New Zealand’s celebrated leader, Jacinda Ardern says she is ‘burnt out’

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer 

#NewZealand, January 24, 2023 – Only the second woman to be elected to the top spot in the country and the youngest in over a century New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will resign by next month, citing burnout as the reason behind her decision.

Ardern was elected in 2017 and served almost two full terms in office as New Zealand has a three year election cycle. The leader was recognized globally for her empathetic and swift reaction to the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings which killed dozens of Muslims and came to be a defining moment in her career in politics.

She is poised to leave the post by or even before February 7th said she had ‘nothing left in the tank’ in terms of leadership. The resignation comes as a shock globally especially with general elections for the Kiwis coming up this October.

The move is a likely strategic one on Ardern’s part to minimize the fallout to her party in an election year giving residents enough time to get used to her successor and their mandate before campaigning begins in earnest.

She told reporters the decision was hers alone.

“Leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also the most challenging. You cannot and should not do the job unless you have a full tank, plus a bit in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges.” She said

Ardern led through the Coronavirus Pandemic nearly eradicating the disease in her country by shutting out all foreigners for years and promoting vaccination which allowed New Zealand residents to walk about freely and even have concerts as the risk of infection was so little.