PM’s single malt given time to age

With a baby on the way, the Prime Minister’s decision to contribute a bottle of South Island whisky  to a time capsule being stashed in the refurbished Dunedin Law Courts  was a no-brainer.

Jacinda Ardern’s well-known love of single malts has been curbed by her recent news but her loss was the gain of whoever opens the cylinder in five decades’ time.

She told those gathered at the ceremonial opening of the Dunedin courthouse yesterday that the bottle — produced in Dunedin — had been given to her by her partner Clarke Gayford for her birthday.

And he was unaware it was being donated.

"It’s quite difficult to part with. I don’t have much use for it at the moment, though," Ms Ardern said.

For suggestions on other items to place in the time capsule, she said she had recently asked a young man struggling with his health.

At his request, she put in the nation’s flag "to acknowledge everyone who served on behalf of the people of New Zealand".

And to top it off, she sensibly opted for a copy of the day’s Otago Daily Times, too.

"It’s a snapshot of this day in history," she said.

The Prime Minister also invited contributions from her fellow MPs present at court, as well as those who were absent.

Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, who was not there, sent along a tea towel featuring local indie-rock band of the 1970s and ’80s The Clean; and Clare Curran provided photos and newspaper clippings of her father Kenny, who was a High Court registrar for 12 years.

Minister of Justice Andrew Little added a letter to the eclectic concoction.

In it he said he wrote about the greatest challenges the justice system faced, particularly the growing prison population and high levels of domestic violence.

He was interested to see how future generations would judge the progress he had made.

A ministry spokesman said the time capsule would be opened in half a century.

rob.kidd@odt.co.nz