Former New Zealand prime minister says she has ‘written about things that I haven’t shared before’. Two years after her shock resignation, former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced her upcoming memoir which she hopes will help “anyone who ever doubted themselves”.
Described as her “unfiltered journey”, the book "A Different Kind of Power" reveals things that have not been shared before and her one guiding principle throughout her time in office, she said on her Instagram account. Ms Ardern, who became the world’s youngest woman head of government when she was elected prime minister in 2017, aged 37, sent a jolt around the world in 2023 announcing her decision to not stand for re-election.
In an emotional and tearful address, she said “I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice”. Ms Ardern said kindness was her guiding principle even though some people thought it was sentimental and naïve. "Some people thought kindness was sentimental, soft. A bit naive, even. I knew this. But I also knew they were wrong," Ms Ardern said in a statement.
"Kindness has a power and strength that almost nothing else on this planet has. I’d seen kindness do extraordinary things – I’d seen it give people hope, I’d seen it change minds, and transform lives. Kindness. This was my guiding principle, and it would be the trait with which I would try to lead, no matter what lay ahead.".
