Ardern said she had found herself involved in people’s lives “during their most grief-stricken or traumatic moments” in that series of events.
“Their stories and faces remain etched in my mind and likely will forever,” Ardern said on Wednesday in Parliament wearing a gifted korowai, a traditional Maori cloak, seen as a mark of honor and prestige.
The daughter of a police officer and school canteen operator, Ardern said she wanted her career to inspire others to take office.
“You can be anxious, sensitive, kind, and wear your heart on your sleeve,” she said with tears in her eyes. “You can be a mother or not, an ex-Mormon or not. 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.”
Successor Chris Hipkins appointed Ardern on Tuesday to an unpaid role combating violent extremism online at an organization set up after the Christchurch attack. Ardern said she looked forward to working on de-radicalization.
She won plaudits across the political spectrum for her handling of the Covid pandemic, which she said was a “tough experience.” New Zealand faced some of the strictest measures globally but also had one of the lowest death tolls.
Looking up at the public galleries toward her 4-year-old daughter, Neve, Ardern thanked her partner, Clarke Gayford, and told her child: “You won’t grow up being known as the ex-prime minister’s daughter but rather I will happily be known as Neve’s mom, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
