston Peters can make the nuanced calls and walk the narrow path between the interests of China, the US and the other regional nations – especially over the South China Sea and North Korea – successfully trod by National in recent years.
This is a big step up from traipsing around New Zealand trying to bolster Little’s flagging campaign.
And it’s a step that Ardern has so far managed very well.
Blazer
/ 13th November 2017‘This is a big step up from traipsing around New Zealand trying to bolster Little’s flagging campaign.’…the nasty right,so full of back hand compliments.Good to see it…hurts…waiting for Adern to fail…in vain,sorry about ..that.
Corky
/ 13th November 2017Yea of little faith, Blazer. She is smacking Turnbulls chops over Manus Island refugees. Only an idiot would want such refugees, as Australians well know. She is facing questions from Laila Harré over the TTP agreement. And National is relishing being in opposition. Even though manning the opposition benches, National is, and will, rain blow after blow on what’s shaping to be a hapless band of merry socialists( spending our money).
robertguyton
/ 13th November 2017Nasty little snipers!
Corky
/ 13th November 2017Thanks Robert. You were an excellent teacher.
Patzcuaro
/ 13th November 2017National MP David “Cracked Recod” Bennett trying to say socialist as many times as he can in a speech.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-11-2017/how-many-times-can-a-national-mp-say-socialism-in-one-short-parliamentary-speech-watch/
Patzcuaro
/ 13th November 2017“Cracked Record”
Corky
/ 13th November 2017It’s called ” speaking things into reality.” I’m a fan of it myself.
traveller
/ 13th November 2017Remember the new Comms Minster and her infamous LANGUAGE MATTERS. She’s getting her way by turning RNZ into the State mouthpiece. #pravdamuch
http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/0605/Language_Matters.pdf
Gezza
/ 13th November 2017If language really maddered we wooden have a PM who pronounces t’s as d’s – but then again she’s from the wycaddo, and apart from Kiddy Cadkin mose dov them seem to have that speech impediment there.
robertguyton
/ 13th November 2017Paula Bennett traipsed around New Zealand trying to bolster Bill English’s bound-to-fail campaign…hang on, no, she didn’t! Paula was largely awol. Wa happen??
traveller
/ 13th November 2017What I’ve seen is grandstanding over so-called refugees at the expense of our relationship with Australia. I’m convinced that Ardern’s “principled” stand on refugees is cynically aimed at deflecting the coalition’ absolute capitulation on TPP.
Where’s the media’s call for full disclosure – including of New Zealand’s (alleged) requests for changes to the original deal?
We’ve had years of anti-TPP from all of these parties. Now, it’s all roll over and tummy pats.
Blazer
/ 13th November 2017capitulation is a wee bit strong.Groser the dead rat swallower and National at large only require a nudge from Wall St to sign anything put in front of…them.
traveller
/ 13th November 2017We’re talking this government. Remember WLYW
Blazer
/ 13th November 2017FWIW I think she should leave the Manus Is situation to the aussies.Zero sum game…for NZ.
Gezza
/ 13th November 2017What does WLYW stand for ? 😳
David
/ 13th November 2017Vernon Small is such a Labour fan boy, she went to a meeting and nothing much happened and she is annoying the Australians by interferring in their domestic policies, and no we dont want 600 male refugees who are economic not political ones.