'UNderage' - world's media spellbound by Jacinda Ardern's history-making appearance at UN with baby Neve

September 25, 2018

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's history-making appearance at the UN in New York with three-month-old daughter Neve has gripped the world's media which has splashed headlines like "UNderage" and declaring the baby "premieres among world leaders".

Ms Ardern is among world leaders at the UN General Assembly this week and has Neve, born in June, in tow.

While the Prime Minister spoke at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit on today, Neve got a front-row seat on father Clarke Gayford's lap, catching the eye of cameras. She earlier watched proceedings with her mum.

"UNderage. Jacinda Ardern makes history with baby Neve at UN general assembly," declared Britain's The Guardian .

The piece noted that last week the rules were tweaked in New Zealand to allow the Prime Minister or ministers to travel with a nanny on overseas assignments, and have this covered by the taxpayer.

However, Ms Ardern had said Gayford’s tickets to New York and expenses would be paid for out of her own pocket, because there were few official spousal engagements Gayford would be required to attend, and most of his time would be taken up caring for Neve, The Guardian reported on its website.

"Ardern has earned a reputation as a frugal leader who recently froze MPs salaries for a year and makes her ministers carpool to events," it said.

BBC News headlined it's story: "New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern's baby premieres among world leaders"

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made her debut speech at the UN in New York - and in another first for the organisation she brought her baby along too, it said, adding that Ms Ardern played with daughter Neve Te Aroha, shortly before addressing the UN's General Assembly.

The BBC quoted UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric telling Reuters: "Prime Minister Ardern is showing that no one is better qualified to represent her country than a working mother. Just five per cent of the world's leaders are women, so we need to make them as welcome here as possible."

Closer to home, Australia's SBS Life carried a comment piece headed: "Jacinda Ardern taking her baby to the UN is #mumgoals"

"If Jacinda Ardern can take her child to the UN General Assembly, I'm not going to feel so guilty about taking my toddler to cafes," Caitlin Chang wrote.

"When you've got a newborn baby, sometimes just having a shower is cause for celebration, so hats off to Jacinda Ardern for heading to a summit of world leaders with three-month-old baby Neve in tow."

Chang said Ms Ardern's openness about her life as a new parent is refreshing. 

"The reality is, working mothers don't stop being parents when they return to work-they're hiding in bathrooms to pump breast milk, juggling child care pick ups and operating zombie-like on months of broken sleep," Chang wrote. 

"Working mothers shouldn't feel embarrassed or guilty about having to sometimes bring their home life to work. So next time you feel sheepish about having to leave work early to pick up a sick child, ask yourself: what would Jacinda do?" the piece concluded.

Singapore's The Straits Times carried copy from news agency AFP that ran: "New Zealand's prime minister, who shot to international fame for giving birth while in office, turned heads on Monday (Sept 24) by bringing her three-month-old daughter into the UN assembly hall."

As other reports also pointed out, The Straits Times reported Jacinda Ardern, 38, is only the second world leader to ever give birth while in the office. The first was the late Benazir Bhutto, who was prime minister of Pakistan when her daughter was born in 1990.


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