Ardern to step down February

[Wainuiguy]

Will be an interesting contest for the next leader of Labour and PM.  Will need to be significant to arrest the decline of the last 12 months.

---

Robinson not putting hat in the ring to be PM.

[king1]

I imagine dealing with all the conspiracy theorist nutters and haters takes a toll on people over time. The appeal of settling down to a nice happy family life with the hubby and daughter has to be appealing...

The wife speculated she could be preggers again too, which would add to the good reasons...

[C_T_Russell]

Well no surprises here, I was expecting this.
Good news I say, but the damage is done and don't look forward to a National led govt much either, but anything is going to be better than labour.
What a gutless wonder and dishonest at that, she lied to us last year when asked about stepping down.
She should have thought about the commitment she was taking on with this job, but to stand down and now say I can get married shows what her priorities are.
At least Helen stood through right through to the end like any leader should, rather than pull out and not accept defeat.
Labour is done, and she will be remembered for the mess she left this country in along with the amount of division among kiwis.
Who's going to pick up all the pieces?

[Kenj]

Yes, whether you liked Helen or not, at least her intelligence and leadership were respected.

Ken

[Oldfellah]

As long as its NOT bighooter .. oops I mean mahuta

[Lilith7]

Well no surprises here, I was expecting this.
Good news I say, but the damage is done and don't look forward to a National led govt much either, but anything is going to be better than labour.
What a gutless wonder and dishonest at that, she lied to us last year when asked about stepping down.
She should have thought about the commitment she was taking on with this job, but to stand down and now say I can get married shows what her priorities are.
At least Helen stood through right through to the end like any leader should, rather than pull out and not accept defeat.
Labour is done, and she will be remembered for the mess she left this country in along with the amount of division among kiwis.
Who's going to pick up all the pieces?

Good grief - we have no idea of what may have led her to this decision, nor when she made it.

Anything to put the boot in will do apparently.

[king1]

On the contrary I think she will be remembered for guiding the country through a very difficult period of time with multiple national crisis' and a global pandemic. Leaving NZ in a relatively good position compared to many other countries in the world.

and that does not even take into account the rise of the conspiracy theorist nutters and haters over the last decade that she has had to deal with. I mean how many childish memes are there out on the web slating her - no-one should have to go to work and put up with that...

The problem these days is too many people refuse to accept responsibility for their own lives - it is so much easier to externalise problems and blame it on this, and that, and the prime minister...

I look forward to the day when all the world's CTers finally realise they have actually been manipulated by a very very few anti establishmentarian idiots, simply for profit...

[Lilith7]

Most who can manage to try to keep an unbiased view (not always easy) will understand those who've fallen into the CT rabbit hole can't see straight & will be unable to comprehend that there will almost certainly be valid reasons for the PM stepping down as leader, rather than their cherished theories.

I can't think of any other leader who's had so much to deal with - there can't be many who've coped with a pandemic, terrorist attack & volcanic eruption all in their time as leader.

[Oldfellah]

Im looking forward to a new government 

[Olive]

On the contrary I think she will be remembered for guiding the country through a very difficult period of time with multiple national crisis' and a global pandemic.  Leaving NZ in a relatively good position compared to many other countries in the world.

and that does not even take into account the rise of the conspiracy theorist nutters and haters over the last decade that she has had to deal with.  I mean how many childish memes are there out on the web slating her -  no-one should have to go to work and put up with that...

The problem these days is too many people refuse to accept responsibility for their own lives - it is so much easier to externalise problems and blame it on this, and that, and the prime minister...

I look forward to the day when all the world's CTers finally realise they have actually been manipulated by a very very few anti establishmentarian idiots, simply for profit...

I agree with all of this.

[Lilith7]

She does look exhausted though; most politicians do towards the end of their time as a politician.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/j...ew-zealand

"Asked how she would like New Zealanders to remember her leadership, Ardern said “as someone who always tried to be kind.”

“I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind, but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader – one who knows when it’s time to go,” Ardern said.

Over the past year, Ardern has faced a significant increase in threats of violence, particularly from conspiracy theorist and anti-vaccine groups infuriated by the country’s vaccine mandates and Covid-19 lockdowns. She said, however, that the increased risk associated with the job were not behind her decision to step down.

“I don’t want to leave the impression that the adversity you face in politics is the reason that people exit. Yes, it does have an impact. We are humans after all, but that was not the basis of my decision,” she said.

Ardern said she had no future plans, other than to spend more time with her family.

She thanked her partner, Clarke Gayford, and daughter Neve, whom she gave birth to while holding office, as “the ones that have sacrificed the most out of all of us”.

[Oldfellah]

She does look exhausted though; most politicians do towards the end of their time as a politician.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/j...ew-zealand

"Asked how she would like New Zealanders to remember her leadership, Ardern said “as someone who always tried to be kind.”

“I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind, but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader – one who knows when it’s time to go,” Ardern said.

Over the past year, Ardern has faced a significant increase in threats of violence, particularly from conspiracy theorist and anti-vaccine groups infuriated by the country’s vaccine mandates and Covid-19 lockdowns. She said, however, that the increased risk associated with the job were not behind her decision to step down.

“I don’t want to leave the impression that the adversity you face in politics is the reason that people exit. Yes, it does have an impact. We are humans after all, but that was not the basis of my decision,” she said.



Ardern said she had no future plans, other than to spend more time with her family.

She thanked her partner, Clarke Gayford, and daughter Neve, whom she gave birth to while holding office, as “the ones that have sacrificed the most out of all of us”.

She wants to be remembered as kind, tell that to the thousands of New Zealanders that she wouldn't let back into the country, or was she kind to all the people that had dying relatives that she wouldn't let them go and say their last goodbyes to. Yes thats what a kind person is 

[Lilith7]

She does look exhausted though; most politicians do towards the end of their time as a politician.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/j...ew-zealand

"Asked how she would like New Zealanders to remember her leadership, Ardern said “as someone who always tried to be kind.”

“I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind, but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader – one who knows when it’s time to go,” Ardern said.

Over the past year, Ardern has faced a significant increase in threats of violence, particularly from conspiracy theorist and anti-vaccine groups infuriated by the country’s vaccine mandates and Covid-19 lockdowns. She said, however, that the increased risk associated with the job were not behind her decision to step down.

“I don’t want to leave the impression that the adversity you face in politics is the reason that people exit. Yes, it does have an impact. We are humans after all, but that was not the basis of my decision,” she said.



Ardern said she had no future plans, other than to spend more time with her family.

She thanked her partner, Clarke Gayford, and daughter Neve, whom she gave birth to while holding office, as “the ones that have sacrificed the most out of all of us”.

She wants to be remembered as kind, tell that to the thousands of New Zealanders that she wouldn't let back into the country, or was she kind to all the people that had dying relatives that she wouldn't let them go and say their last goodbyes to. Yes thats what a kind person is 

As far as I'm aware there has never yet been a leader anywhere who didn't make mistakes regardless of how good they were. That comes with being human.

[king1]

She does look exhausted though; most politicians do towards the end of their time as a politician.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/j...ew-zealand

"Asked how she would like New Zealanders to remember her leadership, Ardern said “as someone who always tried to be kind.”

“I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind, but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader – one who knows when it’s time to go,” Ardern said.

Over the past year, Ardern has faced a significant increase in threats of violence, particularly from conspiracy theorist and anti-vaccine groups infuriated by the country’s vaccine mandates and Covid-19 lockdowns. She said, however, that the increased risk associated with the job were not behind her decision to step down.

“I don’t want to leave the impression that the adversity you face in politics is the reason that people exit. Yes, it does have an impact. We are humans after all, but that was not the basis of my decision,” she said.



Ardern said she had no future plans, other than to spend more time with her family.

She thanked her partner, Clarke Gayford, and daughter Neve, whom she gave birth to while holding office, as “the ones that have sacrificed the most out of all of us”.

She wants to be remembered as kind, tell that to the thousands of New Zealanders that she wouldn't let back into the country, or was she kind to all the people that had dying relatives that she wouldn't let them go and say their last goodbyes to. Yes thats what a kind person is 

The other side of that coin is she could have been kind by letting everyone come back to NZ in the middle of an outbreak and potentially causing the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of New Zealanders.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

and iirc they did announce the borders would be getting locked down and told everyone to get home ASAP.

[king1]

She wants to be remembered as kind, tell that to the thousands of New Zealanders that she wouldn't let back into the country, or was she kind to all the people that had dying relatives that she wouldn't let them go and say their last goodbyes to. Yes thats what a kind person is 

As far as I'm aware there has never yet been a leader anywhere who didn't make mistakes regardless of how good they were. That comes with being human.

Wasn't a mistake, it was simply making hard decisions.  Sometimes you just can't please everyone...

Now the lottery system, that was a royal FU. should have been a queue... At least that way everyone would know where they stood

[SueDonim]

She should have thought about the commitment she was taking on with this job, but to stand down and now say I can get married shows what her priorities are.

Usually I would agree with you. Politicians should commit to the full three years and stick with it unless there are very extenuating circumstances. Far too many bail out when life becomes complicated or difficult and it is wrong.

But, for the party leader, if she is not willing to commit to a full three year term, then now is the time to go, so that when the election comes voters know who the leader is and who will be prime minister if the party is voted in again.

[Olive]

Te Pāti Māori has responded with grace and gratitude (unlike ACT) and the party has gone up in my estimation.

"Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was “driven from politics” because of “constant personalisation and vilification” in what Te Pāti Māori labelled the most “demeaning form of politics we have ever seen”.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer pulled no punches in her reaction to Ardern’s shock resignation and said the Prime Minister’s “whānau have withstood the ugliest attacks over the last two years”.

“Te Pāti Māori wishes to thank the outstanding contribution Jacinda Ardern has made to our country,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
"

[Foal30]

I hope she enjoys a break from public life and gets some family time.

Does make the election way closer.

[C_T_Russell]

As long as its NOT bighooter .. oops I mean mahuta

Please no, that would be disastrous, unfortunately I get the feeling she has a chance of gething the position.

Well no surprises here, I was expecting this.
Good news I say, but the damage is done and don't look forward to a National led govt much either, but anything is going to be better than labour.
What a gutless wonder and dishonest at that, she lied to us last year when asked about stepping down.
She should have thought about the commitment she was taking on with this job, but to stand down and now say I can get married shows what her priorities are.
At least Helen stood through right through to the end like any leader should, rather than pull out and not accept defeat.
Labour is done, and she will be remembered for the mess she left this country in along with the amount of division among kiwis.
Who's going to pick up all the pieces?

Good grief - we have no idea of what may have led her to this decision, nor when she made it.

Anything to put the boot in will do apparently.

She shouldn't make promises she can't keep.

On the contrary I think she will be remembered for guiding the country through a very difficult period of time with multiple national crisis' and a global pandemic.  Leaving NZ in a relatively good position compared to many other countries in the world.

and that does not even take into account the rise of the conspiracy theorist nutters and haters over the last decade that she has had to deal with.  I mean how many childish memes are there out on the web slating her -  no-one should have to go to work and put up with that...

The problem these days is too many people refuse to accept responsibility for their own lives - it is so much easier to externalise problems and blame it on this, and that, and the prime minister...

I look forward to the day when all the world's CTers finally realise they have actually been manipulated by a very very few anti establishmentarian idiots, simply for profit...

Came at a cost though, the whole economy suffered as a result, some would argue if it was worth it, I would say certainly not!

She does look exhausted though; most politicians do towards the end of their time as a politician.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/j...ew-zealand

"Asked how she would like New Zealanders to remember her leadership, Ardern said “as someone who always tried to be kind.”

“I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind, but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader – one who knows when it’s time to go,” Ardern said.

Over the past year, Ardern has faced a significant increase in threats of violence, particularly from conspiracy theorist and anti-vaccine groups infuriated by the country’s vaccine mandates and Covid-19 lockdowns. She said, however, that the increased risk associated with the job were not behind her decision to step down.

“I don’t want to leave the impression that the adversity you face in politics is the reason that people exit. Yes, it does have an impact. We are humans after all, but that was not the basis of my decision,” she said.



Ardern said she had no future plans, other than to spend more time with her family.

She thanked her partner, Clarke Gayford, and daughter Neve, whom she gave birth to while holding office, as “the ones that have sacrificed the most out of all of us”.

She wants to be remembered as kind, tell that to the thousands of New Zealanders that she wouldn't let back into the country, or was she kind to all the people that had dying relatives that she wouldn't let them go and say their last goodbyes to. Yes thats what a kind person is 

FFS, trying to be "kind"? Not exactly a great example of kindness to all the people out of work who lost their jobs for the sake of refusing a medical treatment.

Te Pāti Māori has responded with grace and gratitude (unlike ACT) and the party has gone up in my estimation. 

"Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was “driven from politics” because of “constant personalisation and vilification” in what Te Pāti Māori labelled the most “demeaning form of politics we have ever seen”.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer pulled no punches in her reaction to Ardern’s shock resignation and said the Prime Minister’s “whānau have withstood the ugliest attacks over the last two years”.

“Te Pāti Māori wishes to thank the outstanding contribution Jacinda Ardern has made to our country,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
"

They would have to be the most racist party in govt right now, that's the last thing this country needs right now.

[king1]

Give her a break CT - it's not lying when someone changes their mind or questions their capacity to perform a task... It is expected and the responsible thing to do...