New Zealand’s Wonder Woman – Jacinda Ardern’s Biography
Despite being handed the reins to the island nation of New Zealand at the young age of 37, Jacinda Ardern has never faltered – she has only gone from strength to strength. She gained international acclaim when she became the country’s youngest prime minister in 2017 and one of the few women leaders worldwide.
Born on July 26, 1980, in Hamilton, New Zealand, Ardern was introduced to politics at a very early age. She joined the Labour Party at the age of 17 and continued her studies before moving to London. There she became a senior policy advisor in a policy unit of the British prime minister, Tony Blair.
Jacinda Ardern Biography
- Name – Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern
- Date of Birth – July 26, 1980
- Birth Place – Hamilton, New Zealand
- Category – Politician
- Office – 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Spouse – Clarke Gayford (Domestic Partner)
Academics
- Attended Morrinsville College
- Graduated from the University of Waikato in 2001
Political Career
- Joined Labour Party at just 17 years
- Elected President of the International Union of Socialist Youth on January 30, 2008
- Won the 2017 Mount Albert by-election by a landslide
- Unanimously elected as deputy leader of the Labour party after her win
- Assumed role of Leader of Opposition on August 1, 2017
- Elected New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister in October 2017
Awards and Honours
- Shortlisted for Time’s 2019 Person of the Year
- Listed by Prospect as the second-greatest thinker in the COVID-era
- Awarded Harvard University’s 2020 Gleitsman International Activist Award
- Flightless weta species, Hemiandrus Jacinda, named after her by New Zealand zoologist Steven a Trewick in 2021
- Topped Fortune magazine’s list of the world’s greatest leaders in mid-May 2021
