Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday said she hopes her legacy will be showing the world “you can be a nerd, a crier, a hugger” and still a leader.
In her farewell speech before the country’s Parliament after her shock resignation earlier this year, Ardern spoke about some of her toughest challenges, including the mass shooting in Christchurch that killed 51, a volcanic eruption in White Island that left 22 dead, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I cannot determine what will define my time in this place, but I do hope I’ve demonstrated something else entirely,” she said. “That you can be anxious, sensitive, kind and wear your heart on your sleeve.”
“You can be a mother, or not. You can be an ex-Mormon, or not. You can be a nerd, a crier, a hugger. You can be all of these things. And not only can you be here, you can lead, just like me,” Ardern added.
Ardern stunned the world when she announced she was stepping down as prime minister in January, after about five years at the top of New Zealand politics. She was admired worldwide for her progressive and empathetic leadership, and was highly popular with New Zealanders until the last months of 2022, when she struggled with issues like inflation and crime.
After stepping down as prime minister, Ardern chose to remain a lawmaker until this month to spare her party a special election ahead of the general election later this year, according to The Associated Press.
Ardern told Parliament she always trusted politics “to be a place where you can make a difference. I leave knowing that to be true.”
She pleaded with lawmakers to not abandon their work on climate change.
“Climate change is a crisis,” she said. “One of the very few things I will ask of this House in my departure is that you, please, take the politics out of climate change.”
Ardern became prime minister in 2017 at the age of 37, making history as one of the world’s youngest women heads of state. In June 2018, she became one of the few world leaders to give birth while in office. She later made headlines for bringing her daughter along to the U.N. General Assembly.
Chris Hipkins was picked by the Labour Party to succeed Ardern as the country is headed to the polls in October.