On an Oct. 1 campaign visit to Nelson, a small city at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was mobbed by supporters as she walked through the streets. Cries of “We love you, Jacinda!” were common as she moved through the maskless throng, mostly women and children clamoring for selfies. The prime minister declined to shake hands, but she happily bumped elbows.
Ardern’s greatest strength as a politician is her authenticity and ability to relate to others. It has served her well during her first term, when the nation has faced some of its darkest moments—a terrorist attack by a white supremacist that left 51 dead, a volcanic eruption that killed 21, and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic. National elections are being held on Oct. 17, and polls predict a resounding victory for Ardern’s left-leaning Labour Party, despite a slumping economy and Ardern’s failure to deliver on key pledges such as fixing a housing crisis and lifting children out of poverty. There’s even a chance Labour could win an outright majority, which no party in New Zealand has done since the 1990s.
The opposition National Party is wooing voters with tax cuts and attacking Ardern for not making good on her promises. But so far, it hasn’t dented the prime minister’s popularity.
Ardern, 40, gained fame outside New Zealand as the world’s then-youngest female head of government, at 37, and as the first world leader to bring her baby to the UN General Assembly. Her rise to political stardom was rapid. As a member of parliament, she was thrust into the Labour Party’s top job just two months before the last election, in 2017. The party was at risk of a crushing defeat, so leader Andrew Little stepped down and handed Ardern the reins. In what became known as “Jacinda-mania,” she ignited the campaign and led Labour to an upset victory over National with the backing of two smaller parties.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
The Food Fight in Fake Meat
Beyond Meat was an early leader. But rival Impossible Foods and others want to eat its lunch
The U.K. Wants to Clean Up Space
The amount of debris in orbit is an increasing danger—and a potential market opportunity
Peak Pallet
Prices for a warehouse staple are at a record, buoyed by the boom in e-commerce
THE MAN WHO KEEPS THE FAR RIGHT ONLINE
While Amazon and its peers have stopped supporting certain prominent White supremacists and conspiracy theorists, Nick Lim has stepped in
Stopping the Race to the Bottom on Taxes
The U.S. is energizing a global effort to put a floor under corporate tax rates
The Guggenheims Of NFTs
Perhaps you’ve heard of nonfungible tokens? These collectors already have millions of dollars’ worth
Reincarnation And Realpolitik
China, India, and the U.S. are vying to influence the selection of the next Dalai Lama
WAITING FOR ELON
It’s not easy to compete with Miami and Austin for high-tech jobs. But Adelanto, Calif., which boasts a light regulatory environment, an enthusiastic city manager, and plenty of dirt, is giving it a shot
LAW & CRYPTO
Arthur Hayes faces U.S. prosecution over how he ran his overseas Bitcoin exchange
In Hot Pursuit
Chris Urmson’s company, Aurora, has merged with Uber’s self-driving unit to take on Waymo
PM JACINDA ARDERN BORN TO INSPIRE
Lessons in Leadership in the Post-Truth Era
NZ's Ardern sworn in for second term
WELLINGTON (AFP) – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was sworn in for a second term yesterday, as final election results showed her landslide victory was even bigger than previously thought.
Ardern wins landslide re-election in NZ
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s center-left Labor Party won a landslide victory in the country’s general election yesterday as voters rewarded her for a decisive response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Coronavirus breaks out again in New Zealand after 102 days
WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday said authorities have found four cases of the Coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first reported cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days.
BLAZING HER OWN TRAIL
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s ‘politics of kindness’ and calm leadership in times of crisis have made her more popular than ever
Iconic Women
FROM CEOS AND POLITICIANS TO HUMANITARIANS AND ATHLETES, WE PROFILE 27 EXTRAORDINARY TRAILBLAZERS CREATING MAJOR CHANGE IN 2020.
Iconic Women
FROM CEOS AND POLITICIANS TO HUMANITARIANS AND ATHLETES, WE PROFILE 27 EXTRAORDINARY TRAILBLAZERS CREATING MAJOR CHANGE IN 2020.
Long Live the corner shop!
How a Sheffield family found being at the heart of the community in the latest Back in Time for…
Open all hours
A family turns back the clock to live and work as shopkeepers
Iconic Women
FROM CEOS AND POLITICIANS TO HUMANITARIANS AND ATHLETES, WE PROFILE 30 EXTRAORDINARY TRAILBLAZERS CREATING MAJOR CHANGE IN 2020.