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Jacinda Ardern made her final public appearance as New Zealand’s Prime Minister Tuesday, saying the thing she would miss most was the people because they had been the “joy of the job.”
- Education Minister Chris Hipkins is set to become New Zealand’s next prime minister after he was the only candidate to enter the contest to replace Jacinda Ardern.
About Jacinda Ardern
- She was born in the city of Hamilton, New Zealand, and grew up rurally.
- She became the youngest female head of government in the world when she was elected prime minister in 2017, at the age of 37.
- A year later, she became the second elected world leader to ever give birth while in office, following Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990.
Legacy
- She was a world leader and a mother who gave birth while in office and spoke at the United Nations general assembly meeting with an infant in tow.
- At a time of heightened Islamophobia, she handled the 2019 Christchurch mass shootings with sensitivity, respect, and most importantly, decisive action.
- She displayed the same efficiency in dealing with a major earthquake as well as an unprecedented pandemic.
- Her articulate views on issues of mental health and gender, among other issues, won her praise from centrist leaders elsewhere.
- She also expressed hope that her legacy would be remembered as someone who always strived to be kind.
- She highlighted her government’s progress in areas such as climate change, affordable housing, and reducing child poverty as accomplishments she was particularly proud of.
Source: TH
