Jacinda Ardern singles out David Cunliffe, one of her predecessors as Labour leader, for criticism in her new memoir, describing an incident where he apparently suggested giving her a high position in the party list would be seen as “tokenistic”.
The exchange represents a rare public disagreement between two former leaders and amounts to an unusual moment of political candour from Ardern.
She also recounts feeling relief when Cunliffe stepped down as leader after a crushing election loss for Labour in 2014, writing: “For the first time in a long while, I felt relieved.”
And she also wrote in her book, A Different Kind of Power, about questioning Cunliffe’s authenticity and loyalty to the party.
Party list
Ardern describes a tense private exchange where Cunliffe allegedly told her he was considering her for the party’s number three list position but was worried about whether it might appear “tokenistic”.
According to Ardern’s account, Cunliffe called her to his office after becoming leader in 2013 to discuss the party’s front bench positions.
“I’d like to have a woman in my No. 3 spot,” Cunliffe allegedly told her, before adding: “I’ve considered you for this spot. But I’m worried about that looking… well… tokenistic.”
Ardern writes she then refused to make a case for why she deserved the position: “‘You either think that or you don’t. I either deserve to be No. 3 or I don’t. You need to decide.”
Ultimately she was not named at number 3 in the list, and nor was any other woman MP.
Cunliffe responded to the claims in the book with a brief statement.
“Jacinda did not raise any issues with me at the time and has not done so since,” he said. “I have quite a different recollection of events.”
Ardern recounts volatile time for Labour
Ardern also described her reaction to Cunliffe’s infamous apology for being a man at a Women’s Refuge event, writing: “I found myself holding my breath whenever he spoke.”
In contrast to her criticism of Cunliffe, Ardern speaks warmly of her relationship with Grant Robertson, who would later become her finance minister and deputy while PM, describing him as someone who would have been “an outstanding prime minister.”
She details how she supported Robertson’s leadership bid, which included running against Cunliffe, and later formed a “Gracinda” ticket with him in a subsequent bid.
‘My intent, never in writing this, was to ever malign’
Ardern was asked about her candid writing regarding Cunliffe in an RNZ interview yesterday.
“With any character in the book, for the most part, I’ve just tried to write experiences so without giving too much commentary on anyone as an individual person,” she responded.
“There were a few moments that were perhaps a little bit formative in my career, where I was struggling with this question of whether or not I was viewed tokenistically.
The former Prime Minister was asked by Seven Sharp’s Hilary Barry whether she could return to New Zealand without being given a hard time. (Source: Seven Sharp)
“And the story that I shared came up through the course of those events. To not share it would have been a very deliberate edit, a deliberate exclusion of something that really did stand out in my mind. It wasn’t just about the person. It was about the moment.”
The former prime minister said: “A lot of the things that are in there are also a reflection of that period in opposition, which was pretty tough for us, it is fair to say.”
“My intent never, in writing this, was to ever malign, but just to share an experience.”
‘The red wedding’
Cunliffe, who now helps run a consultancy firm, has largely stayed out of the public eye since his time as a Cabinet minister and stint as Labour leader though he sometimes appears as a political pundit.
He took over the leadership in 2013 following a divisive contest but stepped down after the 2014 election defeat. Ardern described the party’s turbulence in detail, comparing the aftermath of Phil Goff’s election loss to “the red wedding in Game of Thrones”.
The leadership period was marked by internal party tensions, with factions emerging within the Labour caucus, including an “Anyone-But-Cunliffe” grouping.
Years later, just weeks before the 2017 election, Ardern went on to become Labour leader and subsequently became PM in a coalition with NZ First and the Greens before winning with a landslide in 2020.
When asked yesterday if she remained in contact with Cunliffe, Ardern said no. But she added that if she saw him, she would still stop and chat to him.
“Not everyone do I have regular exchanges with,” she said.
