Jacinda Ardern truly did change the game for politics when she became the world’s youngest female prime minister in 2017.
Aged 37 at the time, the now-42-year-old was a beacon of light for New Zealand voters, who promised to radicalise the nation’s approach to climate change, mental health, and the housing crisis.
Her name was mentioned time and time again on the world stage, as she showed what empathetic leadership should look like when 51 people were killed in a targeted mosque attack in New Zealand, even taking action to change the country’s gun laws just six days later.
“You can be kind but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused...that you can be your own kind of leader.”
When Covid hit in early 2020, she was lauded for her hardline approach to the virus which shut New Zealand borders and has resulted in 2,437 deaths in total, a fraction of the UK’s 216,000 death count.
Yet, while her resignation has come as a shock to the rest of the world, New Zealanders have made it clear they need a shake up in leadership - but will this pay off? Only time will tell, but from an outsider’s perspective at least, Jacinda appeared to be a leader most countries could only dream of.
Her feminist values were a core part of her leadership style, and she (sadly, unsurprisingly) faced many misogynistic comments along the way. To celebrate her time in office, here are Jacinda Arden’s best feminist moments, and time she perfect clapped back to misogyny.
In Jacinda Ardern’s resignation letter, it described the kind of leader that she has been, and one that others should aspire to be.
“I hope in return I leave behind a belief that you can be kind, but strong. Empathetic, but decisive. Optimistic, but focused,” she wrote. “That you can be your own kind of leader – one that knows when it’s time to go.”
We definitely know a few male politicians who could take this advice on board.
During a press conference with Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin last year, Jacinda gave us a meme-worthy look when a male reporter suggested the pair met simply because they were both young female leaders.
“A lot of people will be wondering, are you two meeting just because you're similar in age and, you know, got a lot of common stuff there,” the reporter said.
Ardern replied: “My first question is I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and [former New Zealand Prime Minister] John Key and if they met because they were of similar age? We of course have a higher proportion of men in politics. It's reality. But because two women meet, it's not simply because of their gender.” We love to see it.
Just three months after winning her first election, Jacinda announced that she was pregnant with her first child - the now-four-year-old Neve.
However, the Kiwi prime minister was just seven hours into her tenure when she was asked about her plans to have a family by a New Zealand radio host who said the country had a “right to know” if their PM would take maternity leave sometime in the near future.
“It is totally unacceptable in 2017 to say that women should have to answer that question in the workplace, it is unacceptable, it is unacceptable,” Jacinda said.
“It is a women’s decision about when they choose to have children and it should not predetermine whether or not they are given a job or have job opportunities.”
If there ever was a leader so completely opposite to Jacinda Ardern, it would have to be Donald Trump. Jacinda was elected to office the same year Trump was inaugurated and the pair met in November of 2017.
Jacinda later revealed that the pair shared a “joke”. “I was waiting to walk out to be introduced at the east Asia summit gala dinner, where we all paraded and while we were waiting, Trump, in jest, patted the person next to him on the shoulder, pointed at me and said, ‘This lady caused a lot of upset in her country,’ talking about the election,” she told Newsroom.
“I said, ‘Well, you know, only maybe 40%,’ then he said it again and I said, ‘You know,’ laughing, ‘no one marched when I was elected’.” Ouch.
While we’re still reeling at the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade last year, in early 2020 Jacinda was the driving force behind the New Zealand government’s decision to decriminalise abortion.
The decision allowed women to choose a termination up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy. Previously, two doctors had been required to approve the abortion and it was only allowed if there was a “serious danger” to the women’s health. The decriminalisation allowed more women to have control over their bodies, which we think is a win.
Shortly after announcing her pregnancy, Jacinda faced a downright sexist interview with a male journalist from the Australian version of 60 Minutes.
Speaking to both Jacinda and her partner Clarke Gayford, at one point the journalist said that a lot of people had been “counting back to the conception”.
Jacinda appeared to roll her eyes and say: “The election was done. Not that we need to get into those details.”
In 2021, Jacinda announced that the government would provide all New Zealand schools with free sanitary products in a bid to help combat period poverty.
“Providing free period products at school is one way the Government can directly address poverty, help increase school attendance, and make a positive impact on children’s well-being,” she said in a statement.
The move, one which was later introduced in England, would hopefully result in less girls missing school because they cannot afford period products.
In what was perhaps one of her best girl boss moves, Jacinda announced that her partner Clarke would be a stay-at-home days when she revealed she was pregnant with their first child.
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In a tweet, the new-at-the-time PM said: “We thought 2017 was a big year! This year we’ll join the many parents who wear two hats. I’ll be PM & a mum while Clarke will be ‘first man of fishing’ & stay at home dad. There will be lots of questions (I can assure you we have a plan all ready to go!) but for now bring on 2018.”
When Jacinda took then-three-month-old Neve to the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 she hoped the decision would “create a path for other women”.
“I want to normalise it,” she told CNN at the time. “If we want to make workplaces more open, we need to acknowledge logistical challenges… by being more open it might create a path for other women.”
In 2019, Jacinda made the powerful decision to never speak the name of the gunman who shot and killed 51 people in New Zealand’s worst terror attack.
“He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety - that is why you will never hear me mention his name,” Jacinda said, adding: “I implore you, speak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them. He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless.”
