New Zealand’s outgoing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday said she would now be stepping back from domestic politics.
The prime minister further said she was grateful for her time in office, insisting that a sustained barrage of online abuse was not the reason for her shock resignation.
The 42-year-old said last week she no longer had “enough in the tank” after a turbulent five years in office, during which she steered the country through natural disasters, its worst-ever terror attack and the Covid-19 pandemic.Her resignation, less than three years after an emphatic election victory, has ignited a national debate about the vitriol faced by women leaders, especially on social media.
Now, Ardern has advice for Chris Hipkins, who will now take over her office.
“Probably the most important advice I gave him was ‘you do you’,” she said.
