At the turn of the century, I was working in Parliament for my local MP, Judy Keall, when a new staffer, Jacinda Ardern, joined Harry Duynhoven’s office. We became firm friends, but I never dreamt she would become one of New Zealand’s longest-serving Labour prime ministers (see page 22).
Looking back, it’s so clear how she took her values, her skill-set, humour, grasp of strategy, concern for others and resoluteness all the way to the ninth floor of the Beehive.
Ardern is a great campaigner. In 2005, it was her idea to use a phone auto-attendant (“Press 1 to privatise”) to shine a light on the policy options of then Opposition leader Don Brash. It was an early sign of her ability to connect with what people were thinking.
She spent time in the
