Deputy Labour leader Jacinda Ardern to address Press Club

Newly appointed Labour deputy leader Jacinda Ardern is guest speaker at the next Wintec Press Club free lunch extravaganza in Hamilton.

Although it marks her debut as press club speaker, she has regularly attended the most glamorous media event in New Zealand as a guest.

She said, “I’ve attended the prestigious Press Club for a number of years.

“Based on past events, I greeted the opportunity to speak with equal measures of gratitude and fear, but couldn’t pass up the chance to scan the media.”

Press Club life president Steve Braunias said he was thrilled Ardern accepted his invitation.

“I wanted the country’s most popular politician,” he said, “so I asked John Key, but his office said he was going overseas.

“Jacinda is the only politician I thought of asking to take his place. She has a charm and an appeal that already has many pundits talking of her as a future Prime Minister.

“I’m glad it’s worked out this way because at the end of the day John stands for the past, and Jacinda represents the future. She has always had a star quality as well as a first rate mind. I’m looking forward to her speech and hope that she sticks it to the press gallery.”

Ardern will speak for about 30 minutes at the luncheon, followed by a Q + A session.

The Wintec Press Club is staged on behalf of journalism students at Wintec’s School of Media Arts. An invite-only audience of about 100 regularly includes the biggest names in New Zealand journalism as well as politicians, entrepreneurs, sports personalities, and entertainers.

Lorde attended last year, and speakers have included Patrick Gower, Dave Dobbyn, Robyn Malcolm, Heather du Plessis-Allan, and Sir Paul Holmes.

“The only politician to talk at Press Club was Winston Peters,” said Braunias. “He was quite rambling.”

Past and present journalism students from Wintec will be in attendance at the April 28 event. Wintec graduates include Jenna Lynch at Newshub, Don Rowe at The Spinoff, and other reporters in newsrooms from Auckland to Invercargill.

The 12-2pm lunch is invite only, and will be held at the Ferrybank restaurant and convention centre in Grantham St, on the banks of the Waikato River in downtown Hamilton.

Venetia Sherson, former editor of the Waikato Times, founded the Wintec Press Club in 2004.