0:01 / 9:35
Jacinda Ardern on keeping empathy in politics and new memoir, 'A Different Kind of Power'
5,257 views Jun 7, 2025
At 37 years old, Jacinda Ardern was the world’s youngest female head of government when she became prime minister of New Zealand. She was also just the second to give birth while in office and led her nation through crises, including a devastating mass shooting and the pandemic. Ardern joined Amna Nawaz to discuss her memoir, “A Different Kind of Power," and the documentary, “Prime Minister.”
====
Transcript
AMNA NAWAZ: At 37 years old, Jacinda Ardern was the world's youngest female head of
government when she became prime minister of New Zealand. She was also just the second in history
to give birth while in office. And she led her nation of five million through multiple crises,
including a devastating mass shooting and the COVID pandemic, before resigning in 2023.
Her historic journey is the focus of a new documentary
called "Prime Minister" set to premiere next week.
And I spoke with her recently about her time in office and her new memoir,
"A Different Kind of Power.
Prime Minister Ardern, welcome to the "News Hour." Thank you for being here.
JACINDA ARDERN, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand: Thank you for having me.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, in the book, in the very first page, you dedicate it to the criers,
the warriors, and the huggers, which just hit me right in the heart.
(LAUGHTER)
AMNA NAWAZ: But the words that you use to describe power are not words
we usually hear from heads of state. You talk about empathy and kindness.
You write about preparing to become prime minister and wanting to bring kindness back.
How and why did those become your guiding principles?
JACINDA ARDERN: Well, in part because I think
those are all of the things that took me into politics in the first place.
And I think, unfortunately, over time, and this is something that I notice is a bit of a
universal thing, we have built up an expectation about the way that politicians need to behave in
order to survive the political environment. But I don't believe that necessarily means
that is what people are expecting of us, that idea that you have to be devoid of kindness
because that would equate to weakness, or the idea that it's a compassion-free zone.
I actually do think voters seek that. And, hopefully, my time in politics
demonstrated that you can lead in that way and you can successfully lead in that way.
AMNA NAWAZ: You write in the book about very suddenly someone
unexpectedly being thrust into leadership. And you write very
honestly about I think what's fair to call the impostor syndrome of it all.
JACINDA ARDERN: Yes.
AMNA NAWAZ: You wrote in the book: "I had been deputy leader for exactly five months. Now I was
running to be the prime minister of New Zealand. There were moments where I hovered above myself,
just an observer to these high-speed events. It all felt so surreal."
So how do you get over that sense of, how did I get here and can I do this?
JACINDA ARDERN: Responsibility.
There is nothing I think that will overshadow any self-doubt more than
a sense of responsibility. And I did question at times whether I was the
right person to be seven weeks out from an election suddenly at 37 years of age,
being thrust into the position of running to be prime minister of New Zealand.
But I think the message that I would like to share is, even if you have that confidence gap,
first of all, you are able to overcome it when what becomes
bigger in your mind is your sense of responsibility and your duty to others,
but, equally, that confidence gap can actually bring some strength as well.
It often means you bring humility to leadership. It means that you prepare.
It often means you look for risk and that you bring in experts and others who can
help inform your decision-making. Those are good leadership qualities that we too often discount.
AMNA NAWAZ: You write about how you wanted to bring people into the experience of leadership,
especially leading in crisis. And you had to do that, as you mentioned, when there was a white
supremacist mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand, killed 51 people in 2019.
And we should remind people gun ownership in New Zealand is relatively high, right?
JACINDA ARDERN: It is.
AMNA NAWAZ: Guns, in this case, in that shooting, had been legally acquired. You said never again.
AMNA NAWAZ: You pushed for change. And you do it. You ban military-style semiautomatic weapons.
You limit high-capacity magazines, establish a firearms registry, all within just over a year.
AMNA NAWAZ: And I know that you're hesitant to weigh into other nations' politics,
especially here in the U.S., but you live here now. You know both these countries.
So I wonder what you think the difference is between
the two nations that kept similar changes from being enforced here.
JACINDA ARDERN: And, look, I comment as an observer and also acknowledging the significant
differences in our political systems. Yes, we changed our gun laws and the ban on military-style
semiautomatic weapons after that horrific event in New Zealand. Those laws changed within 27 days.
But that was also because we had the support of members of Parliament. We have 120 of them,
and 119 voted in favor of their change. And I think it's because they felt the
weight of expectation from the New Zealand public,
because an empathetic response is nothing if it's not coupled with action that doesn't drive change.
And my observation, of course, is that our systems are different,
but also in New Zealand we do see gun ownership as very much a responsibility
versus a right. But I, having said that, still observe an expectation as well here.
AMNA NAWAZ: Among the general public?
JACINDA ARDERN: Yes, among the general public. I do sense that. I think merely the fact that
I'm asked so frequently about that change in New Zealand, that I'm asked to make an observation
here, that tells me that crisis is still calling for change. It just has not yet been answered yet.
AMNA NAWAZ: Do you feel lawmakers here have failed to meet the expectations then?
JACINDA ARDERN: Again, this is where I just, again, as an outside observer -- only lawmakers
could speak to the circumstances that are leading to the status quo.
My observation, though, is that, the public, is that the expectation for change is still present.
AMNA NAWAZ: You write very personally in the book too about all the questions that you,
as a woman, as a woman in her mid-30s, as a woman who talked about wanting a family,
faced all along your political career as you rose into power, whether or not you
were planning on getting pregnant, whether or not you would take maternity leave if elected.
One interviewer asking about, shouldn't employers know who they're hiring?
That's the moment you write about on a TV show in which you kind of snap.
JACINDA ARDERN: Yes. (LAUGHTER)
AMNA NAWAZ: And you point to him and you say:
"It is totally unacceptable in 2017," when this interview was, "to say that
a woman should have to answer that question in a workplace." You repeated: "It is unacceptable."
AMNA NAWAZ: Tell me about that moment. What happened?
JACINDA ARDERN: Yes, there had been a bit of -- I mean,
there had been some -- as you say, some context to that, some buildup.
I had perhaps climatized to the idea that it was something that for me was not going
to be personal. And, in part, I accepted that. I lived a -- I was in public life.
I was in a role where I was asking for people to support me. So I guess in a
way I put myself in a different category when it came to questions around having a family.
So I was used to the speculation, and I was happy to answer that question, but I
completely rebelled against the idea that every woman should have to answer that question. And so
that was a moment where I pushed back hard, not for me, but I hoped, in that moment, for others.
AMNA NAWAZ: You have become very familiar with this country in a bit more ways.
In the headlines today is this very public,
very personal back-and-forth between two of the most powerful men on the planet,
President Trump and Elon Musk. And I just wonder, as you watch this unfold in the way that it is,
very shoot from the hip, very emotional, what do you make of that? How are you watching that?
JACINDA ARDERN: Yes, I mean, one of the things that I hope to do by putting out a book that I
never really intended to write was to spotlight different types of leadership, because, actually,
regardless of whether you start a conversation about politics in the U.S. or in parts of Europe,
we are in a moment where a particular style of leadership is being spotlighted.
But it's not the only one. I lead a fellowship on empathetic leadership
with politicians who are out there in the field now often in senior positions
who are leading in a very particular way, but that often doesn't attract headlines.
So I will use whatever opportunity I have to put the spotlight on them instead.
AMNA NAWAZ: Could you ever see two women having this kind of public back-and-forth
in leadership positions? Is there a double standard still at play?
JACINDA ARDERN: Maybe we put a few more women in leadership,
and then we can ask ourselves the question.
(LAUGHTER)
AMNA NAWAZ: Do you think the U.S. will have a woman president in our lifetime?
JACINDA ARDERN: In my lifetime, I do believe. Yes, I do. I do.
AMNA NAWAZ: Why do you think that?
JACINDA ARDERN: And I don't think I'm particularly engaging in anything
that would give me any outstanding longevity. So why do I think that?
I think all Western liberal democracies are designed to represent the communities they
serve. And I'm very lucky. In New Zealand, the first country in the world to give women
the right to vote, I was the third female prime minister. There does come a point
where gender doesn't become an issue anymore and it just becomes about good leadership.
AMNA NAWAZ: The book is "A Different Kind of Power." The author is the
Right Honorable Dame and former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern.
Prime Minister, thank you so much for your time.
JACINDA ARDERN: Thank you.
Jacinda Ard
====
A Different Kind of Power
 | |
| Author | Jacinda Ardern |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
Publication date | 3 June 2025 |
| ISBN | 9781776951277 |
A Different Kind of Power is a memoir by Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023. It was published in June 2025.
Development and writing
[edit]In June 2023 Ardern signed a deal with Penguin Books for rights to publish the book in Australia and New Zealand. She was initially reluctant to write a memoir.[1] In January 2025 Ardern announced that the memoir would be released in June that year.[2] The memoir was able to be pre-ordered.[1] She said that it would provide more information about her leadership and her resignation from her role as prime minister in 2023.[3] She also said that she attempted to give the reader an idea of what it is like to lead a country,[1] and that the purpose of writing the book was to encourage more people to consider careers in public service, rather than to act as a typical political memoir.[4] Ardern read the book aloud for an audio book version of the memoir.[5]
Contents
[edit]The memoir is chronological, starting before her time in government, covering topics such as family and school. The moment Ardern accepted her leadership of the Labour Party is about half way through the book. The memoir covers the major events during her term as prime minister, such as the Christchurch mosque shootings, COVID-19 pandemic and 2022 Wellington protest. It also includes more minor events such as being approached by a critic of hers in a public bathroom and the language development of her daughter.[6] The book also covers the imposter syndrome and "confidence gap" that Ardern experienced and argues that imposter syndrome and confidence gaps can benefit leaders experiencing them.[4]
In the memoir, Ardern revealed that she first seriously considered resigning in late 2022 when a doctor discovered a lump in her breast, due to the possibility that it was cancerous. It was not cancer.[7] Ardern also revealed in the book that she was pregnant during the coalition negotiations.[8]
See also
[edit]- Prime Minister (2025 film), a documentary film about Ardern
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Former PM Dame Jacinda Ardern's book, A Different Kind of Power, out in June". The New Zealand Herald. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "'Especially in these times': Jacinda Ardern announces memoir with message about kindness and empathy". Stuff. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Politics of kindness to be tackled in Ardern's tell-all memoir". RNZ. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Jacinda Ardern on having imposter syndrome and why 'confidence gaps' can be good for leaders". ABC News. 1 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Jacinda Ardern: Why writing her memoir was 'therapy with a deadline'". The Post. 1 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Jacinda Ardern's memoir and the untold stories from her time as Prime Minister". The New Zealand Herald. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Jacinda Ardern on her cancer scare and a chilling public bathroom encounter". 1News. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Jacinda Ardern's memoir and the untold stories from her time as Prime Minister". The New Zealand Herald. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
===
=
Read sample
Audible sample
Follow the author
Jacinda ArdernJacinda Ardern
Follow
A Different Kind of Power: A memoir Kindle Edition
by Jacinda Ardern (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (16)
#1 Best Sellerin Humour & Entertainment
See all formats and editions
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 incursion, and a global pandemic—while advancing visionary new polices 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?
Read less
===
===
=
Read sample
Audible sampleFollow the author
Jacinda ArdernJacinda Ardern
Follow
A Different Kind of Power: A memoir Kindle Edition
by Jacinda Ardern (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (16)
#1 Best Sellerin Humour & Entertainment
See all formats and editions
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 incursion, and a global pandemic—while advancing visionary new polices 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?
Read less
===
===
No comments:
Post a Comment