Jacinda Ardern quits politics, joins Prince William's environment charity

[Celerity]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/05/jacinda-ardern-final-speech-prince-william-earthshot/

https://archive.is/sUFk5



WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Jacinda Ardern delivered her final speech to New Zealand’s Parliament on Wednesday, as the former prime minister is set to begin new global roles combating online extremism and protecting the environment. Ardern stepped down in January but had remained in Parliament to avoid triggering an election ahead of the national one in October. Her resignation as prime minister came as a surprise, especially abroad, where her empathetic style of governance elevated her as a liberal feminist icon, even as her reputation at home was more mixed.

Dogged throughout her term by sexist remarks and comments on her youth, the 42-year-old Ardern encouraged young people Wednesday not to be deterred by outdated perceptions of what makes a good leader. “I do hope that I’ve demonstrated something else entirely. That you can be anxious, sensitive, kind, and wear your heart on your sleeve,” said Ardern, dressed in white, swathed in a traditional Maori cloak and fighting back tears. “You can be a mother or not. You can be an ex-Mormon or not. You can be a nerd, a crier, a hugger. You can be all of these things. And not only can you be here, you can lead just like me.”

Ardern said in January that “I no longer have enough in the tank” to contest the October election. Her center-left Labour Party had been trailing the main conservative opposition in the polls before her resignation as prime minister. Her 5½ years in high office were among the most challenging in the South Pacific country’s modern history and included a 2019 terrorist attack in Christchurch on two mosques, a volcanic eruption and the coronavirus pandemic.

“When you look back at Jacinda’s five years, the truth is that two and a half of it was taken out by the pandemic,” former prime minister Helen Clark — a mentor to Ardern — told Radio New Zealand. “It doesn’t give you a lot of clear run on your economic and social policy agenda. Looking back, there needs to be more recognition that the pandemic blindsided governments, communities, publics around the world. It wasn’t easy.”

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[TreasonousBastard]

1. She was great-- just what we need more of here.

[mitch96]

3. Agree. She is one of the good ones. nt

[In It to Win It]

2. She did well. She can go on to greener pastures. Politics is miserable.

I wish her well on the next chapter of her life.