New Zealand’s ‘First Baby’ Debuts at UN, Watches Mum Give Speech

Baby Neve entered with a mock security pass which termed her the ‘first baby’ of New Zealand.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with her partner Clarke Gayford hold their newly born baby girl, Neve, at Auckland Hospital. This was Ardern’s first public appearance since giving birth to her daughter on 21 June.

(Photo: AP)

Neve Te Aroha, the three-month old daughter of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, made her debut appearance at an international diplomatic forum. She sat in her father’s arms among the New Zealand delegation, while her mother, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, spoke at Nelson Mandela peace summit in the United Nations General Assembly.

Baby Neve entered the General Assembly with a mock security pass which termed her the ‘First Baby’ of New Zealand.

Her father, Clarke Gayford, even posted a picture of Neve’s pass on Twitter.

“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,” Clarke added.

Prime Minister Ardern, who advocated reform of the UN and the powers of the Security Council talked about how Mandela had a profound impact on New Zealand.

She spoke of what Mandela meant to New Zealand and her father missing Ardern's first birthday because he was a policeman on duty for the 1981 Springbok protests.

“As she spoke, Neve watched on, held by her father, Clarke Gayford. After speaking, Ardern herself took over, holding Neve as other leaders spoke,” New Zealand Herald reported.

Ardern, 38, is only the second elected leader to give birth while in office, after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990.