New Zealand ex-PM Jacinda Ardern breaks political silence to support opposition

WELLINGTON - Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has largely stayed out of politics since leaving office more than three years ago, has broken her silence to drum up support for the Labour Party as it seeks to regain power at next month’s election. In a video posted to her website, Ardern pledged her support for Labour leader Chris Hipkins and urged voters to donate to his campaign. “I believe in Chris wholeheartedly. I’ve known him for many, many years and I know how deep his Labour values run,” Ardern said. “In these times, regardless of how much you’re able to give, just know how much every single dollar counts and how much it will mean to the Labour team.”Ardern’s intervention comes at a crucial moment in the campaign, with the ruling National Party and main opposition Labour Party struggling to win over voters ahead of the Nov 7 election. A poll earlier this week showed support for the two major parties sliding with voters increasingly turning to minor groups offering more distinctive visions for the country.Ardern became the world’s youngest female leader when she was elected prime minister in 2017 aged 37, less than three months after taking the reins of Labour. In 2018, she became just the second world leader to give birth in office, after former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. She won plaudits for her sensitive handling of a number of crises, including the 2019 mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch. Ardern led the Labour Party to a second term in power in 2020, with a 50% share of the vote at the height of the Covid pandemic – an unprecedented victory under New Zealand’s current electoral system.After her shock resignation in 2023, Ardern spent most of her time in the US, taking up dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is also on the board of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, and last year released her memoir A Different Kind of Power.She now lives in Australia, and recently bought a A$5.3 million (S$4.7 million) house in the Sydney beachside suburb of Dee Why, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. BLOOMBERG