>

I don't know how Kiwis feel towards her or her leadership, but, personally, her speech was bittersweet and commendable, and hearing what she hopes is remembered of her leadership is certainly what I'll remember (although I'm aware i am not Kiwi, so it matters less)

Asked how she would like New Zealanders to remember her leadership, she said “as someone who always tried to be kind.”
“I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind, but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader – one who knows when it’s time to go,” Ardern said.
From an election timing POV; if you're going to resign, now is a reasonable choice. 
\~1 month to shuffle the chairs, \~6 months to re-establish the new PM and cabinet in the media and public mind, then into the election campaign. >

Problem is Labour doesn’t have anyone nearly as charismatic as Adern, who has sucked up so much oxygen as an outgoing and personable leader. It was the same with Helen Clark, perhaps moreso. Hard to see Labour winning from here. They’re out for two cycles in my estimate. Feel free to set a RemindMe! >

!RemindMe two cycles >

Hi, I understand that you need a bicycle? >

Nah give the bike a rest, for it is two tired >

The fuck I just witnessed >

Kickstandup comedy >

Came back into the office to start 2023, and said "fuck this". >

Relatable >

I first read that as 'Jesus is Jacinda' and was a bit confused before I remembered about French. >

It’s easy to forget about the French but they will be quick to remind you again ;) >


She said there was no secret scandal behind her resignation. “I am human. We give as much as we can for as long as we can and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time. >

I wish all politicians recognized when it was time for them to move on. >

In the USA, we'd have no politicians left. >

God, wouldn't that be nice... >

Yes it would considered we have people as old as dinosaurs still serving and they know damn well they have no business being in office. >

Nobody should be in politics for 40 years >

I'm so desperately looking forward to never having to hear about anyone's Vietnam service in a presidential debate again >

Thankfully, we’ll have Moon War service to take its place! >

We've already got wars like desert storm, I'm just tired of having the exact same generational cohort be in charge of politics for three decades >

We could have as much as ten more years of this shit. Who knows when the octagenarians in congress will finally die, and we've already seen some people stay in office despite severe cognitive decline. >

Kiwi here, there are a lot of mixed feelings about her in NZ. No denying that she was dealt awful cards (Whakaari eruption, Christchurch terror attack, and COVID!) not too mention she had a baby early into her first term. 
No denying that she’s handles a crisis like a champ and true leader. Unfortunately her and her party have fallen very short when it comes to the day to day, Labour look unlikely to win the next election (although still possible), but they were leaking popularity like a sieve. 
As a person, she seems like a great human and I’ll miss her leadership for that. As an effective politician she’s had very big wins and very big failures, mixed feelings there.
Either way I just hope like hell that National (the opposition) don’t get in. >


Either way I just hope like hell that National (the opposition) don’t get in.

They will, mate, the Labour-National swing is as sure as the tides. David Seymour, on the other hand, is a concerning wildcard. >

"The decisions that have had to be made have been continual and they have been weighty, but I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job," Ardern says.
"I am leaving because with such a privileged role comes responsibility. The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also when you are not. I know what this job takes and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice."
--------------------------  
Shes only human. Hard choice to make. >

Reading between the lines. You don't just get burnt out. Politics wears on your sould and can make you a worse person and change you permanently. I think it's taxing at a deeper level. >

I think this is right, as long as you’re not a narcissist or sociopath, which I truly feel like so many politicians are (obviously not Jacinda). >

Lookin at you McCarthy… >

Or Santos >

eh, he came into it fucked up. hasn’t been at it long enough or in any role of importance for anything to weigh on him. he’s probably just a pathological liar. >

hes garbage >

9 months before the election.
How much time must there before the next election so that the current leader’s resignation isn’t considered “before an election”? >

It never will be enough time. The media has to sensationalize to get attention. >

to be clear, the actual article headline is:

Jacinda Ardern quits as Prime Minister: Labour to elect new leader, Grant Robertson won’t seek role, general election date October 14

unless it has been updated, OP editorialized it. >

The headline now is that. It was breaking news, the headline has been updated multiple times as more information came out. >

So part of the information that came out is the date of the election? >

So for any New Zealanders on here, why is she resigning? >

Mix of things. A very hard 6 years of being leader, and several missteps plus polling badly. 
Its a strange one where people wanted them to do more and specifically more socialist things yet will punish them by voting more right wing >


very hard 6 years of being leader,

the chch terrorist attack, that volcano explosion, her young child and covid in 6 years is too much for anyone. I would be drained too >

Respectfully it’s more like she has seen the writing on the wall. I feel like she would have stayed if the polling supported her, but even that’s turned against her. 
It’s only on Reddit where people think Ardern is perfect and not had any problems. Just like every other politician however, she has done many wrong things, least of things like housing, which many people feel aggrieved about. >

yeah she fucked up a lot too, like her lack of support for the cannabis referendum, the housing crisis and so on.
she's still better than the other alternatives >

See this is what is confusing me as an American. I thought she was popular, but apparently not by reading the NZ people in here. The problem is, it sounds like all the complaints say she failed to meet a bunch of promises that a right wing government would actively oppose. So why is it likely she would lose? Its like "OK u have fucked up on these big issues but the fuck up is exactly what the right would do if they had a choice". 
Oh so you are just like us. Ok I rubberducked my way into getting it. >

she won her last election by an historical landslide, got enough political capital to potentially annex the west island on her charisma alone and then she spent it on basically ... nothing?
I voted for her (and also voted yes on both refs) but there are no excuses. Left wing voters are dissapointed and might go back to the greens and right wing boomer voters will go back to national now that they have a leader that doesnt have the charisma of a rock  like Collins so there's no way she will win the next election. 
Her quitting is the only scenario where labour might win the next election >


she won her last election by an historical landslide, got enough political capital to potentially annex the west island on her charisma alone and then she spent it on basically ... nothing?

That's what's really disappointing. There was so much potential yet nearly all of it didn't really come to anything. 
She's much better than the alternatives (wages in NZ have risen twice as fast under her - even before covid - than with the previous government) which makes this even worse. >

Remembering the reason for our inflation is wage rises.  Not corporate greed. Not oil prices. Not global supply chain issues.  But NZ domestic wage. /s. >

She’s resigning as NZ Labour’s main rival party, the centre-right National Party, has taken the lead in the polls since about this time last year. She must see the writing on the wall and is resigning to give Labour new leadership before the next election this year. Shame to see her go, but nothing lasts forever.