JACINDA ARDERN

Everyone knows that I have just accepted, with short notice, the worst job in politics.

Te Aroha was something we settled on quite early. It was our way of reflecting the amount of love this baby's been shown before she even arrived.

I don't think that the next generation should fear just being who they are rather than confirming to an expectation of what they are meant to be.

We know we've got a problem attracting to certain areas because of the cost of living, so we're thinking about things from how do we ensure key workers have accessible and affordable housing; also, how do we attract people into teaching as well.

I am not the first woman to multi-task. I am not the first woman to work and have a baby - there are many women who have done this before.

I'll be prime minister and a mum, and Clarke will be 'first man of fishing' and stay-at-home dad. I think it's fair to say that this will be a wee one that a village will raise, but we couldn't be more excited.

We aspire to be a government for all New Zealanders and one that will seize the opportunity to build a fairer, better New Zealand.

I hope for little girls and boys that there is a future where they can make choices about how they raise their family and what sort of career they have, which is based on what they want and what makes them happy.

I hate the idea of anyone thinking that I don't put a lot of thought about the cost to taxpayers. I make our ministers travel to events in vans to pool together.

One of the criticisms I've faced over the years is that I'm not aggressive enough or assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I'm empathetic, it means I'm weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong.

When I came into politics, I remember reading these scorecards of my performance, and I would routinely have these comments about not being assertive enough.

I have a collection of ukuleles. I meant to graduate to the guitar, but I never did.

My grandma was a very traditional woman but, at the same time, would want me to have kids.

All of the things that people said that I would experience - that idea that you suddenly have this new person in your life that you could love so much and that time will go incredibly quickly, but that the nights will seem incredibly long - all of that has been true, but it has been wonderful.

At a personal level, it's just the day-to-day: I'm a mum that needs to meet all of the responsibilities that come with being a mum, making sure that Neve has the basics, that she's fed, that she's loved, that she sleeps as much as we're able to get her to sleep, and we will do that together. That's a practical reality of my new role.

Back in the early days of my political career, I was called Socialist Cindy. I just hate the nickname Cindy.

I do find it slightly offensive that everyone thinks that every New Zealander starred in either 'Lord of the Rings' or 'The Hobbit.'

I have a partner who can be there alongside me, who's taking up a huge part of that joint responsibility, because he's a parent, too - he's not a babysitter.

I'd say it was always in me - it's just what's required of you is very different in the moment that you become leader. When you're part of a team, you defer, and you're there to support your leader.

Things like promoting healthy behaviours, including nutrition and activity, and beginning that at school is so critical. We used to have a healthy eating, healthy action plan, elements of which really were dumped by the last government, so we're trying to rebuild a bit of a program of action in that space.

If you sit and wait to feel like you are the most confident person in the room, you are probably going to be left by yourself.

I have already been a big believer in a model of nurse/family partnerships: the idea of having - for those mums that might benefit from a bit of extra support - having those visits scaled up a bit. I believed in it before; I absolutely believe in it now. So that is probably one of the things that affirmed something I already supported.

I want to be a good leader, not a good lady leader. I don't want to be known simply as the woman who gave birth.

It becomes tricky if you ever try to partition off what might be seen as sexist criticism. To be honest, I just don't engage. The best way I can rebel against those notions is being competent, good at my job.

Everything I've ever thought about doing has been, in some sense, about helping people.