A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir

Six months before the 2017 national election, Ardern won a by-election in Mount Albert, where she and Clarke bought a home. The media frequently speculated about whether Ardern was pregnant, which was particularly galling because she and Clarke were actively (but unsuccessfully) trying to conceive through fertility treatments. Ardern was promoted to the position of Labour Party Deputy Leader when the former deputy, Annette King, stepped down. Ardern resents that the media portrayed the handover as a bitter generational power struggle, since Ardern didn’t seek out the promotion, and King simply retired so that a new deputy could appeal to younger demographics.

Ardern hoped that the resignation of the current National Party prime minister, John Key, after three terms in office might spell success for the Labour Party in the impending elections, but Little was less confident. With only two months to go until election day, official polls showed the Labour Party attracting a percentage of votes in the low twenties. Ardern’s attempts to dissuade Little from resigning failed, and she was unanimously accepted as the new replacement leader of the Labour Party and a candidate for prime minister. Kelvin Davis was likewise unanimously selected as her deputy, the first