() – Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down earlier this year, has been granted a damehood, one of the country’s highest honours.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced the appointment on Monday to mark the King’s birthday, with Ardern among 182 recipients to receive various honours for their contributions to the country.
“Having served as Prime Minister from 2017 to 2023, Dame Jacinda Ardern is recognised for her service to New Zealand during some of the greatest challenges our country has faced in modern times,” Hipkins said in a statement.
“Leading New Zealand’s response to the 2019 terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic presented periods of intense challenge for our 40th Prime Minister, during which I saw first-hand that her commitment to New Zealand remained absolute.”
Hipkins comes from Ardern’s Labour party and succeeded her as leader.
The move grants Ardern the title of Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. The Order of Merit, created in 1996, is awarded to people in any field who have provided “meritorious service to the Crown and nation” or who are known for their “eminence, talent, contributions or other merits,” according to the New Zealand government website.
Former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern on her way to Harvard
Speaking to affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ), Ardern said she was “incredibly honoured” by the award.
“I was hesitant to accept this award,” she said. “A lot of what we’ve been through as a nation over the last five years had to do with all of us rather than any one individual.”
“But I’ve heard that from a lot of Kiwis [como se les conoce popularmente a los nezelandeses] “I have encouraged them to accept an honour over the years. So for me it is a way of saying thank you to my family, my colleagues and the people who have supported me in taking on the most challenging and rewarding role of my life.”
When Ardern became prime minister in 2017, aged 37, she was New Zealand’s third female leader and one of the youngest leaders in the world. Within a year, she had become only the second world leader to give birth in office.
His time in power was marked by multiple crises, including the Christchurch terrorist attack, a deadly volcanic explosion and the pandemic.
She quickly became a global progressive icon, remembered for her empathy in leading New Zealand through these crises and for taking her daughter to the United Nations General Assembly.
Jacinda Ardern is the world’s most important leader in 2021, according to Fortune
But at home his popularity has waned amid rising living costs, housing shortages and economic anxiety. He has also faced violent protests against the lockdown in the capital, Wellington, and received threats.
Ardern announced her resignation in January, saying she no longer had the strength to stand for election, prompting a wave of praise and warm farewells from other world leaders and her many international admirers.
In April, she revealed that she will be arriving at Harvard University this fall to complete two fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School, the university’s school of public policy and government. She will be away for a semester, missing the New Zealand general election, but will return after the fellowships are over, she said.
Add Comment