Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern makes guest appearance on Twitch and tries her hand at Māori carving

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tries her hand at the art of whakairo - traditional Māori carving - with Twitch streamer Broxh the Carver. Image / Broxh

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made a surprise appearance on live streaming site Twitch while also trying her hand at the art of whakairo - traditional Māori carving.

Ardern was in Rotorua on the election campaign trail yesterday and popped in for a visit to popular Twitch streamer and Te Arawa whakairo artist known as the Bob Ross of carving - Broxh the Carver.

The local carver, also a keen gamer, has been described as one of the most humble and wholesome people on the streaming site; where he shows off his skills and shares his love of whakairo.

As Ardern makes her appearance, Broxh lets her know his followers are watching them right now.

She immediately pops her head into view before giving a wave and saying: "Kia ora!"

Broxh's followers - as well as himself - regularly refer to her as Aunty and she smiles; saying she had always thought it was a nice term.

"It's just a sign of respect to you," Broxh says.

"I don't mind it at all," she smiles.

In the video the PM also touches on yesterday's announcement that, if re-elected, a Labour government would introduce a new public holiday celebrating Matariki, the Māori new year.

"We did - we're gonna make it a public holiday," she says to Broxh.

Why Matariki should be a public holiday

"I was speaking to one of our experts in Matariki ... last week and he said something that really stood out to me.

"He's like: 'Here we are in New Zealand and we're celebrating Christmas in the summer, we've got the Easter bunny at Easter and yet we've got Matariki - which is about us'.

"And it just makes so much sense for us to do that. I'm really - I feel really lucky to be a part of that," Ardern says.

nga mihi whanau 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/hSUSBzoTLt

— Broxh (@Broxh_) September 7, 2020

She goes on to acknowledge that the hope was that it was not just about a public holiday, but the chance for Kiwis to learn and know more about Matariki.

"I hope it turns into - well, it should be - it's much more than a public holiday.

"It's a chance for us to learn about something that I just didn't learn in my education."

At one point, Ardern explains that she had always loved woodwork as a young teenager in high school.

Before being allowed to give carving a go herself, she asks whether it was okay for her to do so on the piece in front of them.

Broxh explains it is fine, as it is under any form of sacred protocol.

"If people don't like it, go watch someone else," Broxh says with a wave to the camera.

Taking the tools in hand, Ardern is silent for a few seconds as she works away at the piece.

"Everybody's praising you now," Broxh says, explaining all the quirky emojis people are leaving on his channel - including KFC buckets.

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A post shared by @broxh_

The PM spends about 20 minutes talking to Broxh and his followers, as well as family members off camera, before she leaves.

At one point, in the background, Ardern can be heard saying she would be back one day to give everyone a hug.

After a few minutes off camera, Broxh returns to the stream and appears to be relieved and in disbelief at the same time.

"Holy hell," he says, before letting out a long sigh.

"I can breathe. I can let out a silent one without a care in the world now.

"I got a photo with Aunty - yeah," he laughs, while punching the air happily."

Praising the Prime Minister, he said he was in awe.