We asked high-profile young New Zealanders about their reflections of 2013, and their hopes and resolutions for the New Year.
Jacinda Ardern, 33. List MP, Labour Party; Spokesperson for Children; Police and Corrections; Arts, Culture and Heritage.
When you’re in politics, it’s hard to draw a line between work and life – it all mashes up together a little bit. I think one of the lasting memories of 2013 for me will be the death of Parekura Horomia in April. He was such a giant personality in our caucus, and such a well-respected character – and to lose a standing MP is a rare thing to happen in Parliament. It was very sad, and very hard for everyone.
Of course, the leadership contest was a really significant event for the Labour Party. It was the first time that we’ve ever gone out to the membership that way, and it was a really good process for us to go through. All three candidates were fantastic: great speakers, entertaining, intelligent. After we held meetings in town halls up and down the country, we started getting feedback from people: ‘Wow, I had no idea about x or y policy’, ‘I didn’t know this person was such a good orator’.
Being able to feel positive, constructive feelings more often is my goal for 2014 – which, ultimately, does mean winning an election.
I think we politicians really take for granted that we’re exposed all the time to the characters that we work with and their talents. Politics isn’t what it used to be, in that sense, and I think trying to return to a little of that grassroots style was a great thing to do.
In 2014, I’m hoping to have some of those celebratory moments. When you’re in opposition, you only feel that victorious sense of passing a new law a few times. Marriage equality was one of them – that moment where we all sat there and thought, ‘Wow, we actually got to be a part of something really amazing, changing history’. I can only imagine how Louisa [Wall, Labour MP] felt. Being able to feel positive, constructive feelings more often is my goal for 2014 – which, ultimately, does mean winning an election.
Over this summer, I’m going to be hanging out with my family before the carnage resumes. It’s funny when people ask me, ‘When does your campaign start?’, because it never really feels like it ends – it just amps up at the end. Campaigns are a bit of a mystery, I think – from the outside, you see the staged events, the policy announcements, trotting around after the leader. I’ve started thinking about the ways I can give people more of an insight into the highs and lows of campaigning – the kind of gut-busting stuff of just knocking on thousands of doors, and delivering thousands of leaflets. I’m hoping to make 2014 an open campaign in that regard.