Watch: From Morrinsville College to PM! Compare Jacinda Ardern's first TV interview with last night's speech

October 20, 2017

Jacinda Ardern first appeared on television in 1997 as a school student. Yesterday, she addressed the nation having rocketed into power.

It's certainly been a meteoric rise to power for the new Prime Minister-elect Jacinda Ardern.

After nine years of relative anonymity, learning her craft in Parliament's corridors of power, her inspired elevation to the Labour leadership on September 1 tipped NZ politics on its head in a way never seen before.

This afternoon, she is hand-picking much of her Cabinet and next week will be sworn in as New Zealand's youngest female prime minister.

Emotive public speaking has been a big part of her success in the past eight weeks, and last night's victory speech, after being anointed by Winston Peters, was a far cry from Ms Ardern's first television appearance on 1 NEWS, as a 6th form college kid talking about bacteria, at Morrinsville College in 1997.

Other Jacinda Ardern video from last night:

Jacinda Ardern talks to Breakfast just hours after finding out she had been propelled into power.

The new Labour leader caps a meteoric rise to power by speaking after being anointed NZ's next PM.

How's this for making a good impression?

The issue Ardern will have to do face first is convince voters "this is a credible government", says our political editor.

Ms Ardern will lead NZ's next government after Winston Peters offered Labour his party's support.

We take a look back at the Labour leaders rise from back-bench MP to Prime Minister-elect.

SHARE ME