JACINDA ARDERN looked a touch less assured than usual when she took to the stage on October 19th after becoming New Zealand’s prime-minister designate. The 37-year-old had raised Labour from the dead after assuming leadership of it in August, but the centre-left party had still finished second in last month’s general election with just under 37% of the vote. She had managed to secure leadership of the country by turning her charm on the populists of New Zealand First, convincing them to side with her instead of the winning centre-right National Party. With support from the Greens (who are not part of the coalition), Ms Ardern has created the first government of losing parties in New Zealand’s proportionally representative parliament. On October 26th she was sworn in as the world’s youngest female leader.
Ms Ardern’s promises of change resonated with many young New Zealanders. They were tired of the National Party, which had led the country for nearly a decade. But some...Continue reading
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