For those interested in politics, A Different Kind of Power, the recent memoir of former New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, would certainly be of interest. She candidly tells of her early life in New Zealand and very supportive parents and sister, her after-school work in the local fish and chips shop, the inspiration of a high-school teacher, her strong interest in New Zealand’s early history and the early settlers’ treatment of Maori people, and the complexities of growing up as a Mormon. Her life later encompassed volunteering for the NZ Labour Party, university, graduation and work in New Zealand and London, with many ups and downs before being elected to the New Zealand parliament, where she eventually became opposition leader, and not long after, prime minister, where navigating her way through the complexities of political life was no mean feat. Along the way, she met her partner, Clarke Gayford, and during her time as prime minister, gave birth to their daughter, Neve. She has described her and Clarke’s busy times, as they juggled many aspects of life and getting by on minimal sleep under maximum pressure. During her prime ministership she faced many serious events, including a terrorist attack in 2019, when 51 Muslims were killed and many others wounded, in Christchurch, and the White Island volcanic eruption where 22 people died, and many others suffered serious burns; endeavours to keep people safe from Covid; and, returning from overseas to serious floods. More positively, her meetings with heads of other governments such as Germany’s Angela Merkel, France’s Emmanuel Macron and US president, Joe Biden, were very positive, as was seeing the election of a second Māori parliamentary speaker, and, for the first time in New Zealand’s history, a parliament comprised of 50 per cent women. Working with Prince William on the prestigious Earthshot Prize, an initiative which he founded to help fight climate change, was another highlight.
