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Tag: Jacinda Ardern

  • Jacinda Ardern weds her spouse in discreet ceremony

    Jacinda Ardern weds her spouse in discreet ceremony

    Jacinda Ardern, who used to lead New Zealand, got married to her partner Clarke Gayford in a small, private wedding in North Island.

    The couple planned to get married in 2022, but they had to cancel because the government put strict Covid rules in place.

    Ms Ardern spoke for five minutes at a wedding in front of many guests.

    The couple have been together for 10 years and have a daughter named Neve who is 5 years old.

    The wedding happened at Craggy Range Winery in Hawke’s Bay, which is on the east side of North Island. It’s about 310km (190 miles) north of Wellington, the capital city.

    Ms Ardern wore a close friend’s ivory dress and a long veil with her hair tied up.

    The shoes are made by a designer from Mount Maunganui called Chaos and Harmony, according to the New Zealand Herald. She was holding a bouquet of white flowers that fell in a stream.

    Neve, the daughter, walked into the event with her dad and wore a dress made from her grandma Laurell Ardern’s wedding dress fabric.

    The person who did the bride’s hair shared photos of rolls that guests liked with “paua and snapper” in them.

    Ms Ardern, who is 43 years old, was the leader of New Zealand for over five years. She said she was quitting her job in January because she didn’t have enough energy.

    She became well-known around the world for the way she led during a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch in 2019.

    In her last speech in parliament, Ardern said to TV presenter Mr Gayford, 47: “Let’s get married at last. ”

    After quitting, she got three positions at Harvard University.

    She also helps with Prince William’s Earthshot Prize and works with others to stop violent and extreme content online after the Christchurch shooting.

  • Jacinda Ardern honored as a dame

    Jacinda Ardern honored as a dame

    Jacinda Ardern, who was the leader of New Zealand but left the job this year, has been given a very important honor and is now called a dame.

    On Monday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said that Ardern was given an award for her contributions to the country on King’s Birthday public holiday. 182 peoplealsogot awards.

    Dame Jacinda Ardern was the leader of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023. Shehelped the country during tough times and is admired for her service. This was announced by Hipkins in a statement.

    Jacinda Ardern chokes up while announcing impending resignation

    “Leading New Zealand’s response to the 2019 terrorist attacks and to the Covid-19 pandemic represented periods of intense challenge for our 40th Prime Minister, during which time I saw first hand that her commitment to New Zealand remained absolute.”

    Hipkins hails from the same party as Ardern, the Labour Party, and succeeded her as leader.

    The move grants Ardern the title of Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. The Order of Merit, established in 1996, is awarded to those in any field who have performed “meritorious service to the Crown and the nation” or who are known for their “eminence, talents, contributions, or other merits,” according to the government site.

    In a statement to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ), Ardern said she was “incredibly humbled” by the accolade.

    “I was in two minds about accepting this acknowledgment,” she said. “So many of the things we went through as a nation over the last five years were about all of us rather than one individual.”

    “But I have heard that said by so many Kiwis who I have encouraged to accept an honour over the years. And so for me this a way to say thank you – to my family, to my colleagues, and to the people who supported me to take on the most challenging and rewarding role of my life.”

    When Ardern became the country’s prime minister in 2017 at the age of 37, she was New Zealand’s third female leader and one of the youngest leaders in the world. Within a year, she had become only the second world leader to give birth in office.

    Her time in power was defined by multiple crises, including the Christchurch terrorist attack, a deadly volcanic explosion, and the pandemic.

    She quickly became a progressive global icon, remembered for her empathy while steering New Zealand through these crises and for taking her baby daughter to the United Nations General Assembly.

    However, at home her popularity ebbed amid the rising cost of living, housing shortages and economic anxiety. And she faced violent anti-lockdown protests in the capital Wellington, with threats made against her.

    Ardern announced her shock resignation in January, saying she no longer had enough fuel in the tank to contest an election – prompting a wave of praise and warm farewells from other world leaders and her many international admirers.

    ‘I don’t believe it.’ New Zealanders react to Jacinda Ardern’s resignation

    In April, she revealed she will head to Harvard University this fall to complete two fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School, the university’s school of public policy and government. She will be gone for a semester, missing out on the New Zealand general election, but will return at the end of the fellowships, she said.

  • Jacinda Ardern, a former New Zealand premier, to attend Harvard

    Jacinda Ardern, a former New Zealand premier, to attend Harvard

    Jacinda Ardern, who left her position as prime minister of New Zealand earlier this year, has said she is forgoing the rigors of politics for a period of quiet meditation in academia abroad. She will be attending Harvard University this autumn on the basis of two fellowships.

    According to a press statement from Harvard, she was selected to dual fellowships at the university’s school of public policy and government, the Harvard Kennedy School.

    She will work as the Hauser Leader in the School’s Center for Public Leadership, a program where leaders from various sectors assist students and faculty in developing their leadership skills, and the Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow, a program designed for prominent leaders transitioning from public service roles.

    “Jacinda Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership,” said Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf in the news release. “She earned respect far beyond the shores of her country, and she will bring important insights for our students and will generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels.”

    “I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow – not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn,” Ardern said in the release. “As leaders, there’s often very little time for reflection, but reflection is critical if we are to properly support the next generation of leaders.”

    At the same time, Ardern will be completing a separate fellowship at the Harvard Law School’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, where she will be studying ways to contain extremist content online.

    In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Arden said she would be doing “some speaking, teaching, and learning.”

    She added that Harvard had been an important partner in her work for Christchurch Call – an initiative she helped launch in 2019 to counter terrorist and violent extremist content online, two months after the Christchurch terrorist attack that killed 51 people in two mosques. The attacker had livestreamed the incident and published a manifesto online beforehand.

    Ardern said she would be gone for a semester, missing out on the New Zealand general election, but would return at the end of the fellowships. “After all, New Zealand is home!” she wrote.

    When Ardern became the country’s prime minister in 2017 at the age of 37, she was New Zealand’s third female leader and one of the youngest leaders in the world. Within a year, she had become only the second world leader to give birth in office.

    Her time in power was defined by multiple crises, including the Christchurch attack, a deadly volcanic explosion, and a global pandemic.

    She quickly became a progressive global icon, remembered for her empathy while steering New Zealand through these crises and for taking her baby daughter to the United Nations General Assembly.

    However, at home her popularity ebbed amid the rising cost of living, housing shortages and economic anxiety. And she faced violent anti-lockdown protests in the capital Wellington, with threats made against her.

    Ardern announced her shock resignation in January, saying she no longer had enough fuel in the tank to contest an election.

    She bid her final farewell earlier this month with an emotional speech in parliament, affirming to all the nerds, criers, huggers, mothers and ex-Mormons of the world: “You can be all of these things. And not only can you be here; you can lead. Just like me.”

  • No regrets over decision to step down – Jacinta Adern

    No regrets over decision to step down – Jacinta Adern

    Jacinda Ardern, whose decision as leader of New Zealand startled both her admirers and detractors, said she has “no regrets” about her intentions to step down.

    A day after revealing she had “no more in the tank”, Ms Ardern said she was feeling a “range of emotions” from sadness to a “sense of relief”.

    Polls suggest her party has a difficult path to re-election in October.

    The prime minister said she would not openly back any of the likely candidates to replace her.

    Speaking on Friday outside an airport in Napier – where the Labour Party caucus had gathered for a retreat – Ms Ardern said she had “slept well for the first time in a long time”.

    In response to questions by reporters, she rejected suggestions by some commentators that experiences of misogyny had played a role in her decision.

    Ms Ardern said she had a “message for women in leadership and girls who are considering leadership in the future” that “you can have a family and be in these roles”, adding “you can lead in your own style”.

    On Thursday, she said she was looking forward to spending more time with her family and for being there when her daughter starts school later this year.

    She will step down by 7 February and Labour Party MPs will hold a leadership vote on Sunday. If no candidate gets the support of two-thirds of the party, the vote will go to the wider Labour membership.

    But Ms Ardern said she expected a successor would be selected on Sunday.

    Chris Hipkins, who currently holds the education and police portfolios, appears to be the most likely candidate. Mr Hipkins, 44, led the government’s response to the pandemic after being appointed minister for Covid-19 in November 2020.

    He later conceded that strict restrictions should have been scaled back sooner.

    Other potential candidates include Minister of Justice Kiri Allan, 39. If successful she would become the country’s first prime minister of Maori descent, as well as the first openly gay leader.

    Michael Wood, 42, the Minister for Transport and Workplace Safety is also on the list of potential successors.

    Reaction to Ms Ardern’s decision has been mixed in New Zealand. One local, Liliana Lozano, said she’ll miss the leader’s “kindness and her ability to relate to others”.

    “Watching her on TV made me feel safe during [Covid] lockdown,” she told the BBC.

    But Tina Watson, who is originally from the UK and now lives in South Africa, blamed Ms Ardern for separating her from her family because the borders were closed for more than two years.

    “Her Covid-19 restrictions were so harsh,” Ms Watson said. “I have three children [in New Zealand], six grandchildren – two of whom I’ve never met. She drew me apart from them. I’m glad she resigned.”

    Jacinda Ardern’s personal popularity has taken a hit recently, with latest polls suggesting it’s at its lowest since she came to power in 2017.

    New Zealand has been dealing with issues including a deteriorating economy, a cost of living crisis and concerns about crime rates.

    Source: BBC

  • Jacinda Ardern to resign as New Zealand’s prime minister after 5 years

    Jacinda Ardern to resign as New Zealand’s prime minister after 5 years

    An emotional Ardern announced that her last day in office will be February 7 and that she will not run for reelection this year.

    Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, has announced that she won’t run in this year’s general elections and will step down from office the following month.

    Ardern announced on Thursday that her final day in office would be February 7 while fighting back tears in the city of Napier.

    “I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job,” she said.

    “I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility, the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not,” she said.

    “I know what this job takes and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple.”

    New Zealand’s next general election will be held on October 14, she added.

    Ardern’s decision to step down came as her Labour Party looked set to face a tough election campaign this year.

    While Labour won re-election two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, recent polls have put it behind its conservative rivals.

    Political commentator Ben Thomas said Ardern’s announcement was a huge surprise as polls still ranked her as the country’s preferred prime minister even though support for her party had fallen from the stratospheric heights seen during the 2020 election.

    Thomas said that there was not a clear successor.

    ‘Jacinda-mania’

    Ardern, 42, said on Thursday that a vote to elect the next Labour leader would be held on Sunday and that she believed the party would win the vote.

    New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who also serves as finance minister, said in a statement he would not seek to stand as the next Labour leader.

    Ardern became prime minister as the head of a coalition government at the age of 37 in 2017.

    Her initial election made a big splash on the global stage because of her gender and youth, coining the phrase “Jacinda-mania”.

    During her five and a half years in office, she has been lauded globally for New Zealand’s initial handling of the coronavirus pandemic after the country managed for months to stop the virus at its borders.

    She was also widely praised for the way she embraced New Zealand’s Muslim community in the wake of a white supremacist attack in 2019 that killed 51 people at two mosques in the city of Christchurch. The prime minister swiftly labelled the attacks “terrorism” and wore a hijab as she met with the Muslim community a day after the attack, telling them the whole country was “united in grief”.

    She also promised and delivered major gun law reform within a month.

    But her popularity has waned over the past year as inflation has risen to nearly three-decade highs, the central bank has aggressively increased the cash rate and crime has risen. The country has also become increasingly politically divided over issues such as a government overhaul of water infrastructure and the introduction of an agricultural emissions programme.

    “Ardern will be remembered as a crisis leader and an able one as that,” wrote Tim Watkin, executive producer at Radio New Zealand.

    “From this place in time, it would be churlish in the extreme to not acknowledge her remarkable capacity for compassion, her sure-footedness in crises when others have panicked or stumbled,” he wrote. “The question now becomes whether the voting public – who have been steadily losing faith in Ardern and her government in the past 12-18 months – accept her sacrifice or want the whole party to follow suit.”

    Ardern said on Thursday that despite stepping down as prime minister she would stay on as a lawmaker until the general election.

    She also made a point of telling her daughter, Neve, that she was looking forward to being there when she started school this year and told her longtime partner, Clarke Gayford, that it was time they married.

    ‘Intellect, strength’

    World leaders paid tribute to Ardern following her announcement.

    Australian Prime Minister said “Ardern has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength” and has “demonstrated that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities”.

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Ardern for her partnership and friendship, as well as her “empathetic, compassionate, strong and steady leadership over the past several years”.

    “The difference you have made is immeasurable,” he tweeted.

    Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown meanwhile expressed gratitude for the assistance his country received from New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    New Zealand’s “support saved our lives and enabled us to get back on our feet quicker than expected,” he said.

    Ardern, he said, has left a “legacy of true leadership qualities of compassion, strength, and kindness during some of [New Zealand’s] most challenging tragedies”.

  • New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to leave office next month

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to leave office next month

    Prior to this year’s election, Jacinda Ardern has declared to step down as prime minister of New Zealand, claiming she no longer has “enough in the tank” to do so.

    Ms Ardern choked up as she detailed how six “challenging” years in the job had taken a toll.

    Labour Party MPs will vote to find her replacement on Sunday.

    The shock announcement comes as polling indicates the party faces a difficult path to re-election on 14 October.

    Ms Ardern, 42, said she had taken time to consider her future over the summer break, hoping to find the heart and energy to go on in the role.

    “But unfortunately I haven’t, and I would be doing a disservice to New Zealand to continue,” she told reporters on Thursday.

    Ms Ardern will step down by 7 February. If no would-be successor garners the support of two-thirds of the party room, the vote will go to Labour’s lay membership.

    Ms Ardern became the youngest female head of government in the world when she was elected prime minister in 2017, aged 37.

    And a year later she became the second elected world leader to ever give birth while in office, after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990.

    She steered New Zealand through the Covid-19 pandemic and its ensuing recession, the Christchurch mosque shootings, and the White Island volcanic eruption.

    Ms Ardern said the past five-and-a-half years had been the “most fulfilling” of her life, but leading the country during “crisis” had been difficult.

    “These events… have been taxing because of the weight, the sheer weight and continual nature of them. There’s never really been a moment where it’s ever felt like we were just governing.”

    National Party leader Chris Luxon was among those who thanked Ms Ardern “for her service to New Zealand”.

    “She has given her all to this incredibly demanding job,” the opposition leader wrote on Twitter.

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Ms Ardern as a leader of intellect, strength and empathy.

    “Jacinda has been a fierce advocate for New Zealand, an inspiration to so many and a great friend to me,” he wrote.

    Canada’s leader Justin Trudeau said she had made an “immeasurable” difference to the world.

    But while Ms Ardern was often seen as a political star globally, opinion polls suggest she was increasingly unpopular at home.

    She led the Labour Party to a landslide election victory in 2020, capitalising on her government’s strong early response to the pandemic.

    But the latest opinion polls put her personal popularity at its lowest since she was elected, and approval of her party’s performance similarly low.

    In 2022, Ms Ardern told the BBC her declining popularity was the price her government had paid for keeping people safe from Covid-19.

    However, she has also been confronted with a cost-of-living crisis, national fears about crime, and a backlog of election promises put off during the pandemic.

    Reaction to her announcement has been varied. One local from her own Auckland electorate told the NZ Herald Ms Ardern was “running away before getting thrown out”, blaming her for increased crime and rising living costs.

    For others, like Auckland Pride’s Max Tweedie, she is “one of the greatest prime ministers in New Zealand’s history”.

    Those are sentiments shared by New Zealand actor Sam Neill, who said Ms Ardern had faced “disgraceful” treatment from “bullies” and “misogynists”.

    “She deserved so much better,” the Jurassic Park star wrote on Twitter.

    But Ms Ardern stressed that she was not resigning because she and the party were unpopular.

    “I am not leaving because I believe we can’t win the election but because I believe we can and will, and we need a fresh set of shoulders for that challenge.”

    Contenders for the job are yet to emerge, but several MPs – including deputy leader Grant Robertson – have ruled themselves out of the contest.

    Ms Ardern listed her government’s achievements on climate change, social housing and reducing child poverty as ones she was particularly proud of.

    But she said she hoped her legacy in New Zealand would be “as someone who always tried to be kind”.

    “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,” she said.

    Source: BBC

  • New Zealand suggests charging for cow burps to reduce pollution

    To combat climate change, New Zealand has suggested charging the greenhouse gases that farm animals emit when they urinate and burp.

    By 2025, farmers will begin to pay for agricultural emissions under a groundbreaking system.

    The country’s farming industry accounts for about half of its emissions.

    But farmers have been quick to criticize the plan, with one lobby group saying it would “rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand”.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said money raised from the proposed levy will be pumped back into the industry to finance new technologies, research, and incentive payments for farmers.

    “New Zealand’s farmers are set to be the first in the world to reduce agricultural emissions, positioning our biggest export market for the competitive advantage that brings in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food,” she told reporters while announcing the proposals from a farm in Wairarapa.

    The pricing has not yet been decided on, but the government says that farmers should be able to make up the cost of the levy by charging more for climate-friendly produce.

    But some farmers have condemned the plans, saying they could prompt many of them to sell up.

    Federated Farmers national president Andrew Hoggard said the plan will “rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand”, leading to farms making way for trees.

    He added that the body was “deeply unimpressed” with the government’s interactions with farmers while examining alternative proposals.

    Farmers will now be selling their land “so fast you won’t even hear the dogs barking on the back of the ute (pickup truck) as they drive off”, he added.

    Some have also argued that the plans could actually increase emissions if food production was to move to countries with less efficient farming methods.

    In 2019, methane in the atmosphere reached record levels, around two-and-a-half times above what they were in the pre-industrial era.

     

  • Otumfuo receives official invitation to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

    King Charles III of Great Britain has extended an official invitation to the Asantehene to attend the state burial of Queen Elizabeth II.

    Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was invited to the lying-in-state of the late queen as well as the king’s reception, state funeral service, and the foreign secretary’s reception, according to the invitation that was delivered by the Protocol Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the British government on behalf of the king.

    It further stated that the Asantehene could bring his spouse or a companion to the state funeral, which is set for Monday, September 19, 2022.

    Otumfuo will be the second invitee to the queen’s funeral from Ghana, the first being President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who was reportedly invited as the president of Ghana, a Commonwealth nation.

    GhanaWeb can, however, not independently confirm if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has officially received his invitation.

    Invitations have also been sent to all leaders from the Commonwealth nations.

    So far, as the BBC reports, the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese; New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern; and Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, have all confirmed their participation in the funeral.

    The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and the Sri Lankan president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, have also reportedly accepted invitations.

    Other world leaders who have confirmed they will be attending the state funeral include King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, royal families of Norway, Sweden, and Demark, Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, President of the United States of America, Joe Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden.

    View Otumfuo’s invitation below:

     

  • New Zealand fully reopens borders after long pandemic closure

    New Zealand‘s borders are fully open for the first time since March 2020, when they shut in an effort to keep out Covid-19.

    Immigration authorities will now begin accepting visitors with visas and those on student visas again.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it an “enormous moment”, adding it was part of a “cautious process”.

    Most visitors will still need to be fully vaccinated, but there are no quarantine requirements.

    The country’s maritime border has also reopened, with cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts now allowed to dock.

    New Zealand first announced a phased reopening plan in February. It allowed vaccinated citizens to return from Australia that month, and those coming from elsewhere to return in March.

    In May, it started welcoming tourists from more than 50 countries on a visa-waiver list.

    “We, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe,” said Ms. Ardern in a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland on Monday.

    “But keeping people safe extends to incomes and wellbeing too.”

    Tourism was one of the industries hardest hit by New Zealand’s tough Covid measures.

    In the year ending March 2021, the industry’s contribution to the GDP dropped to 2.9%, from 5.5% the year before.

    International tourism took an especially big hit, plunging 91.5% – or NZ$16.2bn ($10.2bn; £8.4bn) – to NZ$1.5bn, according to official data.

    The number of people directly employed in tourism also fell by over 72,000 during this period.

    Source: bbc.com

  • New Zealand PM: No open borders for ‘a long time’

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the country will not have open borders with the rest of the world for “a long time to come”.

    Ms Ardern was speaking after attending part of Australia’s cabinet meeting via video link.

    The meeting discussed a possible “trans-Tasman bubble”, where people could go between Australia and New Zealand freely, and without quarantine.

    But she said visitors from further afield were not possible any time soon.

    Both Australia and New Zealand have closed their borders to almost all foreigners as part of their Covid-19 response.

    What did Jacinda Ardern say?

    Ms Ardern said New Zealand and Australia were discussing a “bubble of sorts between us, a safe zone of travel”.

    She stressed there was “a lot of work to be done before we can progress…but it’s obviously been floated because of the benefits it would bring”.

    But, in response to a question about the country’s tourism sector, Ms Ardern said: “We will not have open borders for the rest of the world for a long time to come.”

    Tourism is one of New Zealand’s biggest industries, directly employing almost 10% of the country’s workforce, and contributing almost 6% of GDP.

    Most visitors are from Australia, followed by China, the US, and the UK.

    What is the virus situation in Australia and New Zealand?

    Ms Ardern said any “trans-Tasman bubble” was only possible because of “the world leading actions” of both countries.

    On Tuesday, New Zealand reported no new cases for the second day in a row.

    It has had fewer than 1,500 confirmed cases in total, and only 20 deaths. Last week it eased its lockdown from Level 4 to Level 3.

    Australia – which has a population of around 25 million, five times that of New Zealand – has had almost 7,000 cases and 96 deaths.

    But it, too, has “flattened the curve” of infections, and various states and territories have also eased their lockdowns.

    Source: bbc.com

     

  • New Zealand has won a battle against virus transmission – PM

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday claimed New Zealand had scored a significant victory against the spread of the coronavirus, as the country began a phased exit from lockdown.

    “There is no widespread, undetected community transmission in New Zealand,” Ardern declared. “We have won that battle.”

    After nearly five weeks at the maximum Level Four restrictions, with only essential services operating, the country will move to Level Three late on Monday.

    That will allow some businesses, takeaway food outlets and schools to reopen.

    But Ardern warned there was no certainty about when all transmission can be eliminated, allowing a return to normal life.

    Everyone wants to “bring back the social contact that we all miss”, she said, “but to do it confidently we need to move slowly and we need to move cautiously.”

    “I will not risk the gains we’ve made in the health of New Zealanders. So if we need to remain at Level Three, we will.”

    The easing of restrictions came as New Zealand, a nation of five million people, reported only one new case of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 1,122 with 19 deaths.

    Source: france24.com