Profile of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, possible contender for Nobel Peace Prize

Record ID: 1434101

  • Title: Profile of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, possible contender for Nobel Peace Prize
  • Date: 27th September 2019
  • Summary: Ardern met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel where they discussed security challenges and free trade. BERLIN, GERMANY (FILE - APRIL 17, 2018) (REUTERS) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL AND ARDERN ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE IN BERLIN
  • Embargoed: 11th October 2019 10:36
  • Keywords: Jacinda Ardern Christchurch gender equality wellbeing social media pregnant first baby mosque gun laws Pacific climate change New Zealand shooting
  • Location: AUCKLAND, WELLINGTON, WAITANGI, CHRISTCHURCH, NEW PLYMOUTH, DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND / DANANG, VIETNAM / PARIS, FRANCE / BERLIN, GERMANY / LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM / UNITED NATIONS / DAVOS, SWITZERLAND / FUNAFUTI, TUVALU
  • City: AUCKLAND, WELLINGTON, WAITANGI, CHRISTCHURCH, NEW PLYMOUTH, DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND / DANANG, VIETNAM / PARIS, FRANCE / BERLIN, GERMANY / LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM / UNITED NATIONS / DAVOS, SWITZERLAND / FUNAFUTI, TUVALU
  • Country: New Zealand
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA004AYG8953
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is among the possible contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
    As the country's youngest leader in more than a century, Ardern has drawn international acclaim for her leadership in the response to the Christchurch mosque shootings.
    Having previously worked under former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and as an advisor to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Ardern rose to become Labour Leader in 2017.
    Her communication skills and ability to connect with the public helped upstage the 2017 election, which had previously been seen as a shoe-in for the ruling centre-right National Party. In October 2017, Ardern, then 37-year-old, became New Zealand's third female prime minister through a coalition deal after an inconclusive election.
    In January 2018, Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford - a television fishing show presenter - made the announcement that she was pregnant with her first child. The couple said they found out the news just six days before she secured power.
    Ardern gave birth in June 2018 to Neve Te Aroha, taking a six-week maternity leave, with deputy prime minister Winston Peters taking over prime ministerial duties during that time. She is only the second leader in history after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto to give birth while in office.
    On her return, Ardern spoke at the United Nations and at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland, highlighting issues such as gender equality and climate change.
    Ardern won widespread praise for her role in helping New Zealand grieve following the country's worst peacetime mass shooting in March 2019, which shook the country to its core.
    She prompted the government to quickly enact and tighten gun laws, as well as urging changes to the role social media plays in the propagation of violent and extremist media.
    Ardern and Gayford became engaged in mid-2019.
    The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Friday, October 11 at 1100a.m. (0900GMT).
    (Production: James Redmayne)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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