Coffee, cheeseburgers and 'a lot of tea': Jacinda's lockdown cravings revealed

The Prime Minister spoke to The Hits' Laura McGoldrick on how she's coping amid lockdown. Photo / Getty Images

She's guided New Zealand through two Covid-19 lockdowns in what she described as a "terrible" year - but is the Prime Minister okay?

Speaking to Laura McGoldrick on The Hits yesterday, Jacinda Ardern revealed how she keeps it together.

"The thing that has really made a difference for me is perspective," she told the radio host.

"Just about any country is worse off than us right now ... New Zealand has done incredibly well and so I'm constantly reminded of that, and that gets me through a little bit."

And the PM revealed that though she still tries to be there to put Neve to bed, her daughter might be going through the "terrible twos" phase.

"I did say not that long ago, 'oh Neve, Mummy needs a hug'," she said, revealing Neve's response was "No".

"And she hates it when I sing nursery rhymes. She pulls the finger out as well and she'll point at me and say no.

"I know I'm not that blessed with musical talent but I didn't think I was that bad!"

McGoldrick asked how she really feels about being called Aunty Cindy. "Is it true you hate being called Cindy?"

"I don't want to make the situation worse," the PM responded. "When I was a kid I didn't like being called Cindy but when you chuck Aunty in front of it, I actually don't mind it."

And she revealed her most common nickname growing up was "Jac".

"What I was called my whole life by my friends was Jac. My form 1 teacher used to call me Aunty Jac and it stuck."

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Left before anyone in my house was up this morning - at least so I thought. Turns out mum had got up and packed breakfast and a cup of tea for me and left it outside my door. And when it’s not mum making tea, it’s Clarke. I am very lucky to be surrounded by kindness.

A post shared by Jacinda Ardern (@jacindaardern) on Apr 13, 2020 at 1:08pm PDT

In response to the question that's been on all of our minds - what's the Prime Minister's go-to fast food - Ardern revealed she tends to avoid the drive-thru.

"I have definitely got takeout since I've been in this job, many times, but the last time I went to McDonald's I thought it would be quicker just to walk in.

"And my security goes with me everywhere. It was after the Golden Shears in Masterton and I stopped for a cheeseburger and fries."

That's not the only lockdown craving she had.

"Weirdly, I don't drink a lot of coffee and yet I still remember when we moved the ability to go and get a takeout coffee, that felt like a real landmark moment for me," she told McGoldrick.

"If not coffee, what does keep you going?" asked the radio host.

"Well my day doesn't start as early as a breakfast radio host but it's often dark at both ends of my day. I drink tea like it's water, I drink a lot of tea."

"Very English, milky. I drink a lot of milky tea just like my grandmother.

"Clearly in this interview you've deduced that I was born old."