Prime Minister

What are you gonna do at school today?

Oh, I don't know.

Do you think they'll give you eclipse glasses?

- Oh, yeah. They told me. - Yeah, right.

Put on your seatbelt. Keep your hands to yourself.

- Okay, bye. - Okay, bye. Love you.

You'll be our future decision makers,

and leaders, and it must be quite daunting

looking out at the challenges that are in front of us.

There's so much change

that we want the world to be simple again.

And part of that oversimplification

is that we're much more inclined to look at one another

in binary ways.

Good, evil.

Bad, right.

It's meant that we've got a hyper-partisanship now

that I think can be really damaging.

It means we don't work together as much.

It means we don't listen and engage

in respectful debate that we need.

And if we are to get back to doing all of those things,

because we won't solve the climate crisis unless we do,

we won't solve the conflict in the Middle East unless we do,

we have to re-humanize one another again.

Recording identification,

this is an interview for the Political Diary Project.

It's an interview with Jacinda Ardern,

who's the deputy leader of the Labour Party.

It's being recorded on Monday 28th August, 2017.

Are you worried?

I mean, how long is it until the election?

Two months, let's say. Yeah.

Yep.

Labour is ready to win in 2017.

Labour's feeling the pressure

just eight weeks out from the election.

Two poll results in two days both have the party

on less than the 25 percent

Labour got at the last election...

All eyes have now turned

to the party's deputy leader, Jacinda Ardern.

This is your moment, Jacinda,

step up to the plate, or watch your party die.

There's a lot of talk about

you being the next leader of the Labour Party,

the next female prime minister.

- Do you want to be that person? - No.

And I absolutely support Andrew Little

to do that job, as opposed to me.

But everyone says it-- - Yes, but I mean it.

Good morning, everybody.

I've just confirmed to the Labour caucus

that I will step aside as leader of the Labour Party.

There's no question that the poll results

that came out last week were disturbing,

and very, very disappointing.

Moving at uncharacteristically high speed,

Labour completely changed its leadership team this morning

following three disastrous political polls.

Following Andrew's announcement this morning,

I was nominated to be leader of the Labour Party.

This team is about to run the campaign of our lives.

My whole journey in politics

has been a battle with two sides of myself.

The one that says, "You can't,"

and then the one that says, "But you have to."

I was 14 years old when someone first used

the term, "imposter syndrome."

And it was just like something clicked.

Suddenly, I had words to describe how I'd felt

for every speech competition I did,

or any challenge where I just had

a bit of a seed of doubt

and a fear that something might expose

that I shouldn't be there.

When I stood down there for that press conference,

I waited for someone to just stand up,

and say that outright. "Why you?"

And they did.

I'm happy to take questions. I'm sure there are many.

Yes, I am, Barry,

and my team would not have selected me

if they didn't believe that also.

Yes. Would you like to tell me why you don't think I can?

Oh, look, look, everyone knows that I've just accepted,

with short notice, the worst job in politics.

I had been in opposition for nine years.

I had held the justice portfolio,

the social development portfolio.

I'd held corrections, child protection,

small business, employment.

So, I had some experience behind me.

Did I come in with this view that I needed

to particularly bring my feminist leadership approach?

No, because I didn't actually anticipate being a leader.

It was a little bit of a shock to me seven weeks out

from a general election in New Zealand.

There was no time for me to redesign myself

in any particular way.

No one could come to me, and say,

"Well, we've polled, and focus-grouped,

and this is how you need to present yourself

if you're going to win the election."

There was none of that.

That meant I could only be myself.

I remember distinctly

when I took over as leader being told,

"Your job is just to save the furniture."

No one thought it was plausible that we could win.

Let's do this!

Are you with me?

- Yeah! - Let's do this!

We will remain relentlessly positive

because I do believe optimism and hope

is at our heart.

It is part of who we are as New Zealanders.

On election night, the outcome wasn't clear.

National has won 46 percent of the vote,

and a left-leaning coalition of Labour,

and the Greens, has 42 percent.

Both sides need Winston Peters

to get to a majority.

The anti-immigration populist holds all the cards

and will decide New Zealand's next prime minister.

I do not want to be seen to have made any compromise

to get into government that involves immigration.

- No. I one hundred percent support-- - That's my problem.

I have a real strong view on this.

Mm.

Mm.

Of course they wanna put us in a position to govern.

I think that we're the best opportunity

to make the change that New Zealanders need.

In two and a half hours possibly,

I'll know whether or not

I've successfully got Labour into government.

I have waves of incredible anxiety.

Not about losing, but about winning.

...and some fine weather. We've got all the details

coming up, right now at six o'clock.

Speculation mounting

that Winston Peters is about to announce

who'll form the next government.

We had a choice to make,

whether it was either with National or Labour,

for a modified status quo, all for change.

That's why in the end we chose a coalition government

of New Zealand First

with the New Zealand Labour Party.

It would be a bit overwhelming if I processed it properly

so instead, I just...

do all the things that need to get done.

Yep.

I'm not even 40.

You're not gonna force me to process this this morning.

I don't have time.

I'm not doing this right now.

Ms. Ardern, you have assured me

that you are able to form a government

that can command the confidence of the House of Representatives.

I now ask you to confirm

that you can form such a government.

Yes, Your Excellency.

In that case,

I will proceed with your appointment

as Prime Minister.

That gives effect to your appointment

as Prime Minister. Congratulations, Ms. Ardern.

Thank you.

Every time I got on a plane,

I would look out a window, and I would think,

"Look at that beautiful landscape.

From that mountain to that river,

that is my responsibility."

And I didn't sit in anything for too long

for that period of time.

And now, I'm writing about it,

and I've got no choice but to sit in it.

Okay, so we're recording now.

This is interview number one, file one.

Back in 2017,

I got a call from some archivists

at the Turnbull Library saying,

"We've been interviewing various people in politics."

When you were first asked

whether you'd take part in this diary project,

what made you say yes?

I didn't want him to resign.

Think about what you wanna say.

You know, as someone who loves history,

I thought one day I'm sure I'd really like

to look back on this.

Having those recordings really take me back to a moment

in a way that I don't imagine many other things could.

For that first period of time,

I felt the need to demonstrate that

I was the right person for the job,

that I just had to prove myself.

Political cycles in New Zealand,