Guernsey Press

New Zealand’s PM announces she is pregnant and Twitter is ablaze with excitement

She’s the first female leader to have a baby while in office in 30 years.

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Jacinda Ardern announced on Twitter on Friday that she and husband Clarke Gayford are expecting their first child.

Ardern told the media she found out she was expecting just six days before learning she would be prime minister.

The adorable post included a picture of two large fishing hooks and a smaller one, representing the soon-to-be family. In the post, she also told the country that Gayford would be a stay-at-home father.

Many on Twitter celebrated the switch of traditional gender roles, and lauded Ardern’s statement to the media that: “I am not the first woman to multi task, I’m not the first woman to work and have a baby, there are many women who have done this before.”

Others took to the social network to air their opinions against the PM having a child in office, but were robustly challenged by other users.

Ardern said she will take six weeks of maternity leave, during which she “fully intends” to be contactable.

During this time Winston Peters, of the New Zealand First party, Labour’s coalition partners, will lead the country. Peters already takes on this position when Ardern is overseas.

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