Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, used her farewell speech to Parliament to request that climate change be removed from the realm of politics. Ardern stated that climate change was a critical issue and that when she became Prime Minister, she wanted it to be a primary focus. She likened it to a nuclear moment and expressed her belief that it was just as significant as a nuclear threat.
She praised her government’s efforts to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi by creating the Māori Crown portfolio, promoting te reo Māori, establishing the Māori Health Authority, and creating a public holiday for Matariki. Ardern also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed her gratitude that science and compassionate people were on our side.
She acknowledged that there were difficulties and unknowns, but that collectively, we must stop conspiracy theories from overshadowing healthy debate. Ardern also talked about her experience with the Christchurch mosque attacks, describing how the Muslim community’s gratitude had humbled her.
She concluded by saying, “You can be anxious, sensitive, kind and wear your heart on your sleeve, you can be a mother or not, you can be an ex-Mormon or not, you can be a nerd, a crier, a hugger – you can be all of these things and not only can you be here, you can lead, just like me.”