We have had to wait a few years for Jacinda Ardern's Memoir, published this year (2025) by Penguin / Random House. She resigned as Prime Minister of New Zealand in January 2023, after a time at the top that saw the Christchurch mosque shootings, the White Island eruption and the COVID outbreak. Her resignation took us all by surprise here in Australia - we had lost a bright light of hope in an otherwise lack lustre world.
I had read Madeleine Chapman's best selling biography Jacinda Ardern A New Kind of Leader but it only took us up to 2020 and hence did not tell the full story, and certainly not in Jacinda Ardern's own words.
https://timsbestreads.blogspot.com/p/jacinda-ardern-by-madeleine-chapman.html
The book blurb for the new book reads as follows
From the former prime minister of New Zealand, then the world’s youngest female head of government and just the second to give birth in office, comes a deeply personal memoir chronicling her extraordinary rise and offering inspiration to a new generation of leaders.
What if we could redefine leadership? What if kindness came first? Jacinda Ardern grew up the daughter of a police officer in small-town New Zealand, but as the 40th Prime Minister of her country, she commanded global respect for her empathetic leadership that put people first. This is the remarkable story of how a Mormon girl plagued by self-doubt made political history and changed our assumptions of what a global leader can be.
When Jacinda Ardern became Prime Minister at age thirty-seven, the world took notice. But it was her compassionate yet powerful response to the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, resulting in swift and sweeping gun control laws, that demonstrated her remarkable leadership. She guided her country through unprecedented challenges—a volcanic eruption, a major biosecurity breach, and a global pandemic—while advancing visionary new policies to address climate change, reduce child poverty, and secure historic international trade deals. She did all this while juggling first-time motherhood in the public eye.
Ardern exemplifies a new kind of leadership—proving that leaders can be caring, empathetic, and effective. She has become a global icon, and now she is ready to share her story, from the struggles to the surprises, including for the first time the full details of her decision to step down during her sixth year as Prime Minister.
Through her personal experiences and reflections, Jacinda is a model for anyone who has ever doubted themselves, or has aspired to lead with compassion, conviction, and courage. A Different Kind of Power is more than a political memoir; it’s an insight into how it feels to lead, ultimately asking: What if you, too, are capable of more than you ever imagined?
I read this book in less than a week. I knew much of the background story from Madeleine Chapman's book but Ardern's book is a personal memoir, not a third person biography, and allows us to follow her own life and political rise through her own words.
And what a political rise it was. She was the world’s youngest female head of government, and only the second to give birth while in office. She was drawn to government in an effort to bring change…to lead with kindness and empathy.
It is a gentle but inspirational book. It helped me remember that there are people who will rise to lead, not from ego or for power, but to serve and improve lives. Her story underscores how women often bring a distinct style of leadership, one grounded in compassion and collaboration.
Yes I can understand why she walked away from her role as PM in 2023. You only have to read the vitriolic and spiteful comments (thankfully, well in the minority) in the Goodreads review (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222531211-a-different-kind-of-power) to see how politics and the world have become so fragmented and bitterly divided.
How the wheel has turned. While she was an empathetic and loving PM of NZ, we had to endure an awful (in every way) Liberal Govt in Australia. This has now been replaced by an inspirational and socially progressive Labor Govt here in Australia, while a new regressive and socially bankrupt NZ Conservative Govt has moved quickly to undo many of Ardern's ground breaking changes.
I stand with Jacinda Ardern for a better world, full of caring and love. Sadly, that is not everyone's cup of tea.
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