KEVIN STENT/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visits Classic Uniforms & Sportswear while taking a tour of Porirua on Wednesday afternoon.

Jacinda Ardern does not wear Jacinda Ardern.

Some kids mow lawns for pocket money Jackson Werkhoven, 14, was searing the Prime Ministers image onto a scarlet T-shirt, while she, and the nation, watched.

Surrounded by a media huddle, the Tawa College student did a great job however, the Prime Minister explained afterwards she doesnt wear clothes with her own face on them.

Jackson learned the ways of politics on Wednesday as he and his family played host to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on a visit up the road to the electorate of Mana.

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Ardern dropped in to family-run business Classic Uniforms & Sportswear, which was a recipient of the Governments Covid-19 wage subsidy.

Jackson doesnt yet know entirely if hell continue the family legacy, but he works after school in the factory and explained to Stuff he didnt expect the PM to wear his T-shirt he was just asked to make it.

Dad, and general manager Jeremy Werkhoven said without the wage subsidy it was likely there would be 20 people without jobs from the factory, thanks to the pandemics impact.

KEVIN STENT/Dominion Post

Screenprinting star Jackson Werkhoven with the T-shirt he created for the Prime Minister.

His grandmother started the business in 1957 in the same location in Linden.

Verkhoven said while business had not fully returned to pre-Covid levels, people were starting to spend money again.

On a day when the National Party had reset again with a new leader called Crusher, the PM was sharing warm moments in a red seat.

KEVIN STENT/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is presented with flowers by Libby Werkhoven, 8.

The Prime Minister was visiting a Labour safe seat spanning Porirua and southern Kpiti - won by Minister Kris Faafoi by about 11,000 votes in the last election. The party vote was more evenly split Labour only gained about 3000 more votes than National in the same election.

After the factory, the PM visited national Pasifika health provider Vaka Tautua, in Elsdon, in the hills above central Porirua. She was the first Prime Minister, they said, who had ever visited the group.

Group community leader and former service user Joseph Sio stood up and gave a heartfelt address directly to the PM.

Joel Maxwell/Stuff

Joseph Sio talks about how he was helped by Vaka Tautua, Pasifika health provider. He was speaking during a visit by PM Jacinda Ardern.

He chose Vaka Tautua to help him because of its Pasifika cultural approach. The group, he said, never gave up on him, even when I was in really dark places.

Groups like Vaka Tautua helped the Government out of dark places too, during the Covid-19 response specifically offering community outreach it couldnt achieve on its own, the PM said.

And if Covid has taught us one thing, and it has taught us much, its that those community responses were critical.

The community response in Porirua was a warm one whatever else was happening with the Opposition, the PM was exactly where she wanted to be on Wednesday.

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PM heads up the road to red seat as Nats reset with new leader - Stuff.co.nz