Jacinda Ardern has declared where she stands on being called 'Aunty Cindy' after a tweet by the Auckland Blues rugby team using the nickname was widely criticised as being "disrespectful".
The Edge's breakfast show queried whether or not it was okay for people to use the term of endearment, telling the Prime Minister they often get messages from listeners referring to her as such.
"I don't mind at all. For me, if people feel familiar, that's a good thing," she said.
"There's some nicknames I'm no fan of, but that's a different story."
Last month, the Blues shared a post on the team's official social media accounts in response to the return of professional sport at COVID-19 alert level two, which read: "That feeling when Aunty Cindy says you can play footy again in level 2."
The post was dubbed "tone-deaf" and many felt it lacked the appropriate level of respect for the Prime Minister, prompting the Super Rugby team to delete their tweet and edit their Facebook post to read "Aunty Jacinda" instead.
According to Ardern, however, it's no problem. The Prime Minister even said it was "totally fine" that The Edge breakfast show's producer called her "babe" wherever they talked on the phone.
