JACINDA Ardern promised “relentless positivity” as New Zealand’s Prime Minister (PM), but in announcing her shock resignation on Thursday (Jan 19) admitted that the unrelenting demands of the job had finally worn her down.

A fresh-faced Ardern was elected Prime Minister in 2017, and in a tumultuous first term faced New Zealand’s worst terror attack, a deadly volcanic eruption, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Just 37 years old at the time, she became the country’s youngest Prime Minister since 1856 and a global icon for progressive politics.

Ardern won a landslide second term in 2020, but her popularity has been on the slide as she battles declining trust in the government, a deteriorating economic situation, and a resurgent conservative opposition.

The stress has been evident in recent months – Ardern showed a rare lapse of poise when she was unwittingly caught on microphone calling an opposition politician an “arrogant prick”.

“This has been the most fulfilling five-and-a-half years of my life. But it has also had its challenges,” the 42-year-old said on Thursday. “I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple.”

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She had been in office barely 18 months when a white supremacist gunman opened fire in two Christchurch mosques during Friday prayers, killing 51 Muslim worshippers and wounding another 40.

Her deft and compassionate response to the rampage of hate defined the charismatic centre-left leader’s image around the world.

When she donned a headscarf and comforted victims’ families after the shooting, it resonated globally. She would later describe it as a spontaneous gesture of respect to the Muslim community.

Ardern also won plaudits for decisive policy action, including swiftly-enacted gun-law reforms and a push to force social media giants to address online hate speech.

The New Zealand public emphatically backed her performance, giving her a second three-year term in October 2020. Her campaign pitch focused heavily on her government’s success in containing the coronavirus pandemic. Life within New Zealand has largely returned to normal after a series of strict lockdowns.

Ardern grew up in the North Island hinterland, where her father was a police officer. She credits the poverty she saw there with shaping her beliefs.

Raised as a Mormon, Ardern left the faith in her 20s due to its stance against homosexuality. After completing a communications degree, Ardern began her political career in former prime minister Helen Clark’s office before heading to Britain to work as a policy adviser in Tony Blair’s government.

She was elected to parliament in 2008 and in March 2017 became Labour’s deputy leader, saying at the time that she was not ambitious and saw herself as a backroom staffer.

Ardern transformed from self-described “policy nerd” to Prime Minister on a wave of “Jacinda-mania”, after being thrust into the Labour leadership just seven weeks before the 2017 election.

She made headlines again a year later when she became only the second Prime Minister in the world to give birth while in office – after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990. Her baby, Neve, is due to start school later this year.

After Christchurch, she again offered comfort to the nation, when the White Island (also known as Whakaari) volcano erupted, killing 21 people and leaving dozens more with horrific burns.

Ardern has constantly urged New Zealanders during the coronavirus crisis to “be kind”, appealing for a unified approach from what she terms a “team of five million”.

Four candidates who could replace Ardern

A Labour Party vote for a new leader will take place on Sunday. The party leader will be Prime Minister until the next general election. Ardern’s term as leader will conclude no later than Feb 7, and a general election will be held on Oct 14.

Here are four Labour Party lawmakers who could become Prime Minister:

Chris Hipkins

First elected to parliament for the Labour Party in 2008, Chris Hipkins became a household name fronting the government’s response to the pandemic after being appointed Minister for Covid-19 in November 2020.

He led a response that was hailed around the world for leaving the country virus-free for the first half of 2021, but criticism grew over harsh lockdowns as officials struggled to control a Delta outbreak that began in August 2021. The 44-year-old later said that quarantine measures should have been scaled back earlier.

Having built a reputation for competence, he became Minister for Police in mid-2022 amid a crime wave. He is also Minister for Education, Public Service and serves as Leader of the House.

He held several roles in politics before joining parliament. He was a senior adviser to two education ministers and served in the office of former prime minister Helen Clark.

Kiri Allan

New Zealand’s Minister of Justice Kiri Allan would become the country’s first Prime Minister of Maori descent, as well as the country’s first openly gay leader, if elected.

The 39-year-old, whose portfolio also includes disaster management, was diagnosed with stage-three cervical cancer in 2021 on the same day a powerful earthquake struck off the country’s coast, triggering tsunami warnings. She took a leave of absence to seek treatment before returning.

Before entering parliament in 2017, she worked as a manager in the agriculture industry, and was heavily involved in new kiwi fruit developments. She has also practised commercial and public law in several areas of the country.

Michael Wood

Michael Wood, 42, has swiftly scaled Labour Party ranks since joining parliament in 2016 after a landslide by-election victory.

He was elevated to Minister of Transport and Workplace Safety in 2020 after Ardern’s historic election, the best result for the Labour Party in half a century. He added Immigration to his portfolio in a mid-2022 cabinet reshuffle.

Before becoming a Member of Parliament, he served on Auckland’s city council. He also worked at the finance sector union.

Nanaia Mahuta

A veteran parliamentarian of 26 years, Nanaia Mahuta became New Zealand’s first female Foreign Minister after the 2020 election victory.

The 52-year-old has used her role to advocate a diplomatic middle ground for Pacific nations caught between the US and China, saying late last year that the region is not “altogether comfortable with either superpower”.

With a traditional facial tattoo that celebrates her Maori heritage, she has long championed Maori causes as a tribal member of Waikato-Tainui, Ngati Maniapoto and Ngati Manu. She is the daughter of Robert Mahuta, the adopted brother of the late Maori queen Te Atairangikaahu and a respected Maori elder.

Mahuta has also held the local government portfolio and pushed through controversial legislation to change the ownership structure of the country’s water infrastructure. AFP, REUTERS