PM Jacinda Ardern has given her first statement to the UN General Assembly, with a gentle rebuttal of US President Donald Trump's criticism of the UN and rejection of 'globalism' in favour of patriotism.
Baby Neve has threatened to upstage her mum on the world stage during her first trip to New York as Prime Minister.
As her mother rebutted Donald Trump's criticism of theUN and used her speech to highlight what a crumbling of multilateralism would mean for New Zealand and the Pacific, NZ's First Baby watched from the sidelines in the arms of dad Clarke Gayford.
It wasn't baby Neve's first time in the UN General Assembly hall, with her presence capturing global attention on Tuesday as she sat alongside Ardern during the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit.
The media at the front gate were entranced to see her arrive in a stroller with her mum and dad and all eyes — and cameras — were on Neve as her mother spoke about the impact Mandela had on New Zealand.
Photos from the General Assembly hall included ones of Neve being cradled and kissed by Ardern and in another Neve sat with a hilariously grumpy face on Gayford's knee. The images quickly spread in the media and on social media.
Samantha Power, a former US Ambassador to the UN under former President Barack Obama, tweeted them saying "I cannot stress how much the @UN - and the governments that comprise it — need this."
Even the spokesman for the UN, Stephane Dujarric, issued a comment on Neve's presence, saying the UN was delighted to see her.
Thank you, New Zealand PM @jacindaardern, for bringing your baby girl along to the @UN General Assembly this week. Having little Neve in the room is a humbling reminder that the world's leaders must act not for ourselves, but for the future of our children and our planet. #UNGApic.twitter.com/z0n8N7N27g
"Prime Minister Ardern is showing that no one is better qualified to represent her country than a working mother. Just 5 per cent of the world's leaders are women, so we need to make them as welcome here as possible," she said.
The presence of baby Neve in the General Assembly also garnered attention from Fox News and in Vogue.
Vogue's article said Ardern had become something of a "feminist hero" and said taking her baby to the General Assembly was remarkable:
"Ardern is a woman with a new baby and an important job, and she didn't feel the need to hide that fact in order to assert herself on the world stage. That's a notable departure especially for American audiences...
"From all of us who have pumped breast milk on a work trip and transported it back home on an airplane, or conducted a conference call with a baby on her lap: Jacinda, we salute you."
Thank you for the concerned messages about how tired i look (fair call). Seems 'someone' is determined to maintain nzt. We've watched so much bad late night tv together that her mum came out at 2am and busted us watching cage fighting in our underpants. pic.twitter.com/sbzAmeyFbf
While only a few months old, Tweets by daddy Gayford also revealed New Zealand's first baby was gifted her own UN security pass and a branded onesie.
"Because everyone on twitter's been asking to see Neve's UN id, staff here whipped one up," Gayford posted.
"I wish I could have captured the startled look on a Japanese delegation inside UN yesterday who walked into a meeting room in the middle of a nappy change. Great yarn for her 21st."
While Ardern has been out making speeches and doing dozens of interviews, Gayford has been holding fort keeping the little one entertained, but it has taken its toll.
Gayford addressed the "concerned messages" about how tired he was looking, in another tweet.
"Thank you for the concerned messages about how tired I look (fair call). Seems 'someone' is determined to maintain [NZ time].
"We've watched so much bad late-night TV together that her mum came out at 2am and busted us watching cage fighting in our underpants."
Because everyone on twitter's been asking to see Neve's UN id, staff here whipped one up. I wish I could have captured the startled look on a Japanese delegation inside UN yesterday who walked into a meeting room in the middle of a nappy change. Great yarn for her 21st. pic.twitter.com/838BI96VYX
