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Who is New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern and how did she win the battle against coronavirus?
JACINDA ARDERN is the 40th and current Prime Minister of New Zealand and is also the youngest female head of government on the planet. She has just claimed a landslide general election victory, but when did she take office and how did she beat coronavirus in the country?
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Who is Jacinda Ardern?
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern was born on July 26, 1980, in Hamilton, New Zealand, the daughter of a police officer and a school catering assistant.
She joined New Zealand's Labour Party and became an active member in the Young Labour movement at an early stage in her life.
When she graduated from the University of Waikato with a degree in politics and public relations, Ardern moved to London to work as a senior policy adviser to Tony Blair.
She returned to New Zealand to become the youngest MP in its parliament in 2008 where she quickly rose through the ranks to become leader of the opposition by August 2017.
Although the National party won the highest share of the vote in the 2017 general election, it did not have enough seats to govern alone.
Instead, a coalition was established between New Zealand First and the Labour Party, naming Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister on October 26, 2017.
She is the third female Prime Minister of New Zealand and in June 2018 she became the second elected head of government in history to give birth while in office.
Ardern's political views have been described as progressive, social democratic and feminist.
Although she was raised a Mormon, she left the church in 2005 because it conflicted with her support for gay rights. A
Is Jacinda Ardern married and does she have children?
Ardern has been in a relationship with broadcaster Clarke Gayford since 2013, and during the Easter 2019 weekend he proposed. Their daughter, Neve Te Aroha, was born on June 24, 2018.
Her spokesman confirmed they got engaged over the holiday weekend.
Speculation surrounding their engagement was rife after a journalism intern spotted a ring on Ardern's finger.
No details of the wedding have yet been confirmed.
How is New Zealand dealing with coronavirus?
Jacinda Ardern and the NZ government have been praised for their quick reactions to dealing with the killer bug.
But now cases are on the rise again - and the country is taking the spike very seriously.
At the time of writing (September 3, 2021) New Zealand has reported 28 new cases of coronavirus in the community.
Ardern yesterday said: “What we’ve always said is elimination is the best strategy for us while we’re vaccinating people.”
“So yes, I see different leaders in Australia taking different positions, but I actually think you’d see generally that their view would be keeping those cases down while you vaccinate has to be the goal. It’s certainly ours.”
What is Jacinda Ardern's approval rating?
Jacinda Arden's approval rating was sky high last year while New Zealand led the way during the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the latest Roy Morgan poll has found Ms Ardern’s approval rating has dropped 15 points from December to March.
It comes as officials in New Zealand have also been slow to secure and approve vaccine doses, with only the Pfizer/BioNTech currently available.
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