About four years ago, when I was 41 weeks pregnant with my second child, my phone rang. I sent it to voicemail because I didn’t recognise the number. A woman I'd worked with before, Fiona McBeath, had left me a message saying she'd changed jobs and was wondering if I was available to do some work for them.

I’m pregnant. I’m about six weeks behind the Prime Minister and in sync with the Minister for Women. This closeness has come with its challenges. My mum likes to remind me when I say I’m tired “Well Jacinda is running a country, and she seems to be doing fine.”