from Newstalk ZB

Unidentified pic, but looks to be an appearance at admirer Macron’s palace in Paris.

Jacinda Ardern will be missing the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards ahead of scheduled promotional appearances in Australia for her new book for teenagers.

The former Prime Minister’s book A Different Kind of Power is nominated for the nonfiction award, but she will not be in attendance at the prestigious event on Wednesday night.

She is guaranteed to win a $3,000 cash prize as the only debut author on the shortlist, netting her best first book of nonfiction.

In his newsletter Reading Room, journalist Steve Branuias said he had received confirmation from the book award organisers that Ardern had prior commitments.

“Regrettably, Jacinda Ardern is unable to attend the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards ceremony due to her attending an event in Australia about the release of her guide for teens, titled What If You Could, which was confirmed prior to A Different Kind of Power’s Ockham’s shortlisting.”

Braunias notes that Ardern’s memoir was longlisted for the award on January 29, while the ceremony date had been public since August last year.