… courtesy of the military…
Jacinda, Clarke and Neve took off on holiday together on Monday, heading away for a well-earned break from all the stresses and struggles of running a country and visiting schools and kindergartens. They arrived in Rarotonga, where Clarke will use the time to film some shots for his TV programme, ‘Fish of the Day’.
OK… nothing to report so far. Politicians commonly go on holiday at this time of year. John Key used to go to his holiday home in Hawaii. Remember how the media used to try to use it against him… and definitely used it against his son, Max; trying to make him out to be some spoiled little rich kid who didn’t deserve a holiday because he didn’t do anything.
There was, however, a marked difference between John Key’s holidays in Hawaii and Jacinda’s trip to Rarotonga. John Key flew in a commercial plane.
It would appear that Jacinda, Clarke and Neve travelled to Rarotonga on an RNZAF 757.
There is virtually nothing in the media about this trip. Normally, we hear about it when the prime minister goes on holiday, but there is local media silence on this.
Well, maybe it is just a coincidence that an RNZAF Boeing took off from Wellington at around about the same time that Jacinda was going off on holiday. Nothing to see here.
Twitter is rife with speculation about this trip; but there seems to be no coverage elsewhere. Can you imagine how the media would be baying for blood if John Key had done this?
Some of the theories are as follows:
- Jacinda and Clarke are planning a wedding
- Jacinda is going to be a celebrity on Clarke’s fishing show to improve its poor ratings
- Everyone in Cabinet knows where she is going but is sworn to secrecy
All of which is fine, however it is unusual for the prime minister to be taking an overseas trip without there being some coverage of it. After all, she was met by officials on her arrival in Rarotonga.
Kiwi prime minister Jacinda Ardern arrived in Rarotonga yesterday for a holiday with fiancé Clarke Gayford and their daughter Neve.
Cook Islands News.
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has chosen the Cook Islands as her destination for a family getaway.
The cheerful looking Ardern arrived in the country yesterday with her fiancé Clarke Gayford and their year old baby Neve.
They were greeted by prime minister Henry Puna and his wife Akaiti, Cook Islands Tourism chief executive officer Halatoa Fua and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Rarotonga International Airport’s VIP lounge.
Ardern and her family was adorned with fresh ei garlands by prime minister Puna. Her arrival went relatively unnoticed by people at the airport.
Ardern and her family were then whisked away to their accommodation. It is believed they left for Aitutaki where they will spend most of their time while in the country, late yesterday.
According to sources, Gayford will be using the trip to shoot for his Fish of the Day television show aired by Mediaworks in New Zealand. But an official source said that Ardern and her family were in the country “purely on holiday”.
It seems that it is primarily the mode of transport that is being kept hidden. We probably know the reason for that.
If Jacinda has taken an RNZAF jet to go on a personal jaunt, then this is a disgrace. The military is only at the complete disposal of officials in corrupt regimes, or communist countries.
As for the media blackout on the subject? Well, remember that this is the most ‘open and transparent’ government ever.
Someone get me a Tui.