Jacinda Ardern responds to quitting, moving to New Plymouth

The Prime Minister says she has no plans to quit her job ahead of next year’s election after rumours began swirling.

Rumours Jacinda Ardern was planning to leave her role before the November 2023 election began circulating earlier in the month.

Ardern has been Labour leader for five years but is facing increasing pressure and a decline in popularity. She’s also heading into a difficult election as Kiwis face high inflation and a cost of living crisis.

And it’s driving speculation she’s planning to step down instead of potentially losing the election.

But speaking with AM on Monday, Ardern told co-host Melissa Chan-Green she has no plans to step down.

“I’ve heard this. This rumour has floated around my entire time five years in Government. I have no plans to change my role as leader, I am not going anywhere. I’ve said this on the show a number of times,” she said.

“Rumours circulate and it’s just part of the role but this is not the first time I’ve had this one and it did come up the last election as well. I am the Labour leader and I have no plans on changing that.”

The Prime Minister also took her appearance on the show as a chance to dispel rumours she was planning to move.

“While I am here might I also dismiss the rumour that I am relocating to New Plymouth, as lovely as it is, I am not intending to move either,” she added.

It’s not the first time Ardern has been forced to pour cold water on a rumour. In fact, before the 2017 election, she was forced to dispel rumours she was too unwell to lead the country.

At the time rumours were swirling the Labour leader was too sick to lead and had been hospitalised. Ardern said she was aware of rumours and was happy to “correct the record”.

“I think that’s reflecting a time when I had an unfortunate complication with tonsillitis – something called quinsy,” she explained in 2017.

“That was the basis on which that started. New Zealand, in different forms, gets plagued by gossip and hearsay, and I am happy to bat back on things like that. But ultimately what I hope is people will see me for who I am – that I’m upfront, that I address problems as they arise, that I’m someone who has enough courage to be in politics in the first place, let alone taking on this job under these exceptional circumstances.

“I am robust enough for this job.”

And it wasn’t the only rumour she’s been forced to dispel, Ardern also recently faced conspiracy theories about her partner Clarke Gayford.

At the start of the year, the Prime Minister jokingly shook off questions over where her partner was amid the conspiracies.

Despite what rumours people may have heard or read, Ardern’s answer was very domestic in nature.