Jacinda Ardern has announced she will stand down as New Zealand’s Prime Minister after almost six years in the top job.
Ms Ardern said she no longer “had enough in the tank” to do the job during the shock announcement on Thursday morning.
“I have given my absolute all,” she said.
“I believe that leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have but also one of the more challenging.
“You cannot and should not do it unless you have a full tank plus a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges.”
She will leave her post on February 7, allowing her Labour Party to elect a new leader who will then contest the election on October 14.
Ms Ardern admitted she had been mulling over this decision for some time.
“As we loomed closer to Christmas and the summer period, I decided to give myself a chance to really reflect on whether I had what was needed,” she said.
“I had hoped that I would find what I needed to carry on over that period but, unfortunately I haven’t.
“I would be doing a disservice to New Zealand to continue.”
She clarified her resignation was not due to not having belief of winning re-election.
“I don’t want to leave the impression that the adversity you face in politics is the reason that people exit,” she told reporters.
“Yes, did does have an impact. We are humans after all, but that was not the basis of my decision.
“In politics, you have adversity. You have disagreement. We need to nurture that. We need to do our best to make sure it’s respectful but that was not the basis of my decision.”
Ms Ardern also addressed her fiancé Clarke Gayford and four-year-old daughter Neve.
“Neve, mum is looking forward to being there when you start school this year,” she said.
“And to Clarke – let’s finally get married.”
