The father of an 11-year-old Irish girl says she was 'delighted' to receive a personal response from Jacinda Ardern after sending her a letter - even if it did take the Prime Minister a whole year to reply.
Journalist Philip Bromwell shared the letter to Twitter explaining his daughter Lily decided to write to Ardern during Ireland's first lockdown in March 2020.
"Our then 11-year-old had to write a letter to a leader for school. She chose Jacinda Ardern," he wrote.
"Well, after a 'busy few months' (!) for the NZ PM, Lily was delighted to get a personal reply!"
In the letter, Ardern thanked Lily for contacting her and apologised for taking so long to respond.
"Dear Lily," it read.
"Thank you so much for your letter. I'm sorry it has taken a while to get back to you, it's been a busy few months, unfortunately.
"I appreciate you taking the time to write - your kind words meant a lot and they really brightened up my day!"
Ardern finished the letter by wishing Lily and her family well.
"I hope you and your family are staying safe in Ireland, please pass on my best wishes to them.
"Thanks for writing, Lily.
Kindest Regards
Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister"
Twitter users said the response was "brilliant" and praised Ardern for her handling of the pandemic and taking the time to respond to Lily.
"That is absolutely brilliant! A true leader, if you write to any of our leaders you might (if you’re lucky) get a reply from their secretary 3 months later."
"Fantastic! That's the little bit extra that real leaders of nations should have; humility and showing that she has time for everyone."
"Such a class act, our government would do well to learn from New Zealand and more importantly the way she has managed her country during this pandemic is second to none."
Ireland has seen a total of 222,169 cases of COVID-19 and 4,405 deaths from the virus.
