Dame Jacinda Ardern

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Dame Jacinda Ardern completed a Bachelor of Communication Studies in Public Relations and Political Science at Waikato Management School in 2001.

Elected Prime Minister at 37 years old, Jacinda became the world's youngest female head of government in 2017.

Born in Hamilton and raised in Morrinsville and Murupara, she began her political career working as a researcher in the offices of Prime Minister Helen Clark and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phil Goff after graduating.

She later moved to London, where she worked as a senior policy advisor in the UK Cabinet Office under Prime Minister Tony Blair, and was seconded to the Home Office to assist with a review of policing in England and Wales.

Jacinda entered Parliament in 2008 as a Labour Party list MP after standing in the Waikato electorate. In early 2017, she won the Mt Albert by-election and was soon elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.

Following Andrew Little’s resignation, she became party leader and was elected Prime Minister two months later, becoming New Zealand’s third female Prime Minister.

In 2018, she became the second modern head of government to give birth while in office.

During her tenure, her government introduced policies focused on child poverty reduction, climate change, and mental health. She led responses to major national events, including the Christchurch mosque attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic, and oversaw reforms such as changes to gun laws, the establishment of Matariki as a public holiday, and the implementation of the Zero Carbon Act.

Since stepping down from politics in January 2023, Dame Jacinda Ardern has focused on global initiatives related to technology governance and online safety. She is a board member of the Earthshot Prize, an environmental initiative led by the Prince of Wales, and has published her memoir, ‘A Different Kind of Power’.

Photo credit: Jacinda Ardern Facebook