Dame Jacinda Ardern

Jacinda became Prime Minister in 2017, having taken over the leadership of the Labour Party less than eight weeks before the election. Her meteoric rise saw her become the country’s youngest leader in over 160 years, at the age of 37. Upon taking office, Jacinda promised to lead a government of transformation and one that would be ‘focused, empathetic and strong’.

During her tenure, she championed and advocated for children, women’s rights, economic inequality and marginalised groups, including the LGBTQI+ community. She was responsible for the landmark Child Poverty Reduction Act, which requires current and future governments to set targets for reducing child poverty.

Jacinda declared climate change “my generation’s nuclear-free moment”, establishing the Climate Change Response Amendment Bill which set in law a target of net zero carbon emissions and banned new offshore oil and gas exploration. In recognition of New Zealand’s unique national identity, a public holiday was introduced to celebrate Matariki and recognise the start of the Māori New Year.

In 2018, Jacinda made international headlines when, just eight months into her first term as Prime Minister, she gave birth to a daughter, Neve Te Aroha. This made her only the second elected leader in the world to give birth while in office, after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto. Jacinda further broke new ground by taking Neve to the UN General Assembly in New York just three months later, demonstrating her commitment to promoting inclusivity and gender equality.

Jacinda told the General Assembly that:

“In the face of isolationism, protectionism, racism – the simple concept of looking outwardly and beyond ourselves, of kindness and collectivism, might just be as good a starting point as any.”

By 2018, she was already a well-known international figure. Under her leadership, New Zealand’s soft power prowess was strengthened and her record in foreign policy solidified her reputation among the country’s finest statespeople. She introduced several free trade deals, including agreements with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and an upgrade to the existing agreement with China.

Jacinda Ardern faced unprecedented crises over her five years as New Zealand’s leader. Her leadership style saw her respond with empathy, compassion and kindness, and earned her widespread acclaim.

She described Friday, 15 March 2019 as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”. A lone gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, killing 51 people and injuring many more. Jacinda’s response to the tragedy was swift and decisive. Her government implemented a ban on military-style semi-automatic firearms and introduced a buyback programme to remove weapons from circulation.

Following the attack, she travelled to Christchurch to show respect and compassion to the victims, their families and the wider Muslim community. Speaking on behalf of New Zealanders, she conveyed the shock the nation was feeling:

“Many of those who will have been directly affected by this shooting may be migrants to New Zealand; they may even be refugees here. They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us.

The person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not. They have no place in New Zealand. There is no place in New Zealand for such acts of extreme and unprecedented violence.”

Two months later, Jacinda joined French President Emmanuel Macron to lead the ambitious Christchurch Call to Action, bringing together powerful world leaders and big tech companies with the goal to remove violent terrorist extremist content from online platforms.

Jacinda’s leadership throughout New Zealand’s COVID-19 response was globally recognised. Her frequent and clear communication with the public saw a very strong buy-in from the ‘team of five million’ to the early and very strict lockdowns. New Zealand’s elimination strategy saw the country’s border closed to all but New Zealand citizens and permanent residents for over two years and a rapid, vigorous response to any outbreak in the community.

Protecting public health also proved to be good for protecting the economy with the country experiencing relatively good economic growth and low unemployment rates. New Zealand had time to roll out vaccines and improve treatments before the Omicron variant hit, resulting in one of the lowest COVID-19-related death rates in the world. Jacinda’s leadership during this challenging time saw her lead Labour to a decisive victory in the 2020 election.

Jacinda demonstrated her diplomatic mettle by calling a special emergency virtual summit in 2021 during New Zealand’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) host year. At a time of escalating geopolitical tension, leaders from Russia, China, and the United States agreed to participate in the unusual second APEC leaders’ meeting to discuss the fight against the pandemic.

She unexpectedly announced her resignation in January 2023. In explaining her decision, she emphasised the responsibility that comes with holding such a privileged role, acknowledging the need to know when you are the right person to lead, and when you are not.

At the time she said:

“I have given my absolute all to being Prime Minister, but it has also taken a lot out of me. You cannot and should not do the job unless you have a full tank, plus a bit in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges that inevitably come along.

I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind, but strong; empathetic but decisive; optimistic but focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader – one who knows when it’s time to go.”

As quickly as she rose to power in 2017, Jacinda Ardern exited the political stage, leaving a lasting legacy on New Zealand and the world.

In June 2023, Jacinda was appointed a Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand order of Merit for services to the state.