New Zealand PM back to work after maternity leave

Wellington : New Zealand Prime Minister and new mum Jacinda Ardern, only the second world leader to give birth while in office, ended her maternity leave Thursday and immediately announced baby Neve will accompany her to the United Nations next month. After six weeks bonding with her daughter, the 38-year-old said she was looking forward to getting back to work.

“Absolutely,” she told TVNZ as she marked her first day back with a round of media interviews. “I feel like I’ve been gifted by the New Zealand public, by my team and with the help of the acting prime minister this time to be with Neve, which has been wonderful. Ardern has opted to work from home in Auckland until the weekend when she will relocate to the capital Wellington. She said that while she and partner Clarke Gayford want to protect the baby’s privacy “at the same time we want to be a family and I do a very public job”.