Jacinda Ardern
speaker
169 appearances
2 recordings
2 series
first heard Jun 2025
last heard 13 Apr
Jacinda Ardern’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Apr 2026 with 1.
Appearances
Yeah, you knew as much about COVID as a doctor did because you were studying it every night. I was mocked for that in some cases by the people I worked with. This is sitting between me and going to sleep now, this and you. And so for me, that idea of the right decision was never just about instinct and values. It was also about... Having the right information? Having the right information.
And, you know, that trait, that trait of imposter syndrome drove me to lead like that. That was a strength in the end.
And have the humility to know that you don't know all the answers and to bring in the people who might and to draw on that expertise.
And to say from time to time, I don't know. Because it's very different than I don't have a plan. And you can lead and be open about what you know and what you don't. And actually it can build trust. FDR was that kind of leader. And he communicated so directly to people during crisis, during the depression and war times, what he knew and what he didn't know.
And I think people built trust around him as a result. Who were other leaders you've admired? Well, I think, you know, when I look at the United States, I look at times of crisis. I mean, I do draw back to FDR because there was an empathy to him. And maybe that came from personal circumstance, but it manifested in the way that he did the job. In New Zealand, we have similar political leaders.
I remember as a... child our cat was named norm and my father named him us after a prime minister norman kirk and as i grew older i read a little bit more about him and he was asked in a prime time interview once you know what you know his greatest achievement is such an uh you know an entree into spouting off whatever policy as a politician you might have
He said the letters that he received after they increased benefits for the most vulnerable, one letter where a woman said she could finally afford shoes, new shoes. And what a relief it was to her. And here was this moment with this prime minister, you know.
huge stature he was a solid a solid man with such presence but speaking so softly and quietly about a woman being able to now afford shoes new shoes and it just stayed with me the fact that he was someone running a country in an individual moment could be so meaningful to him so i i've been surrounded by great examples and perhaps it started with my parents
When you're in politics, people always expect you to spout off all of these, your political role models. But mine is an Antarctic explorer, you know, who actually failed multiple times.
He did not get there. But he saved his men. He saved his men. And he had such a humility in his leadership as well.
It says, optimism is true moral courage. And I think there are so many reasons that resonates with me. And one is that I think we treat hope and optimism often as if they're naive. And yet the way that he talks about optimism is that actually it's a courageous act and it's a deliberate decision.
And in the circumstances that he was in and when he's quoting lines like this, he was basically stranded in Antarctica with no hope of rescue, a sunken ship. Yeah. You just knew those men were going to die. Oh, yeah. Well, and yet, in that moment, what a courageous act it is to be optimistic.
And without that, you know, it would have impacted, I think, their survival. It would have.
But don't let anyone tell you you're naive if you're optimistic.
And so today I'm announcing that I will not be seeking re-election.
I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice.
Politicians are human. We give all that we can for as long as we can. And then it's time. And for me, it's time.
I mean, the point at which I made the decision was a good year after any of that. And there was nothing particularly occurring at the time.
There was no thing. And in fact, I knew when I came to make the announcement that people would wonder, what is the one thing? And there was no one thing. It wasn't one thing.
It was a range of different things. A range of different trigger points, all of which, for me, pointed to, am I still the leader I believe I need to be in order to do this job well? So I felt like I was becoming a bit more defensive than I wanted to be. Oh, my God.
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