Jacinda Ardern’s tumultuous lead-up to shocking resignation

There were subtle signs Jacinda Ardern was growing fed up with her role as New Zealand’s Prime Minister before her resignation today.

Departing New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern endured a rocky few months prior to her stunning resignation on Thursday, most recently calling a party leader an “arrogant pr**k”.

Ms Ardern announced she would be standing down as Prime Minister after being unable to find the energy and heart to continue in the top job.

A caucus vote will unfold on Sunday for a new Party leader and new prime minister with Labour taking the decision to choose a new leader within three days.

There were signs Ms Ardern’s time in the top job may have been wearing her thin, with a hot mic in parliament last month capturing her call ACT leader David Seymour an “arrogant pr**k” under her breath.

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Jacinda Ardern has resigned as New Zealand’s Prime Minister. Picture: Marty Melville/AFP

Mr Seymour had been asking Ms Ardern a series of questions relating to senior Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta’s performance, hate speech reforms and other policies.

After answering, as Ms Ardern took her seat, she could be heard saying to Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who sits beside her: “Such an arrogant pr**k.”

Such remarks would ordinarily not be heard, but Ms Ardern’s desk microphone picked up the comment.

Mr Seymour did not hear the remark himself. It was only after the NZ Herald picked up on the comments and asked Mr Seymour to comment on them that Mr Seymour raised a point of order in the House, noting that Ms Ardern had made an “exceedingly unparliamentary remark”.

Her resignation came after a rocky few months. Picture: Marty Melville/AFP

He asked that Speaker Adrian Rurawhe have Ms Ardern withdraw the remark and apologise.

Mr Rurawhe did not immediately allow that, noting the remark was not reported in Hansard.

However, Mr Seymour’s questioning of the remarks ensured that they would be recorded in Hansard for posterity – as interjections that are addressed in the chamber, as Mr Seymour addressed Ms Ardern’s comment, get recorded in Hansard.

Ms Ardern apologised to Mr Seymour for the remarks via text.

Referencing another instance when he had been called names by Labour MP Willie Jackson, Mr Seymour told media: “Some days I am a useless Māori, others days I am an arrogant pr**k.

“The apology we are really looking for is for New Zealanders worried about rising prices and ram raids.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern embraces partner Clarke Gayford after announcing her resignation. Picture: Kerry Marshall/Getty Images

“Jacinda Ardern texted me and said, ‘I apologise. It’s not something I should have said and she said, as my mum would say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it.’

“I agree with the sentiment and it is all good as far as I am concerned. I just said, thank you and I hope you have a very merry Christmas. At the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world.”

Mr Seymour told New Zealand radio host Heather du Plessis-Allan he’d been called worse, and he actually saw it as “a victory”.

“I asked her the question … before she said it … can she give us one example where she’d made a mistake, admitted it, apologised and fixed it.

“She couldn’t answer the question which is probably why she was a bit flustered … the great irony is now I actually have got her to apologise for something. So that’s progress. I just wish she’d apologise for a few other things.”