Venkat Raman
The news of the arrival of the first child (a baby girl) for Jacinda Ardern and her Partner Clarke Gayford on Thursday, June 21, 2018, engaged the headlines of almost all media channels including print editions of newspapers all over the world.
Thousands of messages were posted on Twitter, Facebook and other social media, apart from messages received through government channels and directly by media.
Bhaktavar Bhutto congratulates
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto holds the record for being the first woman Prime Minister in modern times to deliver a baby while in office.
Ms Bhutto was born on June 21 and shares the birthday of Jacinda Ardern’s new baby. Her second daughter Bhaktavar was born on January 25, 1990 in Karachi, Pakistan, while she was Prime Minister.
Bhaktavar tweeted, “Congratulations PM @jacindaardern on the birth of your daughter! Reposting this (from the Guardian), relevant as ever, “Benazir Bhutto showed you can be a mother and Prime Minister.”
Ardern’s parents excited
The Prime Minister’s parents have expressed their excitement at the birth of their new granddaughter.
The baby arrived at 445 pm at Auckland City Hospital, weighing 3.31 kg.
Ms Ardern’s father Ross Ardern told RNZ that he and his wife Laurell were “very proud” and warmly welcomed the new addition to their family.
“She will be great company for our other two grandchildren and we look forward to meeting her. We are very happy that mum and baby are doing well. We know that Clarke and Jacinda will make a great team looking after the baby and we will of course be supporting them where we can,” he said.
Finding a Name
Prior to leaving Auckland Hospital to go home for the first time with her new-born, Ms Ardern announced to the waiting media that the baby has been named ‘Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford.’
“We struggled to decide on the name for many months. But we decided to wait for the baby to be born before taking a decision,” she told reporters.
“We chose Neve, because we liked the name and we thought she looked like a Neve. Te Aroha is a name that we had decided earlier,” she added.
About Neve and Te Aroha
According to a source, ‘Neve,’ a girl’s name, is of Irish and Latin origin, meaning ‘Snow.’
‘Te Aroha’ means “The Loved, the Compassionate,’ It also denotes radiance, brilliance and mountain in the Waikato region, near Hamilton, the City where Ms Ardern was born, raised and educated.
Ms Ardern said, “It seems like a good combination for Matariki and for solstice. Te Aroha is our way of reflecting the amount of love this baby has been shown even before she arrived. It is also the place from which my family hails and I grew up under that mountain.
Ms Ardern said that holding the baby for the first time was a moment that she cherished immensely. “It happens very, very quickly,” she said.
Clarke Gayford said, “Actually, I will not forget the look on Jacinda’s face. She looked absolutely stunned and very, very happy.”
Just before leaving, Ms Ardern said, “For everyone who sent anything, even a comment on Facebook, thank you so much. We are so grateful.”
Inundated with Wishes
Ms Ardern was inundated with greetings from around the globe.
The historic occasion has caused a stir at home and worldwide – Ms Ardern is the first world leader to give birth in office in almost three decades.
As with the pregnancy, news of the baby’s arrival came first on social media.
Ms Ardern posted a photo and a message: “Welcome to our village, wee one.”
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Photo Caption:
Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford with their baby at the Auckland Hospital on June 21.
(Picture Supplied)
