Opinion | Love her or hate her, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern is leaving on her own terms

From Covid-19 to a domestic terror attack and a climate crisis, Ardern has had more than her fair share of challenges while also facing toxic misogyny

But by deciding the time and manner of her leaving, her reputation as one of NZ’s most popular and powerful PMs will be burnished, likely generating even more political capital for her

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New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern says it is time for her to hand over power. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 3:00am, 20 Jan 2023Updated: 1:37am, 21 Apr 2023

In three weeks’ time, one of the most popular – and powerful – prime ministers in recent New Zealand history will be stepping down.

It isn’t difficult to divine why Jacinda Ardern has reached her decision. As she herself put it: “I believe that leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have but also one of the more challenging. You cannot and should not do it unless you have a full tank plus a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges.”

She has had more than her fair share of such challenges: a domestic terror attack in Christchurch, a major natural disaster at Whakaari-White Island, a global pandemic and, most recently, a cost-of-living crisis.

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern waves as she leaves Friday prayers at Hagley Park in Christchurch on March 22, 2019. Photo: AP

On top of that, of course, she has had to chart a way through the usual slate of policy issues that have bedevilled governments for decades in this country, including the cost of housing, child poverty, inequality and the climate crisis. Clearly, the Ardern tank is empty.

But it isn’t just about the policy. Along with other women politicians, Ardern faces a constant barrage of online and in-person abuse – from anti-vaxxers, misogynists and sundry others who simply don’t like her.

As others with direct experience of this have written, the deterioration in civic discourse in New Zealand has been profound and disturbing, especially since the violent occupation of the parliamentary precinct in early 2022.

Ardern has spent the past two years right on the frontline of this sort of toxicity. This has taken a toll – on her, on her family, on those close to her – and has played a part in her decision.