“It is such a pleasure to join you this evening to induct into the Hall of Fame a musician who calls both New Zealand and Australia home,” she said.
“But as is the case with any such origin story, there is usually a score to settle.
“In fact, as I prepared for this evening, I took great delight in writing up a list of every Kiwi talent you have claimed until I realised this next inductee is different. And may just be the olive branch our two nations need.”
Jacinda Ardern and Jenny Morris speak onstage during the 40th Anniversary Aria Hall of Fame. Photo / Getty Images
Morris achieved success in New Zealand as the singer in the band the Crocodiles, then on both sides of the Tasman as a solo artist.
Morris, who was born in Tokoroa and brought up in Hamilton, thanked Ardern for her achievements, calling her a huge inspiration.
“Thank you for being born and achieving all the things you achieved, helping all the people you helped, sharing your profound wisdom and having such a hot husband.”
Ardern lives in Sydney with husband Clarke Gayford and their daughter Neve, after a spell in the United States where she took up dual fellowships at Harvard University.
Ardern resigned as Prime Minister on January 25, 2023, saying she “didn’t have enough in the tank”.
Jenny Morris was the lead singer for the Crocodiles in the early 1980s.
As well as working at the university, she became a trustee of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize and published a memoir, A Different Kind of Power, along with a children’s book, Mum’s Busy Work.
Ardern previously told the Sydney Morning Herald the family would spend “a little bit of time” in Australia instead of returning to New Zealand.
“One of the main attractions for us was the proximity to home,” she said.
“We’d been far away for a while, and we wanted to be closer to friends and family, but also wanted to get back to a life that was, you know, a bit like what we might have in New Zealand.
“But we don’t have a set timeframe. We’ve never been much for five-year plans.”