Heated gender controversy in Auckland between the two premiers of New Zealand and Finland, Jacinda Ardern and Sanna Marin, and a journalist who maliciously asked at a press conference if their meeting had been organized because they are both young women leaders.
The question of whether they were meeting "because they are similar in age and have many things in common" was immediately interrupted by Ardern
who rejected the subject to the sender: "I would like to know if anyone has ever asked former US president Barack Obama and to former New Zealand premier John Key if they met because they are the same age."
"The fact that two female prime ministers meet is not simply due to their gender - she said - of course we have a higher percentage of men in politics, it's the reality. Our meeting today is an opportunity to talk about economic opportunities among our two countries. It is our job to promote them, regardless of our gender".
Sanna Marin's reaction was also immediate:
"We met because we are two prime ministers
", she underlined, as reported by the BBC.
Marin is in New Zealand on his first official tour and is the first Finnish prime minister to visit the country.
