MAJURO — During her tenure as New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern played a valuable role in the Pacific regional politics, the Marshall Islands former president Hilda Heine told the Marshall Islands Journal this week.
In an interview published in Friday’s newspaper in Majuro, Heine spoke about Ardern and their relationship working together in the Pacific Islands Forum annual summits.
“Obviously for women, PM Ardern was seen as a great role model,” said Heine. “She led New Zealand effectively and approached her leadership role humanely. She was effective, kind but strong and gave New Zealand a good reputation on the world stage.”
Ardern and Heine were the only two female heads of state in the Forum, and prior to Ardern’s accession to power in 2017, Heine was the sole woman leader in the male-dominated Forum after her election in 2016. Heine lost her bid for reelection in 2020 and with Ardern’s resignation the Forum now has no women’s voice.
Heine said Ardern understood island issues and was a valuable colleague within the Pacific Islands Forum.
“She was sensitive to Pacific regional issues and worked well with other Pacific leaders in and outside of the Pacific Islands Forum,” said Heine. “I felt that she was strong on climate change and on more than one occasion mediated heated discussions during Forum Leaders Retreats.”
Heine added that Ardern “often took the Pacific leaders side — against Australians — as regards climate change positions in a number of Pacific Islands Forum communiqués.”
Heine said she and the former New Zealand prime minister connected on many levels, having a passion for many of the same issues of concern.
“We shared similar interests and highlighted actions on climate change, women’s rights, ending domestic violence and child poverty and economic inequality,” said Heine.
At the last in-person meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, in Tuvalu in 2019, Marshall Islands Journal reporter Kelly Lorennij, who was at the Forum in Tuvalu, covered a press conference involving Heine, Ardern and then-Forum Secretary General Dame Meg Taylor. “Around the main meetings of the 50th Pacific Islands Forum post-conference with dialogue partners, female powerhouses New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine and PIF Secretary-General Dame Meg Taylor held a media stand-up session on women and gender issues minutes before the dialogue’s first opening statement on the steps of Tuvalu’s newly built convention center in Funafuti,” Lorennij wrote for the Marshall Islands Journal.
A story about Ardern stepping down by U.S. National Public Radio quoted former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.
“The pressures on prime ministers are always great, but in this era of social media, clickbait, and 24/7 media cycles, Jacinda has faced a level of hatred and vitriol which in my experience is unprecedented in our country,” Clark said.
Heine had similar observations.
“Around the world, women politicians in particular have borne the brunt of the media toxicity, which often focuses on misogyny,” she said. “Ardern’s departure, unfortunately is another successful attempt at a silencing of a woman’s voice.”
Heine added, in reference to herself: “It occurred in the Marshall Islands in 2020!”
At the last in-person meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, in Tuvalu in 2019, then-Secretary General Dame Meg Taylor, left, joined with then President Hilda Heine and Prime Minister Jacinda Arden in a press conference.
