Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she is stepping down from her role, effective immediately.
Jacinda Ardern resigns as prime minister of New Zealand.
Labour leader to stand down before 7th February, saying she ‘no longer had enough in the tank’ to do the job.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she is stepping down from her role, effective immediately.
In a statement released on Friday, Ardern said she had been “privileged” to serve as New Zealand’s Prime Minister, but that the time had come for her to “move on”.
“I have been honoured to serve as Prime Minister of New Zealand for the past three years,” she said.
“It has been a privilege to lead our country through some of its most challenging times, and I am proud of what we have achieved together.
“However, the time has now come for me to move on, and I am announcing today that I will be resigning as Prime Minister, effective immediately.”
Ardern said she would be taking some time off to spend with her family and “recharge her batteries”, before returning to politics “in some capacity”.
She did not say what that role would be.
Ardern’s resignation comes as a surprise, after she had earlier in the week ruled out quitting her job, saying she was “absolutely committed” to leading the country.
However, it is understood that Ardern had been under pressure from within her own party to make way for a new leader, with some feeling she had lost her “mojo” after a series of political missteps.
Ardern’s departure will trigger a leadership contest within the ruling Labour Party, with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Finance Minister Grant Robertson seen as the frontrunners to replace her.
Peters has already announced he will be putting his name forward for the Labour leadership, while Robertson is yet to declare his intentions.
The new Prime Minister will be elected by the Labour Party caucus, with a vote expected to take place next week.
