Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern, born on 26 July 1980 in Hamilton, New Zealand, is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand who served from 2017 to 2023. She rose to prominence as a progressive politician noted for her empathetic leadership, crisis management, and social policies. After studying at the University of Waikato, where she earned a Bachelor of Communication Studies in 2001, she worked as a researcher for Prime Minister Helen Clark and later for British Prime Minister Tony Blair before being elected to Parliament in 2008 as a Labour Party list MP. In 2017, she unexpectedly became Labour's leader and led the party to victory, becoming New Zealand's 40th Prime Minister at age 37, one of the world's youngest female heads of government, representing the Mount Albert electorate from 2017 onward. She was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2014.

Her leadership was marked by significant events, most notably her compassionate response to the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, where she swiftly implemented gun control reforms and promoted anti-hate initiatives, earning international acclaim. She also garnered praise for New Zealand's effective handling of the COVID-19 pandemic through strict lockdowns. As the second elected world leader to give birth while in office, she took maternity leave in 2018 after her daughter Neve was born to partner Clarke Gayford. Her policies emphasized child poverty reduction, climate action, and women's rights, though her government faced criticism over housing affordability and economic challenges.

Ardern resigned in January 2023, citing burnout, and was subsequently honored as Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Post-premiership, she has engaged in global activism, including roles with the Christchurch Call to eliminate online terrorist content. Her tenure involved national security briefings on threats like Brenton Tarrant, and her COVID-19 measures drew protests over alleged government overreach, though no formal legal actions resulted. Her career remains a study in progressive governance amid personal and political pressures.